Day 88 - Drakesbad Guest Ranch. 1347.6 (9.4)

Kevin Silvernale January 18, 2017

The short walk to Drakesbad Guest Ranch was wonderful, though being there was even better. This location is a summer vacation ranch that caters to higher class. Though it has the feel of a rustic cabin settlement, they offer 4 and 5 course meals, swimming pool, hot tub and some of the nicest bathrooms and it's practically on the trail!

Some hikers have had their bad experiences though. Lost packages and poor service topping the list. Even the day before I arrived, a worker at the Ranch couldn't find a hikers package, so the hiker left to resupply at the next town (a days hike away). The hiker told the Ranch employee to put the contents of his box into the hiker-box should it show up. Later that same day, the box was found (the employee had just missed it) and it had some really good stuff in it. Score for us hikers who arrived here today.

I mostly did Zero day things for the rest of the afternoon. Shower, laundry, organize my resupply and relax. In the evening time, Vertigo, Strapless, M&M, Nav and Hobbit had dinner at the meal house. All of the Ranch's guests ate until around 7:00 pm. The deal for PCT hikers is, after 7:00 pm, eat what ever they have extra of (minus the Salmon!). It was a 4 course meal with the best Desert I had on the entire trail. So good, I forgot to take a picture of it before it was gone. Guess you'll have to go try it out yourself.

Earlier in the day I was considering going into Drakesbad to resupply, then hiking 9 additional miles before setting up camp. This would keep me close to the 18.4 miles I needed to walk each day. Once I experienced the comfort at Drakesbad, I had very little motivation to leave early and follow through with my plan. This, I would soon find out, would be an incredibly good decision. I would, plan on getting up early tomorrow and hiking at least 19 miles.

Also a note about the last picture. The mileage shown to Canada is WAY off. Nevertheless, I thought it was a very cool work of art.

Before and after washing.  Did it make a difference? — Before and after washing. Did it make a difference?

Day 87 - Halfway to Canada! 1338.2 (24.9)

Kevin Silvernale January 17, 2017

Halfway points can be challenging. Whether it be a project at home or saving for something you really want, being halfway is more of a psychological challenge than a physical one. In the way of the world, most people try to avoid the feeling of being halfway. Instant gratification does just that. And how do we get that? Using credit when we don't have the money, buying things pre-built or take the big risk of winning/losing it all in a gamble. Some choose to go the other direction, by not starting at all so to never see the midway point.

I am guilty of utilizing both of these methods a lot of the time... but thru-hiking the PCT does not allow a hiker to just simply saying you did it, or that you could do that in the future if you wanted. You must start the trail, walk the trail, pass the midpoint and continue on for the same distance you just traveled. Mentally it can be very tough and I was sure struggling with it.

Being at the midway point doesn't need to be so heavy. I was also feeling elated about the accomplishment. It is a day a dreamed of when planning and starting the trail. With half the trails till to go, I took my pictures, enjoyed the moment, then kept moving.

A few miles later I stopped for lunch at a small stream. Having cell service, I call my Mom and got the rundown on how it was going at home. Strapless and Vertigo where there as well. I also met a section hiker, M&M. She was hiking with her dog, and both of their names started with M... hence her trail name. It was impressive hearing about her and her dog walking 20+ miles per day. I was happy knowing, with proper care and training, a dog is capable of hiking that distance in a day.

The trail crosses a very busy highway which leads to Chester, a larger town that many people hitched into for resupply. At this point, there were some mostly empty boxes that contained trail magic. I believe I grabbed an apple, signed the trail register and was on the move again.

After hiking 5 miles beyond said trail magic, I was pooped and found a nice pond to refill water and contemplate my options for camp. There was a very nice campsite at the pond, or I could walk an additional 5 miles to a large creek. If I continued on, I would have less than 10 miles to walk tomorrow to Drakesbad Guestranch, my next resupply point. I sat and rested for a little longer than the 15 minute time limit I had been using the past few days.

Really enjoying the idea of a short day tomorrow, so I gathered my things and pushed on. I remember getting into the zone with some good music and making it to camp with rather good spirits, though in lots of pain. My feet were still getting use to the my new shoes which means more blisters! These were small, nothing compared to the monster one I had in Sierra City.

Taking some time this evening to wash the dirt off my legs, I had the river to myself, as everyone else had already cooked, cleaned and were comfortably relaxing in their tents. I did the same and found myself asleep before I knew it after a long day of walking. From here on out, I will have walked further than I had left to go on the trail. That brought a smile to me on this day.

Day 86 - Thirteen Hundred Miles. 1313.3 (23.1)

Kevin Silvernale January 16, 2017

In about 30 days I will meet my family at Mazama Village, a resupply point at Crater Lake in Oregon. I crunched the numbers, figuring out that I needed to hike 18.4 miles per day to be at Mazama Village on time. 18.4 miles per day doesn't seem too difficult. But I must remember, that number doesn't allow for any zero days... or rather I must hike extra miles (18.4 to be exact) if I am to take a zero day and not fall behind.

At the end of each day on-trail, I would tally up the extra miles I had hiked and added it to the previous day. It became a ritual that helped me greatly getting through some of the more tedious miles of Northern California as well as helped me with my longing to see my family.

Passing through mile 1300 was a great feeling. Knowing that a short distance beyond would be the PCT Halfway Point. At the top of today's major climb (the one I started yesterday evening) I had an incredible view of Mount Lassen. It is the first in line (hiking northbound) of the many volcanic peaks the PCT passes. I also called my dad, with limited cell service I could stand in one particular spot for good reception, but 2 feet away would cause the call to be inaudible.

Traversing back down the hillside, I was looking to stop at Cold Springs for lunch. There I would find Strapless, Vertigo and one other hiker refilling water and eating lunch. I remember this spring was correctly named, being ice cold in 90+ degree weather, it was welcomed with open arms, until I dumped a liter of it over my head. Then all I wanted was to stand in the warm Noon sunlight.

I had hiked about half the distance for the day and after leaving this very memorable lunch spot the trail was mine. Not seeing a single soul until camp, I found myself in a rhythm where the miles passed like a hot knife through butter. There were a few good view points of the surrounding area and even fewer glimpses of Mt. Lassen, but those always brought a smile to my face.

Camp tonight was with Strapless and Vertigo, but there were very few sites by the spring, so I ventured a little ways away from them to find flatter ground in which to pitch my tent. Throughout the night, the deer in the area ran up, down and all around my selected campsite. I would hear stories tomorrow of hikers encountering, not so shy bears. I have fully entered the area known for its unafraid, no good, food eating and midnight sleep interupting Black Bears.

Day 85 - Belden Town. 1290.2 (22.4)

Kevin Silvernale January 15, 2017

Though I got up early to make it into Belden my mid-day, I was still the last one out of camp. That's fine with me, as long as I'm able to get myself out of camp before the mosquitoes become active. I don't believe that was the case this morning. In fact the mosquitoes were bad enough that I held my business the entire 16 miles to Belden.

Those miles consisted of mostly flat or slightly downhill terrain that was covered with lush foliage and dense woods. As the trail started its final decent into Belden, the view into the valley opened up and I could see the full extend of the hills ahead. In fact, I could see as far ahead as Mt. Lassen, 50+ miles ahead and that made me very happy and excited for what lay ahead. The final decent was anything but easy. Sometimes covered in loose rock and other times covered in slippery mud, the trail switched back and fourth over the last 5 miles to town which was the only way anyone could have made it down the nearly vertical hill side.

Fortunately my pack was light from being out of food and not needed to carry much water, but I was hobbling into Belden as my feet felt the effects of hiking with shoes that have covered 600+ miles, countless snow covered passes and even more raging icy creeks.

This town did not have much in the way of food or gear supplies. The food that was available was nearly 100% more expensive than larger towns and 50% more expensive than other secluded mountain towns. Their restaurant did make one hell of a burger, but their ice cream machine was inoperative! NO!!! It seems a lot of the time when I most want a milkshake, the machine isn't working (example: Day 20 - Cajon Pass McDonald's).

I sent two supply boxes to the General Store. One with food, maps, vitamins and everything else I normally get in a resupply. The second box had shoes and a few gear items I had asked my Mom, who shipped most of my supplies from home, to include as well. The trouble was, the worker who went to get my boxes couldn't find the second box. I sat around for a good hour trying to figure out whether I should stay, or figure out some way to forward the box ahead. I desperately wanted to have new shoes before walking another step on the trail.

Fortunately the owner was around and I had a short conversation about not finding the other box which caused him to go look one more time in the back room. He took me with him this time and what do you know, my box was front and center. Later I'd found out the worker miss heard me and thought I said the second one was an envelope. This small town, though helpful, had an unfriendly feel to it, similar to Hiker Town back in the desert section.

With my resupply all figured out, I was happy to leave Belden with a pack full of food and NEW SHOES! I would continue to hike an additional 6.5 miles which took me half way up the next climb (known for being long and hot). Even though I climbed it in the evening, I can attest to it being hot (very exposed).

At camp I found Simon, the section hiker I camped with the night I left Sierra City, Strapless and Vertigo. We all ate dinner around a fire and got to know each other. All the normal things such as, "where are you from" to "why are you hiking the trail". I enjoyed all of their company.

Day 84 - A Long Climb. 1267.8 (20.5)

Kevin Silvernale January 14, 2017

I quite enjoyed the uphills, as one may assume, they provided better and better views the higher I went. They also didn't really hurt or bother my body. Where, in contrast, the downhills utterly destroyed my body. Everything from the tips of my toes, to my top of my neck felt the effects from going downhill.