An Ode to Northern California

A New Chapter 

We spent our last night before the official end of the Sierras camping on a stunning ridge. We set up to cowboy camp (no tents, just sleeping pads and quilts) and watched the sunset over the cascading hills. I woke up during the night and looked towards the night sky, a reminder of how infinitely big the universe is. I was happy to be completing another section of epic trail, closing out this chapter in Kennedy Meadows North. We stayed in a yurt and watched the cowboys with their horses and indulged by eating too much soft serve from the general store.

Transitions on Trail

We continued our hike, making our way to South Lake Tahoe. This part of the trail was beautiful; converging with the Tahoe Rim Trail. We passed through meadows of wildflowers and views of the lake. I was looking forward to some time in town and was grateful to be taken care of by Ed and Al, the sweetest locals that treated us like family. I felt rested and revived; ready to head back on trail.

This was also a time of transition for our trail family. Dan and Cam had decided to hike the rest of the Tahoe Rim trail, while Lisa, Leah, Patrick, Chris and I continued on the PCT. We said our goodbyes and were hoping they would catch us soon.

Big Contrasts 

We entered the desolation wilderness and granite chief wilderness which ended up being some of my favorite parts of trail. We found ourselves walking along the ridge lines with views of the lake and camped near the ski hills. This was also the beginning of walking through the burn zones of Northern California. I was surprised by how quickly the landscape changed from lush green to charred trees and ash. It was beautiful in its own way, watching the environment come to life again with flowers and shrubs. This made it difficult at times to find safe campsites, you didn’t want to set up too close to dead trees.

Well That’s Gone!

The days continued to be hot, with temperatures reaching the high 90s. We got some relief when we reached the middle fork feather river for camp. I sat in the river and let the water rush around me, a soothing feeling after hiking all day. The next day we hiked up and out of the valley and I stopped to refill my water. As I was taking off my water filter from my CNOC, I felt it slip from my hands. I watched as it not only rolled off the trail but fell down a ravine, straight into a water fall. “Well that’s gone!” I pretended everything was fine until it hit me… I had no way to filter water. Luckily Chris supplied me with aqua tabs. I would have to pick up a new filter in the town of Chester.

Mix of Emotions 

I woke up on day 81 with an excitement to get moving. Today was a big day, I would be passing the midpoint on the trail at 1,325 miles. I felt a mix of emotions, shock that I made it this far, pure joy, and anticipation for the final half of the trail. I really didn’t know I could hike this far and I felt strong and capable after proving to myself it was possible.

We ended up staying at the local hostel in Chester before saying goodbye to Leah who would be headed up to Washington for another adventure. It seemed like all these transitions and goodbyes were happening at once and it was hard to prepare for them all. Our trail family had made it so far together, I was so grateful to have their support and share so many laughs. It makes the trail experience that much more memorable.

Braving the Heat 

I continued hiking through another heat wave, temperatures reached into the 100s now. I sat at Burney Falls amongst the other hikers and took a cold shower at the campground before braving the heat again. I was feeling the weight of the miles and the fatigue was setting in. It was time to push to the town of Shasta and I was invigorated with the beautiful views of Mount Shasta. I also knew Dan and Cam were right behind me. I had a decision to make at this point. I could either continue on with Chris, Patrick, and Lisa or wait for Dan and Cam in town. I ended up deciding to wait and was happy to be reunited with them! We would finish out Northern California together.

Epic Days Ahead

Over the next few days we hiked through the castle crags wilderness which had views of epic rock crags and spires, with alpine lakes to swim in. We hiked into our next trail town of Etna, our second to last stop before reaching the Oregon border. 

We got back on trail after a Nero day in Etna at the blue bird bed and breakfast. Thanks to Steve for dropping us off. We were able to get back on trail at the Shackelford trailhead, hiking about 6 miles back to the PCT.

Once we made it past the tree line, I was greeted by the vast layers of mountains surrounding us. I noticed the way the hills folded into each other like a pair of hands creating a valley. As I walked through the overgrown wildflowers, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for being on trail. Each day, the trail teaches you something new or reminds you of something forgotten. I thought about how difficult the last week had been with the heat wave. But each challenging day on trail eventually leads to a beautiful one. You really can’t experience the highs without the lows.

An Act of Rebellion 

That day, I thought about the way fear holds us back from the things we deeply want to do. We let it rule our lives, let our minds make the decision that it’s safer to just not act. It’s an act of rebellion to break this cycle of thinking. Pushing beyond the boundaries of what’s possible is where growth happens. There’s no way to do this perfectly, so just show up.

The next day we made our way into Seiad valley before ascending a big climb (over 8,000 feet of elevation gain that day) that will take us to the Oregon border. It still felt unreal that we would soon be leaving California behind after spending over 3 months here.

Until next time,

Emma