First State Down on the PCT

We last left off in the town of Shasta. Shasta was a rad, hippie town full of tie dye, crystals, and very kind people. Trail Spice and I bought dresses to wear on town days so we no longer have to drip in sweat in our rain gear while doing laundry. We ate some good food, walked around downtown, and watched a movie in the hostel that night. After a big breakfast, we got back on the trail with a climb for the majority of the day. Once we got to the top, we set up camp on the ridge line with an amazing view of Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags with the sun setting in the background.

The next couple of days brought rolling hills in and out of tree lines. As we got higher and higher in the mountains, the air became hazier and hazier. Smoke from nearby wildfires filled the air around me. The sun shone red behind the layer of smoke as it began to set beyond the horizon. Luckily, it wasn’t bad enough to effect my breathing and I just continued on hiking. I got into the town of Etna and started to hear rumblings of people skipping up ahead to avoid the smoke. After doing some research and discussing with the group we decided to continue on our trek. Luckily, the smoke started to clear out and the views of mountains ridges started to appear again.

Like I said earlier, the miles have been getting easier. We are now hiking 25-30 miles a day. We had been discussing of doing a 40 mile day for a while. One day, the conditions were right. It was a cool, overcast day and the terrain was mainly downhill. We kicked it into gear and hiked the 40 miles into the next town. Although I was mentally exhausted, my body felt good and I was having so much fun. It was fun to challenge the mind and the body and achieve a goal that you had once deemed unachievable. This was just a warm up. I’m planning on doing the 24 hour challenge in Oregon (see how many miles you can hike in 24 hours) so stay tuned.

The next day was eventful. A big storm rolled in over the mountain range next to us. I personally did not see this happen, but someone in our group saw a lightning bolt strike a tree, creating a small forest fire. He used his satellite phone to call the fire in and next thing we know, there are helicopters and planes dropping water and fire deterrents over the flames. Huge shoutout to wild land firefighters, they are on top of it. Needless to say, we were a little shaken up. The fire was behind us though so we continued on north.

The next day was also eventful. After hiking almost 1,700 miles we finally made it out of the state of California. Hallelujah! We celebrated with a concert from a fellow hiker, a kick line dance party, and some beers. We were all filled with such joy and excitement. Woah, we just walked through the whole state of California.  It was such a sweet, fun moment and definitely one of my favorite movements on trail.

The excitement continued later that day. Another storm rolled in that afternoon and this time, it was directly over us. It had not rained on us for the entire state of California, but it stormed on us on our first day in Oregon. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest.  My friend, Logic, and I found ourselves on an exposed ridge line when the storm rolled in with thunder and lightning. We then sprinted about a mile to get off the ridge in order to get below the tree line. Once we were better protected under the trees he looked over at me and said, “That was so much fun!” I looked at him like he was crazy. All I could think about was how literally the day before a lightning strike had caused a forest fire. We continued to scurry down the mountain in the rain and stumbled into a shelter only to find a family celebrating their grandma’s birthday. Because we were hiking the PCT, they considered us celebrities and treated us like royalty. They offered us tremendous amount of food and beverages and would not take no for an answer. I may or may not have eaten 2 hamburgers, 3 hotdogs, grilled salmon, and lots of fruits and veggies. After hanging out with this awesome family for a few hours to wait out the storm, Logic and I grabbed our backpacks to head out. When donning the packs, the family then asked, “But wait, what about the pie, don’t you want some homemade pie?” Twist my arm. I guess I’ll just have to stay. I looked over at Logic, “OK, now I’m having fun.”

After an eventful week, we rolled into Ashland ready for some rest and relaxation. Ashland is a cool town with a cute, walkable downtown area and great food. We enjoyed our time off and are excited to see what the PNW has to offer, hopefully no more storms while on exposed ridge lines.