Day 98 – 28 Jun 19. The Big Climb and Going Under the Butte

Today 17.5 km (10.9 mi), Total Distance 1942.7 km (1206.5 mi) 4 hours 25 minutes (1400-1825)

I got up early to finish off my video editing. The video from last night had still not downloaded with the super slow internet.

I went next door and had breakfast before heading up to my room to have a shower and finish packing my pack.

Then I headed back to the cafe, handed my keys back and occupied a table near a power point to continue posting my blogs and wait for the video to upload.

I had a burger for lunch and gave up on the video uploading. It still had an hour to go and I did not want to wait around. I headed to the post office to mail my long gaiters to Georgina, my South Lake Tahoe host.

As I was walking up the road to get into a position to hitch a lady who was just about to pull out of a carpark asked if I needed a ride to the trail head and of course I said yes. That is the quickest hitch I have gotten, negative one minute as it would have taken me that long to get in position and put my thumb out.

She dropped me off in the carpark. I started getting ready’ putting wallet and phone in hip pocket, tighten shoelaces and extend poles. As I was doing that a car reversed out of a park and backed into another car – oops. They stopped and left a note with their details. As the driver was doing that the other three men came over and started talking. They asked the normal questions about the PCT. They had gone the wrong way up the trails and it took a while for me to realise they were trying to get to Loves Falls. They had been trying to find it on this side of the road as that was the directions they had been given. I pointed out the trail head across the road and told them to follow the trail for 5 minutes and they would arrive.

I was now ready and started on the trail. It was a nice sort flat bit before the big 950 m (3000 ft) climb started. It was 3 miles (4.2) of long zig zags up the side of the hill. It was mainly forest until emerging out into the open. I was really enjoying it and was just chugging up fairly effortlessly. I was surprised it was 3 miles when I checked the map as it didn’t feel that long.

Now it was a stunning section of trail along the side of the hill. Looking up was the rocky outcrops of Sierra Butte. In front and to the left was views over the valley with the Yuba River and endless hills of forest stretching into the distance. Looking closer the trail was mainly rocky with thick shrubs either side and occasional flowers adding a dash of colour.

It was several miles along the side of the hill and once again this passed quickly. At a sharp corner was the 1200 mile mark which I marked with some stones.

The trail was constantly climbing but at such a gradient that I barely realised I was climbing. There were two streams coming down the mountain and crossing the track and I filled up at the first one.

The trail went over a spur line where the terrain changed from open to forest and there were now occasional snow patches but nothing very big or difficult. It continued climbing a little more until crossing a road at a saddle.

Now it was downhill all the way to some lakes below. The zig zag went in all directions but it was an easy descent. There were more snow patches on this section and the first traverse of the day. The footsteps were nice and established so the traverse was easy. It was also pretty short.

At the lake there were some cars and tents but I did not see anyone. I continued past not wanting to camp there due to; mosquitos, non hikers in cars and it was a common camping spot so well known to hungry bears.

I continued past the first lake, over a steep and sustained traverse above another lake and then descended in a rocky area back down to the forest and over a stream.

From there I started looking for a campsite and 5 minutes later found one.

I did struggle to find a tree with branches for my bear bag but eventually found one and got the string up ready for the bag.

I had dinner, put up the bear bag and then read for a while. I am close enough to the stream to have the soothing noise. There were a few mosquitos around as I was setting up my tent and doing the bear bag but none of them bit me, they just buzzed around in their annoying way. There were only a couple but I know that will be changing in the coming days.

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