I have limited recollection of the trail from today. I remember a gentle climb in the morning with views across the valley, and some forested trail which gave ample opportunity for catching up on lost time. But the details of the trail are sketchy as I was absorbed in conversation for much of the day. It was wonderful to catch…
This morning was downhill all the way! The trail followed Grider Creek for almost its entire descent, only departing when it turned into a road walk for the last 6 miles before town. There was a ton of poison oak, and we had to be careful where we stopped for toilet and snack breaks. The forest had burned, and again…
Today was so lazy. The terrain just before Seiad Valley meant there were no campsites between 23 and 30 miles. A 30 miler was unnecessary given town was only another 6.5, so we decided on an easy 23. We took it easy, with long breaks and a lunchtime nap. The smoke was thinner towards the peak of the hill and…
Leaving Etna, we just missed the hostel’s shuttle but the managed called her friend who took us up the hill. When we asked if we should pay her the shuttle price she declined our offer and we were surprised by the continuing generosity of people in Etna. Early in the day we came across the trail register, and spent some…
Today was about flora and fauna given the lack of visibility and the absence of wide vistas. We disturbed a rattlesnake hiding in the rocks when we stopped for a break, and spent the rest of the morning on the alert for hissing. However we only saw a young spotted deer, accompanied by some older chaperones, gambolling in the woods…
Today was a race to town amid the sun and smoke. We had the rest of the hill to climb up from camp, just under three miles, and then a gradual downhill for two miles and a steeper downhill for three more before our first intended stop. We marched up the first hill at over three miles an hour, stormed…