PCT 2015 Day 94: The Smoky Mountain

• Start: 1,549.4
• End: 1,580.1
• Miles: 30.7
• Camp: Near South Fork Scott River

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 below the trail.

A water source revealed carnivorous pitcher plants, and we watched the curious insects investigating cautiously before tumbling into the oddly shaped leaves. 

We stopped for lunch in the rustic Scott Mountain campground and enjoyed a moment of civilisation dining at a picnic table.

In the afternoon the trail entered the Trinity Alps wilderness, and the smoke thickened. Along parts of the trail were wild raspberries which provided a nice distraction and dessert for our lunch. As the afternoon wore on, the smoky clouds turned the sun red which made the early evening dim and it felt later than the hour suggested.