7/24
Miles: 1634.5 to 1655.9
Trail Miles: 21.4
The 3 deer that had been circling the campsite were gone when I woke up. They’d made for a restless night, but the lack of sleep was countered by the anticipation of reaching Seiad Valley this afternoon. There was a shower, laundry and restaurant food in my future.
The trail descended through forest. Thimbleberry and BlackBerry bushes lined both sides. The trail followed Grider Creek for much of the descent and was overgrown in many places. Bushwhacking was literally required. hey weren’t the same kind of BlackBerries I grew up picking in upstate New York, but they still tasted just as sweet. Thimbleberries are part of the raspberry family (per Wikipedia) but slightly different than the raspberries you buy in a store. In fact, thimbleberries not produced or sold commercially because they’re so delicate. Thimbleberry bushes don’t have thorns or pricker’s – something my 10-year old, blackberry-picking self would have appreciated 40-odd summers ago.
The last 6 miles of trail were a road walk in 105 deg temps. Ugh. At 1373 ft, Seiad Valley is the lowest I’ve been since April, at I-10 near Cabazon, CA.
As we walked into town, State of Jefferson flags and signs were everywhere. I’d seen them as far south in as Sierra City, but they were everywhere here – the local volunteer fire department was flying the US and Jefferson flags, not the California flag and most car license plate holders or bumper stickers were the double X. It’s movement to split the northern third of California off into a separate state.
We camped at an RV Park next to the P.O. and store. After picking up our resupply boxes, it was still 100 deg at 5pm. Everyone was hiding in what shade they could find.
Given the heat, Smokebeard and I decided we’d hike out the next morning. Several folks, Momento and Waterfall among them, got back on trail. The trail climbs leaving Seiad Valley. It gains 4500 ft of elevation in 8 mile. It’s sun exposed with little shade. No thanks, I’ll wait til tomorrow.
Still, it was a restless night for me. I cowboy camped due to the heat – a tent would have been hotter – but had to contend with mosquitoes and insects all night. My 20deg sleeping bag, while insect proof, was a sauna otherwise. One of many challenges of the trail.
1 Comment
Beautiful pictures. I marvel at what you are doing. Challenging in so many ways. Three cheers!