Day 84, July 10: Mile 1187 to 1207 + Sierra City
Start: Mile 1187.0
End: Pack Saddle CG - Mile 1207.3
Miles: 20.3
Ascent: 3892 | Descent: 4080
I hiked out just before 6am, but not before waking Gus up. Normally Liz and Tikka always wake him up because he doesn’t like to set an alarm, but since the two of them are off trail for a bit while they’re sick with Covid, I took over the job. It seems that everyone on the trail is getting sick now, and I’m crossing my fingers I don’t get it.
The hiking in the morning was pretty chill, with one small climb before a big descent into Sierra City. Even though it was “only 8 miles” into town, it felt long. I was tired and ready to put my feet up for a bit after only a little bit of hiking. The forest was pretty though.
I made it to the highway that the PCT crosses and found a few other hikers deciding if they would try to hitch the 1.5 miles into town or walk. It turns out that one of the guys was waiting for his family to come pick him up, and said he was sure they’d happily give us a ride too.
Indeed, they showed up shortly after and the hiker’s dad agreed to drop the rest of the family off and come back for us extra hikers. He did, and soon we were in the middle of downtown Sierra City. Which wasn’t much of a downtown, though it made up for its size with its charm. I waited outside the Red Moose Cafe, basically the only cafe in town, and Gus and Sensei showed up shortly after as they had gotten to the highway just, but had walked the road instead of hitching.
Cathole hadn’t arrived yet, but the three of us decided to get a table at the cafe and figured we would see him soon. We ordered- me a griddle combo with eggs, sausage, pancakes, sourdough toast, and coffee- and soon Cathole showed up. He said he felt like absolute garbage and we all wondered if it was Covid, as it seemed to be getting around. At least we were sitting outside. 😬
The food was incredible and we ate quickly. Then, it was time to resupply. We walked to the country store less than a quarter mile down the road, and I picked up the package I had mailed myself there from Tahoe. As always, I had too much food and I wondered if I’ll ever get a resupply right.
We hung around the store for a bit and there were lots of other hikers there, including Squirrel and Stem, and Hamburglar, who we’d met the day before. It was unbearably hot in the sun so we all tried to squeeze into the shade. After a bit, Gus and Sensei decided they were still hungry and wanted lunch. We walked back to the cafe but I wasn’t feeling too hungry, so after resting for a bit longer outside and catching up on my phone, I decided to try to hitch back to trail.
I stuck out my thumb and the very first truck that drove by pulled over so I and two other hikers, Zero and Hot Pants, could hop in. He was a nice guy whose wife grew up coming to Sierra City in the summers, and they moved there full time when he retired.
We quickly arrived at the trailhead, thanked him again and hopped out. I realized I had not filled up on any water in town, and Hot Pants graciously gave me a half liter of hers. I knew I would need a bit as the day was hot and we had a solid 7.5 mile climb straight up the mountain. Though I was dreading the climb a bit, at least it meant that the temperatures would be a little cooler than down in this valley, I reckoned with myself.
I started the climb and oof, my pack was heavy. But I trudged on, and made it soon to the aptly named Switchback Spring after a mile or two, and Cathole, Zero and Hot Pants were there. Cathole had left town earlier because he felt like he was going to be slow, and luckily he seemed to be perked up a little from the shade and the cold spring water.
We chatted for a bit and then we all continued our hike up. I was feeling pretty tired but it felt reasonable for how hot and steep the climb was. After a bit I popped out onto a ridge, and then the rocks started. There was so. much. talus. It made hiking very difficult as every step gave the potential to twist or roll an ankle unless you focused completely. I saw Hot Pants for a bit at a small stream halfway up, and she commented that the rocks were mentally draining. I agreed with that.
On a good note, there was a lovely smell emanating from the bushes on the hillside. It smelled similar to orange blossoms, maybe? and it reminded me of the smells that are pumped into the ride “Soarin’ Over California” at Disneyland (and yes, the irony of that is not lost on me).
Finally, I made it to the top of the climb. It felt unending at many points, and I was beyond over the stupid talus. On the descent, I crossed paths with two older male hikers. They told me their names- Goal Tech and Mountain Goat- and it turns out they were section hiking for a bit and were handing out trail magic to nobo PCT hikers- your choice of chips, a Starbucks Via coffee packet, or two caramel candies. I went for the candy. I thanked them, hiked away, and promptly ate both candies, one after the other. Yum.
After a bit, I saw the three guys at a campsite that was 2 or so miles sooner than we had agreed we’d camp. I was confused but happy for fewer miles.
I got to the camp and found out only Cathole was staying there as he was feeling even more like garbage, and Gus and Sensei were planning to hike on. I was bummed to see Cathole feeling so crappy. He wasn’t sure what his pace was going to be, so we all shared a bit of our food to make sure he had enough. I was selfishly very happy to get rid of some of the extra unnecessary weight for me since I had packed too much food.
We hung out for a bit and decided to finally hike on a few more miles to a car campground. There were a few families set up at sites nearby, but the campground keeps one site open for PCT hikers. Gus, Sensei, Zero, Hot Pants, and Marshmallow were hanging out at the site. I quickly set up my tent, put on my sleep clothes, and went to the picnic table to make dinner. Half Pint (with whom I had stayed in a bunk room in Kennedy Meadows North) showed up. I had mac n cheese into which I squeezed extra Cheez Wiz, which was delicious. I brushed my teeth, used the pit toilet (so clean! with so much TP!), and went to bed. Zzzzz…