The PCT is broken up into five distinct sections. The desert, the sierras, northern California, Oregon, and Washington. As of now, I am in the heart of northern Cali. What makes this section unique is the massive pine tree forests and the easy grade of the trail. Compared to the heat of the desert and snow of the mountains, this change is welcomed with a happy heart. I am able to do as many miles per day as I did in the desert and the scenery is beautiful and new. Another thing that makes this section so nice is the abundance of towns along the way. Almost every day I am able to eat a meal at a resort or ranch.
The day after leaving the town of Chester, I reached Drakesbad guest ranch. This is a rustic yet luxurious ranch nestled in Lassen National Park. The ranch is not exactly fond of hikers, but with the purchase of a rather expensive dinner they allow you to use their facilities. So upon arriving I was able to shower and swim in the heated pool. After the regular guests eat the hikers were allowed to eat. A few of the hikers were promised vegan or gluten free meals so when the waiter brought out one platter of corn dogs and chicken strips we were frustrated at best. They explained that they had run out of food from serving their guests and at that point the guest who couldn’t eat any of the food stormed off in anger. The combination of paying 20$ for dinner and hiker hunger is enough to make anyone mad. Luckily they didn’t charge anyone and appologized for the inconvenience. So I left feeling pretty good about getting a free afternoon at an expensive guest ranch.
Additionaly, the section I’m backpacking now is the section I did as a PCT practice hike last summer. When our family friend Jim Plant backpacked the trail last summer I flew out and backpacked with him to get a taste of the trail. I had an amazing experience and being able to make it back to the same place is awesome. The trail hasn’t changed one bit but the experience is entirely new for me. I have changed. Not only is the hiking physically easier than last year but I am now fully in the thru-hiking community. I know just about every fellow hiker I pass. Seeing how far i’ve come has been amazing and there is still a lot of trail left for growth.
Noel Nelson (PCT mile 1371)
After leaving Lone Pine, the nature of the trail changed. In my first stretch of the Sierra’s there would be patchy snow above 9,500 ft and the passes would be about 10,000 ft tall. After that you would walk miles on hard ground. As soon as we left Lone Pine it was nothing but snow. All day you’re walking on nothing but snow. In order to be able to get any mileage in I would wake up around 3am and “get walking” because by noon the snow would be slushy and walking nearly impossible. Additionally, the passes changed from being 10,000 feet to being 12,000-13,000 feet which meant big climbs on the snow. So the goal for pretty much every day is to wake up and make it over the pass early, then get as close to the next pass as possible and camp. This strategy makes for 10-15 miles days. The rest of the day is spent drying out clothes and resting.
That night we feasted on rice and fish, with our minds on the mountain we would climb tomorrow. At 3 am our alarms rang and soon after we were on our way. After over 3,000 feet of climbing on snow we reached the top and jumped on the elevation marker. The view was spectacular and we spent the morning eating candy and looking at the snow covered mountains.
