Opening Statement

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach
~Henry David Thoreau, Walden


Saturday, July 8, 2017

PCT 9 - Snow Melt Blooms - Quincy / LaPorte Road to Burney - 175 PCT miles


Back on trail after a short visit home.  Due to continuing high snow in the Sierras, most thru hikers had to skip north, at least temporarily.   After finishing the desert section, I got back on trail at the Quincy / LaPorte road, which allowed me to bypass all but about 1/2 mile of snow hiking.

Although I didn't plan it this way, my timing also put me on trail right after the snow melt.  So, I was treated to an explosion of wildflowers similar to the superbloom in the desert.  It was fantastic summer hiking with warm to hot days and mild nights.

Hiking this section, it's striking both how clear the air is, and how slow the Internet is when you can get any connection at all.  This is my first hike where electronics were important, and it's strange to have to have to juggle charging devices and finding a network occasionally with the much more primal aspects of hiking.

Notable this section:

Since I'm now hiking north, I'm in a small "bubble" of other hikers travelling at about the same speed, which makes for a more social experience.

I listened to the first Harry Potter book, and was instantly hooked.

The streams in the Lassen National Forest were full and cascading down waterfalls.  I had to wade across one after searching and not finding any dry crossing.

Hiking through Lassen National Park included walking over a lot of old lava, and the scenery was beautiful.

I ran into my trail friend Trek Ever, and we had a good visit.

Here are the pictures for this section.
 https://photos.app.goo.gl/8fvjAQ0C53UjA1Al1

3 comments:

  1. HI Kevin, You DO realize that we are all jealous of the cooler temps you have now? Snow sounds very appealing. So glad you are having such a beautiful hike.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm planning to bring magic to this spot on Thursday 7/15. Do you think there will be many thru hikers in this area?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes some hikers. People are pretty spread out now.

    ReplyDelete