Day 77 – Out of the frying pan, into the… snow?
Originally published on Mason Hikes the PCT 2017.
Mileage: 29 out of Etna
I woke up early this morning because I had signed up for the 9AM shuttle and I wanted breakfast first. That meant only 5.5 hours of sleep since I stayed up so late, but that’s fine as long as I leave town full. 😋
I rode a much nicer bike over to Bob’s Ranch for breakfast since I’m pretty sure they were the only thing in town that opens before 7AM. Two other hikers, Dash and Zorro, had the same idea, so within a few minutes, the three of us were sitting at the counter waiting for our delicious food to arrive. We got to talking about rides out to the trailhead and Dash pointed out that the shuttle was at 8, not 9. 😬 Good thing I woke up early!
Both my breakfast burrito and my large milkshake were fantastic, and I was quite full as I rode my bike back to the bed and breakfast to pack up all my stuff before 8. Luckily, everything was pretty organized and easy to pack up, so I made it with time to spare! I’m finally getting good at packing up my backpack!
Once everyone who had signed up for the shuttle was ready to go, we crammed 5 hikers and Blossom into an SUV and set off for the trailhead. We had some carefree hiker talk on the way up, but as soon as we got out, it was back to hiking and Zorro immediately set off towards the trail. The rest of us took a minute to stretch or get situated for the hike, but one by one, we followed him onwards and upwards towards Canada.
I’ve never enjoyed hiking really close to other hikers because it means that you’re either going to have to pass them or let them pass you, so I tried to separate myself early on in the hike this morning. This generally just means hiking at my normal speed and not taking any breaks, so I powered through the climb out of Etna and hiked until I came upon a perfect lake for a quick swim, which just so happened to have a few other hikers eating lunch around it.
No one else wanted to swim, but as an avid lake enthusiast, I felt that it was my duty to enjoy this beautiful lake to the best of my ability, which would require a quick dip. I stripped down to my boxer briefs and carefully walked out onto some of the submerged logs around the shore of the lake before throwing myself into the deep, cool water towards the middle. It was PERFECT. The temperature was refreshing but not cold enough to be uncomfortable, and with a slight breeze, I was actually warmer in the water than out of it. I swam around and floated for a little while, long enough to see everyone start hiking again and watch L-Train catch up and pass me without stopping. Oh well. I love lakes!
As I continued onward, the smoke made it fairly hard to see across any given valley and my eyes started deceiving me. We were on Marble Mountain, but as an amateur geologist, I really didn’t process what that meant. As a result, I kept seeing stark-white marble and thinking it was snow. 😕
I kept walking through the smoke and haze and up ahead on the trail I saw even more marble, though this deposit didn’t have any shadows on it. As I got closer and thought about it more, I realized that this actually WAS snow! Hooray!!! 🎉
Unfortunately, the trail didn’t walk through it, but its comforting presence did wonders for my morale. As did the views.
As one learns to expect on the PCT, much of the rest of the day was uphill. There were some beautiful climbs through wildflowers and small waterfalls as we wound our way through the mountains and valleys, but there were also sections of mind-numbing uphill trudge. Whatever the style, I’ve learned to appreciate the climbs because they get me up high enough to see some pretty awesome stuff!
The trail and surrounding mountains were shrouded in more and more smoke every mile I progressed, so I started to worry about my safety. I saw multiple helicopters that were presumably being used for the fire, which implied that it was fairly close. 😬 They would have closed down this section of trail if it were dangerous, right?
Luckily, I had no problem with fire and as I walked through the smoke, I ran into EVEN MORE SNOW! I actually had to cross these patches to continue on the trail, so I gleefully jumped right on in and pretended that I was in the Sierras again. Oh how I miss that place!
So. Much. Snow. Wish I had my microspikes!
It was starting to get dark while I was playing in the snow, so I pushed on until I arrived at Paradise Lake, where I found about 10 other hikers setting up tents and preparing food.
I could tell the landscape was beautiful, but more and more smoke kept appearing until it was almost too hazy to see across the lake.
It got worse, don’t worry. Still awesome though.
I chose one of the many available spots and set up my tent while I waited for my water to boil. For some reason I was ravenous after all the climbing, so I ate anything and everything in sight before settling into my tent for the night.
I only have 27 miles until Seiad Valley, so I don’t have to rush tomorrow or set any alarms for the morning. I’ll get there when I get there! 🤗