Day 111: Got up and going pretty early this morning as we have 26 miles to walk to get to Callahan’s where we will then hitch into Ashland. I am so stoked for Ashland. It’s been one of my favorite towns that I’ve visited before. Shortly into the walk I passed an old cabin, where apparently there had been some sandwich trail magic before. But none here now 😢. During so much of this journey I choose spots where I would want to do trail magic. And at the dirt road where I camped last night is a big one. No great views, but to finally enter Oregon is a massive deal and deserves to be celebrated. It’s so crazy to see the shift in scenery so quickly. The ridges opened up into beautiful hills covered in different wild flowers. I couldn’t stop staring down the valleys at all the colors and beauty that I was surrounded by. I stopped on one of the ridges to eat lunch, mainly just to enjoy the view. Freckles and Tim caught up with me there. They had planned to keep walking but stopped and hung out with Me. Then off we went. We jammed out to music and strutted quickly along. Walking past an old inn for the Mt. Ashland ski area. We got some water from the spigot there before continuing on. Following Freckles for this last bit today and she is crushing her. We were walking so stinking fast! I loved it. Soon we hit the dirt road with a sign that would lead us into the direction of Callehans lodge. The trail was such a different feeling than the PCT. Weird how a trail has a feeling you can just instantly notice. We walked past an old railroad onto the street where we went under the highway to the lodge. On the way though we were literally standing talking, like not moving, and all the sudden I was on the ground. It was hysterical. I somehow fell just standing….and I thought I was athletic. We walked in and it’s so funny because Callahan’s is fancy there was live music and even a wedding party happening. But they love us hikers and treat us well. We get a free beer! So since we had waited forever for a hitch with no success….which was brutal because it was insanely hot and there was no shade for us to crash in. Tim ended up calling his friend Glen, whose house we are staying at, and he was able to come get us when he was off work. So while we waited we drank and beer. Glen came and that was all she wrote. The magic of Ashland began then, and I would spend the next 5 days there, also on the way to Callahans it rained a little on us and we got some trail magic, which was just crappy soda, but hey who cares!

Day 110: Today I am tired. The day started mellow with a slight 1,200ft downhill that led to the road that comes from Seiad Valley. A lot of hikers choose to do the road instead of the trail due to less elevation gain and it shortens the trail about 2-3 miles or so. Then I started back up a slight uphill, just 1,300ft. I walked for quite awhile before stopping for lunch. The trail goes by and passes a ton of dirt roads today. But no trail magic, which is always a hope near roads. I stopped at lunch in a nice shady spot with lots of other hikers. I don’t remember their names, but we all had a really nice convo. Along with 2 Sobos who were telling us about the conditions of the trail ahead. Javalou passed by, I went down a steep side trail that led down to some amazingly cold water. So refreshing. The trail today was interesting. Not really many open areas, so the shade felt great for all the heat that was going on. But today I hit a marker that almost seems more important than half way happened today. OREGON! It has been 1,689 miles in CA and damn it feels good to finally be done with it. I love it, but now I feel like I’m progressing. I was there alone and just read through the log book, until luckily Lake came. It was quite anticlimactic to be here alone. It’s a weird feeling. But luckily before he got there I had plenty of time to reflect on some of my big memories from CA. Like how green the desert was, meeting my hiker family, my Grandmother passing away, running out of water, falling a lot, hanging in towns with friends, the stupid Sierras. I have cried and wanted to quit. I’ve laughed insanely hard, had great conversations, learned History from Stats, gotten into arguments, pushed too hard, said yes when I wanted to say no. I hated everything and loved it all at the same time. I’ve learned about myself, loved myself, and been very hard on myself. But I wouldn’t have changed these experiences for the world. At the monument Lake snapped some pics before we went on. We camped just a few miles later near a dirt road. We laid against our packs just chilling and Lake did some more of his book reading. And we made a bet on what time Tim and Freckles would be getting in. We bet a beer, I lost. And I still owe him that beer. I’m so happy and blessed to be with friends who encourage me to focus and enjoy the journey instead of stressing about the destination.

Day 108: 26 miles today and done by 4pm. Feels freaking amazing!!! This is my favorite. To be done and be able to stretch and read before slowly eating dinner and winding down. Today was fun. I ran into Monarch and Hitch, I hadn’t seen them forever. They skipped the Sierras. Then walked south from somewhere, and are now heading back north towards Canada. They’re a rad group of chicks. Today was blistering hot. Before lunch was manageable as the trail seemed to be keeping us under the trees and in the forest a good chunk of the time. In the morning I ran into LEGO, a really funny guy I met back in Sierra City. He is a character who wears very short running shorts. But it works for him. We chilled for a bit near a small pipe spring while I got some water and he smacked. He, in Sierra City, randomly said look at this showing me his phone. And it was a nude photo of him on summer solstice. Aka hike naked day. It wasn’t creepy, let’s just say he has 0 shame. But a big heart. He is so kind, and always gives you a good laugh. I then ventured on heading in and out of the forest. Across ridges, up and down hills. I managed to get lost at one point. Shocker. Just normal dry trail but all the sudden I lost it. I got Guthooks out and it would show it below me so I went down a hill, knew it wasn’t right. Then it said it was above me so I headed back up. But then just gave in I knew the direction I needed to go and soon caught back up to the trail. Must have had overgrown bush on the trail of something when I lost it. Later on the downhill is when I saw Monarch and Hitch. It was hot so we were all struggling a little. I bolted down the hill to get to the water source where I planned to rest and eat lunch. The crossing wasn’t big but not small enough to just hop over so I just flipped my shoes off and walked through followed by planting my butt on the dirt and eating my hummus and chip wrap. First Hitch passed me, then Monarch. They planned to catch lunch in a couple miles down by the main river, but I was starving so I stayed put. But that river was beautiful. Such a good spot for a nice dip. The afternoon continued to get hotter and hotter. Usually it doesn’t really – [ ] bother me, but today was different. My brain felt a little foggy and I kept getting a little light headed. So I started doing, at every creek, dunking my head and hat into the cold water then continuing on. It felt so good, but I swear within 20 seconds everything was dry again. Finally I make it to the final bridge leading me to my campsite. At Grider Creek Campground I plan to camp then hike the 6.5 miles into Seiad Valley tomorrow. It’s the last town in CA. As soon as I crossed the bridge I saw Javalou!! Super exciting. He was there with a couple other hikers and there were lots of snacks. But I just set my stuff up then stripped my clothes off and went under the bridge to a nice swimming hole. It was soooo nice and refreshing. I sat in there probably 20 minutes. Later Lake came, and Monarch, and Hitch, Freckles and Tim, SassyPants, Lego, it was a freakin party! But me being me I chatted for a bit then just went to my tent to read and stay away from all of the mosquitoes. But it’s so hot. Even just laying on top of my sleeping bag is brutal. Even in the dark going to sleep I continued to sweat. I loved today, it was very Solo but I got to see lots of people I hadn’t in awhile.

Day 107: We left mid-morning from Etna. Chris dropped us off at the trail as we said our goodbyes and headed back to our home. This area of the trail is so beautiful. I really enjoy it. Just about 1.5 miles into the day there was a trial registry so I stopped to scope it out and read where everyone was. I saw entries from Hefty and Stats. Still a ways ahead. At mile 1611 I stopped at Fisher Lake for a swim and lunch. It was a nice peaceful spot. I met quite a few other hikers there, and just chilled until Freckles and Tim got there. The day was mainly staying around 6,000 ft elevation for awhile. Tons of creek crossings today. Some with bridges lots without. But they’re generally all super small and easy to just hop over without getting my feet wet. Towards the end of day I met a guy named Rick. Right when we met the thunder and lightning started. Storm time! He was a super cool old man from Eugene, OR. I pushed ahead of him during the uphill and kept wandering towards the campsite. There have been some fires in the area and after lunch I passed a large group of boy scouts who were out and about. Their initial campsite was too close to the fires so they had to redirect and are camping about 400m for our campsite. I passed some other hikers and we talked about how cool the marble rocks looked. And how they actually played tricks on you. From afar it looked like patches of snow. Which I wasn’t stoked to see. I get to camp, at a run down Ranger station. The water was nearby so I walked back and forth getting water, washing my feet off, and setting up camp as other hikers passed on. Rick later came and set up camp near me, then Freckles and Tim, then the greatest surprise ever. LAKE! Legit never thought I’d see him again. I haven’t seen him since he left in Idyllwild. I didn’t even recognize him at first. With all of our tents behind a little cabin we went to sleep. Looking at the stars thanks to the large meadow we were in. I love not sleeping in the forest. Today I also felt a bit home sick. Really missing my Aunt and our weekly catchup dinners. These moments come rarely, but when they do they hit pretty hard.

Day 105 & 106- We has just over 12 miles to get to the trailhead, since we JD to be there by noon we needed to leave by about 7am to make sure we get there without having to kill ourselves. We leave a little late, which makes sense because they didn’t get in until super late. The trail is mellow today. No large uphill or downhills just needing to move. We weren’t moving very fast and it was making me anxious. I finally got some signal and asked Chris to meet us at 12:30 since we would be a little behind. We stopped at a creek to get some water, I didn’t want to rest. I am very big on not being late. I find it super rude and disrespectful. I have never met Chris, he is my friend Sarah’s dad, and I didn’t want to have him just sitting and waiting for us. So after the water I just took off. I walked over 3mph until I got to the trailhead. There I met a woman who was with a group trail running. She gave me some water and chatted while I waited for Chris. And Tim and Freckles. Soon I see a man near a truck, and assuming it’s Chris go up and say hi. And it is. I’m in the beating sun and it is just breaking me down. I need more water. I hope we can head down soon. About 15 min later Tim appears. Freckles was having some pain so had to slow down but she soon arrived as well and we were off. Chris was amazing to us and his house was beautiful. Tons of big trees around with a beautiful open back yard. Etna is a small town which is nice, it’s easy to get around. Especially since Chris let us drive his wife’s car!! It felt so weird to drive a car after all this time. I felt like I was going about 30 mph and that felt plenty fast enough. We immediately headed to Dottys for 44oz milkshakes and sweet potato fries. Hawkeye and his hiking partner were there. So was Nonstop. She apparently arrived only like 2 min after us but was able to get a hitch. The next day we had planned to head back to the trail but decided to take a 0 day instead. So while Chris went to work we watched movies and went to their secret swimming hole. It was AMAZING!!! There was a rope and a couple of small waterfalls. Perfect rest day vibes. We watched a lot of movies, and I made them watch Where the Red Fern Grows, as it was my favorite book as a kid. Freckles and Tim cracked up at the intense country accents in the movie and their old time slang. It was so funny and even to this day we still say to each other in a massive hick accent, “Tahlequah! Well that’s half way down the river!” We find it endless funny. Then Chris made us his specialty dinner meal, aka taking us to the Mexican restaurant. He is so kind and has such a massive heart. We all sat and watched another movie together called, Unbroken. Which I’d recommend to anyone. I was hoping to go back and see Chris after the trail, but have yet to do that. Hopefully soon!!!

Day 104: got going earlier than I have been lately. I was gone by 10 til 7am. I didn’t want another day like yesterday. I wanted a big chunk of miles done by lunch and I succeeded. 17 miles in I stopped for my break. We were hiking up on ridges most of the day so it was hard to find flat spots for lunch. So at the creek I just kind of chilled right off the trail on a slope. Hawkeye was there and I hadn’t seen him since the trail magic in Sierra City so it was good to catch up with him. After leaving lunch the trail changed from being on the ridges by going into the forest. As I was walking I looked up and saw a small black thing on a log on the ground. It was a baby bear cub ❤️❤️❤️. Immediately I asked it where it’s Mama was. I looked up and saw another cub, and then the Mama. They were literally right off the trail. Like 2 steps off the trail and I could have touched them. So I started yelling and making a bunch of weird loud noises while smacking my trekking poles together. I was so excited but my heart was also racing at a crazy rate. As soon as I got loud the Mama bear sprinted up the hill while the babies bolted up to the top of a tree. I just kept making noise for the next few minutes as I walked by. I thought it was so interesting she left her cubs, but I’m assuming she was watching me from up the hill ready to charge if I would have went near that tree. They were seriously baby babies. Like the size of a small dog, like a terrier. Just a little more round. As the day went on again the view shifted, as I entered into Marble Mountain Wilderness, one of my top fave spots of the PCT. Towards the end of the day I still found myself surrounded by trees but also by very large rocks. It was super cool. I came across my campsite, a beautiful opening that allowed killer views of the surrounding mountains. With large rock formations to my left I spend the rest of the evening stretching, reading, and relaxing before eating and getting to bed. Scotty was also there, but I had no idea where Tim and Freckles are. I planned this campsite because tomorrow my friend Sarah’s Dad has scheduled to pick Us up at 12 to take us to Etna. So I don’t want to have a ton of miles to do to get there. This campsite, I’m about 12.5 miles from the trailhead. Hawkeye passed around 6:30 and was continuing on to the next campsite still 5 miles away. He was really wanting to hit a bigger day though even though I tried to talk shit to him about it. I’m the worst at that though, I always want to do the big miles. I try to get to sleep and it’s super late, like 11:30pm I have been worried about Tim and Freckles when finally, I see headlamps and hear voices. It’s Tim, Freckles, and Nonstop. They had talked Nonstop to coming to this site with them. I immediately went back to sleep.

Day 103: want to add to yesterday’s post as I just remembered part of the day. Before I left for the uphill we sat by some water to take a break and we came across a pack with a lot of random shit with a note that said take what you need. There were random clothes, and cleaning supplies, and other shit. Like what? I think somebody just found the pack and decided to leave a note with it. I highly doubt anyone particularly chose these things to help hikers out. For today, We woke up at about a normal time. Scotty passed us right when we were up he had camped back with some others. We said our good byes to Emily then headed on our way. Unfortunately, to my regret I didn’t take the quarter mile trail off to Porcupine Lake. I hear it is so beautiful and I’m bummed I missed it. Today ended with 30 miles and a beautiful siesta. After awhile, as usual I wanted to pick it up so I took off because I wanted to make it to the league. I finally find myself on the ridge looking down to my left staring at 2 beautiful lakes. They were called Deadfalls lake. I found a spot where I was alone, it’s a fairly popular day hiking spot, and stripped off my clothes and jumped in the warm water. It was the perfect temperature and I probably swam and floated around for 15 minutes. It was amazing. Getting out was a little chilly though. I had to make sure I kept in the sun. A little bit later I see Tim and Freckles appear on the ridge above. I wave at them and they soon find me. While we eat lunch they each go for swims as well. The best was we met 3 adorable people, 2 women and a man. Total older hippies. They were so cute. They chatted with us a bit, then actually asked if we would mind if they went down a bit and skinny dipped. We were like hell no that’s what we just did!!! Seriously they are what I want to be someday. We stayed there a couple of hours before heading out. At 4:45 we still had 13 miles to go. So I took off. I don’t like ending at dark. I like to stop, read, and eat in the light. It’s much more relaxing to me. Now we are in the Trinity Alps, where I had my first ever backpacking experience. We are walking along ridges near the tops of mountains looking out into a forest pine trees beneath us. I booked it. I impressed myself and made it to camp by 8:45. Scotty was there along with Nonstop. She is dope! She is section hiking. I go to the creek and get some water and stick my leg in the creek for a bit before heading back to cook some white cheddar Mac n cheese. One of my favorite meals! Tim and Freckles showed up a while later. I was camped under a lot of trees buried in the forest right next to the trail. But with enough opening to get to fall asleep looking at the stars. I knocked out and had some vivid ass dreams! 2 more days until we reach Etna. Not planning to 0 there but it will be nice to have one night of rest and good food before heading back out.

Day 102: We woke up in the morning and enjoyed breakfast together at the campsite slowly getting our stuff ready for another day of hiking. Once we were almost all packed up Tim had realized he has lost his GoPro. Which totally sucks!!!! So instead of meeting the trail near the campsite we decided to back track taking the route they arrived through last night. We met a nice couple who was camping nearby and chatted for a bit then headed on down the road. Legit, right where the trial met the road, Scotty spotted the GoPro. Just laying right on the trail! What a relief!!! There’s a video of right after we found it. We had a looong uphill ahead of us. I was hoping to get a lot of miles in today to make it to the beautiful Porcupine Lake, but overall we only did 23. But it was a long ass day. The uphill was no joke, it was over 5,000ft. A pretty steep climb paired with a lot of sun exposure. I just pushed through it. I knew about 13 miles in for the day was a creek where I planned to stop and eat lunch. It was basically right after the uphill. I sat there for 2.5 hours waiting for everyone. After about an hour and a half Scotty showed up and he sat with me and waited. Soon 2 girls, section hiking showed up. We all chatted for a bit. Then Daddy Longlegs, El Tigre, and Quill showed up. They are the group of guys who hung out with my friend Halle and I right after Sierra City when she came to do trail magic. It was a freakin party! Not in any actual “party” sense other than it being a group of people. We were all hot and wiped and kept discussing how today randomly felt really freaking hard. A bit later Tim and Freckles came and soon after we headed back out. I knew now it was going to be a late night. After a bit we decided to stop and eat dinner, then hike on. That way we can hike into dark and it’s no big deal. While we were eating we see a girl and her dog walk up. And the biggest pack I have ever seen in my life. Her name is Emily, she is 24 and from Minnesota, her dog is Taz and she is an Egyptian Pharaoh Hound, I guess. Super cute. We chat with her a bit absolutely amazed she made it up that gnarly uphill with that pack. She is apparently hiking about 5 – [ ] miles a day. The heat doesn’t allow Taz to walk much during the day so they do evening walking. She was quite disoriented and nervous when we saw her. She had some older maps in a book that weren’t accurate and while she thought she was near to a water and campsite, we were still 3.6 miles away. Right away we decided we would stay with her and help her out. We had some extra water for her and wouldn’t leave here until she found water and camp. Today she will hike her longest day so far, 9 miles!!! It was actually such a blessing even for us. She is so kind and I would be lying if I wasn’t mesmerized by the beauty of the stars and the sky as we were walking. We all took turns carrying her pack. It weighed about 70lbs. Had thick leather shoulder straps and no hip belts. Idk how in the hell she has carried this thing! What a beast. Tim went first and carried it for an impressive amount of time. Then Freckles and I split the remainder the distance. It was brutal. You had to carry it almost fully bent over and it wrecked your shoulders. Finally at 11pm we made it to a campsite, near a dirt road with a short climb down to some water. Whew. Today was rare, but so beautiful and I’m very grateful for every bit of it. But I wish I had the super cute group pic of us all. But with my phone, it is gone. 😢

Day 101: just 12 miles into town! We will hit the highway and have 3 options. Chester, Dunsmuir, or Mt. Shasta. Shasta is the furthest and I have packages coming into Chester so I just plan to go there. The miles into town typically go grueling slow. But today was different. Chatting with Tim and Freckles just made the time go by super fast. We left camp at a good time, Taz had left earlier than us. The hike itself was nothing crazy. Lots of mossy trees, which I do enjoy but just under trees, crossing dirt roads for the morning. Just before I-5 we officially entered Castle Crags State Park. A section of trail I am very excited for. We passed over the Sacramento River on a bridge walking along the water for quite a way before he highway. We reached the highway and Tim and Freckles stood on the opposite side as me as they were going to hitch to Dunsmuir and I had to get to Chester. I was so jealous of them. I was in the blazing sun and I just stared at them sitting in the shade. The trailhead was near me so I just went up to a couple who was leaving and asked for a ride which they said yes. I planned to get 3 packages in Chester. One from my Mom, the one I sent myself from Truckee, and one from my Lisa, Toni, and Yago. I get to the post office. No packages…..WTF?!! I head over to the local gas station and store where some packages go. Well one package was there, the one from my Mom. It was filled with some nut butter, way too many homemade bars, coconut oil, and pics of my nieces and nephews. The store assumed that my other packages would arrive from UPS later in the day so I hitched to Dunsmuir to get lunch and resupply a little in case I didn’t get the packages. I ate at the burger place and had a veggie burger, fries, and of course a milkshake. Tim and Freckles hitch apparently told them to skip Dunsmuir and just get to Mt. Shasta as its way better. They’re sending me pics of their delicious meals and going to the movies. I’m so jealous and frustrated about my situation. After awhile I get a ride back from a really nice, and cute guy, from Dunsmuir. He works for the water company and explains how Dunsmuir is known to have some of the best water, I forget why. But I have heard/read it many other places as well. I get back to the station. Still no UPS so I just sit and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And hey here he is! STILL NO PACKAGES!!! Ugggghhhh. I’m so pissed I ruined this whole day for no reason. I chatted with some locals and the store owner, Nick forever. He was saying how by this point basically anyone who makes it here, makes it all the way to Canada. That’s good to know!!! He is so kind though. He has been here all day helping me with my situation and was kind enough to bring me out a package of birthday cake donuts and chocolate milk to make up for me not getting my donuts. Hero status right there!! Freckles and Tim won’t be making it until late so I hike to the nearby campsite alone and wait for them. It’s pitch black and late so I just go to sleep. Soon I awake to them and Scotty coming in! Their ride dropped them off somewhere weird and they had to walk a couple of miles to get to me. Bummer. Overall today was fucking lame.