Last night was the coldest we’ve had in a while, with a nice stiff breeze blowing through our ridgetop spot. It made for very comfortable sleeping and a cool morning. In the morning we were surprised to see Mt. Shasta perched on the horizon in front of us. We hadn’t been able to see it last night through the haze so it was as if it had appeared overnight. It’s gotten a lot bigger since the last time we glimpsed it while coming down off the Hat Creek Rim. It’s exciting to see the progress we’ve made in just a few days.

We continued west over trail that was alternately good and rough. The breeze held on for the most part so it was a little cooler than we were used to – a welcome change. At one point we reached a long, exposed ridge that gave us a clear view of Shasta and its foothills, while we’d previously only seen the peak. It was breathtakingly massive, dominating the entire horizon with nothing between us and it but open space. We could see where the trees ended and the snow-streaked rock cone of the summit began. If we lived nearby, would we ever get used to seeing it hanging over us?

For lunch we took a bit of a gamble. A side trail leading to a creek was listed in our guidebooks as unmaintained and nearly impassable. Unfortunately, this creek was the last water for about 8 miles. Instead of taking the spur trail we decided to hike along a forest road that would place us near the water. This can be a dicey prospect because the roads aren’t always maintained and can sometimes peter out into nothing. In this case it worked out perfectly. We didn’t even have to backtrack to get to the trail because the original spur trail was in much better condition than the guides had said.

We were sort of expecting this, actually. For the last few hundred miles the water sources have been extremely well signed and maintained. We’ve come across more than one spur for an off-trail spring that wasn’t on our maps. The forest service has done a fantastic job on this and it’s so important to hikers.

After lunch we returned to the trail and set off west. We skirted the slopes of Grizzly Peak, a fixture on the horizon over the last few days. The sun beat down on us as we climbed through dry manzanita scrub. We were shooting for the lofty goal of a campground 29 miles out from where we stayed last night. Including the off-trail mile for water this would mean that we’d hiked 30 miles today – a big PCT milestone. Doing the math, we started to realize that we had a shot of making it. I tried not to think about it, like a pitcher working a no-hitter.

We made good time to the creek 8 miles from lunch and then to another 5 miles from that. This was our decision point – did we head for the campground or did we get water here and find a campsite on one of the few upcoming flat stretches? We wouldn’t get many other chances since we were hiking on the sides of steep canyons. We decided to go for it. The last few miles were the toughest we’ve done in a while. Our feet were sore and we were soaked in sweat – no cool breezes down here, off the ridges. I had been working on a matching set of heel blisters ever since our rim hike, and although they felt better this morning today had definitely been a setback in that department. They were especially unhappy now. Finally we started down the last switchbacks, trying to avoid all the poison oak. Just then Keith stumbled…and broke his hiking pole. It had already been bent and was bound to snap sometime, but that it should happen now was almost comical. At least we’ll be in town the day after tomorrow. It’ll make the remaining miles a lot tougher, though.

When we reached the trailhead (Centipede Gulch – sounds inviting) we were greeted by a crowd of people. We’d forgotten that it was Saturday night. We’d arrived at a good time, though, because they had a plate of sausages right off the grill and they insisted we take some. They were delicious and just what we needed after reaching our goal. From there we headed down to the campground near the McCloud river and set up. Keith scored us a couple of cold sodas from some nearby campers to celebrate our accomplishment. They happened to be ginger ale, the champagne of sodas, which was both fitting AND delicious. Crawling into our bags was pure heaven…but we’ll see how we feel tomorrow.

– Posted from the PCT

Location:Pct mile 1476