Sometime very early this morning we woke up to sprinkles. We hopped out of the net tent to put the rain tarp over everything and cinched it down. The rain stopped a few minutes later and the moon came out…but we’ll take that over having to pack up wet gear. It took a long time to get back to sleep.
The next morning we started right off with the rest of the long climb. Mile after mile, winding around the ridges, we worked our way up. It was hot already and we were sweating freely. I had a goatee of droplets running off my chin. After a few miles we arrived at a little trickle of a spring, where we wiped ourselves off in preparation for adding a new layer of salt during the rest of the climb.
Finally we reached the exposed ridge that marked the end of the steepest part. From there we meandered up and down, stopping for a break and a snack in a patch of shade. Some rock ledges gave us a semi-panoramic view of the surrounding terrain – rolling ridges as far as the eye could see, carpeted in lush coniferous forest. We headed north, thinking about cold drinks and burger lunches. We passed a sign from some local trail angels inviting hikers to their cabin – a very tempting prospect, but we had a goal in mind already.
After 5 miles of easy terrain we reached the road leading to Bucks Lake and the resorts there. It was a long, hot walk but there was very little traffic on the road so we didn’t have to worry too much about walking on the sometimes-narrow shoulder. As we turned a corner on the last leg, a man stopped in his car and told us to come up to the campground and share his site if we happened to stay the night here. We knew we would be tempted when we were full of food in the heat of the afternoon, but the town of Belden is reachable by lunch tomorrow if we put in a few more miles.
Soon after that we reached the store and picked up some cold drinks to have on the way to the resort another mile up the road. The woman at the counter guessed (somehow) that we were hiking the PCT and this got the attention of a family who had dropped by to pick up some snacks. They were impressed to hear that we had come all the way from Mexico. After a little more chatting, they offered us a ride to the restaurant – which we gratefully accepted! Fred and Erin and their girls were camping at one of the nearby campgrounds. We jumped in the back of their truck and were there before we knew it, sitting on the patio under a big shady umbrella and looking out over the lake as we sipped our sodas. It was absolute heaven after all the sweating we’d done over the past few days.
They had lunch at the table next to us and when we finished we discovered that they had picked up our tab for us – how generous is that, to pay for a couple of stinky hikers’ lunches! More than that, they offered us a spot down at their campsite with the promise of “tons of food.” A hiker’s worst dilemma – food or town (and the promise of showers and laundry)? In the end, with Belden so close, we had to decline but we were extremely close to ditching the rest of the day in favor of more calories and conversation. Then came the icing on the cake – they offered us a ride back to the trail, saving us a few more miles of scorching road walk on full bellies. Guys, if you’re reading this, I hope you know that you made our day absolutely wonderful! It was awesome to meet you all and thank you again for all your generosity!
At the Bucks Lake trailhead we reluctantly said our goodbyes and started up the hill, because of course it started with a climb. It was nothing compared to this morning but soon the inevitable sweat-drenching began all the same. We stopped at a creek a mile up to filter some water, then continued on our way. As the grade eased we found ourselves in a meadow filled with scarlet paintbrush. Hummingbirds were zooming around everywhere, fighting over patches of flowers and scolding and chasing each other. It took us a while on this hike to stop being startled by the sound of them flying nearby because they sound like the world’s biggest, ugliest bug. They’ve been around consistently since Southern California and through the Sierra.
We sweated up the ridge to the summit of Mount Pleasant. To our east were Silver and Gold Lakes, down off the cliff nestled into a sheet of granite. They were beautiful but looked much lower than normal with wide patches of dry lakebed showing. After crossing a few more minor ridges in the forest we passed Clear Creek Springs, our water source for the night, and an occupied stretch of flat ground. We went one more ridge over and found a flat spot down off the trail to spend the night. Tomorrow we have 11 miles to hike to Belden. It’s mostly downhill – we’ll lose nearly 4500 feet as we switchback down into the canyon for the north fork of the Feather River. Our reward for getting past all the poison oak will be showers, clean laundry, and milkshakes up at the store. We can’t wait to wash off all the sweat from the last four days.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:Pct mile 1278