We finally entered the last section of California, Northern California, or Nor Cal as it’s commonly referred to. Before this, we finished the final stretch of the Sierra, enjoying the dramatic landscapes that Granite Chief National Park had to offer. We also said goodbye to Luke, a friend from home, and with his departure homesickness flickered.
Day 85
The trees became a vivid orange in the rising sun, the colour reflected in the lake below. A layer of mist hung above the water completing an eerie, yet beautiful, picture. In this light, you could almost mistake it for autumn.
Mirror reflection
Six miles in we came to Barker Pass where Legend and Bianca were providing trail magic. We were offered fresh bagels with an assortment of spreads along with fruit and sodas. Sadly I missed Legends pancakes, but I did get to hear one of his famous talks. He made a point that Northern California is where hikers show their commitment to the PCT. He further explained that there are less conveniences than in the Desert and the scenery anticlimactic after the Sierras. Now it was about grit and determination to get north.
The wonder of trail magic
We continued on and soon were climbing up to Granite Chief National Park. To the east we could see the northern tip of Tahoe Lake, the band of blue breaking up the green landscape below. We broke for lunch before arriving at the crest of Alpine Ski Meadows. With the absence of snow, the only indication we were on a ski slope was the signpost pointing to Wolverine Bowl.
Continued dramatic landscapes
It was Luke’s last night on trail, and even now his appetite was suppressed. He longed for fresh chilled fruit as he forced down a dehydrated meal. We were joined by Reyes and River at camp and enjoyed rapid conversation before settling for bed. I felt sad that we would be losing Luke tomorrow, but glad we had enjoyed his brief time with us. It had been strange having him around, like his presence represented the fusion of my life in England with my life on trail. Two worlds blending that seemed otherwise adjacent to one another.
Day 86
Ghost lift
Like most days, it started with a climb. Poor Luke soldiered on despite his legs feeling unrested and sore. While only travelling 16 miles, it would turn out to be a day heavy with elevation change. Over the first crest we descended under a stationary chair lift, looking redundant without movement, cushions or riders.
The views back down the climb revealed layers of blue mountains in the hazy light, the closest of which was a dark navy blue. The further back the mountains the paler they seemed. Unbeknownst to us, the attractive hazy effect was in fact caused by the smoke from wild fires a good distance from us.
Layers of blue within a smoky sky
During our final climb of the day we noted a snow field covering the trail. Sweet Rolls had messaged us earlier in the day warning us this was an icy patch in which he fell down. Luckily he only bruised his ego and was physically fine. He advised us to climb over the snow pack instead.
This was not an easy alternative. I wish I took a photo to prove it. The path over the snow lead directly up the side of the mountain to where the chair lift would deliver skiers in winter. On loose stone, we powered on, accepting the demanding vertical challenge over the sketchy ice patch. At the summit we collapsed by the abandoned chair lift. The lift station was unlocked and we considered starting the lift and gracefully soaring down the mountain on its chairs.
Uniquely special rest point
After reconnecting with the PCT it was an easy walk to Donner Pass where we wondered through rich green wild flower meadows. Throughout his four days on trail Luke has had a reduced appetite, only craving fresh fruit. He had joked he would demolish 4kg of fruit once he hit town. To our surprise, Keith, a trail angel and PCT section hiker, was waiting for us at the pass and did indeed have chilled fresh fruit. Luke was thoroughly made up, his face beaming at the disbelief of receiving trail magic with the exact thing he was craving. Keith went one step further and offered us a lift to Truckee where I picked up our resupply package before we got dropped off at our cabin for the night.
Panda and Blues Brothers
Several orders of food later and having finished watching Blue’s Brothers, we sat outside around the fire pit and played a couple of rounds of cards. It was the perfect way to wrap up Luke’s stint on the PCT and to celebrate the end of the Sierra section.
Day 87
The three of us made our way to the club house of the RV park for our complimentary breakfast. An open kitchen with staff cooking away surrounding a long rectangular table full with platters of breakfast goods. We pilled our plates high, helping ourselves to coffee, juice and in Dan’s case chocolate milk. The three of us chatted away to vacationers, many keen to hear what we were up to. Several plates later, and some pastries to go we headed back to the cabin to say goodbye to Luke.
It’s been amazing having Luke here and knowing when we see him next he’ll have a new baby and be living in a new house felt surreal. I feel like we’ve put him through boot camp rather than a vacation, but Luke’s never been one who’s able to relax anyway!
We grabbed a hitch with Mitch back to the trail head. Due to the excellent breakfast and a delayed departure it was 11am by the time we got to trail. Here, we took our first steps of our third PCT section: Northern California. This section of the PCT is perhaps the one I am least looking forward to. It’s known for being mentally challenging in the sense that there’s still another 627 miles left of California, and people begin to wonder if Oregon even exists. Additionally, and perhaps most pressing, is the likelihood of fires in this area. The years of fires have scarred the land resulting in poor shade, dusty trail, and unstable trees. We are expecting to have to deviate from trail at some point due to a fire closure. Sad, but that’s the reality of hiking the PCT.
First steps in NorCal from the road, views of Donner Lake below
The first mile of Nor Cal took us through a rocky range whereby outdoor climbers of varying levels were scaling the rock face. We enjoyed watching them briefly and for the first time I considered the appeal of outdoor climbing. Maybe a new hobby to consider once back in the UK. We continued on, climbing upwards then following the road to the interstate which we passed under.
Lush vegetation lining the way
We took a break four miles in at the rest stop which had proper toilets and a water fountain. While there I accidentally FaceTimed home, finding my brother was with my parents for the weekend. I’m on the lowest data plan for my eSIM and without wifi I had to end the call before I could say anything other than hi and bye. Seeing a flash of their faces but being unable to speak with them was somewhat heartbreaking.
A combination of saying goodbye to Luke, the brief image of my family, and my sister messaging to let me know she’s started running (something she was told she would never be able to do!) suddenly made me feel homesick. This was not necessarily a negative emotion however. While still longing to see them, the overriding feeling was a contented privilege to know I have family and friends I want to come back home to see.
So far Nor Cal had exceeded my expectations. In the afternoon we alternated between walking through forest and wildflower meadows. Butterflies, bees and dragonflies danced amongst the flowers, buzzing merrily. The trail was made of compact soil, which made for easy walking. My only complaint was the relentless heat and its power to make me sweat profusely. By the time we broke for lunch we were afforded some cloud cover, and while thunder rumbled in the distance, it kept away.
Continuing greenary
After 19 miles we made it to camp before 7pm. With camp made, we battled an onslaught of mosquitoes while making dinner, wondering if we would ever become tolerant of them!
Day 88
There was a lot of commotion in our camp last night. Being in the forest we could hear several snapping branches of animals coming and going. One of which began making a bee line for us. It scarpered off when Dan clapped his hands together. The audible pattern of its steps bounding suggested a large deer.
Come morning we were attacked by yet more mosquitoes, meaning we endured breakfast standing up and moving about. We headed on out with ambitious plans to make it to Sierra City before the general store closed.
By lunch we had managed 18 miles and sat at a waterfall with Frodo and Twister. The final six miles of the day passing quickly. Sierra City is tiny, boasting a population of only 200. It consists of a general store, saloon, cafe and hiker hostel named Old Sierra City Hotel. Here we sat on two long benches drinking, eating and chatting.
Reunited again
Throughout the day we caught up with two of the trail families we’d been moving with before we split up at Yosemite. It felt great to reconnect and group together. Just that morning I had wondered where the bubble of hikers was, and now I wondered whether we were back in it! The bubble can be described as an epicentre of hikers, where the most concentrated number of us are. Apparently there are three bubbles and we’re the middle one.
I cannot convey the chaos of events that unfolded that night. We were invited to a ‘party’ by the locals next door where a guitar was brought out, a rattle snake was killed using a shovel and thrown into a plant pot, and at 9pm we were still sweating in the heat.
The aftermath the morning after
Dan and I left the party early to set up camp. We took a cold shower in the public toilets, and then settled for bed. In the distance the guitar could still be heard well into the night.
Day 89
We woke in a garden of sweet smelling flowers. Hummingbirds and bees joined us as we packed away and the first light of the day reached us. We congregated around a picnic bench with Frodo, Sam, Heather and Knit-Wit. The main conversation this morning focusing on wildfires.
We’re well into the wildfire season now. These last couple of days the sky has been hazy due to fires ahead and behind us. Even last night a few more fires had broken out in NorCal and Oregon. It’s almost a guarantee that we’ll have to skip miles, but what to do if we found ourselves near a new fire? This was a question we pondered and resulted in myself reading out loud the Pacific Crest Trail Association advice on what to do.
We joined Twister and Sweet Rolls and walked half a mile down the road to Sierra Pines Resort, a cute little hotel and restaurant with a trout farm out front. The place was quiet which made a nice change from the manic happenings of town. Here we took a couple of hours out to have a decent breakfast. As the only hikers, it was easy to forget we were on the PCT, feeling simply like a group of friends catching up.
A quick and easy hitch back (it was less than a miles walk, but any non-trail miles are simply too much effort!)
It was swelteringly hot on our return. But luckily Nate from Old Sierra City Hotel let us crash inside where they had a couple of air conditioning units going. Originally Dan and I had anticipated leaving town first thing that morning, but considering the return to trail started with a 7 mile climb and we would be navigating burn zone in the midst of a heatwave, we decided to head out that evening once the heat broke. We lounged about, played a couple of games of pool but mainly tried to stay cool.
Ready to go again, and heading back out with our Day 1 trail family
At 7:30pm we made it to the trail head and instantly began our climb. We soared on up in single file living up to our trail family’s name of The Caterpillar as we zig-zagged up the switchbacks. Three miles in we made it to camp just as the blue of the sky began fading. Our campsite was exposed on a rocky ledge, but it was warm enough to cowboy camp. A nice surprise was finding the 1200 mile marker within our camp. It had been the first mile marker we had passed with Frodo, Sam and Twister since mile 1 almost three months ago!
The perfect spot for a night under the stars
Day 90
It had been a beautiful clear night, the stars becoming more plentiful the more I looked. Come morning, my bag was wet with condensation despite the breeze, but it was nothing a little sun at lunch couldn’t sort out.
We headed on out with Sweet Rolls and after a couple of miles stopped by a dirt road whereby a kind trail angel had left out coolers of sodas and cereal bars. They had also left four chairs and soon we were joined by Twister, Frodo and Sam, where we enjoyed a break and breakfast.
The chance not to sit in dirt is some of the best magic you can ask for
It was so nice to be walking as part of a bigger group today. Conversation was rapid and the hiking fairly easy. The main feature from today was the forest and how dense the trees are in places, opening out at the top of ridges to reveal an endless expanse of rocky peaks.
Back to sapphire lakes
We arrived at camp after 25 miles, setting up tent near a creek and enjoying dinner together.
Day 91
It was just over eight miles to Quincy La Porte Road and we flew through them. The hiking was easy on dirt paths that climbed to a ridge line offering spectacular views of layers upon layers of thick forest. At the road we met Bruce, a trail angel, who took us down the hill into Quincy.
The PCTA advises hikers to skip the next 30 miles of trail due to the mess of dead trees previous fires have caused. My understanding is that the tree roots die in the blaze, but it can take centuries for a forest to recover. During this time, dead trees can be unstable and risk falling.
Bruce was telling us that the trail is a relentless scramble over dead trees. We’d heard mixed stories from those who have been through the area, some claiming they counted over 100 blow downs to climb over in the space of a mile, and others confused as to what the fuss is over. A friend of ours also said several trees fell in their presence when they braved the section, causing them to achieve their first 30 mile day for fear of getting crushed if they were to camp. Due to inconsistency of reports, we erred on the side of caution choosing to follow the PCTA’s recommended advice.
Not so conspicuous in town
Quincy is a quaint little town with very friendly locals. We visited Sage & Salt for breakfast where we chatted with Michael, a tourist heading up to Canada in his camper van. He’s always wanted to hike the PCT but life got in the way. As he said farewell he left a $100 bill on the table, and despite our protests, ran away before we could give it back. A kind gesture that felt very undeserved but was greatly appreciated.
We headed on out to the toy shop down the road where we walked away with a free double scoop ice cream in a waffle cone.
Twisters delight
Our next stop was the coffee shop. Here Dan looked after the bags while the rest of us ran to the grocery and hardware stores to pick up supplies. We spent several hours back at the cafe enjoying the air con, large tables with leather bound chairs and WiFi.
“Outdoor asylum” – trail angel describing the trail
Frodo, Twister and I scored a hitch from a trail angel who happened to be driving past. The three of us got dropped off 4 miles south of the boys and Rattle Snake, who got a different hitch. We arrived at the trail head for 7:30pm with almost 7 miles of up-hill hiking before camp. We powered on, hiking up an easy dirt trail with spectacular views. The smoke continued to affect the sky making for a pink hazy sunset.
Fading smoky light
During the last two miles to camp we lost that light, meaning we had to navigate the creepy forest by headlamp alone. While it would have been more logical to fear bumping into a bear, I kept thinking back to that time I watched The Blair Witch Project, and I suddenly felt an unconscious increase in my pace.
We made it to camp in reasonable time. Before I got into bed I looked up. The sky was an artwork of stars, so bright and seamlessly random, the black silhouette of trees framing the picture perfectly.
Our first miles in NorCal have been spectacular. I suspect reconnecting with our friends, walking at lower altitude and less rocky terrain have helped lift our spirits and in turn our perception of trail. The threat of wildfires seems like an ongoing discussion, evidence of past and current burns obvious as we make our way north.
