Yeeeeehaw! We finally made it! California, see ya later. It's on to new terrain and adventure in the northwest.
Did a quick in and out at Etna and we all hit the trail hard with wide eyes set on the Oregon border. Before we got there though we had to hit the last official pit stop in California - Seiad Valley. Home of the biggest challenge on the PCT - a five pound pancake eating contest. If you get all five of these frisbees down the breakfast is on them and you enter a prestigious and small society of winners. If 200 out of 400 get to the finish of the PCT this year I'd say less than 10 will complete the challenge. Many may finish the trail, but few can eat 5 lbs of pancakes! We didn't make it in time for breakfast, but after a long night and a 4:30 wakeup that morning we were able to get to the diner before it closed at 2 for some amazing milkshakes and patty melts. Mmm. Then a little chilltime by the river and a few thousand calories out of the convenience store and we were ready to keep on walking. A big climb out of Seiad led up to some beautiful ridge walking with views of valley after valley leading all the way back to Shasta. That mountain is beautiful but I'm ready to get a new valcanoe in view.
Three good days of walking and we were lined up for a morning arrival into OR. Getting to that border was surreal. Once I saw it in the distance I immediately started racing to the finish line. Got to the sign, gave a big hoot and holler, and then took some time to try to figure out what just happened. Judging from the sign I knew that I had walked the 1700 miles or so through all of California but it was real hard to FEEL like I did. Out on the PCT it's like we're all in our own trail bubble that's somehow separate from points on the map although we do collide with towns you can point to from time to time. Thinking back I could remember all the adventure and challenges and good times I'd had to get me here but conceptualising all of it as a continuous walk from Mexico to Oregon was too big to wrap my head around. A funny feeling for sure that I'm sure will only get harder to sort through as we hit borders up north.
We did a little celebrating at the border and took the rest of the day easy - mosying to a spot not far from town. I've been rolling around with Team Molasses - Flash, Rattler, Rocky, and (sometimes) Speedbump - a crew of good folks that pride themselves on capturing faster hikers who race up from behind them but then wind up hanging out for a while 'cause they enjoy the company. I was definitely one of those hikers and fully appreciated the friendly faces and a few days of easier walking. Just before I ran into this crowd I really started burning out on walking big miles for the sake of big miles - always focusing on the goal and not on the present. Pushing hard when I was tired or hungry 'cause my watch said to, and not taking as much time to enjoy great things along the way. Just before Etna I decided to pull the plug on that strategy for now and get back to walking for the sake of walking, as opposed to just getting places. Team Molasses helped me stay true to that and now that we're all rejuvinated, we're all talking about getting back to big miles - the Oregon Challenge!
On the PCT Oregon is definitely the promise land. Along the trail, the state is known as the section where all of a sudden the trail flattens out and all of the zeros and short mile days in the Sierras get made up for in a race to the Columbia river. All of your trail sins will be pardoned and you will magically be transported to the other side, rejuvinated and ready for a hard and mysterious (cause no one one talks about it) slog through Washington.
It won't be all it's cracked up to be I'm sure. Rumors about the trail are never as glorious or severe as they're made out to be. But it is going to be cruiser terrain and a good chance to catch up on some time (and some people). Starting tomorrow morning I'll get started on what's known as the Oregon Challenge - finishing the entire state in a quick 2 weeks. It'll be quick work but hard as well. But with not a lot in the way of big views and rewarding climbs a mile marker might be just the right motivation to get through the state. Hard to believe CA took over 3 months and I'm talking about being in washington in a handful of days. But if I can push 32 miles a day including restock stops throughout the whole thing Washinton will be in sight in early September. I'm psyched to get there quick and breath more easily about finishing up before the snow starts coming down.
Time to give up the computer to some other folks at the Ashland Hostel (great spot). Not much in the way of towns in OR but I'll catch you all at the next border. Start your watches and wish me luck. See ya on the other side!
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