Day 10 & 11

At around noon I arrive at Paradise Lake. It’s really a gorgeous lake in a pretty mountain scenery. I try to take a swim but the bottom the the lake is so muddy that my feet sink in when I try to step on it. So I stand on a big stone and just wash off the dirt from my legs.

I spread out my clothes to dry and have a few snacks/lunch. During my break two older hikers arrive at the lake too and we chat a bit about the trail as they are going in the opposite direction. It’s always nice to learn a bit of what’s ahead of you.

After lunch it’s mostly going uphill which is a bit unfortunate as the heat is also increasing. But at some point I have reached the highest point of today’s segment and it’s all downhill from there.

At around 4 p.m. I take a short snack break at a tent site next to the trail. I am surprised to see a deer laying in the shade next to the fire pit. It isn’t shy at all and only looks at me when I approach. I look for another spot in the shade and study the maps. Tonight it’s dry camping again (tent site without water source nearby). So I really want to make sure that I do not miss that last source before the tent site I am aiming for today.

For some reason I go by that last water source without noticing it. Or I miscalculate how far I am and think that the source is still ahead of me. But at some point I wonder when it will finally show up and I check my position via GPS and I realize that I already went past it. And not only that, I am already approximately half way between that source and my planned goal for the day.

So, I look at the water I carry and I decide that I will only eat some snacks and don’t cook tonight. This way I will have enough water for the night and tomorrow until I reach the next source. Convinced of my plan I continue heading down the mountain to the tent site which is located at a dead end of a forrest road. But there are so many downed trees over the road that it can only be reached on foot. I can hear a stream flowing down the mountain in parallel to the trail. But the terrain is to steep to go down there to get some water.

At around 6:30 p.m. I arrive my goal for the day. The site is ok, but it has a very rocky ground. Sitting on a log I study tomorrows section and I realize that there is a 3 mile section of the trail which I didn’t account for until now. In the app I use to plan my days, I missed to include the 3 miles from my current position to the next tent site.

Wondering about what I should do, I read the comments for that three mile stretch and study tomorrows segment. Because tomorrows segment has a lot of road walk in it, I decide to walk the three miles today. The comments say that there are a lot of logs over the trail, but how hard could that be, right? I had already passed some sketchy logs blocking the trail. Even though my body would have preferred to not proceed, I continue going down the mountain towards that water source and next tent site.

Oh boy, had I only known what was expecting me. The first mile was pretty much as the last miles. More or less easy trail with an occasional log blocking the trail. But what came after that was the most f***ed up section of the trail I have encountered until then. The terrain is getting steeper, there are cases where more then one log are blocking the trail on the same spot (one tree taking down more while falling), bushes overgrowing the trail and dry, sandy (and therefore slippery when too steep) trail. Either individual or a combination of all, if you are convenient…

My mood drops to a new low point within minutes. I am already pretty tired and now I can bushwack through dense overgrowth (sich durch eng stehende Sträucher zwängen), climb over Mikado-like log arrangements on a sandy trail. And the worst part is that other hikers (who started at the Mexican border) go past me as if this trail conditions where nothing…

After a lot of cursing I finally make it to the creek. The water is flowing great and it’s cold. At least that. I filter it and fill up my bottles and proceed the last few yards to the tent site.

I arrive there at around 8:20 p.m. and the site is already pretty full. But I can manage to squeeze my tent somewhere in between and void some water for my dinner. At least I can have a hit dinner now that I got so much water.

While I set up my camp and cook, I listen to the conversations of the other hikers. Apparently there are trail conditions more south which are worse than the one I had just passed. In review and with some timely distance I can say that the last two miles were also, and perhaps only for me, so precarious because it was only my tenth day on the trail and I didn’t have my trail legs yet.

While my water is on the stove all other hikers go into their tents as it’s already past hiker midnight (9 p.m.). I eat my dinner inside my tent to not disturb the others and also to escape the mosquitos.

Exhausted, but at least with a warm dinner in my stomach, I fall asleep at around 10 p.m.

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Day 11

Even though I had a late arrival last night, I am up and on trail by 8:10 a.m. I don’t feel like hiking today, but the small town of Seiad Valley is calling.

The trail is pretty much all downhill as Seiad Valley is only at approx. 1300ft/420m elevation. So with every step I descent more into the valley and with it I can feel the temperature raising. In addition there isn’t much wind today. The trail crosses Grider Creek several times and luckily there are bridges installed as the current is strong and the walls are steep.

After 7 miles I take a quick break in the shade and shortly after I arrive at today’s intermediate goal, a campground. Right before that campgroud there is a cooler with the words „Trail Magic“ on it by the side of the trail. Full of excitement, I open the lid and only find one smashed empty soda can inside…

Now starts the road walk section I wasn’t looking forward to. Because it’s so hot, I get my sun umbrella out and start walking. After a short while a car comes up the valley and the driver warns my that they just saw a mama bear with two cups on the roads just a few corners ago. I thank them and proceed with caution, but the bears are nowhere to be seen.

Shortly after, another car comes down the valley and the hiker in front of me sticks his thumb out and we get a ride into town. That’s so much better than hiking…

We make it to town just after 2 p.m. which is unfortunate as the only restaurant closes at 2 p.m. But they are still open and we can order our meals and get it „to go“. While eating outside the restaurant I talk with other hikers.

At around 4 p.m. I go over to the local campgroud. They are pretty good dialed in on PCT hikers. There is a section where we can set up our tents and with the fee for the night, everyone gets a towel and body wash for the showers, which are free. There is also the possibility to do laundry.

After having set up my camp, I take a shower and do my laundry. The wet clothes are dry in no time in this dry and hot weather.

Because the restaurant doesn’t open in the evening, I cook something by myself and get something cold to drink from the local store.

The only downside of this little town is that there is very limited cellular service and therefore all wifi provided to hikers are overloaded. But besides that point it’s a nice place to stay.

Once I come to rest, I realize that my right ankle is swollen and I get some ice to cool it. It doesn’t hurt when I move my foot or when I walk. It’s just swollen. I will have to monitor that and see how it develops.

This evening I talk with other hiker on the campground until past hiker midnight. Once in bed I can’t sleep until 11 p.m. I assume it’s due to the Dr Pepper Cola I drank.

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