The Pacific Crest Trail

The southern Terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail located on the U.S./Mexico border.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail or PCT for short. I remember having seen signs for it in the strangest places in the past. Never bothered to find out what it was. That is until I started looking on line for places to hike. The more I read the more I imagined the possibilities. Thoughts of skulking up from the boarder trying to evade the border patrol. Traversing Sahara like sand dunes strewn with the bones of those that didn't make it. Scaling Everest like mountains ice ax in hand. Walking through the forest hunting for D.B. Coopers lost loot. Until I finally slither into Canada like a 1960's draft dodger. The allure of the trail was too much. I had to hike it. I read and prepared. I studied mountaineering. I brushed up on survival. I bought equipment. I prepared mentally for the arduous trek. I was ready to go. Mother nature had other ideas. Snow, lots of snow. I came to the realization that there wasn't enough time to hike all of it at once. Still Campo was never far from my mind.

Hikers from all over the world come to Campo, California to hike 2,650 miles through the wilderness to the Canadian border. Some like myself would "section hike" the trail. They pick sections to hike hoping to eventually complete the entire length. My goal was to hike the entire trail but in sections over time. Snow was an issue for much of the trail during the spring and summer of 2017. I wasn't able to hike much of the trail in Lassen and Shasta due to it. I will have to come back. Tourist season was in full swing in Yosemite. Time to move on so I headed towards Dunsmire, California and Castle Crags State Park. I could pick up the PCT here and thru hike the park. (Thru hiking is going from start of a trail or location and hiking all the way through and out. Typically thru hikers are long distance hikers traveling hundreds of miles on a trail.) The weather was a bit rainy and cold but better than snow.

Castle Crags.

The PCT went thru the park and I was hiking it. Along the way I saw hikers walking on a side trail. It was a park trail and I took it to the top of the mountain. A feature called Castle Crags. The view was spectacular. Hiking was harder than I thought but I kept at it. I needed to get in better shape for the trail. Only way to get in better shape for hiking, is to hike. So I did. The next stop was Burney Falls.

Burney Falls.

Burney Falls is a California State Park along the PCT. It's a resupply spot. There is camping, showers, and a general store. There is a mile loop trail just off the PCT that offers a lush green, beautiful walk with an abundance of Thistleberries to snack on. I saw fellow hikers heading off the PCT towards the park. I walked and chatted with them. All the hikers were friendly and eager for conversation. As I continued along the trail around the falls I said "hello" to what were obviously tourists. The looked and me and turned away without saying a word. I came upon another group. "Good morning" I said cheerfully. They turned and walked away. How odd. Several times along that trail I said "hi" to people and they just ignored me like I didn't exist. I stopped for a rest and a couple PCT hikers walked by. I said hello and they stopped to talk to me for a little while. I finished the loop and headed toward the trail head. I said hello to a woman walking her dog. She ignored me but her dog didn't. He growled. What was going on? Why were these tourists so rude? I headed towards some buildings totally perplexed. Showers! I went inside and took a look in the mirror. I saw a homeless man who had just crawled out from under a freeway underpass. Had it been that long since I had showered? No wonder the tourist didn't want anything to do with me.

Next stop was supposed to be Crater Lake. But I in a holding pattern. The National Park Service issued a hazardous snow advisory for the PCT through the Crater Lake area. The advantage thru hikers have when hiking the PCT is getting a single back country permit that covered the entire trail. I had to apply for permits for each area I hiked through. Nothing I could do but wait.