almost to Oregon: days 90-93

Day 90: PCT mile 1487 to PCT mile 1502, 15 miles
Day 91: PCT mile 1502 to Braden Spring, 17.4 miles
Day 92: Braden Spring to PCT mile 1541.7, 22.4 miles
Day 93: PCT mile 1541.7 to 1563.6, 21.9 miles 

Day 90 we awoke, and looked forward to a nice 11 mile downhill hike to Ammirati’s Market in Castella; two miles off the trail. We made it in before noon, and picked-up our maildrop of food. Garrett had been looking forward to the new pair of boots we had sent there for him! The heat of Hat Creek Rim the week before made his feet swell in his old boots, and all sorts of blisters resulted. It was hot again that afternoon, so we lazed in a small patch of shade by the store until late afternoon. We packed-up, and hiked 5 miles into the woods to camp by a creek. Along the way we passed 1500 miles!

The following day we started a long, hot hike back-up to the ridge. The climb was well worth it, as we had increasingly good views of the Castle Cragg. 

We camped by Braden Spring, and saw a small field of carnivorous pitcher plants- a first for us on the PCT.

Day 92 was gentle and rolling, with mild temperatures, and lots of water; all qualities of a comfortable trail day! We had nice views of Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags along the way. That evening, we found a nice campsite on Cement Bluff (which is much more scenic than it sounds!).

As we fell asleep, we could hear and see a storm moving in the distance. We saw lightening, but it seemed like it would stay away. All the sudden the wind picked-up, and we realized that the storm was moving in our direction. Rain started falling hard, then hail stones a half-inch in diameter. In a matter of minutes, the ground was covered in a thick layer of hail, and the lightening was cracking above us. Our LL Bean tent held up well, and the storm started to pass as we dozed off.

The next morning we waited an extra hour while we let the tent set out. We entered the Trinity Alps Wilderness, and had an uneventful day (thankfully- no more hail!). Although, we did see a fawn and its mother as we were setting-up the tent.

We are getting closer to Oregon, less than a week! It’s hard to believe we’ve been in California for so long! While we’ve enjoyed this state so much, from the dessert all the way to the mountains, we’re looking forward to see what Oregon has in store for us!