19.39 miles - Total to date - 128.82 miles
Ascent - 4800’ , Descent - 2035’ - Sierra City (1195.42) to Campsite (1214.81)
I camped just off the PCT about 200 yards south of where it crosses the highway, planning to get a quick start in the morning. Straight away, the trail climbs a couple thousand feet to the base of the rock promontory called Sierra Butte. It has been exceptionally hot the past few days. I lay on my sleeping pad sweating until after 9:00 pm. I hoped to get a good jump on the hill before the sun comes up to scorch us again.
I set my alarm for 4:15 am and was packed and on the trail by 4:45 am. Last night I was concerned that my pack would be too heavy with the new food resupply, but I arranged the contents of my pack differently, putting the food bag near the bottom to lower the center of mass of my pack. I wedged it between the tent and my sleeping bag. As the day wore on I found it a much better arrangement than putting the heavy food bag on top.
The trail switchbacked up the east face of the slopes below the buttes and topped out on a wonderful flat, heather laced area with the stoney buttes rising above. Here I found Derek’s tent, but no Derek. I thought he might be out on the prominent ridge end enjoying the views back down to Sierra City. I ran out to take a look and on my return Derek returned from the woods, toilet paper in hand. As he put it “I was out dropping the kids off at the pool”. It took a minute for me to get what he was talking about. Once I did I chuckled about the saying all day long. As Derek and I left together to pound out some miles we noticed another hiker emerging from his tent. This was MT, a audio specialist from Redmond, WA and a volunteer fire fighter. He would catch up with us later at the Sierra Buttes Spring when we stopped to fill up with water. At the spring we also met Braxston, a hiker that Derek had met in the desert near Tehachapi. Braxston soon left and we followed a few minutes later. We were checking our phones constantly on the high ridge for signal. Derek has many Internet based business ventures and he needs to check up on them. Within a few miles the trail passes Tamarck Lake. It was begging to be swum in so I obliged, washing off a layer of trail dirt.
Cleaned up, Derek, MT and I hiked together for the rest of the day. The trail ran around the uphill side of the lake, yet the trail was little more than a poor fisherman’s trail. I checked the Guthook app and sure enough this was the trail. Further down, less than half a mile, we ran into a group of Conservation Corp people coming uphill to work on that section of trail.
We stopped at a parking lot/campground to use the toilet and met Joe and an Asian girl there. I had met Joe at the store in Sierra City yesterday. He is from Washington DC. They left and we sat and ate a bit before traveling on. After the campground we continued on the trail in the uncomfortably hot afternoon, ascending and descending until we came to a stop 19.39 miles in. Our camp was overlooking a beautiful valley with a few lakes tucked into it. MT let me tag onto his phone service to download some movies and TV shows as the evening came to a close. A great day.
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