Huckleberry Mushroom Delight - The Trail's End

After our brief and enjoyable stay in Portland, we made our way back down the Columbia river, making our official entry into Washington over the bridge of the gods. As the deep waters rolled on beneath our feet, a surreal feeling came over us; after 153 days we had at last arrived in one of the three states we call home, and though the trail is still new to us here, a since of familiarity cannot be avoided. In true Washington fashion, we got caught in a good rain storm within the first two hours of our arrival, but we can't say that we expected much less. For the next two days we reaped the benefit of the rains, picking our weight in mushrooms, primarily golden chantrelles. We shared the feast with everyone we had been hiking with, and before long, we were all distracted by the abundance of fungi everywhere we went. As we continued to work our way North towards the Wind river, we continued to steadily climb in elevation. As a result the chantrelles became less frequent, but in their stead we found countless Boletes, yet another long awaited treat. Also a consequence of our increase in elevation was new species of huckleberries we had never seen before. While we had seen almost a dozen different species, the alpine Vaccinium deliciosum proved to be our favorite. Largely isolated to the Cascades, these exceptionally large berries were easy to harvest and were very rich in flavor, making for a great snack, any time of day. Despite the myriad of hungry hikers, birds and rodents sharing the harvest, there always seemed to be thousands of berries still ripe for the picking, an impressive feat in itself. The land remained fruitful as we made our way through the Indian Heaven wilderness, and before long, we caught sights of our next volcano - Mt. Adams.

Then the rain came back. Temperatures began dropping towards freezing at night, accompanied by a steady rain most every other day. As we rounded Mt. Adams, we happened upon one of the best springs we've seen, affectionately known as the Lava spring. Flowing at a rate of several gallons per minute, its source is obscured under a very large pile of lava rock, providing a lattice work of small windows through which you can hear and see the water. Just beyond this, the water flows out into an open stream, then down into a large and clear collection pool built up of the surrounding rock. We stopped here for a good while taking relief from the rain, but got our move on once we started to get cold. Despite our plans for pushing out 25+ mile days, the rain got the best of us and we made considerably less. This eventually worked out in our favor, as it allowed us to hike through the goat rocks wilderness during a warm and dry weather window. While those ahead of us saw little more than grey clouds and howling wind, we were afforded one of the most magnificent sunsets of the trail thus far. Despite advise to avoid this section of trail after 3:30pm, we charged down the knife's edge at sunset. The trail here was very exposed as it follows a high ridge line dividing several large canyons. Moreover, parts of the trail here were comprised of large pieces of shale which felt like walking on stacked dinner plates down a steep grade. Nonetheless, we found ourselves stopping every couple of minutes in awe of the landscape before us. With the sun low on the horizon, the lighting changed dramatically with each minute that passed, consistently transforming our surroundings and some how making them even more magnificent. Just before the sun dropped out of sight, golden rays shot through the canyon illuminating the western slopes, with Mt. Rainier looming in the clouds to the North, surely this was the grand finale. We soon got down off the ridge line and set up camp in the first flat meadow we came to. As to be expected, we saw many goats in this area, though none got close enough to say hello....

From goat rocks it was a hop skip and a jump to white pass ski area, where we were met with some familiar faces from Olympia. We spent the day gathering our re-supply, catching up and sharing stories. Such interactions always seem to revitalize our spirit for hiking. The next day we were back on trail, enjoying a surprisingly moderate climb from the pass. We soon found ourselves hiking the Eastern border of Rainier National park, occasionally stealing glimpses of the crown jewel hidden in the clouds. This section was also very abundant in V. deliciosum, and we continued to gorge ourselves every opportunity we could. Eventually we came down to Chinook pass, where we made our official exit from the park crossing over SR410. We hiked a little ways up the other side, then made camp at yet another sheep lake (the third "Sheep Lake" in less than 500 miles). The next day held a special treat as we encountered one of the few shelters along the trail. Maintained by the local snow-mobile club, the cabin was outfitted with a huge wood stove, a dozen cords of sapwood, a table and benches. By our standards, this was pure luxury. We stayed up late into the evening aided by the warmth of the stove, and without too much surprise had a hard time leaving the following morning. From here the trail meandered through private land and forests, a large portion of which had been clear-cut. Without too many distractions we moved through this area quickly, dropping us out at Snoqualmie pass. We anticipated this being our last stop for services before hitting the border, so we took a day off here to do laundry, gather our resupply and clean up.

After two days in Snoqualmie, we started hiking again. Though instead of opting for the PCT, we decided on an alternate route that passed by Gold Meyer hot springs. After passing by dozens of inquisitive day hikers, we made our 11 miles to the hot springs where we stopped and soaked for a couple of hours. This was well worth the detour. While there were only three pools for soaking, they were all very clean, and the uppermost pool led into a small cave where the source could be found. Naturally the cave acted as a steam room large enough for 4 or 5 people. A real trail-side treasure. With miles on our mind, we did not stop here for the day, pushing out another 6 miles before the sun fell. We followed the Snoqualmie river for many miles, leading up to its head waters in the Dutch Miller gap. The trail here was in very poor condition and made for slow miles, but eventually we dropped down the other side into the Waptus river basin. Here we re-joined the PCT, and as we were eager to make up to 25 miles, we hiked into the night by headlamp, setting up camp in the dark. With Steven's pass only 19 miles away, we awoke before the sun, leaving camp in the light rain by 6:30, our earliest departure in a long time. Our 19 miles into Steven's pass were not easy ones, as we climbed over three and a half passes to get there. For a brief minute it even began to snow on us, but this soon turned to rain which would persist for the remainder of the day. We arrived to the pass in the early afternoon, only to discover our primary resupply hadn't arrived yet, and our other packages had been forwarded to Leavenworth some 35 miles to the East. After two hours of trying to hitchhike in the rain, we got a ride with some local maintenance workers, who dropped us off at the Dinzmore's - Washington's premier trail angels. Here we found a hiker dorm room, complete with bunk beds, wood stove, hot food and good company. Needless to say we slept great. We spent the next day hitchhiking between Leavenworth, Skykomish and Steven's pass trying to get all of our packages organized before heading back out into the rain. We made 10 more miles up the trail before making camp at lake Janus, and here we came to a few realizations. With inclement weather moving in, we could either push through the next 120 miles before our next possible exit point, or we could turn around while we still had the opportunity. After evaluating our motives and intentions, we decided it would be in our best interest to turn around. We came out here to enjoy some of the most spectacular natural attractions this country has to offer, not only sharing it with one another, but with a whole slew of amazing strangers we now call family. And so, after 172 days, 6 national parks, and well over 50 mountain passes, we have surrendered to the trail in the North cascades. While it was an extremely difficult decision, we are content knowing we have an excuse to spread this journey out into the year. Moreover, in light of the Typhoon set to hit Washington this weekend, we feel we have made the right decision and hope that any friends who may still be out there are safe. This will be our last post for the PCT, though we hope you will continue to follow along in the adventures to come. At last our trail has come to an end, though another one is just one the horizon. Thanks for following!

Cheers!
Stump & Mandalynn

Over the hills and through the woods, across Oregon we go!

Refreshed and resupplied, we left Ashland in good spirits, catching a ride with a friend back to Callahan's Lodge where we returned to the trail. This in itself was something to laugh at, as we crammed nine hikers, gear and all, into the camper of an old V4 Toyota. Trying to get up to the drop off point by Mt. Ashland, we maxed out at 25mph, semi's passing us on both sides. Eventually we arrived, and as we walked down the road towards the trail head, we were aggressively reminded by the eccentric locals that, "California is burning! Everything is on fire! Go down, not up! If you get caught in a fire, hug a redwood, its the only thing that survives!" Ready for the solitude of the trail, we began hiking shortly after, taking notice of the smokey skies to the South.

From here we hiked for a couple of days, taking us into Mazama village on the South side of Crater Lake. After hiking in Chaco sandals for the last 600 miles, my right ankle was becoming very sore, and we took a couple days here to let it heal. We enjoyed our time in the village as we were provided with a complementary place to camp (despite the campground being sold out for the season), hot showers, and a friendly general store. Here I also received my new pair of replacement boots from Lowa, free of charge. With ample ankle support, we hit the trail, opting for the alternate route that follows the West rim of Crater Lake. Though the skies were smokey from fires past and present, our view of the lake was still magnificent. Surprisingly, the surface area of this lake is only about 21 square miles (Lake Tahoe is 191) yet it is the deepest lake in North America, just shy of 2000ft. Unfortunately there is no camping along the rim of the lake, so we were forced to hike this section over the course of a day, taking in  the caldera every chance we could.

After Crater Lake, we hiked through some long dry volcanic stretches, pushing higher miles in the interest of water. We hiked around Mt. Thielsen (Big Cowhorn), a very sharp and isolated peak, evidently a dormant volcano. From a distance, it loomed like the Matterhorn of Oregon. Around this time we passed over the Oregon/ Washington high point at 7570ft, a dramatic contrast to Forester's pass in the high Sierra at 13,200ft. Afterwards, we took another alternate trail, known as the Oregon Skyline Trail, again in the interest of water. Along this route we passed by half a dozen large lakes, our favorite of which was Diamond View - a natural reflecting pool for Diamond mountain to the North. This alternate took us into Shelter Cove Resort on Lake Odell, where we were supposed to receive our next resupply. Overlooking some of the finer details, I unknowingly shipped my package via the wrong carrier (should have used UPS not USPS) and had to spend the day hitch-hiking to the Crescent post-office -a 5 hour ordeal. All's well that ends well.

As we continued North, beautiful alpine lakes became increasingly abundant, strongly contrasted by the massive volcanoes that populate the Cascades. The Rosary lakes were a chain of three lakes, all emerald in color, arranged in a line following the canyon. These were some of our favorites, especially when viewed from above. We soon transitioned into the Three Sisters wilderness, hopping from lake to lake as we pleased, never carrying more than a liter of water. This is when the cold snap began setting in, dropping temperatures down to freezing at night. As we began hiking the next day,  we found ourselves enveloped in a light mist, an enjoyable break to the endless days of blue skies. We all assumed it would burn off by noon, but instead it only rained harder. By lunch, we had arrived at the much anticipated Obsidian creek falls, soggy and cold. Our view of the Sisters was entirely gone, and a steady wind made it difficult to enjoy the falls. After a short lunch, we continued hiking, primarily to warm up. We ended up pushing out 11 miles straight to McKenzie pass, where 7 of us split a cab and went down into the town of Sisters. We then caught a ride with a friend of a friend, who took us into Bend and let us crash on his couch. Warm and dry at last. With a vehicle at our disposal, we completed our next resupply and geared up for wetter weather. Bend was a fun town, especially as it is surrounded by many great natural features, and supports a very active community.

A local trail angel helped us return to the trail, as the road to McKenzie pass is seldom traveled. With Mt. Washington in sight, we hiked for a couple of hours across exposed pumice fields, rolling and sliding with each step. From the pass we hiked 13 miles to the Big Lake Youth Camp, who treated us to an endless array of home cooked vegetarian food, hot showers, and even A-frame cabins that were not in use. It was difficult to leave, but Mt. Jefferson beckoned in the distance. We spent the following days at the foot of this impressive volcano, still adorned with large snow fields high above tree line. In the distance we could see Mt. Hood, and before we knew it, we found ourselves at the base of this even larger mountain, standing at Timberline Lodge. Now that we average at least 20 miles a day, great distances move by so quickly. While we had first spotted Hood over a week ago, faint on the horizon, now we stand on it's South flank, trying to take in what is before us. We got another small resupply here, just big enough to take us to the Columbia River and the border of Washington.  We spent the night just outside the lodge (a beautiful old building -see The Shining) and enjoyed an exceptional sunset over the volcano. With only two days of hiking left in Oregon, we left the next morning eager to arrive at the Colombia Gorge. With only a few opportunities left to push big miles, we hiked hard through the day and into the night, taking in views of a distant Mt. Hood silhouetted in the moon light. After a 14 hour day, we traversed 31 miles with over 5000ft of gain, 7000ft of drop. Our feet felt like hamburger meat, but we were high on the adrenaline of knowing that Washington is only a short day away. Nonetheless, we probably won't repeat that experience any time soon. The next day was very enjoyable as we took the Eagle creek alternate route down to the gorge, passing by Tunnel falls and many others. At last we are in waterfall country! From the trail head, we caught a ride with my cousin into Portland for the weekend. Later today, 9.18.16, we'll catch a ride back to Cascade Locks, where we will walk over the Bridge of the Gods and into Washington...Canada, here we come!

Cheers from...Portland?
Stump & Mandalynn

The Last Hurrah of California

As we continued heading North through some of the first tree farms that we've encountered, the horizon was dominated by our first Cascade volcano - Mt. Lassen. Still adorned with some good snow fields, the mountain held some interesting surprises for us, most notably, the boiling lake. As we hiked through the woods, we were overtaken by the strong smell of Sulfur, causing some concern that perhaps an eruption was on its way. Our worries soon subsided as we rounded the corner to find the pale blue-green waters rumbling and boiling, primarily on the South end where we also found a steaming geyser. Contrasted with the dark red soil surrounding the lake, it seemed to be a visual anomaly. While we had heard about several encounters with a "friendly" bear in this area, we were not fortunate enough to catch a glimpse. Sleeping in a large burn area however, we awoke to the eerie sounds of the coyote's cry emanating through the lifeless landscape, nothing but the skeleton's of trees in sight. We spent a few days hiking around the Volcano, and were treated to some excellent trail magic hosted by a fellow hiker and his friends from home. After enjoying a couple days of fresh food, live music and good company, we skipped around the barren and dry hat creek rim to Burney Falls State Park bringing into sight our next Cascade volcano, Mt. Shasta.

Around this time we began noticing subtle changes in the ecology, as more familiar species from the Pacific Northwest became abundant in the landscape. It started with dull Oregon grape, soon followed by thickets of Thimbleberry and Bracken fern. As we made our descent down to the McCloud river, we soon found ourselves in the presence of old growth Douglas fir and Incense Cedar, making us as giddy as little children. Here we also found occasional pockets of old and healthy Yew trees. At last we have arrived in Cascadia! While the McCloud river was flowing cold and strong with the milky blue color of glacial flour, it carved out the lowest point for miles and miles, making for a difficult climb out of the canyon. After a 26 mile day, we broke personal records yet again, climbing well over 7500ft and dropping 1000ft less than that. Needless to say, "Exhausted," didn't come close to describing how we felt when we finally arrived at camp. As we bunkered down just below Gerard Ridge, we were woken up bright and early by the sounds of cable logging, air horns and log trucks. Welcome to Cascadia...

We soon dropped into Shasta City, where a friend from the Tucson backpacking group with a seasonal home in town, scooped us up and played trail angel for the night. After running our necessary errands, Flo took us to Mt. Shasta so we could better appreciate the volcano. We took a short hike through Panther Meadows, starting conversations about native plants that would last long into the evening. Thankful to have the insight of a local backpacker, it was a very productive and enjoyable visit, even if it only lasted for 24 hours. The next day we were back on the trail, making another great climb, this time, up towards the Castle Crags. As we recently acquired a new hammock for Mandalynn's birthday, it wasn't long before we broke down on the side of the trail, and found ourselves distracted in comfort. We finished the climb up to the trinity divide the following day, revealing magnificent views of both Castle Crags and Mt. Shasta. From here we rode the divide for several days, climbing and dropping very little along the way. This area was very abundant with alpine lakes, and we did our best to camp near one each night. Porcupine lake was one of our favorites, and after a long day of hiking, few things feel better than jumping into cool water and washing off the day's work.

Around this time, I got word from a friend that I went to school with; he was working in the area at a wilderness camp, and we ought to stop by and say hello if we had time. We took him up on this offer, and after a series of miscommunications, ended up at his camp hours before he could arrive. Stinky and dripping with sweat, we wandered in and approached some of the staff. They were very confused to see a couple of P.C.T. hikers off of the trail, but after an introduction as to why we had come, they greeted us with open arms and told us to go jump in the lake. We then spent the remainder of the evening eating real food, sharing stories about the trail and unique sights to see along the way. With this insight, we hiked 26 miles the next day in order to spend the night at Statue lake, a half mile bush-whack off the beaten path. The effort was well worth it, as the lake held massive granite monoliths that rose straight out of the water, taking on the appearance of large statues. We jumped in the water as the sun was going down, then made a quick dinner and went to bed.

The next day we were joined by some good friends we had hiked with in Southern California, making for a well balanced group we call a trail family. With this group we made our way down to our lowest point on the trail so far, Seiad Valley. At 1300ft, the valley was 108 degrees while we were there. None of us were big fans. We made a minor re-supply at the local general store, and didn't hike out till after 6:00pm. Even then we opted for a more direct route out of the valley that was less exposed and more abundant with water. We camped at a great swimming hole, then finished the rest of our climb the following morning. From here it was one great celebration after another; first, we finally have less than 1000 miles to Canada! Then something even more exciting; after 125 days, we finished walking across California! Trying to wrap our heads around what we just accomplished seems impossible, but excited with the development of being in a new state drives us forward with renewed motivation. We soon crossed over I-5 for the second time, where we caught a ride with an old friend into nearby Ashland. While this will be the last sizable town we are in until we near the border of Washington, we will spend a minute reorganizing and preparing for the next 500 miles... Till next time!

Cheers from the trail!
Stump & Mandalynn

Milestones

Leaving our much needed respite in Sierra city, we began our climb up the Yuba Buttes with wings on our feet and feathers for packs. We switch-backed up the trail for hours, slowly climbing towards the picturesque fire lookout that stands above everything else. The trail here was poorly maintained, overgrown with sticker bushes, making for slow miles over the exposed scree. We passed several flowing springs through here, many adorned with one of our favorite flowers, the tiger lily.

The following day we had quite a surprise; as we followed the trail through the woods, we startled a golden eagle catching its prey. Before we could recognize what was happening, this massive bird took flight between the two of us, just a couple feet overhead. In the middle of all the commotion, the eagle lost grip of its prey and dropped it, missing our heads by a yard or two. For several minutes we stood in awe of what had just happened, unable to speak, as neither one of us had ever been that close to a golden eagle before. A treat to remember for years to come.

Thinking back to when we climbed Mt. Whitney, we ascended over 4000ft on our way to the summit. This gave rise to the term, "Whitney Days," where we climb a comparable amount of elevation, if not more. Lucky for us, all of our days through this section were Whitney days, maxing out at 5500ft over a 23 mile day. With heat advisories all around, we were fortunate enough to intersect the North fork of the Feather river, providing one of the best swimming holes to date. We floated through the "rapids" on our bellies, explored the deep pockets, and basked in sun on our watery thrones. In the evening we were treated an amazing campsite on Lookout rock, where we enjoyed both an epic sunset and sunrise across the smokey skies to the East.

Four and a half days after we left Sierra city, we arrived in Belden Town. Though there was very little to constitute a town, the area plays host to many music festivals during the warm months. As the timing worked out, we arrived into the canyon just as preparations were underway for the StillDream electronic music festival. As the PCT runs directly through the grounds, we were granted free admittance and a good time. We set up a base camp, and within the few hours, tents, canopies, coolers, dogs and everything in-between began to fill in the space around us. It quickly became evident that we had a very desirable spot, sheltered from the sun for the majority of the day. By Friday afternoon, there was hardly a walkway left to navigate between and through all the tents. For once, these dirty hikers with made up names didn't stick out in the crowd, often getting praise from music fans when they learned that we had hiked in. We stayed for a couple days enjoying the music, and catching up with other hikers we hadn't seen in hundreds of miles. By Saturday there were probably close to 80 of us slowly taking over the festival, getting sucked in to the bright lights and loud music. We hiked out that night, breaking another 5500ft climb into two pieces.

As we slowly worked our way North towards Mt. Lassen, the first of our Cascade volcanoes, we hit a couple of exciting milestones. On the first of August, we celebrated Mandalynn's 30th birthday, one of the inspirations for taking this trip when we did. Simultaneously, we crossed the halfway point of trail. For the first time in 105 days, we can say that we are closer to Canada than Mexico. We just hope that this second half will go much faster than the first. If this didn't generate enough excitement, then we are very excited to announce that Mandalynn and I got engaged, making for a very full day. After 18 miles, we landed in town of Chester, where we finished celebrating her birthday and the newest development in our relationship. That's all for now, but more updates to come soon.

Cheers from the trail,
Stump & Mandalynn

To Yosemite & Beyond!

As we left Red's Meadow, we found ourselves in and amongst the day hikers, visiting a geological curiosity known as the Devil's Postpile. The national monument consists of columnar basalt pillars rising up to 50 feet in the air, stacked in a neat and orderly fashion. From the top, one can see a pattern of polished hexagons, rubbed smooth by passing glaciers. As we made our way out of the monument, we quickly found ourselves on a secluded trail with not a hiker in sight. The next morning we climbed up Donohue pass, marking our official entry into Yosemite. As we made a long and gradual descent down into the valley, the trail became increasingly populated. By the time we arrived at Toulomne meadows, the air was buzzing with hikers, walkers, sightseers, and automobiles.We ventured past the meadows, and made our way up to the Glen Aulin backpackers camp.

Over the next couple of days, we rediscovered solitude on the trail. While our path did not go through the quintessential Yosemite valley, we climbed from canyon to canyon, down one side and up the other. A real favorite here was Matterhorn canyon. As we came down the South slope, we gained an excellent perspective on the stair stepped granite shelves that composed the mountains before us.It seems that the routine here is to climb down one side of  a canyon, cross the creek at the bottom, then shoot up the other side. As we would repeat this routine several times throughout the day, we consistently climbed a minimum of 3000ft, dropping an equal amount on a daily basis. While the passes here were low enough to be free of snow, the grade leading up to them was often steep, rising around 500-600ft/mile. Before long we found ourselves hiking over Dorothy pass, leaving Yosemite and 1000 miles of trail behind...

As we transitioned out of the glacially sculpted canyons of Yosemite, our environment became much drier, giving way to something more volcanic. Through scree and snow fields, we climbed back up to nearly 11,000ft at Sonora pass, our highest elevation in nearly a hundred miles. The snow here took us by surprise as we carefully navigated across several sketchy sections, some with audible water running under them... We soon dropped down the other side to highway 108, where we caught a ride with some section hikers to the town of Bridgeport. They dropped us off at the Travertine hot springs just outside town, and we couldn't have been any happier. We soaked late into the evening, then walked into town the following day to pick up our next resupply. After bringing everything back to our base camp, we reorganized our food, and prepared for a quick departure first thing in the morning.

By 7:00am we were on the North end of town trying to catch a ride down the 395 back to the junction with 108 leading to Sonora pass. After 45 minutes of waiting, a local longhair picked us up and drove us down the road to the junction. Here we waited for another 45 minutes as dozens of marines flew by us on their way to work. A few miles up the road resides the Mountain Warfare Training Camp, teaching marines the in's and out's of the high country, come rain, sun or snow. At last, one of the trainers for the camp pulled over, and offered us a ride back up to the pass. Along the way, he gave us good insight into the training camp, and some advice for traveling through the mountains. By 10:00 we were back on the trail, eager to make some miles.

While water sources slowly became less frequent, we continued to climb at least a couple passes a day, continuing to average 3000-4000ft of daily climbing. Atop Ebbett's pass, we met two older gentlemen by the names of Robocop and Sunny-D, who showed us the wonders of "Wallie-Crack." Using some instant drink mixes from Walmart chalk full of caffeine, they poured the powder over a cup of snow, mixing it in with a spoon to create the most gratifying snow cone I've ever had. After that we saw very few thru-hikers. As we began closing in South Lake Tahoe, we once again found ourselves in the rush of day and section hikers out for the weekend. To them we were an oddity, to some, celebrities, We hiked through the section as quickly as we could, and by the day's end we found ourselves alone once more.

The next day was full of trail magic. As we came over Carson pass, we again entered the realm of the day hikers passing us by the dozen. As we made our way to the trailhead and parking area, an older man yelled out to us, "Hey hikers! Want some water? Set down your packs!" We were soon greeted with apple juice, fresh fruit, vegetables and cookies. What more could we ask for? As we sat and enjoyed our snacks, we shared stories of what the trail had taught us, primarily a lesson in mental fortitude. The man responsible for the magic, Halfslow was his name, shared his lesson last in the form of a poem. He recited from memory Rudyard Kippling's "If," which seemed all too applicable to our situation. After filling our bellies and enjoying meaningful company, we continued down the trail through the meadows of mule's ear and iris. As we hiked with an older arborist from Palo Alto named Wild Turtle, we talked in depth about the local plants and trees, learning some new names and solving some old mysteries.

As we began closing in on Tahoe, we got word from a friend back in Washington state, that he was traveling to nearby Reno to purchase a new old car. With the help of a local friend, he scooped us off the trail and took us to the land of Casinos where we were more than a little overwhelmed. We stayed a few nights here, catching up on everything that had happened in the last 1000 miles, rarely leaving the hotel room for the flashing lights that waited outside. We soon got back on the trail for a couple days, before being treated to yet another surprise. As we made our way North towards Sierra City, my parents stopped in for a short visit. Within a couple hours of our arrival, a fire broke out less than a mile down the road at the shooting range, sending ash and smoke through the air. We quickly packed our things back up in the event of an evacuation, then sat and watched as the airshow moved in. Around a dozen aircraft constantly buzzed overhead, making rounds over the fire and dropping retardant. As there were many structures nearby, both uphill and downwind, the response was very swift and well organized. After a couple of hours the smoke began to lighten, and a helicopter equipped with a water bucket began making passes to extinguish what remained. By dinner time the fire was out and we were laughing about the obstacles in the way of getting here. Enjoying the company of family, we cooked some real meals and began sorting through all the hard weather and snow gear that is no longer needed. As we are also getting rid of our bear canisters that we have been carrying since the border, our packs will become dramatically lighter, something we are both very excited about. While our visit here has been short, it has been great to see some old familiar faces, something we are looking forward to as we slowly approach the great Northwest.

Cheers from the trail,
Stump & Mandolynn