June 13, 2016

Miles: 7.1 (plus 6 hour drive to Trailhead)

Belden equestrian t/h (mile 1284.0) to Myrtle Flat (mile 1291.1)

Today was a loooong day. We left Oakland around 8:15am – later than we wanted, but not bad.

What should have only been a three and a half hour drive took us 6 hours. Again we didn’t really mind. We were happy to be heading back to the trail.

The drive to Belden was monotonous until we reached Highway 70 and climbed into the mountains. The smooth asphalt hugging the mountainside was complimented by train tracks on the other side of the Feather River.

Andy loved the scenery. He’d really like to take the train through here, if one exists.

We reached Belden around 2:15 pm. They call it Belden Town but it is hardly a town. There’s a general store, a motel and an RV park and that’s about it.

We parked at the equestrian trailhead and were walking by 3:15pm.

The road from the equestrian trailhead was lush. It was a drastic change from the white and snowy Sierras.

As we walked past the general store a hiker approached us. It was Flo, a Swiss hiker we haven’t seen since Big Bear (near mile 218).

He didn’t recognize us at first but we jogged his memory. It’s really funny how people don’t recognize one another after a few months.

Flo also hasn’t skipped any of the trail. He’s just a fast hiker on a mission. He will be staying in Belden but we trust he’ll catch us tomorrow.

We started climbing immediately after leaving the highway. It was exposed and quite warm, though not as warm as it would be in July.

Laurie’s mom hiked the first few miles with us to Indian Creek. We will hopefully see her again in a few days near Drakesbad Guest Ranch in Lassen National Park. Thanks for being our trail angel today Sue!

We felt sluggish this afternoon. It felt weird to be hiking again. It’s as if we have not been hiking for the past two months.

We felt weak and slow.

And the change in scenery was a shock. It all felt very abrupt. No natural progression or transition. We went from glissading on snow to stopping at the sight of garder snakes. Yup, we are back in snake territory but thankfully no rattlers today.

It felt weird to be hiking in trail runners again too. Andy kept slipping, kicking rocks and slightly twisting his ankles.

We managed to walk just over 7 miles before dropping our packs at Myrtle Flat, where the mosquitoes swarmed us immediately.

We quickly put up the tent and retreated inside. We didn’t leave the tent the rest of the night. We didn’t cook; opting instead for cheese, bars and dried druit for dinner.

We gave up trying to count how many mosquitoes were swarming the tent. There were at least 50 of them on either side of the tent until almost 9pm.

Though we feel out of sorts, we are happy to be back in the woods. We are happy to be hiking again.

Laurie’s heart hurts knowing her mom is all alone and only 5 miles away. She wanted to hike back and be with her.

“When we’re 100 miles away, I know I can’t do anything. But we’re so close.”

Andy reassured Laurie that we’d see her again in a few days time. For now, it’s already past hiker midnight and time for bed.

Tonight we are grateful for Laurie’s mama and endless summer skies.

June 10, 11 & 12, 2016

Miles: 0

We spent the last few days eating, researching and making our way to northern California.

A friend of Laurie’s and her boyfriend happened to be driving to San Francisco and gave us a lift from Andy’s parents’ home in L.A. Thanks Sara and Areio!

We then took BART to Laurie’s mom’s house in Oakland. Monday morning Laurie’s mom will shuttle us to Belden. Thanks Sue!

We really appreciate everyone’s help, comments and emails. We feel uplifted, encouraged and ready to hike again.

Next post will be from the trail!

June 9, 2016

Miles: 0

We woke up groggy around 8 am. We were so tired last night that we didn’t even shower before going to bed.

Normally that would be fine but we hadn’t showered (well, other than Laurie who had an accidental river shower) in 6 days.

This decision was hard. There didn’t, and still doesn’t, seem to be a “right” choice.

Do we stay and face our fears? Do we suck it up and be miserable so we can keep walking a “pure” thru hike? Are we just being wimps?

So many thoughts went through our heads. We discussed, pondered and forgave ourselves. We made a decision to be safe. Yes, we probably would have been fine had we continued on but it may not have been fun.

Our conversations kept circling back to why we are here. We wanted to explore the mountains of the west and enjoy one another’s company. Much of that enjoyment comes from feeling confident and comfortable – neither of which we felt after crossing Bear Creek.

We both knew that this thru hike would be hard, but Laurie never expected to be scared. She grew up backpacking and normally feels at ease in the woods.

This rattled her.

We both knew a lot could change but we had secretly hoped for a straight forward thru hike. This year, the nature gave us obstacles.

Just as in life, one has to constantly make changes and adapt to what nature provides.

Laurie felt like a wimp. She felt embarrassed for getting scared. But she also felt uncomfortable pushing past her limits. She is learning to embrace her emotions and listen to her gut – even if it makes her feel foolish in front of others.

Andy, who originally was excited about a pure thru hike, is focused on getting back on the trail together – wherever that may be.

It is hard to walk away. It seems the longer you stay away the harder it is to get back on trail.

We want to keep hiking. After conversations with rangers, other hikers, scouring Facebook and other social media pages and looking at maps we have decided to jump back on in Belden. It is lower in elevation so ideally less snow and thus fewer sketchy water crossings.

We will be ahead of the pack so conveniences like the water report and footprints will not be updated or be present. The challenges continue but these we are prepared for.

We will continue to go one town at a time and alter our plans as needed.

We intend to circle back to the Sierras to complete our hike. But again, step by step we will see how this adventure unfolds.

Thanks for all of your support. We have received a lot of messages and it means a lot to us.

We will update again when back on trail. As for now we are enjoing time with family both in LA and Oakland and resting our tired bodies.

Tonight we are grateful for technology and helpful intel.