Day 70
July 11, 2013
21 miles today
Mile 1219

An ant crawling up my spine brought me to consciousness. Only it was 2 AM. The room being oven-like I had slept on the attached deck. I clicked on my headlamp. The deck was moving with a sea of large black ants on the night shift. I selected optimism over moving and went back to sleep. At dawn they were gone

Settled up my bill, mailed my bounce box out, tackled an omelette and hitched a ride to the trailhead with a trail angel named Chipmunk at around 11. He was so enthusiastic about helping out hikers that he had a big PCT taxi sign in the front window of his minivan. The remnants of last nights party were spread from Sierra City to the mountains around. Some hikers lay in the backyard unable to move. Some were MIA. Others unable to suppress alcohol enthusiasm, had started hiking at 1:30 AM. Most of them I saw back in town in full retreat and disarray mumbling about breakfast. The remainder I passed in various states of dignified repose along the switchbacks leading up from the town. A fine fiesta.

It was a long climb out of Sierra city. As I gained altitude I sucked on a blueberry lollipop thoughtfully provided by orbit. I also mulled over recent updates which I’ll pass on. Red beard is only 40 miles behind. Doc is in Indiana knocking on his girlfriend’s door. After so many years, Preston finally saw a Sierra Fox in the wild. It was a female. UB went back to San Francisco to rest. There he was meteored by a new idea. Go to Canada and hike the Trail north to south in 90 days. I plan to tackle him when I see him so the others can get a straitjacket on him. Probably the wolf Red saw was actually a big coyote. Orbit was awarded eight ball sinker of the month by the Sierra City Billiards Association. The Powerhouse Fire, in the end, destroyed over 30 houses and the PCT in that area has yet to reopen. There is still a piano for free in Sierra city. And that my friends, is the news of the day.

The path climbed high to a Ridgeline and stayed there. Lunch was at a spring with the best tasting chilled water of my life to date. I drank like a resident of the Sahara. Then a long dry spell with a number of ambush vistas. You pop out of a thick forest and Bam! Wow! The surrounding world is just for you. Drink it in and walk on.

A steady downhill brought me to A Tree and it’s spring. Apparently some years ago there was a tree nearby full of bees. Logically B Tree needed an A Tree for company. Caught up with SLaCK, Orbit and Halfway for our night’s accommodation at the A Tree Lodge. Went to bed with wicked cramps from sitting on a cold rock. Where’s Doc when you need him? Probably still knocking.

Steve Halteman
On the Pacific Crest Trail
Hiking the PCT for the Kids of Escuela Verde

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