On the trail again

This doesn't look like the PCT!  It isn't.  We decided to take a couple of weeks off and go where we knew there would be no snow.  There is a lovely stretch of wild coast in Northern California called the Lost Coast.  We hiked in on the 4th of July weekend.  At the start of the hike, we went to the rim and saw beautiful flowers and lovely forests.  Then we dropped down to the ocean in time to see our first forest fire of the year.

The fire:

Note the burning log that Jay is looking at:

We were trapped, because the tide was coming in (making the coast impassable at high tide).  As Jay put it, "It's either drown or burn."  We chose burn and hiked through the fire along with some other hikers.  Then we got to the end to see the fire truck and teams of fire fighters (plus two helicopters dropping water, taken from the ocean).  Jay and Kevin walked up to the fire fighting team.  Kevin tried to engage them in a conversation about fire fighting -- prompted by "Jay here wants to become a forest fire fighter."  Little did they know that they were all prisoners brought in for this.  Ooops.  From here, we hiked further down shore and met a ranger and then chose a camp site.

Jay and Kevin went on a day hike to the end of the coast the next day -- running into numerous hikers.  Jay startled a nesting pelican.  Then we hiked out the next day and saw tons of sea lions and seals as we stayed on the coast itself.  -- beautiful.

An abandoned light house on the coast:

After coming out of the Lost Coast we headed for Redwoods.

We did a short (three day) backpack into Humboldt State Park -- one of the larger old and second growth forests.

Vicky admiring redwood hugeness. Darn tree hugger

The view lying down and looking up from where we placed our tent the second night we camped:

After the Redwoods we tried to do another trip on the PCT.  The Trinity and Marble mountains on either side of the darling town of Etna.  We met marmot and Roo at the brew pub.  They told us that some of the trail had no snow on it but that most was very hard.  Then we ran into the Three Bears who had gone in from Etna and encountered too much snow.  So we trail angeled and drove the three bears to Seaid Valley.  When we got there, a lightbulb went off in kevin's head -- let's do a hike southbound from Seaid into the Marble Mountains and see how far we can get on the PCT.  We hiked for four days and the headed back to Truckee.  We went to the REI in Reno from Truckee and ran into Balls, Sunshine, and the Mad Hatter.  Today we head to Reno, then Lone Pine on a bus and finally start our Sierra trip.  

--the Slackin Mattsons, Momma Moab, Jayhawk, and Martin Eden

 

Checkerboarding the snowy Northern Sierras

Checkerboarding the snowy Northern Sierras.

Sorry so long between posts.  We haven't had internet for a long time.  Kevin hooked up with us in Reno.  We shopped for some gear then headed to Old Station where the Heitmans let us leave our car for the month.  We headed North from Old Station hiking the Hat Creek rim.  I promised Kevin 10 mile days but the first day was more like 15 and the second more like 17, then came the first blisters.  The hike on this rim was dry of snow and you had the great views of both Mt. Lassen behind us and Mt Shasata in front.  Both mountains covered with thewhite stuff.

Kevin and Jay looking toward the distant Mt. Shasta.

Volcano, to Volcano, the Hat creek rim is from volcanic activity in the area.

When we descended the rocks were so sharp.  Utahs paws seemed fine though.

Burny Falls!  Kevin has finished his first PCT leg! 

Me and Jay just past Halfway

Burny Falls

Mountain Magnolia

From Burny Falls we were signing up for the hiker campsite when a thruhiker lookin fella walks up and introduces himself as Moonbeam.  He is hiking with and supporting Yekceb, who has had to bail because of snow and hooked up with two lovely ladies named Square Peg and Vagabond.  Moonbeam offered to take us to Ash Camp around the snowy trinity and Marble mountains.  From there we slack packed 2 days to Seiad Vally.  Moonbeam heroically shuttling people and packs all over the place.

The Seiad Valley Post Office

Hiking out of Seiad Valley

Up on top of the world

Looking back at Shasta as we are turned around by snow near Cook and Green pass.  We decided to hike out on a jeep road to Ashland.

Kevin ascending a rotten cornice to re locate the trail

Waterfalls on the road to Medford.

As we were walking along a pick up truck pulls up and Bucky offers us a ride! Bucky is finishing up a few sections using a scooter and a pick up to do his own  shuttles.  He drove us to Medford where we rented a car and headed to Old Station to pick up our car.  We stayed the night in Yreka.  As I was downloading these photos, a woman says to me "Are you a thru hiker?" as it turned out Spelling Bee and Neil were bailing on the PCT as they had harrowing experiences in the Marbles.  They are heading to the AT.  We gave them a ride to Medfordas we returned the rental. 

For the last week we have been backpacking the Lost Coast Trail and exploring the giant seqouia and Redwood forests on the Pacific Coast.   I can't download pictures right now.  More to come!  We are off for another 5 or 6 day backpack into the six rivers national forest.  Then down we go to Truckee and Lone Pine.  Mt. Whitney bound!