Day 80-83: The Rug Really Tied the room together

July 24-27
Day 80-83
Mile 1197.5-1284.9
Highway 49 Sierra city to Four miles south of Belden
Day 80-Ooops we did it again
Today we woke with the idea of leaving the cozy Red Moose early and getting in a full hiking day. Nope. While we waited for our breakfast we drank coffee, chatted with many other thru hikers, and most importantly looked through yogi's CDT book.




We casually ate breakfast and chatted with people before going to the backyard to dry our things out from the previous wet day. Someones Western Mountaineering bag was drying too close to the dogs in the backyard and one of the dogs chewed on it a little before we could stop it. Luckily the hiker was able to stitch up the few tattered quilts of the bag and had a very cool attitude about the incident. We packed everything up and said our goodbyes to the Red Moose Inn and went down the street to the grocery store to eat more and resupply.




We got stuck there for awhile eating pints of ice cream and sandwiches while talking with Wolverine and Hee Haw. We finally left town with Jim and walked to the trail , as we were unable to get a hitch. It is funny that as soon as you get on trail you feel more relaxed, calm, and even safer after most town stops. It was a steep climb but after a few miles it was nothing but beautiful crest walks for the rest of the day.




Also, we passed mile 1200!




We hiked with Jim for quite awhile and passed Mr. C and Snow White at the end of the day. Since we left town late we didn't expect to go far but we ended up doing 12.5 miles total. It's was a great day and we are excited to get cruising on the trail. On the climb out of sierra city Jenna got stung by a bee on her leg. No big deal but it swelled up pretty good and I had to keep her from itching it.




Day 81-1234, 1234
It is funny that waking up in the desert at 7 meant we would only hike ~15 miles. In the north we are able to start hiking at 8 and do ~25 miles. Today was mainly a forest walk with very few exposed views.




It was still a great day and we each listened to some of our audiobooks and podcasts. Jenna listened to The Golden Compass and is now working on Alice in Wonderland. I read A Storm of Swords and am now working on listening to A Feast For Crows and the hobbit. I also listen to some podcasts. We leapfrogged with Jim, Mr.C, and Snow White for some of the day.




So far we love northern California and it has been much cooler than we anticipated. Today was one of the coldest mornings in quite awhile. Despite this it does get very hot during the days with some humidity and we are thankful that we have trees to shelter us from the sun. We ironically ended the day at mile 1,234.
Day 82-Fangorn Forest
Today we got up on time for a change and were both eager to hike. We had to hike 7 miles with a half a liter each for the first part of the morning. Once at a water source I went and got water for us while Jenna watched the packs. When I found the water it was only a tiny drip that took about fifteen minuets to fill five liters.




Unfortunately the water had lots of floaters in it and we didn't notice till we had treated the water with Aquamira. We filtered the junk out of the water with a bandana later in the day. Once again today was a very forested walk with almost no views. I am pretty sure I saw Mt.Lassen in the distance. It was beautiful hiking today but we descended 3,000 ft and started to see poison oak near the middle fork of the feather river.




A half hour after crossing the river we got rattled at by a rattlesnake. It scared us both, as we were not expecting it.




We climbed back up 3,000 ft to a ridge where we got some great views of the sunset. Didn't see a lot of hikers today but did see Jim a few times. He is a cool guy and we both like him.
Day 83- The Forest People
So far northern California is awesome. The nights have been cold and the days have been hot but with shade cover. We have been hiking in Plumas National forest for several days and today entered bucks lake wilderness.




After the easy morning hours we glimpsed the distant Lassen peak in the distance after the end of a large climb. We kept hiking and hiking trying to find a good spot with a view.




After awhile we found a good view of the area but not the peak and just stopped to eat while we were ahead.




The miles were easy today and we both felt like we could have done ten more miles at the end of our 25 mile day.




Belden is known for its weekend raves with music that can be heard for miles. It's Friday and we are curious to see if this is true. Nothing yet, it may be to windy. It was a great day and we have been putting in big miles this week, averaging about 25 miles a day. It is funny how our bodies don't get tired after 20 miles anymore but rather don't get tired till we near 30 miles in a day. We have both developed a fondness for Nutella and are eating a a jar between the two of us every two days. 1 jar is only 2000 calories.




We are both eating more than ever and still loosing weight. This is a delicious burrito with beans rice and cheese made on trail.




Jenna has lost 4-8 pounds and I have lost 30-32 pounds since we left home. We have ourselves an amazing spot tonight. Top five spots of the whole trail. It's like a treehouse!




-Natey