Jul-Aug 2011, Northern California Pacific Crest Trail

Itinerary, with resupply locations in boldface

29 nights wild camping, including 5 nights (17%) on trail itself, 2 nights in motels. Number after date is mileage of campsite.

Sat, Jul 23, 1167, greyhound bus from Reno to Truckee, walk from Truckee to Donner Pass
Sun, Jul 24, 1185
Mon, Jul 25, 1195
Tue, Jul 26, 1210, resupply at store in Sierra City
Wed, Jul 27, 1229
Tue, Jul 28, 1247
Fri, Jul 29, 1267
Sat, Jul 30, 1278, resupply at store in Bucks Lake
Sun, Jul 31, 1289, camp on trail
Mon, Aug 1, 1311, resupply box from post office at Belden
Tue, Aug 2, 1332
Wed, Aug 3, 1356
Thu, Aug 4, 1376, breakfast at Drakesbad Ranch
Fri, Aug 5, 1401, resupply box from post office in Old Station
Sat, Aug 6, 1421
Sun, Aug 7, 1441, resupply at Burney Falls State Park
Mon, Aug 8, 1459
Tue, Aug 9, 1481
Wed, Aug 10, 1505
Thu, Aug 11, 1519, resupply box from post office in Castella
Fri, Aug 12, 1540
Sat, Aug 13, 1562
Sun, Aug 14, 1582
Mon, Aug 15, 1607, camp on trail
Tue, Aug 16, 1610, resupply in Etna, Motel Etna $53, 530-467-5338, hitched into town, trail angel drove me back up (he asked $5 for gas, very reasonable for 20 miles).
Wed, Aug 17, 1630
Thu, Aug 18, 1652
Fri, Aug 19, 1668, resupplied in Seiad Valley, camp on trail
Sat, Aug 20, 1689, camp on trail
Sun, Aug 21, 1712, camp on trail
Mon, Aug 22, walk to Ashland via Bull Gap trail, local bus to Medford, Motel 6 in Medford, $48
Tue, Aug 23, Greyhound bus from Medford to Reno

Comments

My original plan was to hike from Truckee to Ashland, rest up and resupply in Ashland, then turn around and walk back. But as I approached Ashland, I decided I was tired of hiking, and so called the hike quits in Ashland and took the bus home.
Instead of a yo-yo from Truckee to Ashland back, try a yo-yo from Truckee to Old Station or Burney Falls and back next time, plus part of the Tahoe Rim trail if I want to drag things out at the end. Aside from being closer to Reno, this section has easier resupply, milder climate, and better opportunities for finding a secluded campsite off trail than the area further north.
Perhaps it was because of the urgency to get back and tend to my investments, or perhaps because I now have a much nicer apartment to come home to, but I seem to have changed to where I no longer want to be away traveling for more than a month at a time. Gone is the desire to for those seven month trips I used to take.
This year had record snow fall, and there was non-stop snow starting just north of I-80 and there continued to be patchy snow for the next month whenever the trail was near or above 7000 feet. I dislike walking in snow myself. Normally, there should be little snow on the trail for someone starting July 23.
This is my favorite section of the PCT, especially the part up to Burney Falls State park. Scenery is not as spectacular as the High Sierras, but resupply is much easier. For someone living in Reno (like me), getting to/from this section is far more convenient than Oregon or Washington. This section is also drier than Oregon and further south than Washington, so there is a much longer comfortable hiking season. Most of this section can be hiked from mid-July to mid-October without either terrible mosquitoes or heavy snow (there might be heavy snow in early October in the Klamath mountains north of Mt Shasta, but nothing like in the North Cascades of northern Washington). Summer heat can be intense, but less of a problem than in Oregon, due to less need to stay covered up for protection from mosquitoes.
The section north of Mt Shasta (Klamath mountains) resembles Washington, in the sense that the terrain is very steep (and also spectacular to look at), so that good camp spots are at a premium. Of the 5 nights that I camped on the trail itself, 3 of these were in the Klamath mountains (last 3 nights on the trail, in fact). I spent a total of 29 nights camping (and 1 night at a motel, in Etna), so that 17% of my camps were on the trail itself.
I didn't lose any weight and always had extra food, so maybe my hiking is becoming more efficient. I also changed my ratio of rice to peanuts from 500:400 to 600:200, and perhaps even that ratio is still too peanuty, especially if I am supplementing the rice and peanuts with fresh bread and cheese.
Kindle e-reader was an interesting experiment. I used it constantly, but I'm not sure I'd take it again. Do I really want reading matter while outdoors? The smartphone was nice to have, but I very seldom used it.
I was able to keep the Kindle and smartphone charged by taking advantage of electric outlets available at every resupply stop, without ever needing the spare battery. Also, the charging cord attachment broke, though remained servicable. So the spare battery and its junky cable are off the packing list, in favor of a normal USB cable. The same charging system is used for both Kindle and smartphone, so this change applies whether or not I bring the Kindle in the future.
A mouse or other animal chewed through my food bag, apparently to get at some bread and cheese I had stored inside. I should have put the bread and cheese inside an odor protection sack. Need to carry an extra odor protection sack as well.
Always carry foot powder. Boots started stinking because they were constantly wet from walking in snow and wading in bogs.
Not a single night of rain and not much dew either. But nevertheless setup the tarp most nights, since it is simpler to use the tarp to support to bivy's bug netting than to elevate the netting otherwise. Need a scheme to elevate bivy netting without using tarp.
Avoid heavy protein meals before a long waterless stretch, such as Hat Creek Rim. What I should have done is eaten the protein meal, then camped just outside town, then resupplied with water the next morning after a mostly carbohydrate breakfast, then eaten lightly the rest of the day. Digesting and storing protein consumes water, whereas running down glycogen stores releases water.
Probably don't need resupply boxes. Even the Belden store had enough for a two day resupply, which would have been enough to get to Chester. Perhaps the simplest approach is to always carry two days extra rice and peanuts, and thus always be ready for a store that is closed or empty. Castella to Etna is the longest section, but there is always the option of going to Dunsmuir or Mt Shasta if the Castella store doesn't have a good stock of goods.