More than halfway!
Views ain't bad
Despite the Tragedy of the Cheese (see previous post), we've been dead set on trying to have a romantic, beautiful, relaxed trail honeymoon. I have to say, the variables have been stacked against this happening. In addition to the heat and tough days, we have also found ourselves in a big old "bubble" of people. Sometimes this happens - as a bunch of hikers will all leave town at the same time, or maybe get consolidated on the trail because of where water and campsites are located. Usually, it's nice to know some people around you and see folks throughout the day, but also nice to feel like you're having a real wilderness experience (including the solitude that comes with that). This last section has felt just way too crowded. For example, on our last night before getting to the town of Shasta (where we are now), we slept in a tiny campsite with something like 15 people (many of whom snored!). We keep trying to wake up early and push the miles, but we seem to be endlessly surrounded by all 6'2 26-year-old dudes, who have no problem catching up to us by lunchtime. We're hopeful that with a town stop and a long stretch coming up, folks will spread out a little. Or, we'll just have to shift our honeymoon mindset a bit to include lots of Hikertrash around every corner. Hikertrash, by the by, is a term of endearment and respect.
Getting up before sunrise - not Lemonade's strong suit
When we last wrote, we were wrapping up at the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch. As we left, a group of dude hikers was really settling into the corner for an afternoon of waiting out the heat and watching Downton Abbey. I love this life.
That day, we made it another very hot 9 miles to Burney Falls State Park, which was an incredible oasis. Just a quarter mile off trail, there's a general store (chips! Root beer floats! Our resupply package awaiting!), and then the falls themselves, which were stunning. Now it's starting to feel a bit more like a honeymoon!
The next few days were a bit of a blur. We've been waking up at 5 am and leaving camp by 6, trying to get 30+ miles in, and talking a lot about happy wedding memories. Also the Democratic convention - we talk a lot about what we imagine each of the speakers is discussing (we were super excited to make it to town in time to watch Hillary on Thursday!). And our books. Justin is currently reading Shogun, and I'm rereading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, my favorite from 8th grade. We start each day with a plot recap of our reading from the previous evening. Later in the afternoon, typically while we do a big climb, we do "Podcast Time," which is arguably my favorite part of the day. I have gone deep in podcasts this summer (is anyone surprised?) and at some point will do an entire blog post on podcasts. But for now, I'll say that my new favorite is "Politically Re-Active" and the episodes on private prisons and white supremacy are both stunning.
Walking toward Mount Shasta for days - and loving it
You can kind of see how hot it is in this picture
Podcast time!
Cooking dinner. It's still hot, we're just wearing layers to keep the mosquitos off
Sometimes, you just have no choice but to camp in the middle of a dirt road
So that's how we're spending our days. Again, classic honeymoon, right? There are exceptional moments though: Burney Falls was one. The McCloud River was another - we spent 2 hours chilling by the banks, swimming, rinsing out our clothes, scrubbing off the poison oak, and enjoying a leisurely lunch. Eating Thai food in a dive motel while watching Hillary was another. I mean, we had Thai food!! Most trail towns boast little more than a burger or maybe some pizza. This was THE LIFE. And we're trying to allow ourselves little luxuries where we can: Justin is carrying all our trash in a serious act of backpacker chivalry, we brought our wedding koozies and enjoyed a koozie-held beer while waiting in a laundromat yesterday, and are savoring every last bite of the treats Emily & Jack and Bev & Ed brought to our wedding. Seriously. We have two caramels and about 10 dried peaches left and we're loving it.
Cool infrastructure this section
We stared mesmerized at this for like 10 minutes
The McCloud River, site of a wonderful lunch hang
Laundromat beers in wedding koozies
One thing I need to mention is my shoes. I wore size 9.5 Brooks Cascadias for the first 1328 miles. I'm typically an 8, but your feet got mad swollen out here. On the whole, I loved them - comfortable, supportive, spry, and limited blisters. However, the one issue: they were way too wide and I kept slipping. During the wedding week, I decided to try out a size 9 and see if they were roomy enough for the toes, but reduced the sideways slipping. Seemed perfect when I tried them out in REI. Fast forward a week - now we're married and back on trail. Within 2 miles of walking on rugged terrain with a pack, I had to acknowledge: they were not perfect. A day or two later, I took my knife to them and engaged in some "shoe surgery," a classic thru hiker pastime. I cut open a slit for my baby toe to escape, thereby relieving the most intense pain. I was hoping to get a new pair of the trusty 9.5s here in Mt Shasta, but the gear shop doesn't carry them. So I'll order a pair to the next town and keep trucking in these for now. Only 163 more miles. Ouch!
#husband
Approaching Castle Crags State Park
Rules of the trail. Basically - feet good, wheels bad.
Sweet water source. Also this picture shows how cool I look while backpacking, with my shorts super high and my shirt tucked in. Gotta prevent that back chafe at all costs.
Shasta sunrise
Mount Shasta is a cool town. The mountain looms high over everything, there are crystal shops everywhere, and there are two health food stores. They call the locals "Shastafarians." Justin and I have tried to get into the Shastafarians spirit in the yuppiest ways possible - drinking $4 kombuchas, inquiring into massages, and cheering on Hillary. Our hotel is hilarious and has three rules:
1. No pets
2. No cats
3. No sneaking in hikers to sleep on your floor
Seemed pretty reasonable and we followed them to a T.
How we watched the DNC. Yes, Justin is using a shopping bag as a plate for cheese in bed.
Town dress! Another luxury of the honeymoon (also it helps me blend in with the Shastafarians).
This store sells aromatherapy for pets.
From here, we've got our longest section of the whole trail - 163 miles till the next town. There's a bail option in the middle, so if we decide we have an urgent need for air conditioning and an iced tea, we've got an escape route. But we're hoping to crank it out in 5.5 days. That's right, we're real thru hikers now and miles don't scare us. At our desert pace, this section would have taken more like 8 days (and probably wouldn't have been possible, as carrying that much food stinks). Though as we do remind ourselves several times daily - "it's about smiles, not miles." Because it is our honeymoon after all.
Greatest honeymoon ever.
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