Last pre-nuptials section!! Sierra City to Chester

Against the odds we made it to Chester in one piece. Jenny only fell into a couple of bushes. I may have nearly messed up our wedding brunch. But hey all is well that ends well, and 1,328 miles later we are getting off trail to get married!! Yes, we have walked halfway to Canada and still think marriage is a pretty good idea.

This section of trail had a couple of big climbs: 3,500 feet out of Sierra City, another 3,500 feet up from the Middle Fork of the Feather River and a monstrous 5,000 feet out of Belden (really 7,000 feet of climbing when you take into account the up and down). Our quads look damn good.

In what is becoming classic town fashion, we spent a good 7+ hours in Sierra City in the middle of a 20 mile day. Ostensibly we (ahem, I) was supposed to figure out our wedding brunch for 80+ people. When that wasn't working out so well, we did the Sierra City food crawl: breakfast burritos and bloody Mary's at the Red Moose Cafe, followed by monstrous burgers and grilled cheeses and milkshakes at the Sierra Country Store. For those of y'all heading to Sierra City, try the gut buster with the works at the Country Store. It's a pound of burger.

The front porch of the store is one big hiker hang: wifi, shade and delicious things. Perfection. There is also something to be said for a town small enough where everyone is funneled to the same spot. This also meant that we didn't hitch to the trail until after 4pm, when we started said 3,500 foot climb.

Luckily when we made it to the top, we found a great campsite on a ridge line as the sun was setting. Behind us: the craggy Buttes hiding Sardine Lake, where we will get married!

Sierra City is down there


Sunset on the other side of the Buttes


We were up on ridge lines for most of the section except when the trail dipped down far enough that we could get more water. The landscape began to transition from the pines and granite of the Sierras into dry and increasingly volcanic Northern California.

It got hot. The combination of regular 25+ mile days and a 31 miler (our new personal record) and the heat meant that the middle fork of the Feather River was a wonderful gift. We spent 2.5 hours lounging in the pools of the river beneath a steel bridge, washing off the filth and enjoying a leisurely lunch with brownies for dessert (thank you Leah!!).

Old school bridge over the Middle Fork of the Feather River


Pools!


The trail, true to form, decided to mark these ascents and descents to water with enough poison oak to make us paranoid. We carried Tecnu to scrub off the inevitable poison oak oil and hope we could avoid a very uncomfortable wedding. So far so good.

Here it's not poison oak, just overgrown


As we began to approach Belden we had a few moments of service where I continued to work on brunch. One of my last hopes fell through at the top of a ridge. Toe Touch, who you may remember from Donohue Pass, had been following the brunch saga and walked up soon after. "Ah so great to see you guys!! I didn't think I would catch up. I have so many questions. How is brunch going?!" Womp womp. We decided to meet up at the bottom in Belden for beers.

Makes you think about pine cones differently, doesn't it?


Lilies are coming out


Doesn't that island look awesome?


Belden is a singular spot. Last time we walked down to it two years ago we could hear the bass more than six miles before we arrived, and walked by a couple clearly in an alternate universe while still a mile or two away. There was body paint and quite the scene. This time was much more subdued: only a Burning Man reunion, which they were calling Camp F*%#ITUP. Their schedule, posted throughout the resort, included: Intermediate Hugging, Elbow Tag at the river, and Trader Shady's Sunglass Exchange. They were having a blast.



We caught up with Toe Touch on the way down and went straight to the store / bar / restaurant / motel. City Time, a climber from Long Beach who got his name for his late departures from camp, was already down there. The four of us grabbed a table overlooking another fork of the Feather River and a pitcher of beer. When Paddy O'Hulk arrived, we got another pitcher. We bought tokens for showers, vigorously cleansed ourselves with more Tecnu and hot water, and then had a few more beers in camp. We camped a little ways away from the hubbub, which was a good thing because Toe Touch (who couldn't find the rest of us after showers) camped by the party and had trouble sleeping. Something about a group drunkenly setting up a tent at 3am.

Taking calls in Belden


Belden from across the river


Despite knowing that we should get up early for the long, exposed climb we didn't escape Belden until after coffee and breakfast. The trail overlooked the river for the first few miles until it heads up a valley towards Lassen National Forest. After lots of poison oak we were excited to eat lunch by a stream a few miles from the top.

Starting the climb out from Belden


When we finally finished the 15 miles of climbing we had a first look out towards Lassen and some cell service. Guess what?! I had a voicemail confirming a caterer's availability for our brunch. Victory was mine, and boy was it sweet. Breakfast burritos for all!!

Jenny started to decorate the beard


Definitely go right.





Ouch





That night we feasted on fancy penne arrabiatta from a gourmet store in Bernal Heights, the Epicurean Trader. For dessert we drank hot chocolate with the last of the spiced bourbon Tim sent us off with from Tahoe, and maple sugar candy and chocolate (thanks mom and dad!!). It was our last night in the trail for two weeks and we wanted to celebrate!

We hit the halfway point of the PCT in last 23 miles before Chester. 1,325 miles north, 1,325 south. Or so it should be. The truth is that the trail changes and evolves over time and we actually hit 1,325 about 5 miles after the monument. But hey, Toe Touch and two other hikers clapped us in, Kennedy Meadows-style as we approached. It's crazy to think that we have made it so far, and yet there is so much left in the trail. We aren't even out of California yet! When we get back on trail we will have ~350 miles until we hit Oregon.

Halfway there


Um that means 1,325 more miles


Unclear


It was an easy descent to Highway 36 from the midpoint, where a trail angel -- Piper's Mom -- stocked an amazing cache including ice cold soda and fruit and left laminated signs with her phone number to help with rides to town. Her daughter had section hiked the trail a few years ago and she's been helping hikers ever since. This is a wonderful aspect of the trail - getting all of the important people in our lives invested in hikers. Jenny's parents recently picked up some Appalachian Trail hikers on their way back from a music festival. Paying it forward.

Cache magic


Our first stop in town: the Thirsty Trout for local microbrews, Hawaiian pulled pork sliders and fries with lime cilantro dipping sauce. Our second stop: showers at the Antler Motel. (We were super lucky Jenny thought to call when we had a little service that morning. As it was a Saturday night nearly everything in town was booked and we got the last
room.) Our third stop: the Locker Room where I ate so much I couldn't sleep. We met Rant, a vet in his forties whose thruhike is sponsored by Warrior Hike. The hikers with Warrior Hike get hosted and sponsored along the trail by VFWs, the Forest Service and others.

Chester life


Getting off trail now is bittersweet. On the one hand we couldn't be more excited to see family and friends and get married. On the other hand, our bodies feel incredible now and we know lots of hikers within a couple days of us. After nearly two weeks off trail, our bodies may not be up for 25 mile days and our friends will all be ahead of us. Also -- how amazing would it be if I grew out my hair for 6 months? (Mom, don't worry. My hair will be shorn well before the wedding.)

We are pivoting into complete wedding mode. Tomorrow morning we will get on Lassen Rural Transit to Susanville, pick up a rental car, drive to Reno to hit up REI, Walmart and Costco (along with an Asian food tour of the city), and then down to Tim and Heather's house in Tahoe to crank out all those last minute details.

Bye bye for now hiker trash, and hello bride and groom.


Other photos:

Graffiti on trail markers


Graffiti got dire on the last climb before the midpoint



North?


Can't make that up


Getting volcanic


Ridge line


Break with a view


Elephant