7/14/14 Monday Score! A Ride Into Etna

7/14/14  9 miles

It was a warm night, I left the fly off my tent to get maximum breeze through the tent mesh.  We were hiking by 6:05.  The trail ascended and descended in almost equal elevation for about 6 miles then it sloped 3 miles down to Etna Summit Road.  From there we  have a 10 mile  hitch to town.  It's a paved two lane mountain road so there's no telling how much traffic there would be or how long we would need to wait for a vehicle with room for 3 of us. The climb took us to a saddle where we could see Scott Valley laid out in green and gold fields far below.   We contoured across hillsides, through forest and over boulder fields of white & black speckled granite.  Our first water source was 3 miles from camp at Payne Lake. 

The still water reflected the backdrop beautifully.

After filtering a liter each for the 6 mile journey out to the road, we had a quick snack and moved on.  Much of the next 3 miles were exposed trail across granite faces with steep drops to lakes and boulder fields below.  

Climbing up and down these rocky mountain sides I stopped often just to savor the view. 

Someone on the trail crew that built or maintains the trail had wonderful skills laying rock for the pathway. 

This slight ramp looked like artwork, other stairs were made with big stones and required big, uneven steps up or down.

Anyway you look at it this was a huge project to do and we are always amazed at the trail work done on the PCT. 

Pretty flowers bloom in crevasses of granite or are tucked in pockets of color among the rocks.

Stopping for a break at the Taylor lake viewpoint, Colleen, Peggy and I took packs off and enjoyed the view. This is an easily accessible lake from Etna. 

Peggy with Taylor Lake in the background. 

This beauty is Smith Lake, you can see the fields of Scott Valley beyond covered by hazy smoke that has been in the skies for 2 days.

We began descending 3 miles or so to the road so we had to stop and say goodbye to the Russian Wilderness, it was a real treat to experience such a beautiful landscape. 

These trees, called flag trees, show how the harsh winds sculpt them. 

They were only growing on this small part of the hillside but I thought they were unique.

The next miles were in forest as we made our way out to the road, coming around a bend I caught glimpses of roadway and a few parked cars.  Suddenly we were going down a short few steps and we were in a trailhead parking area.  We never stopped walking, we headed 25 yards to the side of the road, hearing approaching engine noise, Peggy and I threw out our thumbs for a ride.  A van pulling a small trailer stopped next to us.   Neither Peggy nor I knew if it was stopping for us, this was waaaay too easy.   But, yes!    He'd pulled over to make room for us and all our gear in the van!  

Brett and Laura from Sawyer's Bar, a tiny community of about 96 people, made room for us.  They were delightful to get to know as we chatted back and forth the 10 miles into Etna.  They dropped us off at the door of the local Hiker Hostel where we could get our resupply boxes and Colleen's car, which we'd dropped off before starting the hike.  Colleen drove us to get lunch, do a few chores and get a Motel room.  

Peggy and I will stay here for a nero (a day when we hike into or out of town) and a zero (a day with no hiking at all).  The Blues Sisters (we all wore blue shirts) was a success as hiking partners and we enjoyed having Colleen along for the trek.

Our next section starts Wednesday, 7/16/14.  We'll hitch out of Etna to Seiad Valley on the Klamath River, 4 days, 55.5 miles.    I've heard the temperatures will start to drop a bit on Thursday and I hope they do.  Seiad Valley has been known to reach 107 degrees!   We will welcome any cooling weather without storms or lightening!