Day 55 July 19, 2017

Daily mileage 19
Total mileage 936
Hiked from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm

The climb out of Belden is done.

These late starts are killing my hiking productivity! Because I rented a room last night (good idea as I had one of the better sleeps that I have had for a while) I had to wait around until 8 am to return the key. Well now that I am here at the restaurant to return the key, I may as well have breakfast. Long story short, it was a late start.

Pretty flowers along the way

Water water everywhere now

This was a really cool bridge that uses the side rails as the support structure

First and almost only order of the day was to tackle the 4500 foot climb out of the valley bottom. Luckily the climb was spread over about 15 miles so the average gradient was quite acceptable.

For only about the fifth time this whole hike, I donned the iPod for the climb. About halfway up, I saw a stick about 4 feet up the trail. That stick had a white end. That white end was moving. Oh crap, rattlesnake. So off come the ear buds for the duration.

If you look hard, the rattler is in there 

By about mid afternoon, I was at the top of the climb. Just as I was about to start down the other side, my phone chimes, indicating a received text. I had forgotten to put it into airplane mode and it picked up service out in the middle of nowhere. So I got to call my wife.

I had targeted Cold Spring as my potential finishing point. When I got to the junction for the spring, there were no flat spots near the PCT. So I went the 300 feet to collect water and there was the nicest collection of flat spots just for me. Yeah I don't have to carry on when I am feeling whipped.

I climbed up into the subalpine for a while

Trail maintenance crew from ACE. They told me what that acronym stands for but I forgot. (Dr Google just told me it is American Conservation Experience) Thanks for the great work guys

View near the top of the climb

I made the most delightful concoction for dinner tonight. I had packed out a mango from Burney so I cubed that up and added it to ramen, peanut butter and hot sauce. Incredible
.

Home for the night