Cowboy camp on lawn of Callahan's lodge - rocky forested ridge above Green Springs
1 mile back to PCT + PCT mile 1716 - 1731
Total 16 miles
After two much needed zero days in the hospitable town of Ashland, I am happy to be back on trail. I get up just before sunrise and after one mile of road walk reach the sign "PCT". It is a calm and quiet morning on the ridge. I watch a big family of wild turkeys and stop for breakfast listening to blue jays having their morning conversation.
During my break an older hiker greets me. He is taking a week off to walk from Ashland to Crater Lake in honor of his uncle who loved hiking this part of the Cascade crest.
The trail gently climbs on the shoulder of Pilot rock where falcons have established their nests. The vegetation is starting to show signs that the end of summer is slowly approaching. The heat wave of the last few days seems to be over and it is a pleasure to walk in the gentle morning breeze.
Most of the flowers on dry sunny meadows have already wilted, but shady forest is still full of bright colors. The seductively bright red fruits belong to the baneberry (Latin name: actaea, Czech name: samorostlík) and they can be lethal for humans if eaten in larger amount. The baneberry, however, is completely harmless to birds who eat it. Once again I am thankful to my friend from the "PCT class of 2016" who have helped me identify this beautiful plant!
As I come out of shady forest, the awesome Mount Shasta shows itself on the horizon with her glacier-covered north face.
It is time for a lunch break in shadow of tall fir trees standing nearby. The group of friendly hikers who watched "Wild" with me yesterday night soon arrive and join me for the siesta.
In old growth forest the trail enters the Soda Mountain Wilderness. From a rocky slope another volcano can be seen: Mount McLoughlin. In a couple of days I will be passing just four miles away from its summit.
From rocky outcrops on the ridge, more views open up towards the falcon nesting grounds on Pilot Rock, the glacier-covered volcano of Shasta, and countless ridges and hilltops in between.
I fill up water at a strong flowing spring and continue walking as the sun starts hiding behind the tall curtain of fir and pine trees.
It is time to start looking for a hidden camping spot. Wherever possible, I always try to stealth-camp in hidden spots invisible from trail, away from water and on durable surfaces such as bare rock, sand, dust or pine needles. In northern California I sometimes slept on repeatedly used unofficial campsites marked "CS" on the halfmile maps. But that is not the best way to camp if we want to keep the wilderness wild for future generations of hikers. From now on, I am committing myself to do 100% leave no trace camping and if I stay at a previously used camp spot that had vegetation stripped away, I will always throw some tree branches and needles on it before leaving to make the spot wild again. Keeping my resolution in mind, I find a tiny hidden spot in fir needles and fall asleep with a peaceful mind.
1 mile back to PCT + PCT mile 1716 - 1731
Total 16 miles
After two much needed zero days in the hospitable town of Ashland, I am happy to be back on trail. I get up just before sunrise and after one mile of road walk reach the sign "PCT". It is a calm and quiet morning on the ridge. I watch a big family of wild turkeys and stop for breakfast listening to blue jays having their morning conversation.
During my break an older hiker greets me. He is taking a week off to walk from Ashland to Crater Lake in honor of his uncle who loved hiking this part of the Cascade crest.
The trail gently climbs on the shoulder of Pilot rock where falcons have established their nests. The vegetation is starting to show signs that the end of summer is slowly approaching. The heat wave of the last few days seems to be over and it is a pleasure to walk in the gentle morning breeze.
Most of the flowers on dry sunny meadows have already wilted, but shady forest is still full of bright colors. The seductively bright red fruits belong to the baneberry (Latin name: actaea, Czech name: samorostlík) and they can be lethal for humans if eaten in larger amount. The baneberry, however, is completely harmless to birds who eat it. Once again I am thankful to my friend from the "PCT class of 2016" who have helped me identify this beautiful plant!
As I come out of shady forest, the awesome Mount Shasta shows itself on the horizon with her glacier-covered north face.
It is time for a lunch break in shadow of tall fir trees standing nearby. The group of friendly hikers who watched "Wild" with me yesterday night soon arrive and join me for the siesta.
In old growth forest the trail enters the Soda Mountain Wilderness. From a rocky slope another volcano can be seen: Mount McLoughlin. In a couple of days I will be passing just four miles away from its summit.
From rocky outcrops on the ridge, more views open up towards the falcon nesting grounds on Pilot Rock, the glacier-covered volcano of Shasta, and countless ridges and hilltops in between.
I fill up water at a strong flowing spring and continue walking as the sun starts hiding behind the tall curtain of fir and pine trees.
It is time to start looking for a hidden camping spot. Wherever possible, I always try to stealth-camp in hidden spots invisible from trail, away from water and on durable surfaces such as bare rock, sand, dust or pine needles. In northern California I sometimes slept on repeatedly used unofficial campsites marked "CS" on the halfmile maps. But that is not the best way to camp if we want to keep the wilderness wild for future generations of hikers. From now on, I am committing myself to do 100% leave no trace camping and if I stay at a previously used camp spot that had vegetation stripped away, I will always throw some tree branches and needles on it before leaving to make the spot wild again. Keeping my resolution in mind, I find a tiny hidden spot in fir needles and fall asleep with a peaceful mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment