Another marvelous night under the stars. In the morning I remembered another lesson that I had learned the year before. It is recommended that you don’t sleep in the same clothes you hike in. So my procedure is to use wipes to clean up as much as possible and change into sleeping clothes which, since they are only used for sleeping, are pretty fresh. The hiking clothes however should be protected rather than just left on the floor of the tent. When left on the floor of the tent they tend to be cold and damp the next morning because of dew. The first night I was under trees and so no dew. This night I had less cover, more dew, wet and damp clothes in the morning. I now remember that I always put my hiking clothes inside the sleeping bag to keep them save and sometimes provide a little extra padding. Lesson learned AGAIN.
I am up a little earlier this morning and get started right at sunrise.
A little bit into the hike I get to a sign that lets me know how far I have to my destination for the week which is Belden. I have 3 days till Sunday but was really hoping to have Saturday free so hoped to do it in 2 days. 27.5 miles… Really that should not be at all difficult BUT my last day was only 10 miles.
The early morning light seemed to focus on a tree right along the path.
Still early in the day and I have been avoiding taking pictures of wild flowers but just could not pass these by.
As you can see the path is almost covered by flowers and plants at times. 3 hours into the day I enter into the Bucks Lake Wilderness in the Plumas National Forest. Here is some info:
Introduction
The United States Congress designated the Bucks Lake Wilderness (map) in 1984 and it now has a total of 23,710 acres. All of this wilderness is located in California and is managed by the Forest Service.
Description
Bordered by Bucks Lake on the south, this relatively small area boasts a broad diversity of vegetation (brush fields, conifers, oaks, pure stands of red fir) and topography (bare rocky slopes, cliffs, quaking bogs, small alpine meadows) with elevations ranging from about 2,000 feet in the Feather River Canyon to 7,017 feet atop Spanish Peak. The higher elevations are separated from the lower by a long escarpment along which the Pacific Crest Trail runs for approximately 13 miles, granting the occasional spectacular view to the east and north. Throughout the area, you’ll stumble upon small lakes and ponds, primarily near the base of the escarpment.
There are a lot of things named Bucks around these parts and here is why:
The area was first established as a ranch by Horace Bucklin and Francis Walker in 1850. A hotel and a post office were later built on the site. In 1928, Bucks Storage Dam was built on Bucks Creek, a tributary of the Feather River, creating the Bucks Lake reservoir, inundating the original site of the town.
The Bucks Lake post office operated from 1940 to 1942.
Bucks Lake is now registered as California Historical Landmark
By the way all the small lakes and ponds that are mentioned are at the base of the escarpment and some can be seen. However, the trail in not at the base but rather on the crest. Part of the PCT trail here is also called the 3 Lakes Trail. Here is a view down to one of the lakes
There is a bit of a climb today as the trail crosses Bucks Lake Road (which leads to Quincy) and crosses Bucks Creek a couple times on the way to Spanish Peak (why is this not named Bucks Peak??). It is about a 4 mile ascend but generally not as severe as the day before.
I get in 15 miles today and feel much better about things. I do have a bit of a problem however and that is the same issue I had last year and finally got over. At the end of the day I am generally tired and nauseas and can’t bear the thought of eating. So I am not eating an evening meal. I need to get over it and force it down if possible.
Also the first day into the trip my backpack broke. A buckle used to tie things down broke and a zipper torn apart. I was able to use my knife to drill some holes on either side of zipper and some paracord to keep things from falling out. Lenora had some issues with REI on the phone but on the second try was able to get a helpful person who looked back to see the pack I had purchased back in 2014 and overnighted a new pack to her at the hotel. I’m guessing that pack lasted for about 2000 miles of hiking and I am happy with that.
Almost forgot to tell you that at mile 1260.43 I saw a black bear. About 100 yards in front of me I heard some noise and a black bear was racing from the right, across the trail, and straight down the mountain. I was amazed at how fast the bear was running. Straight down the mountain dodging all the trees and jumping the dead trees on the ground. Amazing…. really really amazing. It made me realize how foolish I was last year when I sat down on the trail and watched a bear bathing in a trough below me where I was going to get water. I just sat and watched figuring I was far enough away. I now realize if that bear wanted me he could have ran up the hill and reached me before I could have stood up.
Lenora’s Note:
Exploring the internet I learn that a common cause of my painful arms is something called ‘frozen shoulder’. I read several articles and decide to start on the stretching program that is recommended. I actually feel some relief after using hot shower, heating pad and stretching so I’m able to work on my first needlework project. Picture will be taken when it is completed.
Today is laundry day and I have a brief encounter with a young man who is thru-hiking the trail. He is doing laundry and stocking up on groceries before returning to the trail later today. I don’t offer him a ride because I’m concerned about driving up the twisty mountain road with numb arms and hands and later I wonder if he was able to find a ride. I hope so. I really enjoy helping out the hikers I run into, everyone has a story.
On the Lenora’s medical traumas page I return to my mouth. It is still incredibly tender in the gum and jaw area and I cannot chew on that side at all. I have cut down to 2 ibuprophen every 4 hours rather than 3 and haven’t had to use the vicodin so I am still hopeful I won’t have to be seen again until our adventure is over.