We had a little bit of trouble locating the PCT this morning.  We packed up at 5:15 and followed a trail that said it went to the “fisherman bridge.”  Some bridge!  It was actually a PIER!  Knowing that the PCT was on the other side of the river, not far away, was frustrating!   So we turned around and walked all the way back to the parking lot, looked at signs, and picked another trail.  Only a few steps along the other trail, and we spotted the BRIDGE!  Whew!

Once on the other side, it was easy to find the PCT.  We didn’t stick to it exactly, but just walked the road down to the  Lake Britton dam. Wow! There was a big construction project on; it looked like they were reinforcing the hillside plus doing other work.  There was a big orange sign that told us to stop and sound the provided air horn so they’d come escort us through.    But it was Sunday, and not a construction worker in sight, so we just strolled right on across. 

 The PCT happily climbed back up and up into a lovely oak forest that’s just like the ones we hike in back home. We stopped off for breakfast in a lovely grove, with soft leaves all over the ground.  Nice!  A bit more up, and then the views begin–of deep canyons, rollicking creeks, and distant jagged mountains with snow still on them.  There are no “burn zones” here– all is very green and the trees are very large.  The trail was mostly so nice and shady that I hardly needed my sunglasses all day.

Eventually we came to more “work zone warning signs” which said to be careful because the rangers were busy thinning and pruning the forest on the theory that it would all grow better and healthier if it were thinned instead of just being allowed to grow any ol’ way it wanted to.  Hmmm!  Maybe somebody went to Switzerland and saw how they take care of their forests, and maybe those “Oh, don’t touch Nature…let Nature run its course..” people are finally beginning to see the light!  In 2005, up in Oregon, we went through two sections of forest that were as different as night and day.  One was green and healthy. It was the one where people could come collect downed wood.  The other was full of dead wood, dead branches, and dying trees.  That was the one with the warning sign about “No wood collecting.”  It’s a no-brainer–forests need to be TAKEN CARE OF, not left to the whims of nature. 

One thing we have to be very mindful of now, however, is water. We have to strategize and plan carefully, just like in Southern CA. Most water sources are springs (we love springs!) or creeks, and are usually 12-15 miles apart. We arrived at Peavine Creek around noon, and took on enough water to last us the whole rest of the day.  Several hikers caught up with us when we stopped to eat. 

Afternoon hiking today was tough.  The trail headed uphill again, and was very overgrown.  We had to do a fair amount of pushing and struggling through bushes.  The trail itself also became very rough, rocky ‘n rooty. It was a hot afternoon, too, and that plus all of the other factors really slowed me down.  But there was compensation–VIEWS!  Wowweeee! Awesome views!  We also met a very nice couple from Simpson College in Redding.

By afternoon Snickers break, I really was wasted from the heat (90s in the shade), all the uphill, bushes and rough trail.  Eventually the trail got “nice” again (Thankyou, trail gorillas! We appreciate all your hard work!)  and we reached the next spring, which had cold, wonderful water.  The only bummer in the late afternoon was never being quite sure where we were!  There are so few trail junctions and clear landmarks in this section. We finally figured it out when the trail followed along the edge of a BIG dropoff!  And every time we got to the top of yet another climb, there was Mt. Shasta, getting nearer and nearer!

The trail edges today had lots of wildflower borders, and ON the trail, there was a lot of bear scat.  I wondered what the bears eat around here.  The manzanitas are loaded with green berries, but I don’t think bears would eat them till they’re ripe.  Actually, one of the things that was really nice about today was the fact that everything was so green! In 2005, when we passed through here, it was mid-September and everything was in fall colors already.   After looking at all that bear scat, though, we secured our food well before turning in. 

Walk with Aragorn to Isengard: Follow trail east, find dead Orcs shot by arrows

Tags: Lake Britton, springs, water