Well, we feel as if the countdown for the PCT has begun.  Today we did a challenging hike with heavy packs in Annadel State Park.  Many of the trails there are very rough & rocky (just like the PCT!) and there are plenty of hills, plus some creeks to rockhop across.  As we were on the homestretch, I was thinking, “Wow, this will be the LAST time we hike at Annadel.  We only have one more “big” hiking day till we leave for ADZPCTKO.” 

It was a spectacular day–clear air, clear blue skies, cool breeze, lots of wildflowers, and the hillsides covered with the artist’s palette of greens and red/orange as the oak trees are leafing out.  The leaves are so new that they are still shiny, and it makes the trees have a bit of a shimmering look.  The wild turkeys were gobbling about everywhere we went, and the birds were busy doing their spring thing.  I had to look at this beauty out of the corner of my eye, because the trails are so rough that you really have to watch your step.  Once in awhile when the trail smoothed out, I could hike on “cruise control” and just soak in the scenery.  Carrying such a heavy pack meant we were both really tired by the time we finished, but we know that this will help us be ready for the PCT!   In 2005, as I have mentioned before, we thought “mileage is everything”.   Nope.  It helps, but WEIGHT is what counts.

Among the many wild furry creatures we saw today, there were squirrels (scolding at us as we walked under “their” tree!) and lots of signs of ground squirrels, gophers, etc.   Actually, when we are backpacking, we worry FAR MORE about these sharptoothed, hungry little furry critters that scurry about than we ever do about bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions or ticks.   Those cute furry rascals can easily chew right through your pack to get at the goodies inside.   We learned the hard way that we needed to HANG our food at night to keep it safe from the mice, ground squirrels, chipmunks, etc. that live up in the mountains.  The only time we didn’t hang our food to keep it safe from these little guys was when we were more worried about protecting the food from bears.  There is no way we will hang our food in say, Yosemite.   We either have it in a bear box, a bear can, or right next to us, with trek poles and rocks at the ready for whomping any bear that tries to take it.

When we were on the PCT in 2005, in the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe, the nerve of the ground squirrels was unbelievable.   We could not even sit and eat lunch in peace, with our packs right next to us!  That night, we seriously hung our food so that no ground squirrel had a chance to get at it.  

One time we did a backpacking trip into Lassen National Park, and camped at Drakesbad for the night before leaving early the next morning.   Our food bags were in a wooden “cupboard” in the campground.  During the night, some little furry critter squiggled in and raided our granola.  When we got up in the early morning to hit the trail (planning to eat breakfast once the air warmed up), we discovered the damage.  Sigh.  We didn’t want to drive all the way back to Chester to buy more granola, so we decided to just make do with “short rations”. 

You have to take those sharptoothed little guys seriously!