The Unpolished Princess

Start: 1691.9

Stop: 1705.7

Today’s miles: 13.8

Total PCT miles: 119.1

Can I just say, I hate hiking in the snow. Like, it’s really making me crazy at this point. Ugh. Alright, here goes:

I woke up fine, no mouse issues that I could find. I packed quickly and ate breakfast on the porch, after putting everything I used away inside and shutting the door to the cabin well. It stormed all night again, and it was raining now too, making it a little chilly.

Right off the bat, I went the wrong direction for a good 5 minutes, up hill, before I caught myself and had to back track and find the trail. It was pretty, the dark greens of moss covering pines, soft pine needles to walk on.. painful pine needles and branches to climb over, under, and around. These blowdowns are no joke!

Early, and without much trouble, I crossed the California/Oregon border. Maybe because Cali has been so difficult for me to get any mileage in, maybe just because, I was pretty happy about the crossing! I was in a great mood.. the trees seemed greener, everything felt gorgeous. Well, until I hit snow. I’d be going going going, happy as a clam, and walk smack into a snow covered mountainside. As frustrating as it was, it was never as bad as it had been before Grizzly Peak. I was frustrated and slow, but I was never flat out terrified. Probably because at most points, I could see where it would end, and then where it would begin again. I never felt trapped.

I got through one hellishly long chunk of snow, thought it was over only to turn the corner and see my app say I’m meant to go up this ridge line, except halfway up to the peak, the trail splits off to the left and goes downhill. That’s all fine and well except the snow drifted off to the left so sharply, once again I couldn’t see a safe spot to go over.

Remembering the other day, I decided to go up closer to the top and look down to see from that vantage point where I should try going over at. Thankfully, the right side of the snow was up against rocks, so I could traverse mostly over those to the top. And I went all the way up. At one point I was thinking I’d just go to the top and then come down tree well by tree well again in the general direction of the trail.

However, at the top, I saw the whole other side of this mountain was snow free. I got service up there, so I quickly downloaded the topo maps while I could, waiting for it to disappear at any second. I walked over to the other edge a bit more, to try to see if I could spot the trail, lo and behold I could! And a dirt road! I slowly and methodically started inching my way down a steep NON snow covered mountain side. There were rocks to hold on to most of the way. By the time I made it to the bottom, and looked up, I was shocked I just came down that! It was high up there!! Apparently that peak is named Observation Peak! Who knew?

I followed the dirt road until it and the trail intersected. The trail northbound was clear, the road I was on hit a ton of snow. I took the trail. I was marveling at my good luck when once again I was smacked with even more snow. Luckily, this didn’t feel sloped the whole time and I could keep up my speed.. ok, that’s an exaggeration. I didn’t have to drop down to a crawl. Same difference.

Once I found another trail intersection, the storms started and I was getting drenched. And cold. I popped up my umbrella and followed another forest service road. It went around the biggest amount of snow left in this area, I had read about it on the app already, and storm or no storm I was going to be taking this road around Big Red Mountain regardless.

It seemed to last forever, and the rain wasn’t letting up. I wanted to stop for the day but it was only 3pm and even though my feet were cooked, I didn’t want to set up my janky tent in the pouring rain. I carried on. There was no more snow on trail all the way to this campsite I’m at. I was thrilled! Every single corner I rounded I’d hold my breath just knowing this is it, this is where the snow is!

I got my tent up and my stuff inside during a lull in the rain. It’s back again now.. I’m waiting for another lull to run out and pee. If all goes well, I have 13 miles to get to my destination tomorrow: Callahan’s Lodge. I sent a resupply package there, but wasn’t planning on getting a room there. Just eat at their restaurant, get my package, and then find a ride into Ashland, Oregon. Apparently they have a gear shop there, so I can get a new pole, a cheaper motel than the lodge, AND a Taco Bell in walking distance.

Depending how tomorrow goes, and if I get all the way there (please lord, no more snow), I’m probably going to take a zero the day after tomorrow, and maybe another one the day after that. All in hopes of letting more snow melt ahead of me.. and to let my leg scrapes and feet heal (I have a pretty nasty blister today from the cold/wet conditions and not being able to take my shoes off to air out my feet).

Knowing I could be “done” tomorrow makes me want to go to sleep right now, just to wake up and get hiking and get there already. I say that now, we’ll see what time I get moving in the morning.. especially with it being cold and rainy, too. Goodnight, y’all.

Start: 1705.7

Stop: 1718.7

Today’s miles: 13

Total PCT miles: 132.1

Town day! Ah, that makes me miss TownLegs from the AT, and apparently I get the same motivation she does.. because I got up and got moving, ready to conquer today’s snow early and make it to town!

The first four miles of the day were on and off snow patches.. mostly the patches were easily walked over or around. I never even put my microspikes on, which thank goodness, that toe blister of mine is currently very unhappy. Because of that, I was gingerly stepping on my left foot, being cautious and attempting to keep that foot dry, not an easy thing to accomplish out here in Snow Melt City.

The parts that were snow free were stunning, even if I was literally walking through a cloud. It had a mystic feel to the morning, and I was in a very positive and happy mood. Every twist and turn I could see snow, and assumed I was about to be walking right back into it, but the patches would be above or below the trail, or I could easily meander around it. If only it would *stay* like this! Because THIS I can do!

Once I hit a junction where the trail met two dirt roads and another cabin, there was no more snow on trail at all! I cruised! It was glorious! Beautiful vistas, huge trees and views for days! Water was everywhere, from the snowmelt, making excellent, cold drinking water.

Around 10am I passed two couples out day hiking looking for wild flowers. They promised me no more snow all the way to Callahans Lodge! I was so ecstatic! Because even though it felt like I was lower in elevation and there wouldn’t be anymore, today at least, my heart would start racing every time I’d get close to turning a corner, expecting the worst. To have my hopes confirmed just flooded me with relief! I was practically skipping down trail!

As if the Lord knew I was giddy as all get out, the cloud I had been in for hours lifted or I finally sank below it, because the sun was shining and the skies were blue and the birds were chirping! The only thing missing was Julie Andrews swirling around on the hillside!

Less than 10 minutes of passing the couples, I ran into two men out doing trail maintenance! One had a chainsaw and one had a rake. I chatted them up for a bit, too, still chipper as all get out. Then, because of those two, I had a half mile of perfectly raked trail to walk on until I hit the road crossing. Glorious indeed!

From there I ran into a family of 4 with 2 dogs and then two older gentlemen. I crossed over roads, the trail went along a blue ski trail and at times there were downed trees but nothing was putting a damper on my mood! I was at Callahans Lodge around 2pm, picking up my package. Sadly, the restaurant was closed until 3pm-just my luck, so I got a beer and a Gatorade and sat in the lobby.

A trail Angel, Stephanie aka Big Mama (she is the tiniest human, but she’s a firecracker for sure lol), picked me up to take me to my cheaper motel. While waiting, I talked to two women from the Netherlands who just arrived to hike the section I just finished. We chatted and they’re just as frustrated with the snow as I am. I think we all are, honestly.

Stephanie got there with another hiker, Stripes, who just finished the section I’m doing next! She promises it’s majority snow free! Hell YES! We said bye to our new friends and my newer friends took me to the motel.. with us steady talking the whole time. Stripes has also had a hell of a time, she already hiked the desert and was off trail letting the “snow melt” like many people.. only to find its just not melting fast enough. She is going to Fish Lake today to head north to Crater Lake, where there’s definite snow.. she promises to keep in contact and update me.

I got to the motel, checked in, ordered Taco Bell from door dash (my toe on my left foot was not allowing me to even pretend to walk normal). I got my food, ate, then took a 30 minute hot as fire shower. It was everything. I have to tell you, it is disgustingly satisfying to watch the tub floor when I first get into a shower.. and just physically see the dirt and grime wash away. Gross, I know.. but satisfying all the same. I did my whole washing process twice, shampooed twice, then conditioned, in between scrubbing with dial soap with hands only, then again with a rag.. although, I’m not able to scrub scrub my legs as well as I’d like because of the scabs and scrapes being so tender. Soon, hopefully soon.

Once I was out of the shower, it was close to 5pm. I pretended like I was going to walk a mile to wash my clothes. And then I laid on the bed in my towel and dozed off and on until the laundromat closed. Hahaha looks like that’s a job for tomorrow. My second toe on my right foot looks freakishly like the bad blister on my left foot, just not popped yet. I’m thinking at this moment, my feet, mind, body, and soul need me to take tomorrow and Sunday off-and leave for Fish Lake on Monday morning, after another shipping run. I have too many chores and no reason to rush into more snow, so I might as well take it easy so these things can heal.

At least that’s what I’ll tell myself to make me feel less like a complete failure… hahaha. Ok, it’s bedtime. I don’t care that the sun is still out and the bar in the same parking lot at my motel is having a whole party out there. These eyelids have seen enough today. Sweet dreams!

I tried to sleep in yesterday, but was wide awake by 8:15. I was restless in my sleep because my motel door opens to the back door of a bar in the same parking lot.. and, well, Friday nights and all that. Surprisingly at 8:15am people were still loud as hell outside my door, but I don’t think that’s what woke me up.

All my clothes were dirty, so I put on my rain pants and puffy jacket and walked across the street to that same bar-that’s a cafe during the day. I had a mimosa and a breakfast burrito.. and was no longer mad at their late night patrons. It was delicious!

I went back to my room to gather my clothes, and had the pleasure of putting on dirty socks to walk in my crocs with.. the plastic makes blisters on the top of my feet if I walk too far in them, and the nicer laundromat (that doesn’t eat your money per reviews) was a mile away on foot. Dirty socks and crocs and in rain pants and a hot jacket, I trudged to the laundromat. Thankfully it wasn’t too hot outside yet.. but it was gonna get there.

I washed my clothes and while they were in the dryer I carefully (sockfree now) walked across the plaza to a thrift store. I decided I needed to have an oversized comfy tshirt for town days and maybe to sleep in. The sun protection long sleeve shirt I hike in is fantastic while hiking, but very annoying when I’m not in hiker mode. I found a nice army brown shirt that fit the bill for a whole $4 and walked back to get my clothes. I changed into my clean undies, shorts, sports bra, and my “new” shirt in the bathroom, slipped into clean socks and headed back to my room.

I was able to get a Lyft into town to the hyped up used gear store. Apparently they only have like one or two drivers for the whole city. This guy was a cutie and told me someday someone is going to walk into my life and open the door of my heart that I had no idea needed opening, and when that happened, I’d know that was the man meant to love me for life. I didn’t tell him this, but I’m pretty sure any doors on my heart are currently padlocked and have trip wire leading up to them. Haha

I was able to get gently used poles from the gear shop. From there I walked around downtown. There was an arts festival going on and I got some pretty gorgeous earrings (couldn’t help myself, support local artists and all that). I walked into shops and stores looking for sunglasses, because mine snapped in my pack when I unsafely tucked them away during my week of thunderstorms. One of the stores was having some kind of celebration thing happening, so I got to taste test wine, some yummy snacks, and they gave me a free “Ashland, Oregon” sticker. Neato!

I moseyed and walked the whole Main Street, walking into almost every store open. I checked out antiques, I looked at books, I saw paintings and people playing in a cute park. Then, like the old lady I am, I went into a sushi place at 5:15pm for dinner LOL! Whatever, I was hungry and had nothing else to delay me from eating. Y’all. I destroyed that sushi! And the red wine was on point, too! Budget smudget-plans keep changing and things have been rough.. that early dinner gave me life!

As I walked back through town towards my hotel, I saw two weary souls with slumped shoulders and backpacks sitting on a bench. Thruhikers! I waited for the man to get off his phone, he was arranging somewhere for them to sleep tonight.. and then I started chatting them up! They are a couple from New York that already hiked the whole desert section, jumped up to Truckee thinking they’d skip the Sierras and have better luck there, only to have to bail because of the never ending snow. Now, they were here.

We chatted for a long time, then walked and talked on the way to their hotel.. which was on the way to mine. They’re heading north today (sunday) from where I’ll start north from tomorrow. I had already decided early on Saturday that I was waiting til Monday to hike out. I could have shipped stuff saturday from the UPS store, but then I would have had to complete my grocery store chores and everything else-and my toes needed to heal up a bit more. Basically, I just didn’t want to.

We swapped numbers and I said my byes, silently praying they single-handedly remove all of the snow from my path from here to Washington. Lol! I made me back to my room and worked on the blog, watched SVU, relaxed. I ended up taking a shower at like 1am because I was wide awake. That hot water soothed me enough to let me fall right to sleep after I got out.

And then, today. Today I slept until almost 11am. No shame. It was great! Across the street apparently serves breakfast til 2pm, so I had biscuits and gravy topped with two fried eggs a little after noon. I went to the Bi-Mart, which is more like a Walmart.. I got new headphones (broke mine lol, I’m doing so great), and some of my groceries, then went next door for every thing else.

I had big plans of walking back downtown and maybe catching The Little Mermaid or something, but then just decided to lay around, rest my legs, and stalk the Facebook PCT groups for intel. My plan may be to hike to Fish Lake and then get a ride to Medford, Oregon.. send out some resupply boxes, then fly up to Seattle, get a ride to the trail head to the Northern Terminus (Aka to the Canadian border) and hike south from there.. I’m so torn.

Washington apparently had a normal to low snow year, unlike Oregon and California. And apparently, according to these FB angels up there the trail will be “mostly snow free” two weeks from June 2nd.. hmmmmm. It’s a tough call. Who’s to say I don’t spend all this money and make all this effort to get up there just to be in the same situation here. And if I continue past Fish Lake, to Crater Lake (with definite snow) then decide to jump up to Washington, then it’s a longer ride into an airport and therefore more difficult to make happen.

Bleh. So stressful. I’ve packed and organized all of my stuff.. except my tent, splayed out drying in the corner. I’m still watching SVU (gotta love USA network for these marathons), and I’ve got plans to get picked up at 10am by Stephanie, the trail Angel that brought me here. I’ll go ship my food box to Fish Lake at the UPS store before she gets here. I’ve already showered again, and my legs are itchy as hell.. so maybe I’ll get some shut eye soon and get to forget about all my healing scrapes. I’m hoping it’ll take me 4 days or less to get to Fish Lake.. and there’s quite a few hikers ahead of me now, according to the trail angel. Maybe from here it’ll be better. Fingers crossed I can start moving forward without all of the delays 🙂 Goodnight, y’all.