11 Jun Day 50 – Midpoint

At mile 1327.5. Hiked 16.6 miles today.

 Got a very late start around 10:30 am because I was uploading and editing blog entries that were backlogged for   days. I keep up with the blog each day by writing on notepad and selecting. editing and compressing photos and placing photos in an album labeled for its day. When I have connectivity to the internet. I upload the photos, copy and paste the text into a new blog post, and place photos in appropriate position within the text. I also select “feature” photo, the one you see at the header of the post. So you see, even if you keep up with writing, there is more to do once you have connectivity. It takes some time.

I caught up with 2nd Breakfast and Capico as they were finishing their lunches. We sat and talked as I ate my lunch. I finished up a jar of peanut butter that I had transferred to a vacuum seal bag. I’ve been carrying it since Sierra City. Every time I squeeze some peanut butter from the bag and eat it. I feel a little ill. This time wasn’t an exception. I hiked along while burping. 

It is no longer desert, but  once again, water takes some planning. Some water is off the trail with as much as a one mile round trip. I made a 0.6 mile RT down a steep hill to water to supply me the next 15 miles. There were other water stops along the 15 miles, but they all required more off trail hikes.  I chose to camp at Soldier Creek at 15 miles, but I had no info that their were campsites near Soldier creek. Finding a level campsite a half mike before Soldier Creek I stopped short of water. The  liter and  half of water remaining from 15 miles back was enough for camp.. I’ll be dry, but I’ll reach the stream early in the morning.

Lassen National Park requires bear canisters so tomorrow I am hiking 18.8 miles to a spring on the park boundary. I’ll camp just outside the park and the following day hike at least 19.3 miles so that I am out of the park for my next campsite. As long as I am not camping in the park without a Béar canister, I’m legal.

Here is the trail.

These flowers grow everywhere around the rocky lava soil. I’ve seen a lot of these flowers the last  week, but they weren’t in full bloom until now.

Open area. THe last part of the day was hiking through dense forest.

Here is the PCT halfway post. 1325 miles. I have really hiked 950 miles so I’m not halfway yet, but I do have 1325 miles left to Canada, so I celebrated all by myself. I was also alll by myself at the monument at the beginning of the PCT. There was a deer nearby, but no people. The feature photo is me sitting on this midpoint post.