At mile 1755.3. Hiked 23.3 miles today. I walked between public and private land. All was equally beautiful. In this area the pipe gates have a different design and I was pleased to see that they were painted red. Better than rust color. A large lava boulder lay about 5 feet from the door of my tent. In the morning a bird perched on the tip of the rock and sang its machine gun song. It then repeated the same at a higher pitch. It was nice to lie there...

Day 70 - Bizarre  At mile 1717.7. Hiked 17.5 miles today. Walked unknown number of off trail and town miles. I hiked to Interstate-5 where I hitched a ride to Ashland. I was dropped off at Albertsons Grocery so thought I would shop for my resupply. At the entryway I dropped my pack into a large cart, pulled out my hiker trash and dropped the trash in a can just outside the glass door maybe 30 feet away. When I turned around my cart with backpack was gone. Gone in...

At mile 1700.2. Hiked 24 miles today. Rating: Don’t Miss. Looking up the trail I saw something that looked like a huge long legged jack rabbit hopping down the trail. A doe nosed this animal into a hiding place at the edge of the trail. Of course it was a tiny fawn. It would not move. I could have stroked it, but left it unmolested. I thought, newborn and Bambi. Later upon examining the enlarged photo, I noticed an injury to the leg. Now I think about “The Yearling”...

At mile 1655.9. Hiked 21.4 miles today. The day started with another soft sunrise. I was on the trail by 5:50 AM. Some of the trail is overgrown with raspberry plants.  I reached Grider creek and crossed the creek rock hopping, then later via bridge. The trail followed this Gridee creek for miles with several bridge crossings. I was surprised to find nice smelling wild gardenias. Here are some wild orchids. I meet a PCT trail maintenance team. They have a camp at Grider Creek Campground. This crew of volunteers will work on washes...

At mile 1634.5. Hiked 20.7 miles today. Here is a close up view showing the layers of marble found in Marble Mountain Wilderness. Wildflowers, Marble, and Trail. I flushed out a grouse. I heard one of the chicks peep, then silence. The hen moved in clear sight while drwing. attention to itself. And away from any hidden chicks. This is a pattern that I have seen before and will see again later this day. I think this is how grouse outwit bobcats and the like. Mother hen distracts to save the...