Day 95, part 2

Mile 1501.7 to mile 1658.2 (skipped 1501.7 to 1657.0)

PCT Miles: 1.2 (1.9km)

Total Miles: 1658.2 (2653.1km)

(I’m skipping 155.3 miles today (Shelly fire 🖕). For simplicity’s sake I’ll add those miles to the total miles.)

The drive to Seiad Valley was longer than I thought and after picking up the hiker (it was 40 Count, a hiker that a met recently!) we drove for almost 3 hours to arrive. It was insanely hot, so I took a break until 6pm inside the general store (which basically IS Seiad Valley) with 40 Count and Speedy (she was there already when we arrived).

At 6pm, still very warm and hazy 🌫️ because of all the smoke coming from Shelly Fire (🖕), the three of us started hiking very slowly (it’s a big uphill climb to leave the valley). After only 1.2 miles both me and Speedy called it a day and 40 Count kept hiking up.

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About Shelly fire (🖕):

Almost three weeks ago, part of the PCT was closed around mile 1600, because there’s a wildfire burning exactly where the trail is. Most of the alternates to go around the fire by foot are not allowed or are not very smart.

In order to keep my two main rules alive (1. Don’t die; 2. Make wise decisions), I decided to leave the trail before getting too close to the fire.

The highway to Mount Shasta that I took this morning is 100 miles before the PCT closure, but it’s the more correct place to exit the PCT: if you hike further, you’ll need that someone picks you up in a dirt or service road and run the risk of being on the way of firemen 👨‍🚒 that really need to use those roads.

I struggled a bit in the beginning with the fact that I’m finally breaking my continuous footpath from Mexico to Canada, but it’s a no-brainer that I have to do it. I already accepted the idea and I’m fine with it. I’m now hoping that this is the only fire that I need to dodge from (I don’t think it will be 😞).

If everything goes well and the stars align, there’s also the possibility for me to come back here after (if) I reach Canada and hike this missing part. Time will tell.