Day 109

23 (+2) Miles (Fish Lake Resort)

Finally, a chilly morning. We’ve had a lot of nights recently that were pretty toasty in the tent. It was a relief to have to get my puffy jacket out to stay warm while making dinner, and I almost got it out again for breakfast. The fine luxury of running (and hot!) water was enjoyed while washing socks in the sink. The terrain today was rough for how many miles we did. Starting out with lots of blown down trees that we had to climb over. Then, we got to bushwhack up to an open view of Mt. Shasta, our first smoke-free view of it. It was great! We got even better views of Mt. McLoughlin later in the day. We broke for lunch next to the trail and in doing so made it so everyone behind us would likely stop-and-chat. We saw a handful of people we didn’t know, but then Coach and Tidbits showed up. They mentioned there was yet another fire ahead, and this one was near the long-standing Lionshead fire closure. Fires just keep popping up. Es no bueno. We caught back up with most of those that passed us when we got to the next water source: a hand-pumped faucet at a backcountry shelter. Not many of those on this trail so they’re neat to see. We grabbed water and then got moving. At first it was great because we were cruising along and eating the occasional huckleberry ripe off the stem. Then it got rough as we crossed boulder field after boulder field of volcanic rock. Oddly enough, there was even a patch of raspberry bushes that we sampled as well. Late in the day with about 7 miles to go, we decided to change plans and head into Fish Lake Resort. Treating ourselves to a burger and fries and then taking one of their free tent spots seemed perfect. It did require a 2-mile side trail after 23 miles for the day, but we went for it. We knew Coach and Tidbits were going in too, but they had pre-arranged a ride with someone. We figured they would be there well before us because they passed us before the junction and would have been far ahead. We had beers in-hand before they arrived. We flew down that side trail; it was perfectly maintained and all downhill. Tomorrow will be 2 extra miles climbing back up to the PCT, but tonight we had beers, burgers, and more snacks from the general store. The campsites are quiet and right by the lake with a great sunset.