18 Miles
Everyone had moved on before we left camp, which was nice and quiet. We cruised through 8 miles to an ice cold creek before taking our lunch break. About a mile before it I finally spotted one of the old PCT markers. I knew they existed, but not where to find the remaining ones since people likely steal them. But, sure enough, Marie was hopping over a down tree and I was looking back to make sure she made it safely and I caught the diamond shape on the tree behind her. If I hadn’t turned, I would have missed it since it was a south-bound marker. I’ve been watching for these since about the start of NorCal. Lunch was relaxed and we saw Pepe roll through. The afternoon hiking was a little climbing to Oregon’s highest point on the PCT, which was not nearly as impressive as California’s (Forester Pass). Then we dropped down to Maidu Lake where we could get water, rinse out some clothes, and wash the caked-on-dust from our legs. The lake itself was very nice. Mild temperature, much larger than the map indicated, and full of wildlife. Ducks, frogs, birds galore. The ever-present smoke was the only drawback, but that was going to be true of any campsite around here.
PCT Hike 