Dave’s PCT & Other Adventures: Day 102 Snail Mail Frustration

Monday, June 26, 2023

Day 102 Snail Mail Frustration

I mailed a four day food package from Seiad Valley while I was there to where I am sitting currently. I should’ve just hiked it here. My package went from Seiad Valley to Redding to Sacramento to Eugene Oregon to Medford Oregon to Ashland and should be out for delivery today. It’s currently 1:30 and I’ve been in the lobby waiting for the mail to arrive!

I do want to take a moment and give a shout out to Callahans lodge. If you are ever in need of a place to stay, or an idea for a quick getaway, it’s just over the border the staff is fantastic and the owner and management are great people. They are very supportive of hikers. In fact, me and another hiker from Germany in the same predicament waiting for packages have been sitting in the lobby all day. The manager came over and told us to help ourselves to anything we want from their gift shop snack area on the house.

An amazing Trail angel named Kitchy has seen us sitting in the lobby waiting. She just came by and gave us Taco Bell with the statement “trail magic”. Peoples kindness is amazing.

3:45. Finally the mail arrives. Of course I’m in the middle of my late lunch/early dinner. Which is all you can eat spaghetti. It came as I was waiting for another serving. I ran out grabed my boxes loaded up my backpack finished my last plate of food and hit the road, literally I walked up a frontage road for a mile and re-joined the trail, which, ironically is the same frontage road. Another half mile I turn left off the road and just like that I’m back in the woods.

I’ve crossed over a nice little foot bridge to cross a creek, although, it’s dry so it would not have been a big deal without a bridge.

I am Finding a lot of very pretty open Meadow’s here in Oregon as well

I have come to my first Oregon pipe gate

I have a wooden walkway type bridge over a potentially wet meadow area. Like the first bridge I don’t see a lot of water here, but I’m sure at times the ground saturated and they’re working to protect the plant life.

As I come out of the trees there is a cool looking mountain peak in front of me.

My second organ pipe gate and soon after a third, I almost feel like I’m back in the Southern California section, And I must add, the Oregon gates function much better than the California ones.

I’ve hiked to the base and partially around that big peak from the earlier picture. I have learned it is called pilot rock.

This sign provides a little bit of a light reading and information about the peregrine falcon. As I hiked closer to pilot rock I was able to get another picture notice the single tree on the very top of the rock. Soon I was on the opposite side of pilot rock from there. I could also look to the left and see the surrounding Valley.

I left Callahans close to the time I normally like to get into a campsite, but I had sat around long enough and wanted to get in some miles. I pushed for 10 miles and achieved it walking into camp at 7:45. One of the bad things about coming late into camp is what happened today. There’s only about four good tent sites, and of course they were all occupied. I ended up finding a place at the dead end of an old Forest Road that was somewhat flat. It is on the edge of a meadow the other tent sites have a really good view of it , is somewhat obscured by trees, but as I write this, I see two deer right down below me.