Day 156 make up leg 1 of 2 done!

August 18 

I woke up, looking out over the valley with Lassen in the distance definitely one of my top 10 favorite campsites. I was able to look out at the stars last night. Each time I rolled over they were bright and big above me. As quickly as I entered the volcanic barren ridge yesterday this morning I  left it and reenter the Dixie fire burned area. Leaving camp at 6:20.

I moved on from the Dixie burn scar and back to some unburned forest, but I know I will be back in the burn scar soon.

I can look across the valley to the volcanic peaks that my campsite was between last night.

I don’t think I will ever get tired of the shadows cast of me and my backpack as I walk with the sun. 

I am passing a lot of really cool volcanic peaks as I go through this section of Trail 

I reenter the Dixie burn area and soon come to the official halfway marker for the PCT although I reached half the miles a month ago

I continue hiking through the Dixie burn area towards my completion of this leg.

If you look through the trees down below you can see the highway that is where I will complete this leg of my sierra make up session.

Manzanita Leafgall Aphid is a spreading groundcover growing alongside the trail

There used to be a nice wooden walkway through this meadow, and across this stream, but it burned up in the fire. I just took off my shoes and walked across soft, silky, muddy bottom, but I would think about a foot, and the water came to just above my knees.

I  encounter another gate. It’s been a while since I have had one of these.

I have reached the highway. This leg is complete from Echo Lake, to Snoqualmie Pass! I quickly got a hitch and a town by young man named Harry.

I went to the Pine shack Frosty and got myself a large coconut shake, and then they say large they mean it. 

After I finished my shake I went to an RV park down the street that offers showers and cleaned up. A local hotel has a hiker box that has loaner town clothes that I picked up and put on after my shower. It felt wonderful. From there I walked across the street to the laundromat and washed the one set of own on trail. As a waiting for my clothes, I wanted ribs with coleslaw again from the Pine check and ate my first dInner.

If you remember from my post on June 1, Chester allows hikers to sleep at the park. They have an open stage that I set up in. The last time I was here they were eight people sleeping on the stage today it is only me it feels kind of strange.

Before I went to bed, I ate a second dinner and drink one of my smoothies. Hiker hunger is still a thing.

Today’s PCT miles hiked 20.7

Total PCT Miles hiked to date 2090.9

PCT mile marker 1332.4

(Returned to complete 303.4 flipped over)

Miles left:

Echo - Chester COMPLETED!

Kearsarge - Echo 303.4

Snoqualmie-Terminus 259.5

Total 562.9