Pacific Crest Trail - Days 134-135 - Seiad Valley
There was a camping spot for a troll hiker under the bridge.
The trail turned into a road surrounded by blackberry bushes. You win some, you lose some.
Someone put an Arc’teryx advertisement on these power lines.
Maybe advertisement with line separators is how PG&E is attempting to pay off its multi-billion dollar negligence suits?
The PCT took us on a gloriously newly unobstructed Klamath River. After traversing innumerable economically questionable and environmentally destructive water projects across hundreds of miles of California, a few flowing and clear Klamath River was a highlight.
We stopped into Brian’s Place after a few miles of 100+ degree road walk and it was a highlight of this journey. Brian (and Nova) were a delight - a place of refuge between 15 miles of neglected trail to Seiad Valley and 5000’ of climbing out of it.
Brian is an inspiration. An incredibly generous, thoughtful, sincere human being who restores faith and fosters community.
Brian‘s place between two gauntlets of the PCT was welcome refuge from the heat and emotional distress of traversing millions of miles of scorched forests. I’ll never forget his positivity and generosity and aspire to provide such a warm welcoming communal space in some capacity in my life moving forward.
the only Slayer song I’m familiar with is “Raining Blood” which sounds very Old Testament God.
Easily the dirtiest sign we’ve seen in 1900 miles.
Too bad we’re heading North :/
Trail? LOL.
Shoulder? LOL.
Dodge Rams going 70? Fuck yeah!
38 PBRs? What is this, a Friday night?
I can fix him.
Also, that’s the saddest wooden bear yet and I wish I could fix these forests :/
I love how hard they’re leaning into the State of Jefferson here. It‘s admirable, even though I know I probably disagree on most things with everyone in this area.
We walked down into Seiad Valley surrounded by miles of fresh beautiful blackberries.
Smuckers. Seedless.
I generally feel like I have a fairly thorough understanding of America and Americans and actively seek out and attempt to engage in conversations with people from disparate backgrounds… over a beer, or a game of pool, or out of thin air.
The State of Jefferson is an attempt to reconcile taxation and economic neglect without representation. It’s essentially how this experiment started … we aren’t paying your oppressive taxes while we receive no benefit. Simple. Relatable.
It doesn’t take more than a cursory glance to understand that most people in America have little to no representation. It also doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to understand why that may be problematic.
I’m a middle aged “successful“ white guy (with any number of tickets out of the State of Jefferson) and find myself with no representation by a geriatric Congress old enough they won’t see the effects of the legislation they’re passing or the incontinent 80+ year olds who find themselves in the Oval Office between trips to exchange their diapers.
Crassus was also an arrogant aged gilded “leader” of an empire. Let’s see how this plays out.
13 PBRs? What is this, Tuesday?
The trail resumed after 5-7 miles of exposed highway walking.
LOL. The danger is in attempting to scale and traverse miles of sharp blown down trees.
Healthcare safety net? Fuck you, this is America.
200’ of fallen massive tree trail.
Nature is rad. I’d say put this on a t-shirt, but it would be instantly called a ripoff of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures album cover.
We opted to forego exploring the windowless rectangular building on top of the first of a handful of peaks we passed by.
This isn’t a benefit of the doubt type place. WTF.
5000 feet climbed up and out of Seiad Valley felt worth celebrating.
My wasp stings turned my leg into a water filled itchy hot dog. Not cool two days later.
Beautiful but exposed. Shade?
The promised land of Oregon in the distance.
Our understanding is that Oregon inspired Big Rock Candy Mountain by Woody Guthrie, but that its majesty far eclipses the magic contained in those verses.
We stumbled into our campsite to find an amazing trail magic spread recently and voraciously consumed by those hikers who opted for the easier forest road. We retained a moral victory, if only for ourselves knowing we chose and rose to the challenge of the more difficult trail instead. Also, even after 5 months. we’re always very stoked on burrito dinner in the tent.