Friday, August 17th: Todays miles = 9. Total PCT miles = 1,606.5. I woke up to Baboon packing his things. The only days he is ever motivated to get up seem to be when we are going into town. I moseyed around like usual and didn't get moving until my normal time. 9 miles went quickly and by 10am I was at the road leading to Etna. The first car that drove by picked us up and dropped us off right in the center on town (the town is one street). Upon arriving and thanking this man for the ride we were interrupted by a lady on the street telling us about a hiker hostel in town. I wasn't overly interested because I had no real intention of staying in town for the night. That and the fact that I was still talking to the gentlemen that gave me a ride made me thank the woman for the information abruptly and go about my business elsewhere. I went for lunch, then icecream, the grocery store for resupply, then the thrift store. It was there that I learned terrible news. The PCT is currently closed in 13 different locations along the trail. 6 are behind me but 7 closures are still yet to come on trail. All but two of these closures are due to wildfires.
A few days ago I got word of a fire just North of Seiad Valley. Seiad Valley is 55 miles from where I am on trail right now. As of last night the PCT had yet to be directly affected by the fire and the trail was open for foot traffic...upon your own risk. This morning, however, through word of mouth I was informed that the Forrest Service was beginning to post signs of closures for this area of trail. Everyone in Etna today was glued to the internet to see if the official posting online went up that the PCT was in fact closed North of Etna. It went up indeed. We were first told that the PCT was closed from Seiad Valley to Ashland OR. I was devastated. This would mean that I would have hiked through the whole state of California headed toward the Oregon border and I would not even get to stand at that sign on the PCT; the sign I have been looking forward to for hundreds of miles. I then began to do my own research on the matter. Its not that I didn't trust the information I got from others, it was just that I didn't trust the informatiom I got from others. Through further investigation I learned that the PCT is only closed 15 miles North of Seiad Valley and that the Oregon border sign is NOT currently burning to the ground. I also learned that upon arriving to Seiad Valley you can walk a detour around the fire and meet back up with the PCT before the border crossing. The fire is expected to continue to grow as its my understanding that they don't even begin to have it contained. Some people have been getting rides out of Etna to Ashland to avoid the fire. This means that they will be crossing into Oregon in a car. That seems like the most senscial and certainly the safest way from point A to B. Despite this, I have decided to hike to Seiad Valley and walk the detour around the fire. In doing so I can cut over back to the PCT and WALK across the border into Oregon! Its one of those things that you have to take as it comes. The wind could blow and and change my plans completely. Literally, the wind could blow the fire in the direction of the detour and I will have to find another way into Oregon.
All of this gathering of information took time and I was persuaded to stay in Etna for the day as the guide book says that its possibly the best trail town on the trail. I called the motel to see if they had rooms available. They said they did. I walked over to the motel in 100 degree heat in the direct sunlight only for them to tell me that they had no vacancy. I asked them for how long they had been full. Their reply, hours. So, my only other option was to go to the hostel. The hostel charges 25 dollars to stay in a bunk! You can shower but laundry is an extra 3 dollars. There is an option to camp, although, you can only camp if all the bunks are taken (they want the 25 dollars for the bunk instead of the 10 they charge for camping on their lawn) AND they charge 10 dollars to camp on their lawn!!! WHAT?!? So really you are paying 10 dollars for a shower! I would not have stayed here unless the bunks were all taken.
I set up my tent, got a shower, put in laundry, then began to be told about the bar down the street. They have offered a free beer to all thru hikers that come in there. Naturally I went for a beer. I enjoyed myself at the bar and upon paying for my tab was told that there was no free beer for thru hikers (the two other hikers with me we also told the same thing). The many hikers who visited the bar in the past weeks have all told us differently. So, we paid for are beers and left the bar.
The only thing good about this town was the old fashion soda fountain. I can't wait to go there in the morning and get one last icecream and get the F out of this town!
No comments:
Post a Comment