September 10

Distance: 23.5 miles | Ascent: 2380′ | Descent: 6890′

Mile marker: 1367.0

Lunch: J – taco (B+), A – chili and rice (B+)

Dinner: J – cheeseburger and fries (A), A – mushroom and swiss burger with onion rings (A+)

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It didn’t rain last night, and it wasn’t as cold as we were expecting in the morning. The sunrise lasted only a few minutes before the sun rose above the clouds. It stayed hidden behind a layer of clouds for most of the day.

We had a modest climb out of camp then came to one of the more interesting springs we’ve seen: a vertical pipe jutting out of the ground with water pouring out. We’re not sure how, but it why question it?

We’ve been wading through clumps of white thoen recently, which ended up creating a big tear in Alex’s pants. She patched them up during the water break at the spring, quickly and crudely but hopefully good enough to prevent the tear from worsening.

After another small climb, we started our long descent towards Belden. These towns always seem to be at the bottom of things. For once, we’d love a stop after a climb. It would feel like we really earned it.

We crossed the official geological threshold between the Cascade range and the Sierra Nevada range – it was marked with a sign! From the information on the sign, the difference is rock type and formation: the Cascades are volcanic, whereas the Sierra are metamorphic.

We stopped for lunch shortly thereafter and got our first bout of rain. It was only a light sprinkle. We put on our rain gear, but the rain only lasted for 20 or so minutes. We had a few more light specks throughout the day, but nothing that completely poured. We went through mostly exposed burnzone today and were grateful for the cloud cover.

After the long descent, we saw hints of civilization. First, powerlines. Then, a road. Then, a building. Then, a hydroelectric plant! Civil engineering galore.

We crossed the one lane bridge into Belden. Calling it a town is a bit of a stretch. It’s a mix between Stehekin (some weird ominous vibes) and Seiad Valley (kinda just a building), and it feels like an old-timey Disney World scene or movie set. The restaurant was okay. It was fairly priced, the burgers were good, and the bartender/server/hostess invited us to hang out as long as we wanted. After we ate, it poured outside, so we took him up on that offer. We were glad not to be setting up camp in the downpour.

We loitered in the restaurant until near closing before setting up our sleeping pads in what hikers affectionately call the treehouse: an old stamping mill built and used during the gold rush. Once upon a time, it had crushed rocks to bits for chemical gold extraction. But tonight, it was a dry shelter with a roof and a cozy place to sleep.