September 13

Distance: 25.4 miles | Ascent: 5230′ | Descent: 3630′

Mile marker: 1438.1

Lunch: J&A – tuna salad (A-,B-)

Dinner: J&A – chicken chili (B,B+)

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We started having good views again! We learned that many northbound hikers will get off trail at a road we passed in mid-morning and skip the section we had just completed, and which had crushed our spirits a bit. It looked like a trail maintenance crew had just been through the area and cleared all the blowdowns on the ascent. For us, it was relatively nice. Perhaps for others heading north before the trail maintenance crews came in, it would’ve been miserable. We can’t blame them for wanting to skip sections that are not very scenic and physically challenging. Usually, the physical challenge is paid for by scenic views.

As we hiked out in the morning, we followed a fire line, where trees had been bulldozed to create a barricade for a forest fire. With forest on one side and a burn zone on the other, it seems it was a success!

We ate lunch along a ridge and let the wind dry out the tent still wet from the previous night’s condensation. There was a fire tower perched high atop one of the mountains.

We bounced up and down ridges and valleys throughout the afternoon, glad to have good views and sunny skies again.

Closer to dusk, we arrived at a campsite by a spring. The light shone on the rock face to our east, illuminated in the golden hour.

Jason went to grab water at the spring and found the biggest mushroom he’s ever seen. It looked like two big pancakes, but maybe that’s just our hunger. We did not eat the mushrooms.