Seiad Valley

8/21-
Day 133 - Managed to take four showers in less than a day. Is that a lot? These were my first showers since Belden, on day 122. And I don't even smell bad. - Squirrelfight

"Mmmm, Bud Light. My favorite." - Pickle

Day 133 - Back on the trail again after a 27 hour respite in the quiet and friendly town of Etna. Squirrelfight and I skipped a 40 mile section in the beautiful Trinity Alps - Russian wilderness on account of some painful infection I developed on the bottom of one foot. We got into town and decided to stay at our third motel of our trip.
The motel room had a bed with 2 pillows, clean sheets, and blankets. There were two beds, so we each had our own to play and watch the tube. You could see the TV from the bed and change the channels from the bed. Jonny didn't leave the room for 20 hours.
I went to the grocery store to buy dinner and breakfast. I also got to soak and elevate the foot all day. It helped a great deal. So now I'm ready for the next four days of walking and Burning Man! - Pickle : )

8/22-
Day 134 - Pickle and I were walking together this evening when an animal cried loudly from just off the trail. It sounded big. Pickle's first thought was that it sounded like a cat. I thought it was a bear. It only cried once, probably to let us know it was there. We didn't stick around to find out what it was. - Squirrelfight

8/23-
Day 135 - The Klamath Triangle Strikes again! With the Pacific Crest Trail nothing more than a distant memory, we are following Horace Greeley's advice to "go west, young man." Hiking with thumbs rather than feet, Ben, Rachel and I have set off in search of foggy moist forests, giant Redwoods, and a legendary body of water known as the Mar Pacifico. The Marble Mountains, which would have been the next leg of our PCT trek north, will just have to wait. - Staggerin' Willie

Day 135 - Rachel and I arrived here in Etna last night a few hours behind Ezra and were not able to locate him. But all the locals let us know that thruhikers can camp for free in the town's park, which I now believe to be a cruel practical joke that circulates around this place. At about 1 am we were startled from our slumber when the automatic sprinkler turned on. It was the worst downpour I'd been in since Muir Pass (2 months ago) and everything got pretty well soaked. - Kaptain Krumholz

Day 135 - Jonny's gear woes
Once again, everything seems to be falling apart at once. Last week the handle broke off of the water filter. A new handle is on it's way, but meanwhile it is a pain in the neck. My toothbrush broke, but it has been replaced. The handgrip on one of my ski poles is almost completely torn off and yesterday that pole lost its basket. The sternum strap on my backpack was broken and repaired, but yesterday broke in a way the needs to be replaced. The worst problem, however is my spoon, which snapped in half. It inconveniently broke one day out of town so I'm using it without a handle this week ( try this at home. It's not easy. I'm telling people it's to save weight.) Conveniently it brokeduring a week that I'm eating only with Maria. I'm afraid I wouldn't last long with this spoon in a Menacing Vegetables potluck.
Also, my boots need to be re-soled and re-stitched this week (more on that later). Our tent has been sent in for repairs. And my spare headlamp battery melted. I, however, seem to be in one piece (stay tuned). - Squirrelfight

Scott Williamson (left in register at Seiad Valley)
We had hoped to meet you but it looks like we will miss our chance as we are flip-flopping from here. We are the Menacing Vegetables, and we started in Campo on April 11. For some reason we never caught you on your northbound hike, but we thought we might see you on your way back.
We have been following your progress in the registers with great interest. I'm sure your story will be printed in The Communicator when you are done, but we would love to hear from you when you finish to know how long your hike took.
We can be reached through our Website: www.tannercritz.com (PCT2000 link)
We cleaned the trail of most of the horse and cowpies to make your hike easier. Sorry about the ones we missed. Shelly Lake's outlet creek will be your last water until after Etna summit. Say hello to Jeff and Donna for us.
Happy Hiking, The Menacing Vegetables - Squirrel, Pickel, Willie, Krum, and Kner

8/24-
Day 136 - Yesterday at 4:00 in the afternoon, Rachel, Ben and I were standing on the side of the road in Etna, lookin' for a lift. 28 hours and 10 rides later we're camped beneath giant Redwoods at Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park. Along the way, we experienced the scenic Etna-Somes Bar road, where there is virtually no traffic but everyone stops, and the town of Orleans, where there is plenty of traffic but no one stops. We passed through the town of "Forks of Salmon", which makes West Athens, Maine (if you know West Athens) look ritzy. We passed through the grim reservation town of Hoopa and bought groceries at the lively college community of Arcata before catching our final ride up into the magnificent Redwood forest. Hitchiking may take a bit longer than driving your own car, but when you're used to walking speed, it sure seems fast! - Staggerin' Willie

Day 136 - Today is Squirrelfight's and my last honest, hard-day-at-the-office type day of hiking. Up at dawn, then 17 miles to camp. Well, I guess it should be hard, but the work is minimal and enjoyable. Earlier I saw 2 large piliated woodpeckers, made friends with a deer and was surrounded by five fluttering butterflies. Just another typical day on the PCT.
Tomorrow we'll hike eight miles into town - Seiad Valley. Then we're off for Burning Man, a road trip to Seattle, then a ride back to the PCT at the Canadian border.
See you in Washington! - Pickle : )

Day 136 - I can't believe we made it here! After an often bizarre and inspiring two day hitchiking marathon, ten rides later, Rachel, Ezra, & I are camped in a grove of ancient redwoods. We decided to abandon the hot and dry high country for a few cool, damp days on the coast. Before we spend a week under the unrelenting sun in Black Rock Desert we thought it'd be wise to cool off for a bit in Humboldt County. Hopefully Jonny & Maria will get our message and not worry/wait in Ashland. - Kaptain Krumholz

8/25-
Day 137 - Woo Hoo, what a day! I awoke to the sounds of a herd of Roosevelt Elk munching their way up Prarie Creek, not 30 feet from camp. I went to the visitor and indulged myself by buying a brand new (!) book and a plastic banana slug. I spent the morning happily strolling beneath fog-shrouded Redwoods, trees the size of houses. I hiked through moist, aptly named Fern Canyon, and out to the grey beach, where I napped in the warm sand. I played "driftwood baseball" with Ben and Rachel, then dined on a meal filled with fresh vegetables we packed in from Arcata. With the abundant driftwood, we built a big ol' bonfire and stayed up late playing in the sand. Woo Hoo, what a day! - Staggerin' Willie

Day 137 - Scott Williamson Update
Someone today asked Squirrelfight if he was Scott Williamson. No, Scott was through here (Seiad Valley) on June 26th. He should be back again soon. He must be a good looking guy. - Squirrelfight

Day 137 - We awoke this morning to the sounds of something huge crashing through the brush. My first thought was that we were being visited by Sasquatch, but on further investigation we discovered a herd of elk crashing up the stream not 10 feet from our tent. They seemed totally uninterested in us as they munched on the streamside vegitation. - Kaptain Krumholz

Day 137 - Pickle and Squirrelfight walked their 1370th PCT mile today bringing their PCT mile per day average up to 10 miles per day. An obvious time to take a week or two off. Their stats as of The Burning Man break are as follows
Days - 137
PCT miles walked - 1369.8
PCT miles missed - 287.2
Misc. miles walked - 281.3
Total miles walked - 1651.1
Total miles on PCT - 2651.5
% of PCT miles walked - 50.52%
# of months on the trail - 4.5
- Statistician

"Everywhere is in walking distance if you have the time." - Stephen Wright

8/26-
Day 138 - Today was the Seiad Valley (pop. 130) Volunteer Fire Department parade. The parade lasts 12 minutes and is basically a couple fire trucks, rider lawn mowers, ATVs, and mules. In order to increase the parade size by several percent, someone asked the five thru-hikers who were in town to march. We like the pace of a parade, so we agreed and walked about a half mile through town with those residents who weren't standing on the street videotaping. They even announced our names on the ludspeaker and gave us candy. - Squirrelfight

Day 138 - Rachel and I spent a PCT dream day ambling along the Humboldt coast. Actually, I shouldn't say ambling - we spent the better part of the day lazing in the sand. Behind us a herd of elk stood grazing along the bluffs and out in the ocean we watched porpoises circling a sea lion's rock perch. - Kaptain Krumholz

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