Today I spent the morning in Etna and then hiked out to the trail in the afternoon. This is called a “nero” day in thru-hiker parlance. I began my nero day in Etna by hanging out in town and doing some doing town chores. The following pictures summarize my morning in town:
Welcome to Etna!
The Hikers Hut
Inside the Hikers Hut
Rays Food Place. I Mistakenly Called this Store “Ray’s Food Palace” which I still think is a much better name…
Eating Breakfast at Bob’s Ranch House. From Left to Right: Me, Tooth Fairy and Papa Joe
Blossom drove me back to the trailhead along with some other hikers to conclude my Nero day in Etna. I was on the trail around 3:30 pm heading into the Marble Mountain Wilderness. When I came through Seiad Valley a month ago, several locals talked to me at length about the Marble Mountains, waxing eloquent about their beauty. Ever since then I’ve been looking forward to this part of the hike.
Blossom and Me
Marble Mountains Wilderness! Can you tell that I’m getting bored of normal smiley faces in my selfies?
It was a bit overcast today with cooler temperatures as I headed into the mountains. I passed a trail register, the first one I’ve seen on trail since I started hiking again back in Dunsmuir, and found the entry for my friends Hitch, Tetris, Spider Mama Mama and Monarch from a week ago. I miss those guys 🙂
Entry in the Trail Register for Hitch, Spider Mama, Tetris and Monarch. Hi Friends!
Heading into the Marble Mountains
A Ray of Sunlight Streams through the Clouds
After hiking 7.5 hours, I took a spur trail to Cub Bear Spring and found an awesome campsite away from the PCT with fabulous views of the valley below. Clouds threatened rain in the distance and the sky turned pink as the sun set behind the clouds. I played Enya’s greatest hits and felt very relaxed, enjoying the evening. Â I put up my rainfly and battened down the hatches in case it decided to rain on me overnight.
Rain Clouds in the Distance
My Awesome Camp Spot for the Night
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 116 – Monday August 7
Sawyers Bar Road Mile 1597.2 to Cub Bear Spring Mile 1604.7
PCT Miles Hiked Today: 7.5
Total PCT Miles Hiked: 1217.2
Feet Ascended Today: 1538
Feet Descended Today: 1143
Current Elevation: 6290
Steps: I FORGOT TO PUT ON MY FITBIT
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:
That last photo of your camp site just looks like heaven to me.
It was a *really* nice spot 😊