I awoke to the muted rays of sunshine coming in to Ed’s living room. I sat up to see Fred Henry looking at me with puppy dog eyes from his little doggy bed. Ed had put his ball in the refrigerator last night so we got out the ball and commenced playtime.
Tetris, Spider Mama, Monarch and me with Ed and Fred Henry
Spider Mama and Fred Henry
Monarch made breakfast burritos with eggs and cheese for everyone. We relaxed on the front lawn after breakfast, chatting and taking photos and throwing the ball for Fred Henry. We eventually all climbed into Ed’s vehicle for the drive to Castella. Fred Henry couldn’t decide where to sit and kept bouncing from lap to lap. It was a pretty drive, but I was tired from the late evening last night and drowsed in the back seat on the way.
Ed’s House
Fred Henry Loves Hikers!!
We arrived at the PCT junction with I-5 near Castella at around 11:00 am. We all gave Ed a warm hug and thanked him for his hospitality and his generosity. I thoroughly enjoyed my short stay at his house and I felt utterly at home with him. Ed is a kind soul and I hope to run into him again someday – maybe when we return to Seiad Valley to hike the section of trail that we missed.
On the Road to Castella!
It was a really hot day today – over 100 degrees – so we decided a siesta was in order to wait out the hottest part of the day. We hiked for less than a mile and came to a bridge over the Sacramento River. We crawled under the bridge to relax in the shade and cool down in the water. I’ve hung out under enough bridges at this point that I’m starting to feel like a troll. But in a good way 🙂
Back on the PCT! Road Walking to the Sacramento River Bridge.
I found a little action figure under the bridge. So I fastened him to my backpack and now I call him “Little Daniel” so that Daniel is with me where ever I go. Teehee.
Best Siesta EVER!
Little Daniel
We hiked out around 5:30 pm and began hiking uphill into Castle Crags State Park. Monarch and I decided to hike a little further than Tetris and SpiderMama as we needed to get some water. We found a nice secluded spot in the trees further up the hill and stopped hiking around 9:00 pm. I enjoyed hiking into the evening sometimes – and it’s easy to do now that the sun sets so late – but it does make it harder to get up early the next morning.
Entering Castle Crags State Park
Sunset over Castle Crags
As we made dinner I looked down next to my leg and saw a scorpion! Yikes! He was only 1-2 inches long and didn’t seem to want anything to do with me but it still freaked me out. It’s the first scorpion I’ve ever seen. I used a stick to move him away from my tentsite.
Argh! It’s a Scorpion!!
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 73 – Sunday June 25Â I-5 & Soda Creek Road Junction Mile 1498.7 to Mile 1491.1
PCT Miles Hiked Today: 7.6
Total PCT Miles Hiked: 816.1
Feet Ascended Today: 2852
Feet Descended Today: 572
Current Elevation: 4340
Steps: 24273
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail Blog page.
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