Etna to Ashland
DAY 115 (August 25)
To Marble Valley Campground
24.1 miles
Hitching out of Edna in the morning is not as easy as we thought. After almost one hour standing in front of the Hiker Hut hostel, 2 young guys stop and give us a ride back to the summit. They are doing a study on one of the rivers in the area and are on the way “into the field”.
Although I often find it hard to get into the rhythm after a town day, the first 10 miles pass by relatively rapidly. The afternoon is not that easy: a lot of steep up and downs over rocks and stairs. Very exhausting but we manage to do 24 miles in the end. Not bad for a day with a late start! And we see mama bear and a cub down in the meadow on the last 2 miles before arriving at camp!
DAY 116 (August 26) | Oregon I can feel you
To Grider Creek Campground
25.7 miles
The day starts with a few ups and downs and then a steeper climb before it gets pretty flat. It is a beautiful walk - partly shady, partly sunny - and I suddenly feel very happy to be on this trail still. From now on it will be gradually going downhill until Seiad Valley.
Walking is very easy and I decide to have breakfast after not more than 10 miles under a giant tree. A female southbound hiker joins and I ask her about the steep climb coming up after Seiad Valley. She had done it both ways already (did trail northbound last year) and says it's “hell both ways” but doable.
Leapfrogging with Mishap and Jazzman all afternoon. The trail follows the Grider Creek all afternoon and while Mishap decides to stay a bit further up the river (and I guess Bubble Boy might too), I decide to go to the last campground before Seiad Valley where I met King Arthur again and a few Southbounders. Still, 7 miles to go into town including quite a bit of road walking.
DAY 117 (August 27) | Seiad Valley
To Tentsite mile 1671
24.1 miles
Easy walk into Seiad Valley. I leave camp at 6.15 and get there by 8 am. The last 1.5 miles are road walk on a highway without much traffic at that time. When I reach the bridge over the Klamath River, I hear a car approaching and turn around. A guy with a pickup truck (and a big dog on the passenger seat) stops and with his hand makes a gesture inviting me to hop on in the back. I do so and within 5 minutes I am in town at the RV park which is right next to the general store and post office. Some hikers hang out there; Sunshine and Jammin whom I haven't seen since Reds Meadows and a few others.
It is Seiad day today, some kind of festival in the tiny town. With some other hikers, I head to the fire station where there is breakfast: pancakes and coffee for just 1 dollar.
I want to leave as soon as possible in order to start the upcoming big climb before it gets very hot but I chat here and there with some hikers and locals and I finally leave town at 11.
It is a long and partly steep climb, 5.000ft elevation gain over 5 miles, but not as hard as initially expected. I arrive at the top at 3 p.m. and then continue to walk another 12 miles.
When I set up my tent, I notice the difference in temperature: yesterday so hot that I did not want to use either my sleeping bag or sleeping clothes, today I gladly use both.
DAY 117 (August 28) | Oregon Calling
I wake up and it smells like there is some campfire around but it seems that this still is yesterday's forest fire. Does that mean that it has not been successfully extinguished?
As I walk further up and get a few into the valley, it is completely covered with clouds. Or is that smoke? Or a mix of both?
After my morning break at 10.30, I start flying: only 9 miles left to the California-Oregon-border!
I reach the border (which is basically a sign nailed onto a tree) at 3.30 p.m. I check the register and see that Listen & Squirrel had passed about a week ago. That's so funny to see because I had completely forgotten about them and then this morning I was wondering if they were still on trail.
Initially, I wanted to have lunch right there but there is not much space to sit so I walk a bit further up the trail until I find a nice spot below a tree. There are two or three yellow jackets but I think they will not be a problem. One is repeatedly flying under my skirt though and I take extra care not to close my legs but at one point it stings me in the back of my upper leg.
There are no campsites indicated in guthocks for the next few miles but I find a spot after a ridge with two other northbound hikers around 7.30 p.m.
As the sun goes down, the sky turns into a mix of purple-dark-pink-grey due to the fire in the other valley.
