You can sleep when you are dead.
~ Marilyn W.
Middle Fork of the Feather River to Buck’s Summit
18.8 miles
Strategy today:
-get up very early, forget about the fact that I got to sleep so late last night and it will still be very dark
-pack up fast
-climb out of the Feather River in the cool of the night (the PCT climbs 3,000 feet back up to the Sierra Crest)
-try to hitch a ride from Buck’s Summit to Quincy 18.8 miles away, call to get a ride home.
The gentle grade of the trail going up, frequent water sources, and the healthy forest made for a superior completion of this hike! The pesky gnats apparently do not get up for the day until later, so that worked BIG in my favor. All was GREAT! I didn’t see anyone on my last day and I had no real immediate obstacles and for the first time had some moments to think and reflect. Boy… what kept coming in my mind was… I can’t believe I pulled this whole thing off!
A couple of miles before my destination of this last day, I cleaned up at this cold, flowing spring so I wouldn’t look scary and be so sweaty and smelly. When I got to the highway, I stuck my thumb out and two great guys in a Land Rover picked me up. They were from Quincy and had lots of outstanding suggestions for food, a place to stay, and then dropped me off at the local Health Food Store, Quincy Natural Foods. I quickly bought bag of Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips and an Odwalla Green Drink and of course got lots of info from the helpful people working. They even called a couple of places for me to stay to check for vacancies and highly recommended the Courtyard Suites above the Alley Cat Cafe’ and Drunk Brush Wine Bar. Within a couple of hours I had eaten, had a very fancy place to stay, visited Rite-aid drug store to replace some important items I lost on the trail and bought a skirt, shirt, and flip-flops, had a shower, and was sitting sporting my new outfit in Pangaea Restaurant eating a salmon salad and drinking a glass of wine! Quincy is a magical place!!!!!
Hi Christy-or should I say crazy woman!, been following your courageous trek on the Pacific Coast Trail. It has been a treat to enjoy the scenery through your pictures and blogs. Good for you for tackling this arduous journey. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Brenda,
Thank you for reading along. It WAS an amazing adventure and truly surprising what one is lead to accomplish with an almost empty nest! 🙂 Hope your summer was great. See you soon!
CONGRATULATIONS, ROCKIN! I’m so happy for you and your accomplishment. I can’t wait to hear it all. I want to hear trail story after trail story and gear review after gear review and all the rest. What a spectacular journey. And how fun for us to get to follow along with you. God Bless You.
Thank you. Can’t wait to hear about the White Mountains and future plans. Tehachapi Mountain here we come.
God Bless You!
Rockin
I am so glad my daughter has finished her journey. I have worried and prayed a lot.It has been awesome to travel with you on your web sight. I hope we can see each other soon. Love, Mom
Congrats! I can’t believe it’s already over. My friend Adelaide aka Dressed in Dirt will be doing the full PCT next year and we’ve enjoyed following you on your journey. How did you like the Vapor Ki backpack? We are currently testing it out…Congrats and thanks for the inspiration!
I am working on a tips, what worked and what I would like to do next year upcoming blog entry. Thank you for following along and hope your recent trips were fantastic!
Rockin
YOU DID IT!! Unbelievable!! I can see your journey left a indelible memory that will change you forever. Can’t wait to take you to lunch and hear more about it in person. You choose the place. Call me when you’re up for lunch!
Leslie
Thank you for listening to all my stories and personal problems. You are the best friend!