Memories from July 8
Today was basically just a long walk in the woods. The consistency and density of the trees on such steep hillsides creates rich, inspiring views.
It was a ton of fun walking behind Short Shorts for a bit this morning. He was wearing long pants but with the hat, flannel shirt, rolled sleeping mat, and guitalelly, he cut hilarious mashup of hiker cowboy.
Around noon there was a ridge walk. More sweeping views.
The trail was easy and as the afternoon wore on, I decided to try to get running. I have this conceit that I’ll be able to turn myself into a long distance trail runner on the PCT. I discovered that hiking and running are surprisingly different and so was pretty easily winded. It was fun crashing through the overgrown trail for probably a half mile.
Later, I ran the 2.5 miles of pleasantly graded downhill to the Middle Fork of the Feather River. One hiker screamed when they heard me coming up behind them. I guess I run like a bear. The bridge (sorry, no pic) is high above the river and very sturdy so it made a nice place to stretch and relax before the others showed up.
Isaac Takes A Hike 