Days 113 and 114, Flipping to the Sierra

Although thru-hikers aren't required to carry this particular permit, permits are required in national parks and some wilderness areas. The permit issued by the PCTA to thru-hikers covers all of these locations.

The permit changes were easily made but we still needed printed copies to carry with us on the trail, so we next drove to Ashland's public library to use a computer and printer.

On the way, a deer darted across the four-lane street and in front of our car. I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting it.

With permits now in hand, I dropped Sunkist and Bluejay off at the motel and then drove back to Callahan's Mountain Lodge to pick up Dave. He stayed there last night and we wanted to spend a little more time with him before we left for California.

Returning to Ashland, Dave and I picked up Bluejay and Sunkist, and then we ran more errands. We went to a local outfitter store, a sandwich shop for lunch, and a grocery store to resupply for the next part of the trail.

Then after Sunkist and Bluejay had a chance to sort and repackage their food, we went back to the post office so they could mail resupply boxes ahead. I didn't need to do that because I arranged for Kim to mail my boxes.

After all of that running around, Dave said he was ready to go back to Callahan's. Unable to convince him to continue hiking with us in California, we sadly said goodbye to him. I then drove him back to his hotel.

After I returned to Ashland, Sunkist, Bluejay, and I ended the day with dinner at Caldera Brewery.

The route we took went through the town of Weed. Thanks to California's legalization of marijuana, it's not surprising that the town was cashing in on its name. "I (Heart) Weed" signs and merchandise could be seen everywhere.

The town's name actually came from Abner Weed's name, who migrated to Northern California after the U. S. Civil War and started a lumber company.

A newspaper of the time described Weed as the "Sodom and Gomorrah of Siskiyou County," but today it seemed like any other sleepy small town.

Later, when our route took us to the much smaller town of Old Station, we saw a sign saying there were no services ahead for the next 51 miles. The time was just before 11 a.m., but we decided we should stop for lunch at a diner.

The PCT passes within two-tenths of a mile of Old Station. We figured we'd be stopping at the diner again when we return this way on the trail after finishing the Sierra.

The food was good but the staff was slow and disorganized today. I hoped for better service the next time we are there.

Getting back on the road, an approaching driver veered into my lane momentarily while trying to pass a vehicle in front. A few minutes later, another driver did the same thing.

After almost being t-boned and almost hitting a deer in Ashland, I was feeling like a moving target. Thankfully, we had no more incidents like that and were able to arrive safely in Truckee before 3 p.m.

The sleeping rooms of the hostel were also unusual. Each bed was like a sleeper berth in an old train, which provided more privacy than most hostels.

I often prefer to stay in a motel instead of a hostel, but this place was so unique I was glad we stayed here.

After dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hostel, we returned to our bunks. We went to bed early because we will resume our hike tomorrow.

We're about to see a big change of scenery compared to Washington and Oregon, but that's not all that will change.

By now I probably should have seen that change coming, but I didn't.