Yolla Bolly Wilderness

Again we hike in a hot, dusty burned area. My notes from previous hikers blogs say that the first four miles are a rough trail, but then there is good trail after that. We haven't seen good trail since the first mile or two on the first day, so we are looking forward to it.

I've been assiduously taking care of my feet, taking off my shoes at every break and rotating to dry socks. This morning I was less careful and blisters showed up on the pad of the forefoot. My feet blister easily and I haven't had a hike yet without some challenge so this is nothing unusual. I start taping the blisters and resume rotating socks, keeping one pair hanging on the back of my pack to air out and dry.

I have new shoes on this hike, Altras Lone Peak 3.0.  I think I am going to really like them. They are lightweight trail runners, and the mesh upper will dry quickly. The unique feature I love is the enormous toe-box. I'm hoping that helps limit the blisters.

After the first four miles, we watch for the trail to improve. Instead, a nasty prickly bush has grown thick in the open burn areas. We spend the 100F afternoon in a burn with exposed southern exposure, pushing through the overgrown brush. At first, it is just annoying but mile after mile takes a toll on our legs as the scratches mount. Eventually, the number of scratches is impossible to count and the skin becomes hypersensitive to even slight pressure.

Neither WILDCAT nor I have personalities that experience many emotional highs or lows. We just accept whatever life tosses our way, so here's the conversation that ensued.

     "WILDCAT, I know you don't do grumpy, but if you did this might be a good time for it."
     "Yep, I could imagine feeling grumpy here."

We finally pushed through the last prickly bush and exited the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness at the Low Gap trailhead onto a remote Forest Road.  The road is a very welcome upgrade from the burned, overgrown wilderness trail. Since this is a wet year and some unreliable creeks have been flowing, we banked on getting water at one of the three streams in the first mile of the road. We were a bit concerned when the first one was dry, but the second was flowing well.

It was now late afternoon, and we have hiked just nine miles. We are getting pretty anxious about the slow pace of the hike and WILDCAT's fixed completion date. We have an itinerary for 24 hiking days with three extra days to insert as needed. We have already burned one of our three extra days and do not want to burn another one so early in the hike. WILDCAT has a good idea. Let's rest in the shade by the creek, cook our dinners now, and then hike on in the cool evening. Water is uncertain from here for the next ten miles, so this lets us avoid lugging enough water to cook tonight.

Rested, fed, and cooled we make quick work of six miles on the forest road. There is no traffic, so the hiking is enjoyable. After a few miles we discovered why there is no traffic - a massive down tree blocks the road. We just toss our sleeping bags on the side of the road and sleep.

14 miles to the creek just beyond Low Gap trailhead, to mile 31.