Update from Chester

We're in Chester. We got here yesterday morning after hiking in from Belden. Last Saturday we left Hiker Haven and got back on trail at 7PM. We didn't WANT to, but we hiked until after 9PM and made it to "Williams Cabin Site", just a campsite where there used to be a cabin, that, ironically, burnt down several years ago. There were 3 weekend hikers there that were heading back down to Belden the following day and so we camped with them. We woke up the next morning and it was a little smokey where we were and it was obviously coming from somewhere down below us. We didn't think TOO much of it and we just continued to climb up towards 7000 feet or so. We had though that Minor and Magic Bag, who also left Belden when we did, had passed us by because we weren't going very fast and we hadn't seen them since the night before. As it turns out, they didn't make it quite as far as we did, and because the fire was much worse than he had thought, they were instructed by the Forest Service folks to head back down to Belden. So we were alone, all alone, but we didn't really know it. The trail that we hiked is still closed and the fire has grown to over 1000 acres. The following couple of days made us raise suspicion because we saw NOBODY, and the day after we left Belden we only did 13 miles. All we could do was keep hiking. At Humboldt rd there was a sign letting people know that the trail was closed Southbound to Belden, and by the time we made it to the Highway leading into Chester, there was another sign saying that the trail was now closed from THERE all the way back to Belden. Wow, we really WERE ALL ALONE out there. Kinda cool.

Along this stretch we hit the PCT midpoint. An unassuming little post in the ground marking the halfway point between Mexico and Canada. How are you supposed to feel at that moment. It's a massive accomplishment to have hiked some 1326.6 miles (to that point) but also a little daunting knowing you have the same distance ahead of you. It took a little over 3 months to get us halfway, but hopefully only another two months to finish this thing off. The terrain is SO much easier to walk and the climbs are nothing compared to the Sierra, and the temperature, although warming up, is nothing compared to the desert. Twenty five to thirty mile days are going to become the new norm, and there aren't so many places to hang out for a while. Oregon will be a smash fest to get through. I found this strategy that keeps you more or less on trail for the entire state. When we get to Ashland, the first, and biggest town on trail, we'll buy all of our food for the state and then mail full resupplies to 5 places that are right on trail. This means no fussing with going into towns to buy food or to go to the post office.

So we're ABOUT to start putting in big days, buuuuut we're kind of stuck here in Chester for a few more days. Julia's foot has been bothering her for almost 2 weeks now and is pretty swollen. We came into Chester to go to the doctor and get it looked at. We got that done yesterday and as it turns out, after some x-rays and visits and the doc's office and hospital, it turns out she's got tendonitis. So the prescription is rest, 800mg of ibuprofin three times a day and a regimen of heat and cold application. Oh well, the Olympics are on, I guess we'll have to stay and watch.

Oh, we also went to the Kopper Kettle here in town. It's highly recommended and for good reason. I watched Julia smash back a plate of pancakes that has me believing in her ability to take down the big pancake challenge up in Seiad Valley, AND she ate a LARGE cinnamon bun (like 5 inch diameter) on top of that. Colour me impressed.

I'm also beardless. I went to the barber today and had the lady touch up the mohawk and shave my beard clean off. I almost didn't recognize myself and my wife thought I looked different than before I had the beard. So maybe I'll keep it clean, or maybe I'll grow it out again. We'll see.