July 11th
For a few minutes after leaving camp this morning we walked along a ridge with views of the high plateaus around us as well as the Sierra Buttes, which lie ahead. The buttes are like a small sailing ship whose mast and sails rise ever so slightly yet prominently above the horizon of the ocean. The surrounding mountains are like the seas whose surface is rippled with waves, but which overall gives way to the horizon as a relatively even surface.
Then we start dropping toward a reservoir. Soon we are in the trees and we never really leave them as we continue a gradual descent for about 15 miles into Sierra City. One of the hardest things about hiking the trail for the second time is trying to NOT just re-live the same experiences that I recall from before, but to rather let them unfold fresh and new, unburdened by the expectations from old memories which are selective at best.
Still it is hard to know what lies ahead and not feel a let down now that we have moved out of the High Sierra. Having hiked the trail before the mystery of the unknown is gone. This helps avoid some hardships; but, of course, it also removes the imagination, the wonderment of discovery and some of the motivation of trying to find what unique joys might be possessed by these less scenic sections.
Of course, there are lots of wonderful places coming up and I try to imagine that they will be nicer than I remember, that somehow these memories were overshadowed by Sierra memories and that now I will be thrilled by places overlooked or long forgotten. At least that is what I’m hoping to find. Still, I am “steeling” myself for the many less spectacular miles ahead, miles which I know we will need to pound out at a faster pace and put down behind us to stay on schedule.
We come across a welcome cache of water and Gatorade near Jackson Meadow reservoir. The day has turned HOT, the first time in over a month that we would complain about heat. And even at this hour of the morning the cache is a pleasant and delightful surprise.
We are within a couple miles of the highway into Sierra City when we cross Minter Creek and the Buttes appear on the far side of a clearing. We are so much closer now that they rise almost straight up above us. Now they appear more like a high-rise building reaching to scrape against the sky. The open hillside shows off the trail of our future which switchbacks towards the top of the Buttes. Tomorrow we we tackle that challenge.
Today we will head into Sierra City. Just as we reach the road, a car pulls up with Tigger, Strut and Trainwreck. Their host, Nancy, is returning them to the trail. None of them are too eager to start hiking in this heat, so we all sit around awhile getting caught up on trail and town news.
We catch a ride into Sierra City with Nancy. First stop is the store for cold drinks. Toeck, a thru hiker from the Netherlands and Ruth a hiker who has just started from Echo Lake are already there.
We settle into a two bedroom cabin with Ruth, shower and take in a passable rendition of an “ayce” Mexican buffet at the bar. Peach Cobbler dessert at the restaurant does a better job of satisfying the Carrot’s craving for food.
