Today’s Miles: 22
Total Trip Miles: 884
I grimace this morning as I drink my protein/coffee. I only have unflavored protein left, and without chocolate or vanilla flavor, it’s pretty brutal. I’m doing a little road walk and will link back up with the PCT shortly. It’s my last day of hiking before I get to Ashland tonight, and take at least one official zero tomorrow. All the NOBO’s keep talking about how great Ashland is and everyone I have talked to seems to have spent at least 3 days there. I booked a hostel for 2 nights.
I enter an area called Green Springs via the PCT. A sign says that it served as an oasis for travelers in the past with its hundreds of fresh water springs, green glades, and lush meadows. As I walk it now, it ducks in and out of gated private property signs. It’s an amazing feat to have accomplished a continuous path from Mexico to Canada, with all of the logistics of weaving through and around private property. Also, hats off to the folks who have signed off to allow the trail to cut through their land.
Even though it’s called Green Springs, lots of the brush around me is dead and dry. It reminds me of some, not all, but some of the trails near my hometown in the Central Coast that don’t get a lot of rain. While the miles into Ashland are unspectacular, they are pretty mellow.
The trail doesn’t actually bring you right into the town Ashland, but rather drops you at a lodge called Callahan’s, which sits about 10 miles outside of Ashland. There is a list of trail angels to text or call that will offer rides into Ashland. I text one, and then order a meal from the lodge. With my meal comes a free beer, as Callahan’s gives all thru-hikers a free beer. It tastes cold and delicious.
A trail angel named Ed texts me and tells me he will pick me up and bring me into Ashland. He arrives some time after I finish eating and drops me off in the hostel I’m staying at for the next two nights. When I arrive to the hostel, it’s to my surprise, full of hikers. There is a bubble of hikers in Ashland, as many are arriving here having skipped up from Etna/Seiad Valley due to the Dixie Fire.
I talk to many of them and then move on to taking care of chores, such as laundry, washing food items, and rummaging through the resupply box in the hostel. When I’m done with these things, I’m tired, and after a bite to eat, I’m ready for a bed. I’m sharing a room with 3 others, 2 of them hikers. Only the top bunk is left and it squeaks as I climb up. The bottoms of my feet feel every step and I’m happy to be met with the soft mattress waiting for me at the top. The air conditioner runs noisily in the room, drowning out any noises from other sleepers.
