Day 99, Good Morning from Etna

Part 3, Northern California, Day 99

Good Morning from Etna

Miles: 11.07

Total Miles: 1608.32

Days 95-99 Are up

Last night I tried to sleep on the lawn of Alderbrook Manor and it sucked. I slept maybe 3 hours. The neighbor kids were throwing some rave party with strobe lights and electrical music. Damn teenagers... This noise happened to cause every dog in Etna to bark all night. I still woke up at 6:30 because I'm used to it. I'm finding that I sleep so much better on the trail than in town. Here's Alderbrook Manor. Us hikers aren't allowed to be visible to the inn guests.

I chose an old mountain bike from the rack and pedaled the short distance into town. 

Etna is a very small town that looks like it belongs in a different era. The town is very friendly towards hikers. 

Unfortunately, many businesses are closed, like this one:

I went inside this museum:

The old lady inside was sitting quietly in a rocking chair staring at the door when I came in. She must not get many visitors, because she treated me like I was the last person on Earth. Fascinating history though. 

Here's Main Street:

I stopped in the thrift store, which had cool stuff, but I can't afford the weight.

I pedaled to Bob's Ranch House, where I went last night.

I must apologize, because I had this inspired cheeseburger last night and failed to take a pic. To make up for it, here's my breakfast:

The food was great. The orange really just confused matters; if I want fruit, I'll order it. I ate with Pensioner, who just retired as a professor at UC Davis. When I was done here, I sat and typed up the week's blogs. I have a new solar charger, so I can go back to typing each night again.

I rode to the store to buy resupply food.

I found Roadwalker inside! He's the guy who interviewed me back at Sonora Pass. He's also a professor. 

After this, I rode my bike around and saw Raingear with Chris and Brawny, the very first two hikers I met on this trip.

In fact, lots of hikers were sitting around waiting for a hitch up the hill. 

We talked to an old man riding a scooter. He was a cool dude.

I went back to the hiker hut to pack up and take a shower. By this time, the Europeans had shown up along with Julien, a hiker from France.

Dana and I were headed back to the trail, but we took our time. I was so tempted to walk down to the motel and zero, but tired as I was, I had to get back to the trail. I left by myself and waited for a hitch. There was no traffic. After 30 minutes, a man named  Frank picked me up and dropped me at Etna summit.

It was 2:30pm and I was about to hike. These two men were sitting in a jeep and got out to talk to me. They were beyond hammered. They offered me beer and a joint, but I declined. They were actually making me a bit nervous because they started to get weird and didn't want me leave. The guy even pulled out a big knife and things got awkward. only half-amused, I walked away, happy to be back on the trail. 

I was tired, but the day was so nice. Zero clouds. It was nice to be back in complete freedom. I entered the Marble Mountain Wilderness.

I signed the trail register.

I couldn't believed how beautiful the trail was today. I'm going to miss NorCal so much it hurts. But I know where I want to come back too now and spend more time. 

The trail was mainly one glorious ridge walk.

You can see how the trail barely hugs the mountain side.

Make no mistake about it people; we're in Bigfoot Country. I'll be sure to report any findings directly to this blog.

Today was a lovely afternoon.

I made camp in front of this view. I can see Shasta, which is always a plus. It's very cold here, so I will probably sleep well.

Dana showed up and we hung out for a bit, but she hiked a few more miles to camp at water. 

I cooked ramen again. It tasted good, but doesn't offer much fuel for a hiker. 

Here's a bag of Doritos. These offer a shitload of needed calories.

Well, it's so cold that I'm shivering. Time to jump into my sleeping bag. Goodnight friends!