July 5

1238-1264

Today we descend to below 3,000 feet for the first time in months, and we are concerned about how hot it will be that low.

The trail is destroyed throughout this section from the 2021 Dixie Fire that torched this entire area. The Dixie fire is the largest single source fire in California history, and the single most expensive fire from a firefighting perspective, burning 965,000 acres and costing 637 million to suppress.

It burned for 3 months before being contained.

There exists no trail any longer, the entire area is littered with dead trees and bushy, post fire, growth.

POV- It is 102 degrees. You are descending to the middle fork of the feather river on the PCT. There is no shade. The trail has been destroyed by fire and you stumble over deadfall and heavy brush, banging your shins on unseen obstacles and falling over constantly. You chose this. This is your vacation.

Mercifully we get to the Feather River and find a beautiful swimming hole to jump into.

The climb out of the river is 8 miles uphill, and we spend a few hours dipping in and out of the water before tackling the climb.

Up top we find a large field of thimbleberries and another piped spring to cool down with.

We will be walking through the charred remains from the Dixie Fire over the next week, as the heatwave persists throughout the west.