July 9

1319-1333

In the morning we have to make a 0.5 mile detour off trail to reach a boggy water source.  Extra miles are antithetical to our world view, but the water is needed, so begrudgingly the extra mile is necessary.  

After 8 miles we reach a small concrete market that signifies we have walked half the distances of this trail.  From here it is equidistant to Mexico and to Canada along this trail.  

Truthfully we have walked far more than this for for water and resupply.  In the Sierra alone we totaled over 50 miles of side trails to reach a resupply point.  Though we have walked ½ the miles I would estimate we have completed ⅔ of th effort to finish this trail.  The snow and elevation and high peaks of the high sierra slowed or mileage to fractions of the miles that we will complete per day through northern California and oregon.  We are about a week ahead of where I was in 2013 on this trail, and I finished prior to September 1st.   There is easy trail ahead.  

It is customary to celebrate the halfway point with a meal in the town of Chester, CA.  We reach our access point in a few more miles and head to town where we resupply on food and clean up at the local shower and Laundromat.  

Our celebratory dinner is at a local Chinese restaurant, where we eat with Overboard.  

The gossip in town amongst hikers is about the wildfires burning on trail ahead of us.  There is a rapidly growing fire near the town of Etna that has closed 55 miles of the trail, with more closures expected soon.  There seem to be no suitable alternatives, so it is recommended hikers shuttle around the closure.  We have over a week until we get to this section, so we have some time gather information and make a decision.  

As night falls we are back on trail and we hike a mile to get to a somewhat suitable campsite.