[pct-l] About time

[Brian Lewis]

On Oct 3rd, Piper's Mom wrote:
"The last 5 miles of fire-closed PCT is open from Belden to Highway 36
near Chester in Nor Cal.   Lassen NF staff wasn't really up on the
situation, but
 the consensus was that the trail is open if you stay on the trail and
don't wander off into the forest"

Arrgghh!   I hiked out of Belden on Oct 3rd --- doing the road walk,
because everything I could find up to that point said that the trail
was still closed.  I finished today (yay, I guess I'm a thru-hiker
now?), walking around by road to where the PCT crosses at
Highway 36, and I'm now comfortably ensconced in a motel in Chester.
BTW, the Timber House Lodge is much upgraded from what's listed in
Yogi's book --- very nice.

Anyway, the signs at the PCT trailhead in Belden still said "closed"
on the morning of the 3rd, and this afternoon the sign at the
trailhead facing south from highway 36 also said it's still closed.
In fact, at one point when I crossed one of numerous roads between
Sierra City and Belden a few days ago a sign was still up from much
earlier telling me that the trail was closed from that point
northwards --- fortunately I knew that wasn't the case.

I don't mean to grumble at our government officials too much, but
after doing the road walk out of Big Bear earlier this year, I was
already somewhat torqued off, feeling a bit penalized for being such a
law-abiding type (after hearing how not-serious that closure seemed to
be treated, including by those one would more expect to enforce it.

Oh well.  I'm done at any rate; time to go home and start getting fat!  :-)

BTW, I got a call from my earlier hiking partner J.B. who finished the
same day I did (today), but he was hiking with Slider and Flippy and
so did things in a somewhat different order and ended up doing his
very last bit southbound from Sierra City to Donner Pass, where he is
tonight.  He mentioned getting snowed on, though he was grateful that
none of it was sticking.  Me, I just got loads of rain ...

J.B., btw, is IMO an inspiration to all of us for how strong and tough
a person can be even when by earlier standards they're "getting old".
 And today I met for the second time a south-bounding 71-year-old who
was doing the same road walk I was!

Gadget, '08
    http://postholer.com/brianle