[pct-l] Sierra City, and beyond...

[judson at jeffnet.org (Judson Brown)]

Some updates to Yogi's info for Sierra City:

resupply: the store is not quite as well-provisioned this year. I heard it
underwent yet another change of ownership, but I'm didn't confirm this.
Resupplying there was fairly difficult. Also, the is no longer an ATM, nor
is there anywhere else in town. Use cash or have plastic. And the phone in
front doesn't take coins for l.d. calls. They do, however, sell phone cards
inside.

restaurants: the Buckhorn had darned good food and a waitress evened rented
out an apartment upstairs to us- $75/night.

internet: the very small library is only open Tues. and Thurs. I didn't
catch the opening time, but it closes at 3.

For those interested in getting an early start on the big climb out, there
are flat spaces to sleep directly on the trail in the 1st mile. And if
you're picking an ending spot for the 1st day out of town, the A-tree would
make sense because of its distance from Hwy. 49 (22 mi.), but camping there
is sub-standard. It's a major dirt road intersection, and the only flat
spaces are in the roads. Past that, campsites are few. There is a saddle
about a mile north of there, on the climb to McRae Ridge, that could fit a
couple of tents.

And don't stop hanging that food just yet... locals assured me this area is
infested with bears, and Wise Owl said he saw one in the middle of the day
on the W. Branch Nelson Cr.

It is important to note that the trail never actually goes too near this
creek. It stays quite a bit above it. There are 2 or 3 creeks big enough to
filter from which cross the trail between here and the
Johnsville-Gibsonville Rd. Use those.

Lastly, past Mt. Etna, where trailside water becomes non-existent, the
guidebook mentions a jeep road at a saddle leading to 2 springs, about 1/2
mi. past the nameless lake on the left. There was no jeep road to be seen,
much less any springs. Don't pin your hopes on these.

I have other info on the stretch from ELR to Quincy if you're interested.

Judson
Ashland