AN AUSSIE KIND OF SUMMERS DAY

PCT DAY 75: Mile 1247 – Mile 1261
Monday June 27, 2016:  16.7 miles (15 PCT + 2.7 road walk to Bucks Lake) (26.7 km)

Since leaving Tahoe it has been getting warmer and warmer. I love waking up to the warmth of the morning. And today it is a humid warmth, just like Sydney – my hometown, is in summer. We were camped by a branch of the Feather River and where we camped the river was gentle flowing. Just a nice rhythm to lull you to sleep. Not the loud roar of snow melt flow we’ve had in the Sierras which struck fear in the pit of my stomach.

This morning we faced a long hike out of the Feather River valley, around 10 miles and about 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Just like yesterday afternoon when we descended into the valley, the ascent of the valley was a very silent experience. The crunching sound of our feet on the trail and our laboured breathing accompanied the occasional tweet of birdsong and the hum of the ever industrious bees.

As we neared the summit of the climb at Lookout Rock there was a gentle cooling breeze blowing. This climate was all so familiar to an Australian summer in the ‘high’ country. We enjoyed a rather leisurely lunch at the lookout before descending down to the road and the short walk into Bucks Lake.

We planned to resupply here before heading off towards Chester. The Haskins Store had a good choice of hiker meals and snacks. It was late afternoon when we arrived and such a beautiful warm day. Made me wish I was on holidays here rather then just passing through.  We spent a bit of time at the store recharging our battery, drinking beer and chatting to the locals coming into the store. They did not give out their WiFi code so it was not possible to get an internet connection. It was late afternoon before we headed out to find a campsite.

We were passing the Bucks Lake Lodge when a lady parking her car invited us in for a free beer. A burger and a beer later and a chat to a few locals and we were good to go. We were looking for a campsite near the Bucks Lake Resort so we could go in there for breakfast in the morning and hopefully an internet connection. On the way out we passed a shuttered up and derelict  house by the lake  and decided to camp in their backyard.   It is so lovely to be by the water. It is warm, the sun is still shining and there is a sound of splashing  of a swimmer coming into shore and distant hum of a  motor boat. It was a pretty special spot.