INTO SEIAD VALLEY
PCT DAY 94: Mile 1639.2 – Mile 1656
Saturday July 16, 2016: 16.8 miles (26.9km)
It was not a pleasant hike as we were deep in a river valley for the first 8 miles and then on a road. There were several crossings of Grinder Creek where bridges have been washed out. For the first crossing we took our shoes off to cross. For the second one Hammer walked over a log. I couldn’t contemplate trying a log crossing with a dodgy ankle so I walked through the creek in my shoes. The river at this point was not deep or fast flowing.
The miles into a town are always the slowest miles. Time seems to slow down and miles drag on. Today it seemed even more so. The last 6 miles in full sun with the heat reflecting off the asphalt were some of the most uncomfortable for both us. Temperature got to 93°F (35°C). Apparently a mild day in Seiad Valley.
Klamath River flows through the valley.
Love the canvas tent at this farmhouse.
We made it by 11am, an hour before the post office opened, mission accomplished. It was very very nice to reach Seiad Valley Cafe and General Store. There is not much to Seiad Valley. A small RV park is located next to the Post Office, which is located next door to the General Store and Cafe. That is it.
Nice staff at the cafe.
After the obligatory burger and chocolate milkshake from the cafe, we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting at a picnic table under a shady tree waiting for the temperature to dip before getting back out there. The cafe left their WiFi on after they closed at 2pm so we could catch up on the blog and emails. It was very generous of them. With hungry hikers all logged in at the same time, the WiFi was struggling to keep up. There has been so much bad news lately, both personal and global. It seems that since Sonora Pass everytime we’ve come into town and caught up on the news there has been some sad and tragic event. But in Seiad Valley we also had some good news. Our nephew was home after a 7 month deployment in the Middle East with the Australian Navy. Great to see the family reunited after such a long absence.
Too hot to do much more.
Welcome home Jake.
We finally left town around 8pm. It was still hot and it did not take long to break into a sweat as we headed uphill from the highway. We only made it a couple of miles before stopping to camp. But we escaped the vortex.