June 1: Whisky Springs to the Middle Fork of the Feather River— PCT miles 1230 to 1247

I do ept great, probably the best so far this trip. I must be getting accustomed to sleeping on my pad.

I got to watch an orange sunrise from within my tent. I felt lazy so I slept in a bit again, until 6. The morning was initially chilly, but quickly warmed up.

I rounded a corner and got my first glimpse of My Lassen! It’s the white thing that kinda looks like clouds:

I stopped at a small, shady spot for lunch and then napped a bit. I’m kinda liking this routine!

There are a lot of Western Fence Lizards on the trail that scurry off long before I can snap a picture. I did find a pair of Alligator Lizards that were either fighting or mating,

This afternoon I descended from about 6,500 feet to less than 3000 and watched the forest change from Douglas fir, Cedar and Hemlock, to Black Oak and Manzanita, to Live Oak and Dogwoods.

There were lots of flowers here:

I finally made it all the way down to the Feather River

The water looks a bit brown, but it is still Wash day! Everything gets washed except sleeping clothes. The river is moving fast , but I found a small cove where the current was weak. It felt wonderful to take a bath! I hung all my clothes out to dry overnight- it’s so warm down at this elevation, I don’t expect any problem.

The mosquitos here are the most I have seen, I think. I set up my tent, and was eating dinner when Hawkeye arrived. He is deaf and does not talk much, but he talked even less today: he quickly set up his tent and climbed in to get away from the mosquitos.

I finished dinner, climbed into my tent, and went on a killing spree to get rid of the dozens that followed me in.

Tomorrow is a killer day: up over 4,700 feet. These deep river valleys are brutal.

Thanks for reading!