Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - July 19th
Day 94: Friday 19th July Squaw Valley Lake – Kettlebelly Ridge
I didn’t sleep so well as normal last night. Car campsites tend to be overused and
harder and stonier, therefore less comfortable, than “stealth” sites in the woods,
where the leaf litter on the ground adds surprisingly to the comfort levels. I woke late
feeling a slight strain in my side, probably from an uncomfortable sleeping position. By
the time I had burnt my rubbish, including the book I finished last night, and much of
the litter around the site, I didn’t get away until 8am. My hips were now feeling rather
sore from carrying the heavy rucksack for so many days, but I found a towel lying
down by the creek and used it as additional padding for my hip-belt for the remainder
of the hike.
Squaw Valley Creek is an old creek, which was flowing before the mountains
through which it now flows, started to form millions of years ago. As these mountains
rose the creek cut through them maintaining its former big catchment area.
Eventually the developing Mount Shasta blocked off many of its feeder streams
explaining why such a small creek had cut such a deep canyon.
I got occasional glimpses of Mount Shasta through the trees, as I climbed out of
the canyon. This huge stratovolcano at 14,162ft dominated the surroundings. It had
developed over tens of thousands of years and is dormant at the moment, but it is
known to have erupted six times in the past 2000 years. The smaller Black Butte, to its
west, looking like a giant slagheap, is a volcanic plug and, like Mount Lassen, it would
have formed in a few years about 10,000 years ago.
After reaching the highest point on the Girard Ridge, the trail does a pointless 2-
mile contour leg before doubling back to start the 2,5000ft drop down to Interstate 5.
Sometimes you get the impression that the trail construction teams were being paid by
the mile and they wanted to get well paid! Castle Crags, the first granite outcrops in
this volcanic land since Belden, were visible across the Highway. The sound of traffic
was already disturbing the quiet of the wilderness.
It was early evening by the time I had completed the descent, crossed the
Sacramento River and the Highway and picked up the supply bag I had left hanging in
the woods. It was still hot enough at 7pm to be sitting naked in the shade while I
cooked dinner. I wanted to get away from the Highway to camp, so I climbed the lower
slopes of Kettlebelly Ridge and stopped, as it was getting dark.
I woke up at 1.30am and made myself a cup of tea. It was still about 80ºF in my
tent and I was still sleeping on, rather than in my sleeping bag. The torch bulb on my
little maglite torch blew yet again. I had got through about 10 bulbs so far on this trip
and decided I needed to get a better-designed torch when I resupply at Ashland.
Replacing the bulb in the dark was very fiddly, but I had become quite expert at it.
Day 94: 18.7 miles 7.37 hours Camp: Kettlebelly Ridge
I didn’t sleep so well as normal last night. Car campsites tend to be overused and
harder and stonier, therefore less comfortable, than “stealth” sites in the woods,
where the leaf litter on the ground adds surprisingly to the comfort levels. I woke late
feeling a slight strain in my side, probably from an uncomfortable sleeping position. By
the time I had burnt my rubbish, including the book I finished last night, and much of
the litter around the site, I didn’t get away until 8am. My hips were now feeling rather
sore from carrying the heavy rucksack for so many days, but I found a towel lying
down by the creek and used it as additional padding for my hip-belt for the remainder
of the hike.
Squaw Valley Creek is an old creek, which was flowing before the mountains
through which it now flows, started to form millions of years ago. As these mountains
rose the creek cut through them maintaining its former big catchment area.
Eventually the developing Mount Shasta blocked off many of its feeder streams
explaining why such a small creek had cut such a deep canyon.
I got occasional glimpses of Mount Shasta through the trees, as I climbed out of
the canyon. This huge stratovolcano at 14,162ft dominated the surroundings. It had
developed over tens of thousands of years and is dormant at the moment, but it is
known to have erupted six times in the past 2000 years. The smaller Black Butte, to its
west, looking like a giant slagheap, is a volcanic plug and, like Mount Lassen, it would
have formed in a few years about 10,000 years ago.
After reaching the highest point on the Girard Ridge, the trail does a pointless 2-
mile contour leg before doubling back to start the 2,5000ft drop down to Interstate 5.
Sometimes you get the impression that the trail construction teams were being paid by
the mile and they wanted to get well paid! Castle Crags, the first granite outcrops in
this volcanic land since Belden, were visible across the Highway. The sound of traffic
was already disturbing the quiet of the wilderness.
It was early evening by the time I had completed the descent, crossed the
Sacramento River and the Highway and picked up the supply bag I had left hanging in
the woods. It was still hot enough at 7pm to be sitting naked in the shade while I
cooked dinner. I wanted to get away from the Highway to camp, so I climbed the lower
slopes of Kettlebelly Ridge and stopped, as it was getting dark.
I woke up at 1.30am and made myself a cup of tea. It was still about 80ºF in my
tent and I was still sleeping on, rather than in my sleeping bag. The torch bulb on my
little maglite torch blew yet again. I had got through about 10 bulbs so far on this trip
and decided I needed to get a better-designed torch when I resupply at Ashland.
Replacing the bulb in the dark was very fiddly, but I had become quite expert at it.
Day 94: 18.7 miles 7.37 hours Camp: Kettlebelly Ridge
Mount Shasta
Sacremento River
Camp
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