Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - July 21st
Day 96: Sunday 21st July
NW slopes of Castle Crags – above Toad Lake
Even after spending time burning rubbish, I was still away by 7am. I picked up 5
litres of water from a small creeklet and continued climbing through clear-cut, taken
over by brush. There were fantastic views of Castle Crags and later Mount Shasta,
seemingly floating on the haze in the valleys.
The carnivorous California Pitcher Plant was growing in a few damp meadows.
Insects are attracted by the smell of nectar from inside the cobra-shaped head and enter
inside. Once inside, numerous down-pointing hairs discourage escape, and the insects
are digested by bacteria and small invertebrates in the fluid at the tubular base, before
the plant absorbs the juices.
There were a lot of Steller’s Jays on today’s route. The most ubiquitous bird on the
trail was the finch-like Dark-eyed Junco, which comes in a wide variety of colourations.
I was hoping to get to the beautiful Porcupine Lake for water, dinner and a swim, and
then to continue a few more miles. Storm clouds had been building up since early
afternoon and by the time I got to Porcupine Lake it was very windy and the
temperature was dropping and there was thunder and lightning on the ridge just ahead.
Having climbed to 7,000ft I was back into glaciated terrain and the lake was a classic
mountain tarn set in a steep cliff-faced corrie. Already camped at Porcupine Lake was
Geoff, “Rogue”. Surprisingly he was the first person I had seen all day, despite walking
through magnificent scenery on a Sunday in summer. “Rogue” had attempted the PCT
last year, leaving Campo in early May and reaching Kennedy Meadows by June 20th. He
then pulled a back muscle at Cottonwood Pass and had to pull out at Kearsarge Lakes.
He was off the trail for a month and then continued up to Castle Crags. This year he
was intending to complete the route and he had just started out again a couple of days
ago. He was carrying too much food and gave me a packet of Tuna (In the USA tuna is
sold in foil packets rather than in tins). He was carrying a fishing rod, but not having
any luck in these over-fished lakes.
I left Porcupine Lake at 7pm and stopped an hour later by a small spring just
beyond Toad Lake. There was a brief shower, as I was putting up my tent, but
fortunately it didn’t develop and I was able to watch a big storm over Mount Shasta,
with the setting sun producing a double rainbow against the black clouds.
Day 96: 19.6 miles 8.33 hours Camp: above Toad Lake
NW slopes of Castle Crags – above Toad Lake
Even after spending time burning rubbish, I was still away by 7am. I picked up 5
litres of water from a small creeklet and continued climbing through clear-cut, taken
over by brush. There were fantastic views of Castle Crags and later Mount Shasta,
seemingly floating on the haze in the valleys.
The carnivorous California Pitcher Plant was growing in a few damp meadows.
Insects are attracted by the smell of nectar from inside the cobra-shaped head and enter
inside. Once inside, numerous down-pointing hairs discourage escape, and the insects
are digested by bacteria and small invertebrates in the fluid at the tubular base, before
the plant absorbs the juices.
There were a lot of Steller’s Jays on today’s route. The most ubiquitous bird on the
trail was the finch-like Dark-eyed Junco, which comes in a wide variety of colourations.
I was hoping to get to the beautiful Porcupine Lake for water, dinner and a swim, and
then to continue a few more miles. Storm clouds had been building up since early
afternoon and by the time I got to Porcupine Lake it was very windy and the
temperature was dropping and there was thunder and lightning on the ridge just ahead.
Having climbed to 7,000ft I was back into glaciated terrain and the lake was a classic
mountain tarn set in a steep cliff-faced corrie. Already camped at Porcupine Lake was
Geoff, “Rogue”. Surprisingly he was the first person I had seen all day, despite walking
through magnificent scenery on a Sunday in summer. “Rogue” had attempted the PCT
last year, leaving Campo in early May and reaching Kennedy Meadows by June 20th. He
then pulled a back muscle at Cottonwood Pass and had to pull out at Kearsarge Lakes.
He was off the trail for a month and then continued up to Castle Crags. This year he
was intending to complete the route and he had just started out again a couple of days
ago. He was carrying too much food and gave me a packet of Tuna (In the USA tuna is
sold in foil packets rather than in tins). He was carrying a fishing rod, but not having
any luck in these over-fished lakes.
I left Porcupine Lake at 7pm and stopped an hour later by a small spring just
beyond Toad Lake. There was a brief shower, as I was putting up my tent, but
fortunately it didn’t develop and I was able to watch a big storm over Mount Shasta,
with the setting sun producing a double rainbow against the black clouds.
Day 96: 19.6 miles 8.33 hours Camp: above Toad Lake
California Pitcher Plant
Trinity Divide Ridge
Bladderwort
Rogue at
Porcupine Lake
Porcupine Lake
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