Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - July 31st
Day 106: Wednesday 31st July
Long John Saddle – Callaghan’s Restaurant
Deer were feeding just outside my tent when I woke in the morning.
It was still very smoky as I followed the trail round Mount Ashland. I kept going
all morning and after 5 hours reached the Ashland Mountain Inn, where I tried to
phone Meg Thomas, who I had met at Carson Pass in June. They claimed they hadn’t
got a phone! I carried on and lost the trail as I approached Interstate Highway 5, but
managed to find my way down to Callahan’s Restaurant by jeep tracks. Callahan’s was
a posh restaurant, but many thru-hikers have an expensive meal there to celebrate the
completion of the California section of the PCT.
I managed to get through to Meg and she came out to pick me up. It was bad
timing for me as she was busy helping with arrangements for her 80th birthday party,
which was tomorrow. She took me to the car-hire firm in Ashland (The other one had
just gone bust!). They didn’t have any cars, so I rang around 6 firms in nearby Medford
and Medford Airport, to find the only available car being from Hertz for $485 plus
Insurance for a week. This is about 3x the rate of some of the other companies, which
probably explains why they were the only firm with a car available. Meg thought the
price was ridiculous and offered to let me use her second car, an all wheel drive
Subaru, for $300. I took advantage of this generous offer. I can’t think of many people
who would be willing to lend their car to a complete stranger!
I drove back to Seiad Valley to pick up my drift bag, which I had left at the store,
and appreciated the all wheel drive of the car when I almost managed to drive it off the
road on the way back to Ashland, where I spent the night with Meg and friends, Phyllis
and Karen, who were down for the birthday party.
Day 106: 15.7 miles 6.00 hours Leaving trail: Callaghan’s Restaurant
Long John Saddle – Callaghan’s Restaurant
Deer were feeding just outside my tent when I woke in the morning.
It was still very smoky as I followed the trail round Mount Ashland. I kept going
all morning and after 5 hours reached the Ashland Mountain Inn, where I tried to
phone Meg Thomas, who I had met at Carson Pass in June. They claimed they hadn’t
got a phone! I carried on and lost the trail as I approached Interstate Highway 5, but
managed to find my way down to Callahan’s Restaurant by jeep tracks. Callahan’s was
a posh restaurant, but many thru-hikers have an expensive meal there to celebrate the
completion of the California section of the PCT.
I managed to get through to Meg and she came out to pick me up. It was bad
timing for me as she was busy helping with arrangements for her 80th birthday party,
which was tomorrow. She took me to the car-hire firm in Ashland (The other one had
just gone bust!). They didn’t have any cars, so I rang around 6 firms in nearby Medford
and Medford Airport, to find the only available car being from Hertz for $485 plus
Insurance for a week. This is about 3x the rate of some of the other companies, which
probably explains why they were the only firm with a car available. Meg thought the
price was ridiculous and offered to let me use her second car, an all wheel drive
Subaru, for $300. I took advantage of this generous offer. I can’t think of many people
who would be willing to lend their car to a complete stranger!
I drove back to Seiad Valley to pick up my drift bag, which I had left at the store,
and appreciated the all wheel drive of the car when I almost managed to drive it off the
road on the way back to Ashland, where I spent the night with Meg and friends, Phyllis
and Karen, who were down for the birthday party.
Day 106: 15.7 miles 6.00 hours Leaving trail: Callaghan’s Restaurant
Traversing
Mount Ashland
Mount Ashland
Flowers
California Corn Lily
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