My choice of campsite was ideal, a fact I discovered as the first pink glow of dawn woke me. I sat up and watched the sky turn from indigo to pale blue, and marvelled as the black hulks of distant mountains put on their fiery crown (pictured). I was up before the sun for the first time in a while, and had made about a mile before the sun made its appearance.
I began by hiking a level 2 miles to Paradise Lake. Here I bathed beneath the rocky summit of King's Castle (pictured). After replenishing my water supply I hit the trail, making maybe 2 more miles before meeting Scott aka "Cake Walk." He asked to join me, and so we became hiking buddies for the next 15 miles. Cake Walk is a science teacher from Eugene who section hikes from Castle Crags to Ashland each year. We talked about teaching and hiking quite a bit before he finally stopped for a swim and I continued on alone.
I transitioned from the high rocky ridges to the low hot valley of the Klamath River. To get there the trail descended about 4500 feet through dense creek drainages. Hiking down these drainages is like exploring a jungle world. The heat of the day (high 90s) combined with the humidity of the vegetation to make each step a sweaty struggle. Pick a warm day and go run a few laps at the local high school track. Now stick your finger in the crack of your derrière. That's what I was hiking through all day - hot, moist, densely overgrown, and overpoweringly fragrant.
Eventually I emerged from the drainages and found myself at a cool stream crossing. I sat in the middle of the stream for at least 15 minutes just trying to cool off. From there I began a 6 mile road walk into Seiad Valley. As it turns out I had also emerged from the woods into another state. No, not Oregon. Jefferson.
Every yard I passed on the way into town had one of two signs: they either said "State of Jefferson," or they said "No monument." So here's a little background...
Back in the early 1900s the roads in northern CA and southern OR were all dirt. They regularly got flooded and were a hinderance to economic growth. So some politician comes along and, as a gimmick to raise awareness, decides that several counties in the affected area should secede from their respective states and form a new state - Jefferson. Well, the whole thing lost steam when a little thing called WWII stole the national attention. Still, ever since then every nut with a gripe has latched onto the idea of their own state. Now there are license plates and t-shirts and, yes, even a post office for the state of Jefferson (pictured).
Now, as for the monument thing (RANT WARNING); apparently the eco-terrorist-commie-leftist-muslims want to extend the boundaries of a national park/monument. Apparently it would destroy life as the locals know it. I dunno why, I tuned the guy out after he started with "it's all the democrats' fault..." Look, I realize some things can be traced to particular groups, but when your world view hinges on blaming a segment of the population for all your problems, then your credibility in my book becomes suspect. I'm not picking sides politically here either. Hell, I blame Obama all the time for steep hills, mosquitoes, and Paulie Shore movies - because, you know, batshit-crazy is in this season. Anyway, I guess part of the deal is outlawing dredge mining, which has crippled an economy dependent on things sucking.
"Now I'm all for being environmentally friendly, but..." the guy says. Hold on, let me stop you there friend. Looking at the river I can see an island half a mile long made entirely of dredge tailings. You created an entire geographical feature in the middle of a goddamn river! I can't wait to hear the "but." Unfortunately I can't relay it to you because to keep it in my head would mean becoming even stupider than I already am. Somewhere in there he also blamed the Native American tribes for trying to eliminate the pale faces from the Klamath River Valley. I excused myself politely to go settle in to my space at the RV park, where I would start research on my upcoming Jefferson State Press book titled "Holocaust: Just How Fake Is It?"
I ate a dinner of veggies and fruit, with plenty of ranch dressing lest someone think I was trying to be healthy. Norm stopped in for a bit, and we chatted a bit before he left to tack on another few miles. I hiked 29 miles today, but the downhill made it go by quickly. Tomorrow I get a big breakfast at the cafe, then I pick up my resupply box and start a 4500 foot climb out of town.
