Day 105 : Clear Cut

2nd August 2013
Mile 1429 to mile 1456 : Rock Creek Bridge to Mt Shasta Lookout
Mileage : 27

Average mileage since day 101 : 24.2

Today was another tough day on the trail. I was up and moving at the relatively late time of 7:45. The first order of business was a 2000ft climb which thankfully was shaded for most of the way. After that however the scenery changed. Through this section the trail passes through logging country, the results of which are evident all along the trail. One minute the trail is passing through beautiful, shady forests and the next emerges into a large expanse of clear cut forest. I understand that logging is an important industry, providing products that i use, and supporting a substantial number of jobs, but all the same it is a sad business. At the midday break Slosh, Rocky, T-Rex and I were sat on a non-descript logging road hearing the sounds of logging activity, but not seeing it until a tree literally disappeared about 50 metres away, with an almighty cracking sound followed by a thump that made the vibrate. It was too hot for us to move, so we sat for a good our watching the forest disappear before our eyes. Some time later we were back on the move passing from forest to clear cut a couple times every hour or so. The exposure to the sun that accompanied the clear cut sections was really taking its toll on me, and halfway up the last climb of the day my body said no more. Given the high calorie diet that i've been attempting over the last few days i've noticed my energy levels are significantly higher and constant throughout the day, but today was tough regardless of how many calories i'd consumed. After stopping for a good half and hour at a creek i had taken on a good thousand calories and was able to complete the final miles to the campsite. The others were already finishing up their dinners when i arrived and were wondering where I had gotten to. I explained my calorie crash, a common hiker issue, and also told them of the incredible view of Mt Shasta i'd had by being half an hour behind them. After being hidden for many miles since Hat Creek Rim, the volcano came into view in the evening light so spectacularly that i just had to stop and watch it for a few minutes. Although i didn't know it at the time, there have been a significant number of fires in the forests behind Mt Shasta, and the smoke and sun set light combined to fill the entire sky surrounding the mountain with an incredible set of red and pink light. Once again my camera is too small to small to be able to do it justice, but hopefully the below image goes some way to illustrating the scene.