Day 109 : Castle Crags

8th August 2013
Mile 1506 to mile 1522.5 : Interstate 5 to a saddle in the Castle Crags wilderness
Mileage : 16.5
Average mileage since day 101 : 20.8

Although Rocky, T-Rex and I did get out of town today as planned, it was admittedly later than we had originally intended, but we eventually packed up and prepared to hitch. Everyone whom we had met in town said that given the hippyish nature of the town, we should have no problem getting a ride, but it certainly wasn't th easiest hitch of the trail so far. After a while stood on the side of the road a lady to stopped to tell us that although she had some errands to run in town first, she would be done in half an hour or so and would take us back to the trail if we we still there. As she as about to pull away from us, a police car stopped right next to the car and proceeded to speak to the drive, a conversation which we couldn't overhear given the noise of the town traffic. It transpired, after getting picked up by Alice, a local trail angel who explained the cop situation to us, that the Police we starting a crackdown on hikers hitching, and that resident had been warned not to pick us up. This seemed very strange to us, as we couldn't fathom why it was so wrong to pick us up. Although it is fair to say that from a precursory glance some of us hikers do have the appearance of homeless people, especially people such as myself with big beards, town's people know the tail and know the difference between us and homeless people, and so it usually from local residents that we usually get rides, so none of could understand the police edict. After giving my schpeel to Alice for the n-th time we were deposited at the trailhead from where we started our hike into the Castle Crag wilderness. The first part of the 15ish miles we intended to do that day was relatively flat and shady, but the latter part involved a climb into the wilderness which was steep and exposed, and we had timed to do this as the day was cooling down. Half-way up the climb I encountered an animal that I have not seen since the horrific Tehachapi to Walker Pass section almost 900 miles ago :  a rattlesnake. This one was a red/brown and white striped juvenile with only a couple rattles, which slithered across the trail before I could get out my camera. I later identified it as a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake and have been pleased so far to not encounter any others. I know the statistics on Rattlesnake bites suggest I am extremely unlikely to get attacked, but such an event would be less than ideal so am glad to not ncouter them very often. Soon after my snake meeting, we stopped on a saddle to get an early night as the plan for the next day was a big 30 miles, and not just for tomorrow.