Skip. Flip, About Face, March! (Hike SOBO)

With feet healed, well rested and new itinerary in place, I again hit the trail.  I start at:
Trail Mile 1331.3 and elevation 4910 ft and I hike south, rather than north.

I've decided to temporarily skip the high Sierras to let the snow melt a bit more and the rivers to go down a bit for easier crossings.  I flip up to near Chester, CA to hike south for a while.  Marv drops me off where the trail crosses Hwy 36, the Lassen Scenic Byway.  I immediately enjoy the shaded forest, soft path of pine needles and the wonderful woodsy scent.  This is a very nice change from the hot, dry desert. 

A nice easy trail.

Bridge over a beautiful marsh.  I see fish swim under the bridge.

Old growth forest with many huge trees over the trail.

More huge pine cones, many too large to fit in a pic.

This is easy hiking and I move along quickly.  I stop at Soldier Creek to fill up with water and visit with about 15 young girls that are all hiking in a group.  They ask where I'm heading and how many miles a day I travel.  For the first time, I find youngsters who hike a lot fewer miles in a day than I do.  A group of them form an arch over the trail and cheer me on as I leave and start climbing out of the canyon.  I wish I could remember to take more pictures because this was incredibly sweet.
At 2:30, I stop to make dinner and see several hikers, both NOBO and SOBO.  I visit with Mrs. Molasses and her hubby Messy, who are hiking from Ashland, OR.  They will hike as far as they can before summer weddings and a family reunion.  I enjoyed their brief, but friendly company.  Further confirmation that this can be a wonderful adventure, even if I don't set foot on every inch of the trail.  I also talk to a man in his 50s and ask if there are bears in this area (looks like great bear habitat), and ask how he is storing his food.  He informs me that he has not seen a bear since Walker Pass, although he still hangs his food if he can.  He tells me the kids are all sleeping with their food in their tents, hopefully in odor-proof Opsaks.
I see several deer and they seem to be comfortable with hikers going by.  I also pass the midway point on the trail.  There is a concrete post and an ammunition box with a trail register in which to sign your trail name as a person who has passed this way, indicating whether you are a thru hiker or a section hiker going NOBO or SOBO.  After this, I continue to climb to the top of Butt Mountain.

Friendly deer lets me get a close-up.

PCT midway point.  Of course I haven't hiked 1325 miles yet.

Beautiful vista.

I hang my kevlar food bag high in a tree for the night, taking no chances.

I am still making adjustments to my pack as I hike.  It is 2 pounds heavier than my ultralight pack and I'm regretting letting the guy at REI talk me into trading.  I'm not finding it carrying the weight better.  However, my body is feeling good and end up hiking 12 miles with an elevation gain of 2,441ft., even though I only hiked a half day after Marv dropped me off around noon.  This is quickly becoming my favorite section of the trail so far.