Bushcamp to Belden

33.8 miles

Mile 1286.8

We woke up at 4, pushing an earlier start than normal so we’d make it to Belden at a reasonable hour. Breakfast miles are the best miles anyways…

After a quick breakfast I reached for my shoes in the darkness. While slipping one on, I felt something squishy pass by my toes near the heal cup. Startled at this, I peeked into my shoe to find that a rather large slug had made my trail runner his house for the night.

Spikes also found a slug chilling in her ground sheet…so I guess we weren’t the only ones who thought this was a nice place to camp. Once I’d coaxed the slimy guy from my shoe with a stick, I finished getting dressed before heading off into the early morning night just behind Spikes.

We spent our morning climbing out of the canyon we’d entered the day before to cross the Middle Fork Feather River. The ascent was long, but the grade was gentle.

When I reached the top of the ascent, I found enough phone signal to call some friends and family as I walked along the mountains ridge. The views were incredible.

While descending from the ridge I passed a plastic storage container that I thought must be filled with all sorts of tasty trail magic…turns out it was just books. Kinda lame.

Not much after that disappointing experience I caught up to Spikes, who had just seen another bear! That’s two bears for her, and zero bears for me…but who’s counting.

Around 11 we reached a trailhead with a register, something I haven’t seen since before entering the Sierra. While looking through it I saw a nice note left by our buddy Swift. Only two days ahead, we’ll catch him!

From there we began our final ascent for the day. Like the morning climb, it was easy peasy.

While breaking at a creek for a snack, guess who walked up…Mike! Turns out he’d gone into Quincy the previous night and had just hitched back to the trailhead. It’s always funny how the trail can surprise you.

The three of us set off together, but between Mike’s fresh legs and quick pace, he left us in his dust.

At the top of our climb we walked through a lush forest for sometime, before reaching the start of what would be a long and tedious descent into Belden.

Our final 7 miles consisted of 4500 ft of switchbacks leading down into the micro community we planned on staying in. The last few miles dragged on, but the promise of cold beer and hot food kept me moving.

Finally I reached the bottom, crossing a pair of railroad tracks before wandering past a few mobile homes and up to the Belden Town Resort.

When I walked in I seated myself at the bar and ordered a pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for Spikes and I, as well as a basket of chili cheese fries.

A few minutes later Mike walked in from the patio and welcomed me to Belden. After chatting for a moment, he said I wouldn’t believe who’d turned up, and then went back out to the patio to return with Vlad!

Vlad is something of a PCT trail icon this year, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting multiple times throughout my hike. Vlad is a nuclear physicist who claims with enthusiasm that he’ll become the first Slovakian to hike the PCT. He’s got mad swagger too, hiking in blue jeans, a flannel shirt and a 60 lb pack, he’s “real man”, as he would put it.

The three of us were catching up at the bar when Spikes arrived. Apparently she’d got stuck on the wrong side of the tracks as I train passed by, which delayed her a bit.

Next, I called Brenda Braaten, a local trail angel I’d sent a resupply box to. A few minutes later I met her out front with my box! She was incredibly kind, even offering to house Spikes and I for the evening.

Back at the bar, Spikes ordered the enormous Belden Burger, while I went with a patty melt for dinner.

After slamming our food, I booked us a room upstairs before Spikes and I headed over to the small store to grab a few food items and went up to the room.

The room, like the rest of Belden had its quirks. Belden has a population of about 7, and exists mostly as a festival grounds. The room’s zebra striped shower curtain and tacky 90s decorum only added to its charm. We did have a nice view of the North Fork Feather River from our balcony.

The laundry room was just as weird, but at least we’d have clean clothes…

The rest of the night was spent eating ice cream while organizing our resupply boxes. We’d have a massive climb in the morning as we headed up towards Lassen National Forest, so we crashed hard intent on a good nights rest.

P.s. Thanks Mark for contributing to the beer fund! You taught a dumb collage grad how to be a halfway decent accountant, and more importantly shared some incredible IPAs with me! Hope all is well in Tucson!

Cheers!

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