September 19:Back to Etna, CA

We were up and ready to go by 6:30am. We drove out of Bend and managed to stay gone this time :). The drive down Hwy 97 is beautiful, and we enjoyed the views of Mt. Shasta that were clearer than when we hiked through.

We hit Yreka around noon. When we returned our rental car, the lady working gave us a number to call, and we soon found out there was a bus to Etna that left in a couple hours. We jumped on that idea since it was cheap ($3.15/person) and more relaxing than hitching. Plus, we got to sit around for a couple hours in front of the Social Security office, which was also next door to the DMV. And who wouldn't want to do that? :)

At 3:30pm we found ourselves back in Etna. This time it was a bit more sleepy since there was no bluegrass festival happening and no other thru-hikers. There was a guy, however, riding a homemade bike that was a mixture of several bike frames welded together. The seat was at my face level, and he had to step up on a little bar before he could climb on the seat. He even had several of these, and after showing off one, he went to get a second one to show us. He even tried to hitch with us for a few minutes, with the intention of going to Etna Summit (the pass where the trail crosses the road into Etna) and coasting down. He gave up when our ride was only going a mile or so down the road.

We were dropped a litle ways down the road, outside of town, and were finally picked up by a guy who really had no room for us. The back of his pickup was overflowing with wood, so he bungied our packs to the roof rack and we jammed inside with him. Soon we were standing at Etna Summit.

It was a fun, yet wierd feeling being back in these places we'd been two months ago. It had a familiar feeling, yet it felt so different being here this time of year. We founf out that it was opening weekend of deer hunting season, which didn't excite us much. Luckily Mark has a bright orange rain coat we could bust out if needed. The upside is that there will probably be people at the Lovers Camp trailhead, where we would end.

We hiked in about 5 miles before making camp in a spot that was probably meant for one. The forecast called for PM Showers, and the skies were starting to look pretty nasty. We called it a night when it started to sprinkle, but all in all, it didn't rain more than a few sprinkles.

We had no mice, but there were some deer or elk that came by in the night that were easily shooed away by a shout. Other than that, it was a comfy, cozy night. A bit wierd to be back on the trail, but nice as well. it will be a nice warm up for the longer section ahead.

Total Miles:1611.3
Miles Today:5.0
Camp 136:Tight Squeeze

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