Town Day! I was wondering how Struggles would saddle Charcoal to keep him from getting up at 5 like normal. As it turns out, she couldn’t. When we stuck our heads out of the tent, they were sitting on rocks patiently waiting for us. We weren’t in a hurry because it’s only a 2 hour hike and then we’ll have to hitch a ride. No need making it to the road before there’s any traffic. As usual, everyone ignored my suggestion of skipping on digging a hole to increase urgency in our walking speed. With only 3 miles to go with the prospect of food, beds, and showers, no one needed the extra push.
It was an easy downhill walk to the road. The only significant feature we crossed upon today was Dutch Hill Ditch which is simply a hand dug ditch. The ditch was used to direct water flow to Seneca to be used when hydraulic mining was being performed. Hydraulic mining is pretty simple. A large slow water flow directed down hill into increasingly smaller orifices will create a high pressure concentrated stream of water which was capable of blasting dirt off the side of a mountain up to a couple hundred feet away.
We did run into 4 or 5 day hikers. A couple of women were just heading out as we neared the road and said they’d give us a ride to town if we were still around when they got back. At first, they thought we had been out for the weekend but became much more interested when they found out we had started at Cascade Locks a couple months ago. They asked our impressions of the area. Bunny and I said we thought it was beautiful, but we didn’t like the desert like conditions and the threat of wildfires. One woman said she agreed which was why her husband and she were considering moving to Missouri. We quickly put the brakes on that one.
There were picnic tables at the road. We dropped our packs to consolidate our loads before heading out to stick out our thumbs. Charcoal and Struggles have not hitched this year. Instead, they have opted for longer food carries (8-11 days total) and have mail drops sent to towns close enough to the road that they can walk in, or prearrange rides if too far. Bunny and I are the old pros, now. Struggles was apprehensive.
I was the first to hit the road feigning optimism and confidence. In reality, I know it’s the female front that gets us rides. At best, the males are tolerated by passing cars that are willing to pick up women hitchers. There wasn’t much traffic at all. Less that a car/minute. The first 3 cars passed me without slowing down. On the plus side, they didn’t veer into the oncoming traffic lane which translates as “oh, hell no!” As soon as Bunny and Struggles joined the side of the road, maybe the fifth car stopped and offered us rides.
The driver was an 88 year old former science teacher. He was on his way to check out his house in Chester and said he’d take us wherever we needed to go. He had spent his whole life in the area from Redding to Chico to Chester to Paradise. Yes, that Paradise. He lost his house there two years ago when the majority of town was destroyed. He bought the house in Chester after that in the hopes of getting out of wildfire zone.
He dropped us a couple doors from our hotel. Chester is a “strip” town. Not the fun kind of strip town, like Bend advertised, where face masks were the only article of clothing being worn inside. Chester is just one long strip with all businesses lining both sides of the road. Everything a hiker needs is contained on the strip; restaurants, inexpensive hotels, a Dollar General, a supermarket, and a laundromat. But nothing too impressive or memorable otherwise.
It was before 11 when we walked up to the hotel. It was way too early for us to get into our rooms, so we dropped our packs in the lobby. We had enough time to go eat and grocery shop before we could get in our rooms. That meant the rest of the day was free for shower, laundry, and napping. Since the internet sucked, I actually got a town nap in for only the second time on this trip. I like naps. I think I’ll try another one now.
EFG