{"id":6831,"date":"2016-07-15T16:07:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T16:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cncadventures.com\/?p=6831"},"modified":"2018-08-05T16:29:37","modified_gmt":"2018-08-05T16:29:37","slug":"snake-charmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cncadventures.com\/?p=6831","title":{"rendered":"Snake Charmer"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 15th<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Fern Carpet<\/p><\/div>\n

We leave camp at 0725 and immediately start to climb. We will be heading toward the McCloud River the next couple of days. The trail climbs through a forest which has a green floor. The floor is comprised of hundreds of ferns. There must be quite a bit of snow here in the winter. I also see several areas with what I think are white Orchids.<\/p>\n

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Mt Shasta<\/p><\/div>\n

The grade is not too bad and in around two miles we come to the campsite on a ridge that I was thinking of pushing on to last night. It makes me sad as it has a beautiful view of Mt. Shasta. Last night\u2019s camp wasn\u2019t bad but this spot is top notch in the view department. We decide to take in the view with a short break. We continue on towards Clark Spring.<\/p>\n

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Orange Orchid<\/p><\/div>\n

Along the way I spot what I think is another orchid, this one orange with black spots. At the junction to Clark Spring, we push onward as we do not need water yet. Three and a half miles later, we arrive at the junction to Kosk Spring. We take it .2 miles off the PCT to some great water and fill up a few liters. Back at the trail we take a short break as we filter our water. We meet a couple of southbounders, Camp Nuddin and another whose name is escaping me.<\/p>\n

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Snake Charmer<\/p><\/div>\n

                                                                          One of the southbounders tell Golfer, they just saw a snake, and without knowing what it is, Golfer dives into a bush and comes out with a snake. Lucky for him, it is a gopher snake and not a rattler. We all are questioning Golfers sanity at the moment. We hike another 2.5 miles to a saddle with another great view of Shasta. It is almost 2 PM and we have not eaten lunch, so this seems like a great spot for it. We definitely enjoy the view and our lunch break becomes a leisurely 1 hour and 45 minute stop.<\/p>\n

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Our Bench and Fire<\/p><\/div>\n

We start out again and hike through forests and meadows. The afternoon sun beats down on us in the meadows and when we reach trees, the shade provides welcome relief. We meet a hiker named Jasmine who is from Windsor, Colorado. A little less than 2 hours later we make it to the headwaters of Moosehead Creek, which has good water and some great camp sites. We even have a natural wood bench to cook and eat on. It seems we have found home for the night. After dinner as dusk approaches, the mosquitos start to come out. Golfer builds a small fire to smoke them out which has mixed results. I am not sure who is getting more smoked out, us or the mosquitos. Pit Stop and I go without a rainfly tonight and enjoy the green canopy of trees overhead as night takes over. It was a good day. We hiked 15.9 miles at a 2.6 mph pace. The high point today was 5489 feet and we are camped just slightly lower than that at 5,470 feet.<\/p>\n\n\t\t