Mile 1512.9 to 1528 – 15.1 miles total hiked on PCT

So, there was no rain overnight!! Mother Nature spared me, but there was still rain in the forecast for the day and afternoon.

The skies were gloomy enough to ell me that without having to look at my weather reports.

The steep uphill section lay before me, and as I had predicted, it was slow going and hard on my knees.

The small blue patches between the dark clouds started growing as the morning went on, giving me some hope.

Weather worries aside, the view was great as I climbed up the trail.

Eventually, I reached the end of the real steep section.

But it would still hit upwards, just not as steeply as it was earlier in the morning.

If I had been able to continue climbing the day before, there was a very nice campsite with a fantastic view shortly after the steep section ended.

But with possible rain and wind, it wasn’t very protected from either.

I enjoyed the views on the way up.

Midday blue between the clouds started disappearing, and I embraced myself for the rain that was probably coming.

Still bracing for that rain…

There was a point where when the view started transitioning from the Castle Crags to Mount Shasta.

The pictures below or where it normally would appear to hikers.

Really, I swear it’s there. 😊

The blue and the gray kept fighting each other for position in the sky throughout the day.

After a while, the trail started to trace itself across the top and sides of various ridges as it went along.

It is called Pacific Crest Trail after all.

A very enjoyable walk (although my feet, legs, knees, and the rest of my body generally disagreed with that 🤣).

Wait.., what is that I see?

The clouds moving upside to show most of Mount Shasta gave me some hope that maybe it wouldn’t rain this day.

After passing the Seven Lakes Trail, I started to sync and look for a good campsite for the evening.

The trail ran along the top of some ridges that had a view of Mount Shasta. With the cloud starting to part, I started focusing on finding a good campsite with a view even if I wasn’t sure about the weather. Even if it didn’t rain, ridges can sometimes be very windy.

Strangely, there was a bench just kinda sitting next to the trail at one point. It’s a really remote spot, but it would have a great view of the sunset.

But it was too small to put my tent onto, so I continued my search. 😜

Wow, Mount Shasta was almost giving us a full frontal view.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find a view that had a good tent pad, big enough for my tent, and that wasn’t windy.

So by the time I reached the Shasta-Trinity Gumboot Trailhead, I had given up hope on finding something with a view.

Was it all already past 6 PM I was just looking for someplace flat that might have some kind of view of anything.

The trail itself did have some great views along the way, but that doesn’t mean there’s flat areas to camp in.

Wait a second…

I found a flat area, although the trees were between it and Mount Shasta.

But I could sit a little ways away and enjoy the view from there as I ate dinner and enjoyed the sunset.

I could wait to set up my actual tent until after the light show in the sky.

Or in this case, delight show against Mount Shasta and the surrounding mountains.

The sun itself was hidden behind the ridge.

It was pretty dark when I set up my tent, but it was worth it.