We all love trails! They take us to places in Nature that sustain us, heal us, make us whole. However, we are not the only ones who think trails are wonderful. Our wildlife friends like to use them, too. “Oh look, “ Wile E Coyote says to his family, “those humans have given us a new highway!”

It is always interesting to keep track of different kinds of scat and tracks found on the trails, and then connect them to what habitats are nearby (Told you I’m a nature nerd!). For instance, my daughter and I had a running discussion on the difference between elk and moose scat. Then I saw what I consider elk scat (above) in a meadow where the elk are known to over winter . Then this (below) was found near a series of ponds and wetlands. Makes me think it’s moose. Do you agree?

Did you know some critters like to poop on top of their pals’ poop? Foxes are notorious for this practice !

Ah yes, I have seen Mountain lion scat (and maybe heard them chirping one night!) and bear scat but they aren’t very common. What I have seen a LOT of is what I have identified as Mountain Goat scat. Especially around the short willows in the high elevations!

Next time you get out on the trail, think about the other critters out there enjoying them too. You might even break into one of our favorite camp songs, The Scat Rap!

It starts with an S and ends with a T,

And it comes out of you and it comes out of me.

Now I know what you’re thinking,

It could be called that!

But be scientific and call it SCAT!

Enjoy the trails out there!

PS Thank you, Oboz, for gifting me these boots ! They provide a great sense of scale for the scat!

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

Day 91

We crossed Lassen National Park with ease now that the grade is flat and gentle. We took our time to swim in Silver Lake at a spot I backpacked to a couple years ago. Shortly after midday the thunderclouds rolled in and within half an hour we were being pelted by big chunks of hail and terrorized by constant thunder. It was actually pretty fun. Sled Dog and I both got pretty soaked but once the rain and hail stopped we dried off rapidly. We made it to the Hat Creek Resort right as they were closing and were just barely able to get ourselves a campsite and some beer. I had my first shower in 10 or so days and went to bed on my rapidly deflating sleeping pad that I’m too lazy to fix.

Day 92

Sled Dog and I spent the morning taking care of various chores and resupplying in Old Station. We took our time with the intention of having a short and easy day. We ate lots of ice cream, explored a lava tube cave, and procrastinated hiking up to the Hat Creek Rim in the hot sun. We finished with a 12 mile day at a site with a gorgeous view of Hat Creek Valley and a smoke covered sunset. We have officially caught a whiff of our first NorCal wildfire.

Day 93

I woke up at 4:30 to be out by 5am and beat the heat. I got to watch the sunrise all morning while walking. It was bright red and majestic with the bits of morning clouds left from the night before. Most of the hiking took place along Hat Creek Rim where we had incredible views of the valley below, Mount Shasta to the North, and our last views of Mount Lassen to the South. The heat rolled in with a force by 9am and I took minimal breaks as a result. By early afternoon we had raced over 24 miles and arrived at Burney Mountain Guest Ranch. The time had come for our first, and maybe only, NorCal zero day. 

Day 94

This zero day was supremely restful, fun, and full of food. I took the time to identify and patch the holes in my sleeping pad by utilizing the beautiful pool here (for those not acquainted with patching pads, you put them in a body of water and see where air bubbles come out to find the holes). I cleaned and organized my gear, took care of laundry, had my second shower since arriving, swam in the pool, back-flushed my filter, took a nap (on my sleeping pad that now stays inflated), sorted out my resupply, and had enough time to do a shoey (otherwise known as drinking a beer out of a shoe, usually a well used shoe). Sled Dog and I agreed that any time we retired a pair of shoes we had to do a shoey out of them before throwing them away and I was not about to back down from this agreement. Believe it or not, it wasn’t that bad. This is what happens when you get a bunch of hikers in one place and tell them not to hike for a day.

Day 95

With a fresh new pair of shoes on I left BMGR and cruised the 9 miles to Burney Falls State Park. It was the perfect spot for a break and a coffee before moving on. Sometime during the morning I passed by a very territorial osprey that dive bombed me a couple times. Throughout the afternoon the smoke from nearby fires built and built until our views were just a haze. Later in the day, while staring at the ground fully absorbed by hiking, I ran into a juvenile bear. We both spooked each other and the little guy ran off to a safe distance to cautiously observe this strange creature (me) in its home. Sled Dog and I did a total of 25 miles and felt totally good enough for more but the camp spot at mile 25 was too good to pass up. I sits up on a ridge with a clear view of Mt. Shasta, Castle Crags, and all the surrounding mountains. We had dinner with Handstand and enjoyed a smoky sunset. 

Day 96

We plugged away through the fir forests with fantastic views of Mt. Shasta. It was a simple and straightforward day of hiking and taking breaks in the shade. In the afternoon we crossed a dirt road where a trail maintenance volunteer and trail angel extraordinaire named Mark was waiting with snacks and drinks. We ended up sitting with him for quite a while so we didn’t make the 30 miles we’d hoped for but instead stopped after 24. It’s always worth it to stop early when you’re getting epic trail magic from Mark.

Day 97

This was the first day the heat started to get to me. We dropped below 3000 feet and spent the hottest hours of the day down low where the temps soared and the smoke settled. Despite this, the hiking was lovely. We were in a sort of “green tunnel”, consistently beneath layers of canopy and surrounded on all sides by foliage. It really felt like a different environment, one more akin to Oregon than California maybe. I ended the day with a refreshingly cold dip in the river. 

Day 98

I got up at 5 to, once again, beat the heat. It turned out to be a cooler day with lots of shady hiking so perhaps I didn’t need to get up so early but I love any excuse to be up for the sunrise and cool morning air. The hours of 4 to 9 are easily my favorite time to be hiking. There’s something incredibly calming and magical about the dawn hours and to be able to spend them hiking on my own feels like a luxury. The hiking toward I-5 was smooth. When I compare NorCal trails to Sierra trails the biggest difference is the gentleness of the grade here. Whether we’re climbing up a mountain or descending into a valley, the trail is never too steep. Because of this we flew into Castella, knocking out 16 miles before noon and triumphantly crossing the 1500 mile marker.

Day 99

Sled Dog and I took a day off to explore the town of Mt. Shasta. We ate a big breakfast at the original Black Bear Diner, had some beers at a local brewery, and meandered under the shadow of the huge mountain.

Day 100

It’s time I reveal a secret to you loyal readers: I’m getting off trail here! For some this isn’t a surprise, for most it probably seems to have come out of nowhere. I’ve been contemplating this decision for weeks and came to the conclusion that it was time to move on to some other things. I’ll write a blog detailing the decision soon but know it was made with excitement and confidence! There is no bad blood or bad experiences that influenced me one way or another. I’m 110% certain I will be back on the PCT to finish up the rest of trail and likely redo some favorite sections. And just by coincidence this is my 100th day on trail (if you can count the fact that it included no hiking). A huge shoutout to my grandpa for driving all the way up to Shasta to pick me up when my Greyhound bus decided to simply skip my stop. See you later PCT!

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.