It's the 4th of July and I'm up on the Siskiyou Crest on the PCT just east of Cook & Green Pass. I got kind of a lousy campsite up on a burnt out ridgetop, but at least there are no bugs.I started at the Cook & Green Trailhead just south of Applegate Lake at about noon. I put in 9 miles. The climb was not horrible--a little warm at times but I managed a good foot soak and a gew head soaks too.

Quite the diverse landscape on the way up! Everything has been at least touched by fire. Some areas more so than others. Even so, the plant diversity was amazing. Lots of beautiful flowers blooming too.

I wish Faceplant was with me, though I don't think she would have enjoyed the bugs I was dealing with on the lower 2/3s of the trail. They were some kind of gnat-like creatures that would swarm around my face constantly and try to get in my eyes and lungs. They did not bite but they were maddening! Then there were the mosquitos higher up, but they weren't very aggressive.

I hiked farther than I expected but there weren't really any decent campsites on that trail. So, here I am. I have about 47 miles to Callahans. I wonder how long that will take?