August 31st Carter Creek to Belden

All kinds of deer sightings and water aplenty. Near the top, there were some fine springs, among which, Cold Springs had some of the finest water I've had on the trail. Down below, there were creeks of various sizes that were usually crossed by rock hopping. A couple of larger ones required scampering across fallen logs and one that had no log to span its width forced me to wade through its calf-deep water to get to the other side. I came down into Belden as there were no viable campsites on the steep slopes above town. When I say Belden, what I should probably say is the small part where the post office is located. I decided to try my luck camping along the banks of the Feather River hoping to find some flat sandy bank on which to lay my sleeping bag. To my surprise, after passing through an opening in the brush and vegetation that separates the river from the road, I found an old couch which was comfortable enough to bed down on. Ate my dinner with dragonflies cruising about over the flowing dark green water. Now and then a sharp whistle announced the arrival of a Union Pacific freight train laboring up the canyon on the river's opposite side, sometimes pulling close to 100 cars/wagons behind it. At dusk, bats were zipping by, lots of them, but I certainly didn't mind as there seemed to be no problems with skeeters here. I wonder how many of them it takes to make a good bat dinner. Finally, a couple of the locals showed up to try a spot of fishing---without success. To hear one of them talk, the main free-time activities around here are drinking, smoking (cigarettes or home-grown weed), and brawling. They didn't stay long though, so after they left I made myself comfy and nodded off. A warm, balmy night.

Breakfast Stop

32 Miles