This was it then. The supposed climax of the heat which had been beating relentlessly down on us these past 2 weeks. Seiad Valley was already generally hotter than the rest of NorCal, but with the heatwave it got clean to 44.4 degrees Celsius. We got up super early again, trying to beat the worst of it and get to the RV resort in the valley where we could hopefully find some coolness.
As the owners of the RV resort turned out to be assholes that made us leave if we didn’t pay to stay in the shade there, we set up shop under a tree across the street.
It was hard for a while. The heat hammered me down to the floor, every movement causing an eruption of sweat. Even thinking became an effort. Lying still was only interrupted by periodically getting ice cream in the nearby general store. This is the kind of day I’ll use in the future in situations like: ‘Oh, you think this is hot? Well, you obviously have never been to Seiad Valley.’
I also learned about the State of Jefferson. Around Seiad Valley several signs were set up proclaiming we weren’t in California anymore, but in the State of Jefferson. This went pretty far, from roadside signs to license plates and stickers and t-shirts in the general store. According to the others, this was basically a bunch of ultra conservative, right wing people who wanted to secede from California and form their own racist, gun-toting state. How nice. The constant heat here must have melted some parts of their brain. It was very easy to make fun of this ludicrous situation.
Today was also the day I had to say goodbye to Orange Boy. He had been there since the start and I’d hoped we’d go to the end together, but alas it was not meant to be. Over the months he’d gotten tired and thin to the point that there was no use going on. So I threw Orange Boy, my loyal sunhoodie in the trash bin and collected the new one I’d ordered online from the general store. How nice it felt to wear something different for the first time in three months. I’ll never forget Orange Boy though.
Merman and ID came hiking out of the heat of the day and sat with us in our little shaded oasis. Merman had traded his orange hoodie for a grey one, a downgrade if you ask me. Shortly after, Lavalamp and Fitz joined in.
At 8pm, it finally cooled down enough to be bearable, so we set off. In 10 minutes I was soaked again. I just wish for one day where I’m dry. The others camped very shortly after Seiad Valley, while I continued on a bit, trying to gain altitude and escape the heat. The climb out of Seiad Valley was notoriously hard and hot and was considered the final test before heading into Oregon. I camped with Drive Thru with the intention of getting up early again and get close to the state border.
