Friday July 10, 21.0mi/33.8km

North Yolla Bolly Spring (338.5/6160ft) to Ides Cove Trailhead (358.8/6860ft) (CA) +0.7mi to car

It’s the last day so I got an early start at 7am. And morning hiking is the best.

I could see the ridges I would be hiking all morning. And the trail was nice.

And then…the trail disappeared. For 3mi/5km, I walked a ridge thru a burn area, and the trail was overgrown with small thorny bushes and blocked by fallen charred trees. Finally, at a trail junction, it reappeared.

So I sat down and had lunch! I sat for an hour in the shade of a Jeffrey Pine, hiding from the heat. After lunch, the nice trail resumed!

And the views kept coming too. I think the peak in the distance is Mount Linn.

The afternoon ridgetops were rather sparsely vegetated, and it was sunny and hot. At 7000 feet elevation.

This tree made me laugh, all twisty.

Finally, after an 8 mile dry stretch, I came to a water source. A tiny thing called “D Spring.”

It was cold and clear, so I was happy, and drank a liter before I realized it. I went another couple miles to the highpoint of the Yolla Bolly section of the BFT, a shoulder of Mount Linn, at 7400ft. The views to the east were smoggy, you can barely see Mt Shasta.

The view back to the ridge I had just hiked:

And the views to the west were much clearer, no smog.

Mount Linn was looking tall from my spot, the trail goes around it.

I loved that someone added “BF” to the trail junction sign. Bigfoot Trail is represented!

Once I left the ridge, the trees got huge. It was a nice cool shaded forest.

A view down into the Redding valley.

I kept trying to get a photo of Mt Lassen, but it was too smoggy.

More views into the valley.

The last spring on the BFT was named Talus Spring, and it even had a plaque. How unusual.

A mile later, I was at the trailhead, with the requisite finish photo.

I walked another 0.7mi/1.1km to my car, which was parked at the lower lot, it couldn’t make it up the deeply rutted road to the upper lot.

I sat down and enjoyed the snacks and Snapples I had stashed in the trunk.
Bigfoot trail done!