This section, despite the downpour of rain I had that week, was such an unforgettable experience. Donnelly River Village is basically an old lumber mill town that was operational from 1951 to 1975. The village was built solely to house the lumber millworkers and lumberjacks and provide a place for their families.
Apart from the derelict mill, there is also a general store, primary school, park, bunkhouse, and recreation room. The old cottages have been well-maintained and are now used for family recreation. While I stayed in the old bunkhouse room, families (mostly from Western Australia) rented these cottages while their kids were on school holiday (their 2-week fall break). It’s neat to see a secondary use for the historical village that would have otherwise been torn down and forgotten. At the village there are dozens of resident kangaroos and emus that I got to pet and feed with the young Aussie kids! The historical mill made an impression on me as I could try and imagine sawing lumber from these gigantic trees.
Before arriving to Donnelley River Village, I past the official “halfway point” which is marked by a large sign to help give hikers a psychological boost. I took the usual photo-op.
Awesome how the roos are just hanging out! How many propane canisters do you typically carry from one place to the next? Do they last for a handful of meals each? I use larger ones ice fishing, but can usually get a good 3-4 hours out of a 1 lb canister.
Just used two screw-on iso-butane canisters the whole trip, mainly for boiling water for evening meals and coffee/tea. On the PCT, I’ll probably go through a few more. The stuff goes a long way! Thanks Dylan