Great report as always. I envy you. I was on the PCT a month ago and sprained my ankle and then my ligament tore (loud pop) and that was the end of that. Seeing your pictures and reading your report makes me drool and wish I was out there.
The old cut does cross a creek and does head northwest but then veers in the correct direction up to Basin Gap. Check out this map---without my yellow line---
Oh and don't confuse the power line clearcut with the old logging cut (numbered 126A on map).
Your post reminds me of popping a ligament going up Mill Branch trail when I thought I stepped on a yellow jacket nest so I sprinted up the mountain with my heavy pack and heard a "Pop"! in my right calf and the pain threw me to the ground. If you press on the inside of your calf muscle it's a weird thingie by the bone. Painful of course. I still had 9 days left in the trip and the only way I could walk was sideways---with both feet pointed in the same direction 90 degrees off the trail. The trip continued! altho I looked like a crab.
It self healed in a couple months.
Another great successful trip out with miss nature for the uncle fungus history and archive history museum. Thanks for sharing and you better watch them nightly incontinence you're gonna need patman to help you carry out all them depends .