June 20, 2016

Baum Lake (mile 1405.9) to Burney Falls State Park (mile 1416.5)

Miles: 10.6

We had a hard time waking up today but were determined to be up and moving before the mosquitoes ate us alive. We rallied and were on the trail before 6:30am.

Success. No bugs!

Four tenths of a mile up the trail we celebrated our 1,000 mile mark. We can hardly believe we’ve walked this far. It’s rewarding to know we can walk this many miles and feel as good as we do.

We hope our feet, bodies and minds continue to serve us well over the next 1,650 miles.

We walked fast, making miles quickly in the cool morning air. At a sort of high point near power lines we had reception so we took a break, made calls, answered emails, uncussessfully attempted to upload blog posts and moved on.

A few miles later, after crossing a series of dirt roads we came upon the Wild Bird Cache.

Trail magic!

Coolers full of soda, water, red vines, cheese puffs and pretzels were generously left by a family for hikers to enjoy.

Laurie finally got the fizzy, sugary drink she was craving yesterday. It wasn’t as rewarding since it was morning and still cool but she enjoyed a root beer nonetheless.

The table had boards nailed onto it, encouraging hikers to use sharpies to sign their names and a message if they so desired.

We appreciated the surprise and creativity of this cache. Thank you to those who maintain it!

We walked less than about hour and ran into Laurie’s mom headed toward us. She found us again. Yay!

We walked the 3.5 miles to Burney Falls State Park together.

It was beautiful! Millions of gallons of water cascading down two main waterfalls and at least a dozen others careening over weeping rocks covered in lichen. The lush forest surrounding the falls added to the beauty.

We then headed to the general store where Andy picked up our packages and Sue bought coconut popsicles for Laurie and herself.

The store wanted to charge us $16 for holding two packages. We were expecting to pay only $5 per box and were quite irritated. We told them that online it says the fee for holding packages is $5 per box, at which point the young lady behind the register looked in her log book and lowered the price to $11 for both boxes. Very shady.

Andy had chosen to send our resupply boxes to businesses and motels so we don’t get stuck in towns when the Post Offices are closed, but many businesses have increased their package pick up fees. A lot of them just before the hiking season started.

It was almost noon and we needed to charge our electronics, get food, shower, do laundry and post our blogs.

Andy stayed at the store charging everything while Laurie and her mom hiked one mile back to Highway 89 to get the rv.

When they returned we headed for the showers. We hadn’t showered in 7 days! But before we could go to the showers Sue insisted we go to the dump station to fill up her water tank.

It was hot, we were hungry and this was one more thing to do. Once the tank was full we all got in the rv. Andy was holding into the frame of the rv while getting in when Laurie shut the front passenger door on his fingers.

Andy’s ring finger was bleeding and his index and ring fingers hurt too, but nothing seemed broken.

Andy rushed back to the filling station, turned on the water and rinsed his bloody finger while Laurie grabbed a band aid.

Andy will be ok. He won’t lose any of his nails.

Finally we were on our way to the showers. We divided the quarters we had between the three of us and went to get clean.

Laurie had never used a coin operated shower before and it had been at least 7 years since Andy used one.

Laurie and Sue seemed to be enjoying themselves but Andy was not. The machine had returned one of his quarters. But it was too late when he noticed this had happened.

The water turned off just as he put in the quarter. Rats! He put in another quarter to get at least two more minutes of blissful hot water but nothing.

He was out of quarters with his upper body still covered in soap.

The day just kept getting better and better…

When Laurie was done she came to check on Andy and offered him three quarters. Thank you Laurie!

Andy put the quarters in the machine. No water. Frustrated, he called for Laurie while punching the machine.

After punching the machine a second time it returned his quarters.

He quickly grabbed his things and moved to the other shower. He put in the quarters and he had water again. But it was really cold and he waited what felt like a minute for the water to warm up.

The race against the clock isn’t a game Andy enjoys. He knew he had enough time to rinse himself off but it was still frustrating.

When he got back to the rv it was 2pm. We got to the laundromat in the town of Burney around 2:30pm, put in a load and headed for the Safeway for lunch.

We bought two roast chickens, a dozen eggs, hummus, carrots, kimchee, salad greens, grapes, cottage cheese, nectarines and four avocados.

We took the grocery bags to the rv while Sue went back in to buy more fruit. We felt uneasy with our clothes sitting in the washing machine but Sue insisted we get gas first. She asked Laurie to clean the windshield which took additional time.

Finally around 3:45 we returned to the laundromat, put our clothes in the dryer and went in search of a place to eat.

Needless to say, we were all hangry and irritated by this point. None of us had eaten or drank much since 10am.

We were all on edge.

After lunch, we drove to a potential campground but it was closed. We drove back to Burney Falls State Park in hopes of camping there but they were full, so we dropped off Andy so he can charge the electronics while Laurie and Sue went in search of home for the night.

It’s been a long day. Our town stop was a luxury and became more of a headache than it was worth. We go into “go” mode when we get into town and it is hard to make time for tasks other than our own.

Sue was a good sport and we tremendously appreciate her driving us around. We will plan the next visit where there are less distractions so it is more pleasant for everyone.

Laurie and Sue returned to pick up Andy after having secured a spot at Dusty Campground just outside Burney Falls.

We ate dinner in the park before heading to our campsite on the shore of Lake Britton. It was pretty but buggy.

We were all tired and ready for bed. Laurie hung out with her mama while Andy relaxed in the tent.

It’s now 10pm and we are finally in our sleeping bags. What a day! We are ready to get back on the trail. But first we sleep.

Tonight we are grateful for grapes and available campsites.

June 19, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 1382.2) to Baum Lake (mile 1405.9)

Miles: 23.7

Our alarms went off at 5 am. We both opened our eyes, looked at the morning light casting a pink glow over Lassen and fell back asleep.

We woke up the second time around 6 am and motivated one another to get moving. Without a wet tent packing up was much faster and we were walking a little before 7 am.

The trail stayed on top of Hat Creek Rim for the first half of the day. We admired the green valley down to our left and took in the expansive views of Shasta to the north and Lassen to the south.

We walked through patches of flowers and dandelion puffballs. Laurie tried numerous times to make a wish and blow out the balls but the feathers were persistent and only a few blew off. We resorted to whapping them with our poles as we walked by. It was cheap entertainment for a few miles.

Lava rocks were scattered amongst the grasses and made for difficult walking, especially when the trail was overgrown.

We rolled our ankles numerous times and although it was morning and our feet were fresh, certain steps hurt more than others when rocks hit the sensitive parts of our feet.

Laurie tripped on one such rock and nearly fell flat on her face. Thankfully she has the reflexes of a cheetah and caught herself with a large lunge. It was a close one but she didn’t tweak anything.

Whew!

The grade of the trail was gentle. We walked along staring at the majestic appearance of Shasta covered in snow. There were no other mountains around and it stuck out almost as if it were photoshopped into the landscape.

The morning air was cool and refreshing and we felt happy. It felt good to be enjoying the trail and our adventure again. Our confidence was back and we were having fun. We are laughing and being goofy again like we were in the desert. Yay!

It ain’t all peaches and cream though.

Laurie has a hard time accepting the decisions she makes. She torments herself with constant “what ifs.” In this instance she regrets not picking up the trail in Truckee.

“What if the water crossings were easier? What if there wasn’t as much snow there as before Mammoth?”

Our 406 mile skip put us out of the range of snow and raging rivers but also ahead of most other hikers. Laurie misses the camaraderie. It is also possible that we will hit snow around Crater Lake.

All the unknowns create anxiety for Laurie. Andy, on the other hand, focuses on the present moment with an understanding that a lot can change between now and when we get to Crater Lake in early July.

Andy tries to reassure Laurie and remind her to enjoy the here and now, while Laurie comes up with plans to gather more info.

This is just another example of how different we are but how we use these differences to make us a stronger team.

During a short break after 6 miles we met 2 hikers who had also flipped. They were hiking south from Ashland after skipping all of the Sierras. It was reassuring to hear that the trail was relatively clear (some snow and blow downs but nothing major) til Ashland.

This trail provides constant lessons in going with the flow and letting the adventure unfold rather than planning it all out in advance.

The trail made a sudden turn into a forest and then down into an open grassland. Andy felt as though he had walked into the Serengeti.

The temperature had risen and it was now hot. We both wished we still had our umbrellas to provide a bubble of shade.

The trail, like life, can have us wishing for one thing, then cursing at the very thing we had wished for only two days ago.

We were cold, wet and uncomfortable in Lassen National Park. And now we are overheating and wishing it were colder. “I don’t know if I should enjoy this sun or not. Two days ago I was wishing for it” said a disgruntled southbound hiker who passed us walking with his head down.

We walked on, passed some oak trees, an algae infested pond and two women who had started hiking 3 days ago.

They were new to backpacking and looking to hike 1,000 miles to Seattle. Being from Texas they found the temperature mild, but the hiking difficult.

“How long til this doesn’t suck?” Asked one of the women.

Laurie responded by telling them that their attitude and approach will determine the experience they will have.

Later Laurie gave the gals her peanut M&Ms. “I like giving myself treats. It helps me feel better on rough days.”

It was now 2:30pm and we wanted to hike another 10 miles to camp. We figured if we hiked 2.5 miles per hour we could be at camp by 6:30pm.

We walked as fast as we could on the rocky trail. Laurie had a good laugh or two (or three) following Andy and watching him trip and kick rocks onto his opposite foot.

But not even his drunken walking could distract her from her discomfort. It was hot, the trail was rocky and there were mozzies swarming us.

“Two nuisances I can handle, but three is too many.”

“Gotcha. It’s like when we were in the Angeles National Forest right?”

“Yup. When we had poodle dog bush, poison oak, biting flies and heat.”

At one point we stopped to put water in our Platypus bladders. Laurie sat down to rest but was on her feet 2 minutes later because the mosquitoes were swarming her. Poor Andy didn’t even have a chance to sit before Laurie was on the move again.

All Laurie wanted to cool her down was for someone to give her an ice cold Coca Cola.

She could practically taste the bubbly, sugary goodness. This is odd because she never drinks soda.

We made it to Baum Lake and ran into many people fishing off the bridge and swimming in the lake. Laurie wished someone would give her a Coke, but not many people acknowledged us.

Too bad.

Half a mile after crossing another bridge over Baum Lake we made it to camp. It reminded us of Myrtle Flat – tons of mozzies and lots of deer deer.

On the way to camp Laurie commented how the people fishing were cheating because we were near a fish hatchery. Andy thought they were smart.

We quickly erected the tent and Laurie crawled in. She doesn’t like mosquitoes. Andy cooked dinner while Laurie cleaned her dirty feet and watched the mosquitoes swarm.

We are not sure when, but somewhere along the way Andy has stopped giving a shit about mosquitos. They love him, and still swarm him like crazy but he is okay sitting outside the tent cooking dinner.

Tonight we fall asleep to the buzz of mosquitoes from the safety of our tent. The moon is bright and our feet are tired but our hearts are happy.

Tonight we are grateful for the soles of our shoes and cool breezes.

June 18, 2016

Hat creek (mile 1367.1) to bushcamp (mile 1382.2)

Miles: 15.1

It poured last night. We woke up naturally at 6 am but since it was still raining we both fell back asleep. We were just under 8 miles from our designated meeting point with Laurie’s mom and we figured we could walk fast if need be.

The rain stopped around 7:00 am and we could see light coming through the tent.

“Sun??” Asked Laurie as she stuck her head out of the drenched and sagging rain fly.

The sky was still grey but the clouds were thining. We were hopeful for some sunshine. It had been a few days since we felt the warmth of the sun’s rays.

As we rolled up our pads we noticed moisture on Andy’s side of the tent. Could we have a hole in the tent floor? Our tent bag has many rips from bushwhacking and perhaps the tent got cut also? We decided to investigate further when we dried out the tent.

We put away our soaked tent and rain fly and were walking by 8:20am. By that time the sunlight illuminated the dripping pine trees. It was a magical moment.

We walked through puddles on the trail and through steaming meadows. The air was crisp but not cold. We quickly shed our layers and embraced the sunshine.

The trail meandered through the pine forest, crossing many dirt roads and past RV’s in the distance.

We climbed up and then down and could see the town of Old Station in the distance. As we dropped down into the valley we caught glimpses of Lassen. It looked as though it got a new dusting of snow!

Eventually we made it to the cutoff for the Subway Cave. Here we met Sue and we all piled into the RV to drive the half mile to JJ’s.

Town food is very subjective. On the trail you often hear that food at a certain restaurant is the “best on the trail.” This restaurant had that reputation.

Unfortunately we were underwhelmed. Some of the food was really good while others were ok at best. The burger Andy had was delicious while the egg scramble Laurie ordered and the Greek salad Sue ordered were ok. Even so we enjoyed the change it offered from trail food.

Paradise Valley Cafe before mile 200 wins for best Greek salad thus far while JJ’s has had the best burger.

We dried our wet tent and clothes on the deck, searched unsuccessfully for a hole in the tent, chatted with Sue and uploaded blog posts.

By 3 pm and with 11 liters of water between us we shouldered our packs and hit the trail once more. We were at the beginning of a 30 mile waterless stretch on the Hat Creek Rim. Andy walked through the Subway Cave and we all started back on the PCT together.

Sue walked with us for about 2 miles. Flowers mixed in with the tall grasses offered a smattering of red, yellow and purple amongst the green.

We climbed up 400 ft to the Hat Creek Overlook where we got our first views of Mt. Shasta. From here the trail stayed relatively level.

We walked on a mix of lava rock and dirt. It took a lot more effort and concentration than walking on the soft pine needles of the previous day.

We reached camp around 7 pm. Both of us were tired and our feet hurt. Andy boiled water for dinner while Laurie made home and got cozy.

Tonight the sky is clear and we will sleep with no rain fly. We watched the sun set behind Shasta as birds chirped in the trees surrounding our camp. Aside from their singing it is peacefully quiet.

Tonight we are grateful for a cloudless night and fast wifi in public places.