June 16, 2016

Stover Spring (mile 1332.3) to Warner Valley Campground (mile 1347.6)

Miles: 15.3

We woke up to the pitter-patter of rain around 5:15am. Between 5 and 5:30 doesn’t seem to work for Laurie. She has a hard time getting up.

The rain never intensified. In fact we saw blue skies when we crawled out of our tent at 6:20.

Laurie walked super fast again today. She was on a mission to meet her mama, and nothing was going to stop her.

Andy tried to slow her down by asking her to stop for photo ops and to appreciate the view. It worked until Andy put his phone away, at which point Laurie was barely visible.

Our feet were wet and cold most of this morning. The plants lining the trail were wet from the rain and they were all too happy to share the moisture with our feet when we brushed up against them.

We hiked in our fleeces as the temperature never really warmed up. The clouds danced in the sky, exposing the sun now and again, but it remained cold.

We hiked downhill for most of the morning, gazing upon a stunning meadow below.

Around 11am we climbed up to a ridge where we had service and decided to take a break. We tried uploading a blog post but Verizon decided not to work after 10 minutes so we gave up and kept walking in order to stay warm.

Around noon we reached the junction to Terminal Geyser in Lassen National Park. We were wondering where we would meet Laurie’s mom today; unsure if she had received any of our voicemails or texts informing her to meet us at this very spot.

Throughout the morning we discussed many options, including how we would take turns hiking to the geyser in case she turned up. But not even 10 minutes later Sue came down the trail.

She had no service and hadn’t listened to or read any messages. She just hiked and met us at the right place at the right time!

We took a lunch break before going to the geyser. Sue had brought us sliced turkey, apples and dried fruit. Thanks for the trail magic Sue!

We left our packs and hiked the three tenths of a mile to Terminal Geyser. Even at the junction we could smell the sulfur.

The geyser itself was a pile of steaming rocks. We couldn’t see where the water was coming from but could see the steamy runoff. It was very different than  anything we’d ever seen.

We left the falls, retrieved our packs and walked toward Boiling Springs Lake.

The lake was a pastel green. The temperature of the water is supposedly 125 degrees. Steam rose from the lake and surrounding banks and mud hissed and bubbled near it’s eastern shore.

Andy wants to come back here again. There seems to be a lot of natural wonders to explore in this Park and we are just passing through.

We hiked down the trail until we reached the Drakesbad Guest Ranch junction. Andy went to the Ranch to get our resupply boxes while Laurie hiked to the campground with her mom to drive over and pick up Andy.

We wanted to have dinner at Drakesbad to celebrate Andy’s birthday tomorrow and Laurie passing her GCS exam but the ranch didn’t offer a good gluten free option, so we passed.

We’ll celebrate in two days at JJ’s Cafe in Old Station instead.

Once at Warner Valley Campground we sorted through our resupplies, put up our tent and snacked.

Sue had purchased goat cheese for us along with other snacks from Chester the day before. Laurie ate a lot of cheese, jerky, carrots with almond butter and whatever else she could find in the pantry.

Eventually we made dinner and looked at maps to see if Sue could meet us further up the trail.

As we ate Andy spotted Gecko and Swiss Flo hiking into the campground. Andy excitedly went out to greet them. He chatted with them for a bit and returned to the RV.

We hope to see them again, and better yet, hike with them some more. They are good guys and a fun duo. But they are fast. We’ll see.

It’s 7:30pm and Laurie is lying in her mom’s arms, both of them asleep. They look peaceful and happy.

Laurie is really happy that her mom is here visiting us. And Sue is happy to be spending time with Laurie.

It’s sprinkling outside and Laurie is quite cozy in the RV. She doesn’t want to go outside, not just yet anyway.

Tomorrow we hike through and out of Lassen National Park, hopefully under sunny skies (even if it’s cloudy it’s ok as long as it doesn’t rain).

Night night.

Tonight we are grateful for telepathy and the comfort of our mother’s arms.

June 15, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 1309.5) to Stover Spring (1332.3)

Miles: 22.8

We woke up early, committed to hiking over 20 miles to make the following day shorter. Laurie’s mom Sue is meeting us is Lassen and we want to maximize our time with her.

We were walking by 6:15am, shivering as we began and hoping to warm up as we walked. It was cold!

Search and Rescue had posted a sign warning hikers of “deep snow ahead.” It was dated 5/29 so we anticipated that it had melted but we weren’t entirely sure. We kept our microspikes handy just in case.

The trail was mellow, wandering in and out of the trees and open volcanic ridges. It felt like we were walking along a braid – at times we walked on top of the ridge and other times on either side.

We had a nice view of snowy Mt Lassen in the distance when the clouds parted.

We wandered on, stepping over logs and winding our way up and down the hillsides. The trail was pretty easy and the miles flew by. We kept expecting the temperature to rise but instead it got colder as we got higher in elevation.

After an hour and a half we got to a junction. Every trail and spring are well marked. We left our packs next to the trail and dropped down a third of a mile to Little Cub Spring. The water was clear and cold.

On our major climb of the day, we caught up with another hiker named Karen. She started in Truckeee a few weeks ago.

She was happy to see us as she reported being lonely. We are all ahead of the pack and are lucky to see more than 4 hikers a day. We chatted for a bit and continued on. It was too cold for a long conversation without a layer and gloves!

We encountered a few snowy patches on the north facing slopes but nothing like what we had been on or warned about. We made our way across the snow, Andy digging in steps and Laurie moving quickly to avoid slipping.

About a quarter mile before the Butt Mountain junction (yes that’s what it’s called), the trail crossed over to the southern side of the ridge. The snow disappeared and so did the trail amongst the small Manzanita bushes.

We were thankful for our pants as we plunged through, moving the bushes away with our poles and arms.

From here it was a gentle but windy walk to mile 1325 – the PCT midpoint. It was anti climatic and we felt a whole slew of emotions.

With our skip this was really only our 919 mile marker. That alone is something to celebrate and we feel grateful and happy to have made it this far.

Within 5 minutes, Flo and Gecko arrived. Flo has walked from Campo so we congratulated him on the accomplishment and then we all sat down to eat lunch.

Suprisingly we had service and as soon as we turned on our phones the notifications poured in.

Laurie got an email and text informing her that the results of her Geriatric Specialty Exam were posted. She nervously checked as Andy published our latest blog post.

Laurie passed her test and the celebration continued with a little dancing and singing to Bon Jovi’s “We’re halfway there….oh livin on a prayer.”

Now you have the song stuck in your head. You’re welcome ☺

We parted ways, Gecko and Flo speeding off towards hot chocolate in Chester and we took our time descending through the forest towards the highway and eventually camp.

We walked through logging areas, frequently crossing over dirt roads and past signs warning us of falling trees.

We met two southbound hikers (30/30 and Jukebox) near Hwy 36. Both had flipped up to Ashland from Independence. They fondly spoke of smooth and well manicured trail ahead. We look forward to attempting our first 30 mile day in the near future.

We mentioned yesterday 4 things that slow down hikers (snow, stream crossings, blowdowns and overgrown trail) but there are two others: inclement weather and chatting with other hikers.

Thankfully we dodged the foul weather today. Similarly our conversations with other hikers were nice but short.

Just before 6 we arrived at Stover Spring. The final mile was uphill and for the first time today Laurie broke a sweat.

We filled up our water bottles with cool clear water and set off to find a flat spot. We passed a woman journaling under her tarp. She stuck her head out to say hello. She too just started in Belden and is headed north. It is reassuring to Laurie to know there are people around with similar plans.

We went about our evening routine – both putting up the tent, then Andy cooking while Laurie inflated the pads and stretched out the sleeping bags.

By 7:30 we were fed and cozy in our sleeping bags. It is still cold out but luckily not raining as had been predicted.

Tonight we are grateful for music and our playful spirits.

June 14, 2016

Myrtle Flat (mile 1291.1) to bushcamp (mile 1309.5)

Miles: 18.4

Our alarms were set for 5 am but we didn’t start hiking until 8am. Andy hadn’t sleep well the past few nights and needed the extra sleep.

Adorned in all of our bug proof clothing we forged outside the tent. The skeeters swarmed but didn’t bite through our layers.

The trail continued up gradually through the forest. We tripped over branches as we walked. Arg!

After about an hour we came to Chips Creek crossing. It was a real creek but nothing like what we experienced in the Sierras.

Andy waded across and Laurie attempted to rock hop but the slippery rocks resulted in wet feet anyway.

It felt good to confidently cross a creek.

“This is what creeks are supposed to look like” said Laurie with a smile.

It was nice to see her smile return in the presence of running water. A few more successful crossings and her confidence will return too.

We bushwhacked our way through the next half mile. The trail was very overgrown. Luckily this only lasted a short distance.

There are many things that can slow progress on the trail, including snow, water crossings, downed trees and overgrown trail. Today we encountered all of them.

We crossed Chips Creek again – this time walking through the water without hesitation.

From here the trail was clear. We climbed up through dense forests. Laurie admired the neon green lichen on the trees and ground.

Suddenly the trees ended and we walked into a green meadow. We took a short break to switch our socks and cold soak our last night’s dinner for lunch.

We hiked on. The trail crested a ridge and we got our first glimpse of Mt. Lassen. We enjoyed walking on the ridge for about 15 min before dropping down the other side. Here we found snow!

The familiar crunching of the snow underfoot was comforting. We glissaded and walked down the north facing slope to the trial below. Andy managed to post hole once before we resumed walking on dirt.

We continued to walk through forests, feeling small amongst the giant trees. The air was cool and the trail shadey. Although we were still struggling to find our hiking legs, we held a decent pace.

Around 5 o’clock we emerged from the forest onto a ridge of volcanic rock. Yellow and purple flowers danced in the wind and in the distance we could see Mt. Lassen.

This is what northern California is known for! Grand views that stretch for miles.

We arrived at camp a little after 6. We didn’t make it as far as we had hoped but we were tired and wanted to ease our bodies back into the routine of hiking everyday.

We were eating dinner in our tent when Flo and Gecko walked up. They set up their tents and we all chatted while eating dinner.

Now that we are ahead of the pack, there are significantly fewer hikers. We both enjoy the company of others and appreciate camping with other people.

Flo and Gecko are faster hikers so we don’t anticipate to hike with them for long. Hopefully they will resupply quickly in Chester and come meet us tomorrow night.

As for now, we watched the sun set and the sky turn pink. We are cozy in our tent and are preparing for a good nights sleep. Our tired bodies really need the rest.

Tonight we are grateful for misquito free campsites and trail runners that dry quickly.