Day 88-91: Hot NoCal

Date: August 1-August 4
Day 88-91
Mile 1381.6 to 1481.5
Subway cave to canyon near McCloud river

Day 88-Return of the Mojave

Today we woke up somewhat early to try and hike the whole Hat Creek Rim. The rim is famous for being notoriously hot with no water for 30 miles except for a cache. Fortunately there is a cache in the middle of the section that is well stocked and reliable. We began the accent from subway cave to the rim and within a few miles had amazing views of the distant Mt.Shasta and Mt.Lassen.




It got hot really quick and unfortunately once your hiking on the Rim there is little shade or relief from the sun. We got to the cache at forest road 22, often called cache 22. There was water, shade, and several hikers from team awkward. At the cache we sat out the heat of the day and took a little nap. It is weird having to sit out the middle of the day due to heat since we haven't had to do that for a long time. We hiked on and dropped down off the hat creek rim into the valley below. It was a long hot day and we fell asleep almost instantly after we got to camp. The terrain from here to Oregon is fairly easy therefore we have been hiking from sun up to sun down. This is allowing us to do big miles day to day. As long as our bodies hold up this should be no problem.

Day 89-Burney Falls

Today was a late start, almost 9 am before we were walking. This was one of the hottest days yet. It was very exposed, hot and dry walking to Burney Falls. We passed Crystal lake state fish hatchery and saw lots of vacationers fishing in the area. Although it was hot the miles into Burney Falls State Park flew by.




We stopped and saw the falls And went to the store to get some food and get our package.




There were several dozen hikers at the store, some we have never seen yet. We sat at the store eating a lot and took a shower while there too. We hiked out of Burney falls and crossed over the lake britton dam.




There were some yummy berries we ate along the trail that night before we stopped to camp. There was quite a bit of bear scat in the area and we were surprised to not see a bear. It was a great day and we are excited to get in to Mt.Shasta to see Jenna's family.

Day 90-Shasta-trinity forest

Todays walk was through Shasta- Trinity National Forest.




We have actually been in this forest since near Burney but there were no signs informing us. This forest will persist until we get a ways from the town of Mt. Shasta. As we walked we noticed that lots of logging had been occurring in this area. It was a pretty hike through the forest all day with very few views of anything. That is one thing we have noticed about northern California. Views are becoming more rare due to tree cover and as a result we are taking fewer photos. At our ending camp spot there were carpenter ants everywhere that got into our packs and any tiny place they could crawl. It was a fun night despite the swarm of ants.

Day 91-Helter Swelter

Unlike yesterday we got to walk on some ridges with great views of mt. Shasta.




It got really hot today an being in the forest added to to the heat with some humidity. These last few days have been some of the hottest I remember.




We ate lunch by a river and dinner at the McCloud river which let us cool down a bit. The water at McCloud was too swift and icy cold so we didn't swim but rather rinsed off while cooking dinner. We ended up getting in near 29 miles today.




It was a great day and we are ecstatic to see Jenna's family tomorrow.

-Natey

Day 84 - 87

July 28 - 31
Day 84 - 87
Mile 1284.9 - 1381.6
Just south of Belden- Subway Cave
Day 84 - The numbers of the beast
Today we hiked one of the most talked about climbs on the trail, the climb out of Belden. It is known for being hot, exposed, and ending about 3,000 ft higher than it started. We started our day by dropping down a series of steep switchbacks into Belden. We weren't resupplying there but we couldn't pass up the on trail breakfast at the restaurant. Chuckles, Chatterbox, Stonewall, and Jim were also there. After breakfast we immediately got back on the trail and started the 10 mile ascent up the canyon. The hype about it was mostly true. We had not expected it to be that bad because it is not terribly steep, but it was a beast! It was hot and there was not much shade. We had to watch for poison oak all day. Luckily it looked like some trail maintenance has come in this year and cleared the trail. It looked so nice and we were glad we didn't have to navigate through over grown bushes. In fact we have noticed that the whole trail has looked really nice and well kept so far and we are so glad. We entered Lassen National Forest.

When we got to a creek we jumped in, washed ourselves and got cold water. We had a lot of fun here and took about an hour break.We passed mile 1300!

We finally finished the climb and got a really great view that was worth the climb.

We walked on a little longer and camped in some trees.  We really felt like we were completely alone tonight and it was really cool.  Going to bed knowing you may be the only person in miles is such an incredible and freeing feeling.

On a side note, we accomplished something today that we have not done yet.  We have hiked more than 100 miles in 4 days, averaging just over 25 miles a day.  Our speed should stay around 22-30 miles per day and it is good to know that our bodies are capable of doing this!

Day 85 - Halfway... Just in time

We were super excited to make it to the halfway point today so we did 17 miles before lunch at the little halfway marker.

 We looked in the register and saw that Cam, who we started with on May 6th, was there on June 17th.  That guy is incredible! We happily hiked the rest of the way to the highway.  When we got there we saw a sign that said the trail was closed from Highway 70 at Belden to Highway 36 near Chester because of a fire.

After further investigation we found out that a human caused fire started on the PCT near Belden about 12 hours after we passed through there.  We just narrowly missed the trail closure and were some of the last hikers able to pass through that area.  Everyone after us had to hitch from Belden to Chester and skip that section for now.  The fire has since gotten out of control and we hope that everyone in the area is okay.  Maverick, Jim, Nate, and I had to wait a while for a hitch but finally a man named Lee in a 2 door Geo picked us up and we fit all of us plus our packs in.

  We immediately went to get shakes.  We stayed the night in Chester but had to wait until the morning to get our package from the post office because it was closed on Sunday.


Day 86 -Volcano!

We went to the post office as soon as it opened and resupplied.  By the time we got back to the trail it was 12:30.  The trail was really nice and shaded and we even got some good views of Mt. Lassen.  We entered Lassen National Park later in the day.

    We went about a half mile off trail to see a really cool steam vent called Terminal Geyser. 

We also walked by Boiling Springs Lake and we camped near it, in an area that had been logged and cleared.

Day 87 - Flatland
Today was very flat which was good because our feet were sore and we took more breaks than usual today.  Some areas had been logged and they replanted the trees in rows.  It was really weird and unnatural walking through these rows. (This is not really a good picture)

 We knew that tomorrow we had a 30 mile waterless, hot, and exposed section, Hat Creek Rim, so we wanted to prepare ourselves to do that as early as possible tomorrow.  However, we passed a store at Old Station and no hiker can pass up a sign that advertizes food, shade, and ice cream.  We saw a few other hikers there and relaxed for a while before walking the few miles to Subway Cave, which is a really neat lava tube.  We found a scorpion by our tent and went to bed as early as we could to get ready for an early start the next morning to beat the heat. 



-Be Free

Day 80-83: The Rug Really Tied the room together

July 24-27
Day 80-83
Mile 1197.5-1284.9
Highway 49 Sierra city to Four miles south of Belden
Day 80-Ooops we did it again
Today we woke with the idea of leaving the cozy Red Moose early and getting in a full hiking day. Nope. While we waited for our breakfast we drank coffee, chatted with many other thru hikers, and most importantly looked through yogi's CDT book.




We casually ate breakfast and chatted with people before going to the backyard to dry our things out from the previous wet day. Someones Western Mountaineering bag was drying too close to the dogs in the backyard and one of the dogs chewed on it a little before we could stop it. Luckily the hiker was able to stitch up the few tattered quilts of the bag and had a very cool attitude about the incident. We packed everything up and said our goodbyes to the Red Moose Inn and went down the street to the grocery store to eat more and resupply.




We got stuck there for awhile eating pints of ice cream and sandwiches while talking with Wolverine and Hee Haw. We finally left town with Jim and walked to the trail , as we were unable to get a hitch. It is funny that as soon as you get on trail you feel more relaxed, calm, and even safer after most town stops. It was a steep climb but after a few miles it was nothing but beautiful crest walks for the rest of the day.




Also, we passed mile 1200!




We hiked with Jim for quite awhile and passed Mr. C and Snow White at the end of the day. Since we left town late we didn't expect to go far but we ended up doing 12.5 miles total. It's was a great day and we are excited to get cruising on the trail. On the climb out of sierra city Jenna got stung by a bee on her leg. No big deal but it swelled up pretty good and I had to keep her from itching it.




Day 81-1234, 1234
It is funny that waking up in the desert at 7 meant we would only hike ~15 miles. In the north we are able to start hiking at 8 and do ~25 miles. Today was mainly a forest walk with very few exposed views.




It was still a great day and we each listened to some of our audiobooks and podcasts. Jenna listened to The Golden Compass and is now working on Alice in Wonderland. I read A Storm of Swords and am now working on listening to A Feast For Crows and the hobbit. I also listen to some podcasts. We leapfrogged with Jim, Mr.C, and Snow White for some of the day.




So far we love northern California and it has been much cooler than we anticipated. Today was one of the coldest mornings in quite awhile. Despite this it does get very hot during the days with some humidity and we are thankful that we have trees to shelter us from the sun. We ironically ended the day at mile 1,234.
Day 82-Fangorn Forest
Today we got up on time for a change and were both eager to hike. We had to hike 7 miles with a half a liter each for the first part of the morning. Once at a water source I went and got water for us while Jenna watched the packs. When I found the water it was only a tiny drip that took about fifteen minuets to fill five liters.




Unfortunately the water had lots of floaters in it and we didn't notice till we had treated the water with Aquamira. We filtered the junk out of the water with a bandana later in the day. Once again today was a very forested walk with almost no views. I am pretty sure I saw Mt.Lassen in the distance. It was beautiful hiking today but we descended 3,000 ft and started to see poison oak near the middle fork of the feather river.




A half hour after crossing the river we got rattled at by a rattlesnake. It scared us both, as we were not expecting it.




We climbed back up 3,000 ft to a ridge where we got some great views of the sunset. Didn't see a lot of hikers today but did see Jim a few times. He is a cool guy and we both like him.
Day 83- The Forest People
So far northern California is awesome. The nights have been cold and the days have been hot but with shade cover. We have been hiking in Plumas National forest for several days and today entered bucks lake wilderness.




After the easy morning hours we glimpsed the distant Lassen peak in the distance after the end of a large climb. We kept hiking and hiking trying to find a good spot with a view.




After awhile we found a good view of the area but not the peak and just stopped to eat while we were ahead.




The miles were easy today and we both felt like we could have done ten more miles at the end of our 25 mile day.




Belden is known for its weekend raves with music that can be heard for miles. It's Friday and we are curious to see if this is true. Nothing yet, it may be to windy. It was a great day and we have been putting in big miles this week, averaging about 25 miles a day. It is funny how our bodies don't get tired after 20 miles anymore but rather don't get tired till we near 30 miles in a day. We have both developed a fondness for Nutella and are eating a a jar between the two of us every two days. 1 jar is only 2000 calories.




We are both eating more than ever and still loosing weight. This is a delicious burrito with beans rice and cheese made on trail.




Jenna has lost 4-8 pounds and I have lost 30-32 pounds since we left home. We have ourselves an amazing spot tonight. Top five spots of the whole trail. It's like a treehouse!




-Natey

Days 75 - 79

July 19 - 23
Day 75 - 79
Echo Lake/ Tahoe - Sierra city
Mile 1094.5 - 1197.5

Day 75: Farewell

We had a big breakfast and mozied out of the campsite and back to Echo Lake. We said our goodbyes and stopped by the store for lunch and one last, delicious milkshake. We talked with Jim and Listener on the porch and , for only the second time in 75 days, it began to drizzle. By the time we left it had already stopped. We entered desolation wilderness and walked by many amazing lakes. Desolation wilderness is the most heavily used wilderness area in the US per area. It was cloudy and the combination of the grey sky and the mostly treeless section was really cool.












We passed 1100 miles!




As we were walking, we passed a couple who asked if we were from Utah. It turns out they are following our journal online and recognized us. That was so cool! We found a beautiful spot and went to bed early.




Day 76- Beautiful desolation

Last night was the kind of night when we were glad to have our tent that holds up to wind so well. It was so windy I hardly got any sleep. Nate, of course, slept like a rock. We were camped in a sandy area so when we woke up there was a layer of sand on everything in our tent. After we woke up however, it was a very pleasant morning that started with an uphill climb and continued to pass by the lakes desolation is so famous for and more wildflowers.








I entitle this picture, "walking off the edge of the world."




We ended the day by climbing up to an amazing view of lake Tahoe where we camped for the night.




Day 77-Late start

I woke up with neck pain and a headache. I peeked my eyes outside the sleeping bag, only to receive a sharp pain in response. Yup, that's a migraine. I took some ibuprofen and we slept in till 9. I have a feeling Nate didn't mind. When I could walk we set out not expecting too much out of the day. We entered granite chief wilderness.






The trail is finally starting to gain a nicer tread and after the rocky Sierra we almost feel like we glide over flat dirt trail.



We met magic bag and ate lunch with him and we leapfrogged with him and Jim again. Towards the end of the day we were treated to one of the most dramatic crest walks yet and it was so cool.








We were beginning to think we wouldn't find a spot when we saw a cabin up on the hill. We consulted our guidebooks which said it was a Sierra club hut. We checked it out but it was mice infested. Luckily there was a really good spot near the hut and there was an amazing sunset that I got a terrible picture of.










Even after the late start we were able to make it over 22 miles today.

Day 78- How many homeless people have an iPhone?

We woke up earlier today and hiked quickly to highway 40 where we met pebbles who gave us sodas! After that we seemed to just hike really slow and we weren't sure why. When we crossed I-80 we stopped at a rest stop to get water and eat lunch. A lady came up an gave us each a pair of non wicking, cotton, old socks and said it looked like we needed new socks. It didn't occur to me till after that she thought we were homeless. I forget sometimes what we must look like to people who don't know about the trail. We passed a lot of trail maintenance crews today and I realize I never get any pictures of them so I took one.



We were both feeling minor foot pains today so we just took it slow. We found an awesome spot in a thin forest and went to bed, blissfully ignorant of what was to come.




Day 79- Washington training day

"...penny sized hail with up to 40 mph winds...along with frequent dangerous lightning..." so reads the weather channel for Sierra City.

We woke up at 12:30 to thunder and lightning in the distance. We quickly put the rain fly up. We had a little service so we looked up the weather channel to see what we were dealing with. It rained and hailed all night and there was hardly 30 minutes without thunder and lightning. I envy nate for being able to sleep through some of it. At a time when we could have regretted our decision to come out here we looked at each other and smiled and, like two little children camping in our backyard, excitedly awaited what would come next. We stayed dry and warm all night in our tent. We are so happy with our choice. As soon as there was a break in the storm (~6:30) we packed up and headed out in our rain gear and waterproofed packs. Not 15 minutes later, the hail started again. It was so painful we had to stand under a tree to wait for it to stop. The rest of the morning was a game of waiting for one storm cloud to pass then hurrying over an exposed ridge until we found trees. Then wait out the next storm cloud under tree cover till we got to another exposed region. Rinse and repeat. Literally, rinse; we got drenched. Around 10, the sky cleared so we took all of our rain gear and pack covers off. We enjoyed the wet hike in cool, gloomy conditions.










We decided to stop for lunch and found a few nice dry rocks.
Within 30 seconds of sitting down (we didn't even have enough time to take our shoes off) it started raining. Not a light drizzle, but a downpour. There was no use in taking the time to put our pack covers on, we just threw them over the packs the best we could and huddled over our belongings trying to keep them dry (mostly unsuccessfully). We waited out this wave of the storm then sat as the excess water from the trees kept dripping on us till we had the will to move.


We got the tortillas out and went to grab peanut butter to put on them when we looked up and saw another storm cloud rapidly approaching. As we did with every one of these situations today, we laughed at the irony. We shoved a tortilla in our mouths and began hiking again. We eventually made it to Sierra city where we are camped in the backyard of the Red Moose Cafe. The hitch in was very easy thanks to a passing climber named Lincoln. Bill and Margaret have a restaurant that they use to give hikers showers, laundry, food, and camping. It is amazing here and such a great place to relax. We head out tomorrow again and can't wait!



-Be Free