Day 100
July 27
mile 1575-1602.8
27.8 miles

I was so tired in the morning and on top of that, my stomach was really hurting. When I sat up at 6:24, I just wanted to lie back down! I took some ibruprofen with my breakfast, hoping that would help with the pain. Although I didn’t have to rush out of my sleeping bag, there was still no evidence of improvement in my intestines. When I took off my thermal bottoms, I noticed a big red rash on my upper thighs! I guess it wasn’t the best idea to go to sleep in wet clothes! All I could do was hope that it would fade!

At 7:39, I finally got walking. The day started with a small climb and then descent to the saddle that Braveheart had pointed out on the map.

There did turn out to be a flat spot for camping there as he had thought, and I imagined that he had camped there. I wondered how he had coped with the storm. As I continued on, I heard the clanging of metal cow bells and soon came across an entire herd standing on the trail. When they saw me, they immediately ran down the mountain slope with great clamor, kicking up mounds of dust! Funny animals…

During my descent through the forest to South Fork Scott River, I listened to some music. Having forgotten to transfer the songs that I was hoping to have for my hike, I didn’t have a lot to choose from. Most of my songs were ones that I used for my yoga classes, and today, the ones that played all seemed to have come from one of my main yoga teachers. I thought I would miss my teachers and yoga classes a lot while I was out here, but that turned out not to be the case. I was simply too consumed with hiking the miles that I needed to hike in order to finish. However, when I heard David’s songs, I started to miss him. I also missed myself in his classes. He always makes me laugh and I think that is the best form of healing someone can offer. When you are laughing, you are completely content and nothing else matters.
I made it to the river and treated myself with an ice coffee and snacks. My intestines were not doing well at all, unfortunately. It was another extremely warm and humid day and I had a lot of climbing ahead of me.
I reached a parking lot, where I found a helicopter landing pad and then crossed a road to resume climbing. I hadn’t seen a single human being since Braveheart and I parted yesterday afternoon, and I wondered if today might be my first morning until night alone! I thought about what Kermit had talked about yesterday and wondered about doing seasonal work in Alaska in the winter.

I continued to climb and kept an eye out for the next spring, which was off the trail. Somehow, I ended up missing it. My energy began to fade and I needed to sit down. I decided to have another ice (moderate temp?) coffee to boost my energy for the last 10 miles, realizing this was not starting a good pattern…
It did get me on my way, however. At 4:08, I ran into a southbounder. So much for my day of solitude! When I told him that he was the first person I had seen today, he apologized, which I thought was nice. He was a school teacher from Florida, finishing up a 650 mile section, and was the first person to congratulate me on almost making it to Oregon! He told me about Etna and highly recommended staying at the Hikers Hut. He also told me to keep looking up toward my right, as I was going to pass a neat rock formation. He asked me if there were any camping spots around the river and then we parted ways.

I listened to more music to help me along as I walked. When I came to a little stream, I decided to dip my hand in the water to help cool me down a bit. Somehow, my iphone dropped into the water as I did so! It was now sitting in a pool of water, completely submerged! My mouth dropped open as my brain started to panic. I didn’t have time to soak it in a bowl of rice for two days!! What did I just do?!
Fortunately, it still seemed to work…

I reached the last definite place to camp as evening approached. It was a well-used site, in the woods, and beside a creek. I dropped my pack, looked around, and thought about whether I really wanted to stop here for the night. It would mean that I would have nearly 10 miles to hike down to the road to hitch into Etna tomorrow. I decided that I didn’t feel so comfortable here. I don’t like being near water that drowns out all other sounds and I prefer not to camp in mosquito infested woods. I put my pack back on and kept walking, not knowing what I would find ahead.
In just under three and a half miles, I reached the last water source before the road and stopped to collect and filter water. I could hear campers nearby and smelled the smoke from their fire. I felt under pressure to move as quickly as possible due to the dimming light. As I started the next climb, two teenage boys hiked down, presumably to join the group at the lake. I hiked onwards, hoping a little spot would appear somewhere. However, the ridge I was walking on offered no such places!
The trail re-entered a wooded section. I heard a noise and all of a sudden, saw a cute little bear happily foraging in the trees just off the trail in front of me! He did not yet see me and started making its way in my direction! For a second, I wondered what was going to happen. It seemed like he was going to run right into me, but then he finally noticed me and quickly turned around and headed down the slope. I could see a second bear further down!

It was now 7:49! The sun was setting, I was now in the direct vicinity of a family of bears, and I still had no idea where I was going to camp. As I continued to climb, things only started looking worse. I was now in very rocky terrain. Huge boulders sat all around the trail. I wondered if I was going to have to night hike all the way to the road.
I continually scanned the terrain on both sides of the trail and a couple of times, went off the trail, looking for any possible places to lie down. I bushwacked down one hill where I thought I saw a semi-flat space well below the trail. Still, there were two many rocks around. I kicked one over to discover a bunch of white maggots writhing around. Do I want to camp in a rocky place surrounded by maggots? No, I did not. So, back up the hill, I went. I guess I was going to have to night hike.
About a half a mile later, I suddenly came to an opening in the climb. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes! Here was a nice, flat, sandy spot right along the trail. And since I was now up high, I had a bit of extra light to set up with. I walked over to the opening and looked out over the horizon as my jaw dropped, unable to believe the incredible sunset I was witnessing! How could it be that a few minutes ago, I was about to (try to) go to sleep in the most uncomfortable, maggot infested places that I had ever camped, or after hiking nearly 28 miles, be forced to continue climbing over this mountain in the dark, and now, I was completely fine, and more than that, watching one of the most magnificent sunsets that I had ever seen! I just couldn’t believe what a difference a few minutes had made.

I set up my cowboy camp, cooked my dinner, and kept walking over to the opening between the rocks to watch the sky turn color. The mosquitoes were still out, and one even bit me through my sock, but the wind was starting to pick up, which I knew would chase these bothersome creatures away. I put on my hat and nestled into my sleeping bag, grateful for this amazing turn-around in my night.

(Less than one hundred miles until Oregon!)

Day 99
July 26
mile 1548.8-1575
26.2 miles

I got up at 6:13 and saw the sun rise through the trees.

For breakfast, I had my Love Crunch granola, which I added some chocolate whey protein, chia seeds, and powdered milk to. While I ate, flies infiltrated my area, landing on me, my sleeping bag, my trash bag, and whatever else they could find.

I then boiled my coffee (having only one container to both eat and drink from), and after a few sips, had to dash out of my sleeping bag. Ugh. As I am taking care of my business, I hear a man clear his throat! Great! I look down to see an older guy stopped by a dried up creek, looking all around. Why now? I had to wait several minutes for him to get going so I could finish up.
At 7:10, Elk and Cookie passed by. I got on the trail at 7:22. I felt pretty good in the morning miles and ended up passing everyone. I found Rabbit Stix bent over and leaning on his hiking poles on a fairly small incline. When I got close, he looked behind and smiled slightly. Concerned about how he looked, I asked him how he was. He answered, “Fine, thanks.” He didn’t look fine to me, but I guessed I didn’t need to worry.

At 9:00, I stopped again to receive the reiki Checka was sending. I felt a lot of energy in my hands and then in my feet. As I walked, I thought about what an incredible gift it is when someone consciously dedicates several minutes out of their busy day to thinking about someone else, especially when they are doing it for the purpose of healing. I also realized how I needed to work on being more open to receiving. I have been incredibly independent over the course of my life, relying solely on myself for survival. It is much easier for me to give than to receive, and I found this exercise helpful in learning to allow more.

Both of my guides indicating that there was a spring at mile 1560, but there was actually nothing there at all! Disgruntled, I sat down and ate a snack anyway. I was surprised that my granola had lasted that long! Usually, I need to eat every couple of hours!
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I came to a little spring. A man was sitting in the shade beside it, filtering his water. I went over to a rock in the sun and then patiently collected water. The other hiker wanted to know where the next water source was, but all I could tell him was the information he already had! When he left, I moved over to the shade and made myself an ice coffee. I looked back to see a hiker approaching. It turned out to be Braveheart! He dug out a big bag of vanilla wafers from his pack, complaining that he didn’t have enough cookies! We chatted for awhile, but at 12:20, I told him I had to get going! I had been there for 50 minutes already!

I managed to stay ahead of him for longer than expected. Up ahead, I saw the other hiker lying down next to the trail, eating a bagel with cream cheese. He didn’t see me until I was practically upon him and said hi! When I stopped to take a pack break, Braveheart caught up to me and asked if I had seen the rattlesnake 100 yards back. I had not. He said that he had brushed up against the bushes and then thought, “Wait a minute… Bushes don’t sound like that!” I said that it didn’t rattle at me. Braveheart said I probably woke him up as I passed by. (Actually, I think brushing against the bushes is what woke him up!). I hadn’t had a rattlesnake encounter since way back in the desert!
Braveheart stopped to collect another liter of water soon after (I had to call back to tell him there was a better source ahead where I was) and I headed down toward the highway. The trail was littered with rocks that hurt my tired feet when I stepped on them. I hadn’t felt them hurt so much in a long time!
As I neared the road, I saw a sign that read “trail magic” and looked back with a smile at Braveheart. He was hoping for some here, but I didn’t want to put any false hope into my head. The sign told us that it was being offered at Camp 3 by Kermit.

We headed across the road, wondering how to get to Camp 3. A few people were standing around chatting nearby and one of them came over to greet us. It was Kermit! He told us to follow him to his site, which Braveheart and I agreed was too far away and too hard to find if we didn’t have someone to show us the way. He asked us if we liked lemonade. Of course! However, he couldn’t find the paper cups, so he offered us a power bar as we waited for his wife, Junebug, to arrive. We chatted with them and came to find out that these were Weebee’s parents! They had been driving from town to town, supporting their daughter in her hike, and offering snacks to other hikers. Junebug asked if we would like a piece of bread and later handed us each a ziplock baggie with two chocolate chip cookies in it. The other hiker appeared and joined our group. When Braveheart started talking about the process of applying for jobs after the hike, Kermit asked him, “Why would you want a real job?”. He said that he was serious and told us how Weebee had created her own life by working seasonally in Alaska, making good money for half the year, and then going off for an adventure the other half. Junebug said that her daughter was one of the happiest people she knew. I was starting to think this could be possible for me, as well!

It was now 4:00 and I had hoped to still get in 10.7 miles. Braveheart and I excused ourselves and headed back to the trail. He hiked behind me and asked where I was stopping for the night. When I told him my goal, he said that would be a good stopping point for him, too! The trail climbed steeply and I knew I couldn’t sustain the pace I was keeping. I told Braveheart that I needed to stop for a snack. I wished I had eaten some protein while I was sitting around during our unexpected break. I pulled out my summer sausage while Bravehart looked at his map. He said it looked like there was a flat spot in a saddle around mile 1577.8. He went on as I finished my snack.

Minutes later, I heard the sound of thunder. Raindrops had fallen while we were sitting around Kermit’s campsite and I almost thought we were going to have to huddle in their RV, but then it seemed to have passed. Now, the wind was picking up. I stopped to seal my phone and camera in a ziplock bag. When I emerged out of the woods and could see Mt. Shasta in the distance, it was covered in dark clouds. I could see the rain falling and hoped it wouldn’t move this way.

However, within a couple of minutes, big drops began to fall on me! I quickly put my rain cover on my pack and headed off the trail into a patch of trees. They offered no protection, though! The wind was blowing the rain horizontally! I decided to get back on the trail and keep walking. My skirt got completely soaked in the next few minutes and the trail turned into a river! Then, the rain turned to hail. The size of the hail increased and pelted my body. It hit my hands, my head, and my neck, stinging me each time. Oww! By now, it was marble sized! I had never seen hail this big before! I found a tree to stand under next to the trail, but I could not escape the onslaught of pelting. I backed myself as close to the trunk of the tree as possible, my feet standing on an incline, ready to slip off at any second. I was cold and wet and stood shivering. I watched the trail transform from a river into a field of hail. Everywhere I looked, it was white! Then, the hail turned back into hard rain. I decided to start walking to try to warm up a little. The hail returned and I spent the next hour alternating with stopping under trees and walking through ankle-high rivers flooding the trail. My feet were soaked and my body was extremely cold. I moved and then stopped, walked through the hail and river, then tried hiding under a tree. I was determined to make it to Mosquito Lake Creek! In my way was a raging brown river! The water was the color of coffee! This was an angry storm! I could see the tops of rocks above the strong current, but wasn’t confident that I could make it across that path the way the water was rushing. Instead, I just went right through it! Disgusting! My feet were now frozen and I decided it would be best to keep climbing so I could give my body a chance to warm up! I told myself that I would be warm in 2 hours. I just had three more miles to hike in this cold, wet state. I could do it! Finally, the rain lessened. From the amount of hail on the ground in front of me, it looked like the storm wasn’t as bad here, as it had been where I was.

I looked behind me to see flashes of lightning. I was just going to keep moving away from the storm.
Soon enough, the sun came out and cast a beautiful soft light over the landscape. I even saw a little rainbow!

It was incredible to see such a turn-around in the elements. One minute, I was in the middle of one of the biggest and most uncomfortable storms of my life, and an hour and a half later, I was walking in a calm, tranquil land of flowers and the evening glow of twilight.
Just after 8:00, I arrived at my intended destination! No one else was around. Since the rain had stopped, I decided it was safe to cowboy camp. I thought my clothes would dry faster if I kept them on, so I put my thermal bottoms (which I was glad I had not shipped ahead) over my skirt. I cooked a dinner as I watched the clouds turn pink and then huddled into my sleeping bag, hoping to get warm and dry.

I only have 125 miles left in California!!

Day 97
July 24
1506.6-1521.6
15 miles

I wanted to get up early, get packed, and get to the road to start hitching back to the trail by 8am or so. However, I was completely and utterly exhausted! As I lay in my bed, part of my brain told the rest of me to take advantage of the room I had to myself, knowing that I would likely be staying in a bunkroom in Etna, where it would be hard to rest. Sleep a little now while you have the chance… So, I stayed in my bed a little longer and then walked over to the organic place for breakfast at 8. However, I learned that they would not actually be making breakfast sandwiches for another our or so!! (What??) So, I hunted down a banana and a little container of yogurt and ordered a latte. I decided to wait for a breakfast sandwich and used the intermittent time to write a facebook update and do a little texting. Then, I ordered a second latte along with the sandwich. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, I was so tired! After I finished, I returned to my room to finish my sorting and packing and I was able to text a bit with my friend, Checka, whose wedding I was trying to get to. I told her about my continuing illness and she offered to do reiki on me every day for a few minutes! She suggested that we both stop at a certain time each day and allow the energy to be sent and received. I was so thankful for this generous gift!!
By the time I walked down to the road, it was after 11. Most of the other hikers had left hours ago, but Ranch and Beer were just making their way out, too, so the three of us hitched together. We weren’t having much luck at first. However, after about twenty minutes, a black pick-up truck pulled over! The driver asked if we were PCT hikers and told us to get in. He had two sweet dogs in the back seat and a load of groceries, so Beer had to lay down in the bed of the truck. As we drove, I learned that this man was the good friend of a long-time PCT trail angel who had recently passed away. He was an Indian man, and the only living person to have a section of the trail named after him. According to our driver, he spent 30 years picking up every dirty, stinky hiker that he saw and shuttled them around town so they could buy food or new boots, or whatever else they needed. He did this well into his 90’s and when he was dying, his friend promised him that whenever he saw a hiker on the road, he would them them out. He thought about him smiling down upon him every time he did this. I was so touched by this story! (And so mad at myself for failing to get their names…). He understood that we were hiking this trail for a reason, and that we were changing our lives by doing it.
When he dropped us off at the trail head, I gave him a hug as I thanked him for sharing his wonderful story and helping us out. Mt. Shasta had given me my best hitchhiking experiences of the trail!
I walked through the gate and toward the pile of empty water jugs, as Beer stayed behind, smoking a cigarette. The direction of the sign pointing to the trail was extremely misleading and I attempted to walk up a very steep, very sandy slope, until I realized that could not possibly be the PCT! Each time I tried to find the trail after getting off it was an ordeal…
Finally, I found the correct path and headed up into the woods. The humidity was as high as ever and with a full pack, my pace felt slow.

Once I crested the top of the initial portion of the climb, I sat down on the side of the trail to take a break. I ate my delicious plum that I brought from town, and then enjoyed the amazing brownie that I bought from the health food store. (I had a hard time finding any regular chocolate there! They took healthy eating to an entirely new level!).

While I was eating, Ole, Veggie, and TrackMeat passed by. They had made a quick stop in one of the smaller, but closer towns to the trail.
I took my next break several miles later, at Sulphur Creek, which had some nice camp spots. I collected more water, and as I sat filtering it, Ranch and Beer came along. They planned on stopping here for the night at 4pm, as they were in no rush to get to Etna, and because they knew Viking (another German hiker), was planning on staying there, as well. While we sat, they snacked on some healthy trail magic that they had received from Pokey and Princess at Burney Falls State Park. Apparently, the girls had mis-planned the number of days for their upcoming stretch and had sent themselves twice as much food as they needed! Meanwhile, two hikers did not receive their expected packages at all. Everything was taken care of after Pokey and Princess gave their extra food to the two empty-handed hikers! I love how everything on the trail works out…!
They asked me if I heard what had happened to Muk Muk. No! I had not! I was filled in on the news that she had been stalked by a mountain lion one night after she had left Belden and was so scared that she pressed her SPOT button, activating search and rescue. An hour later, she canceled it. In the morning, she woke to a helicopter flying overheard, circling her tent, and an hour or so later, two search and rescue volunteers, who had started hiking in the early morning hours, found her. Although she had been terrified and alone all night, she was unharmed. Upon learning about her scary night, one of her many blog readers alerted the staff at Drakesbad and paid for three meals for her there. She was extremely pampered and ready to keep hiking after some rest, some good food, a shower, and a soak in the pool!
Beer and Ranch asked me where I planned on stopping tonight and what I was going to do for water, as we had a 24 mile dry section coming up. “We do??”. I had no idea… Why don’t I ever spend time looking at my guidebook section for the next stretch of trail when I am in town? (I guess I have too many other things to do…). I told them I didn’t have a plan! I was just going to keep hiking! (What else could I do?)
The trail was about to climb and climb and climb… This was the section that the trail angels at the WildBird cache had both warned me about and described as the most beautiful shades of blue. Unfortunately, the clouds that hung in the sky cast a gray coloring over the mountains, and I didn’t see the same beauty that had been described to me.

I came across an older hiker lying on the side of the trail, and then found the three boys lounging around. They also had no idea that there was no water coming up for a long stretch! Fortunately, not too far ahead, there was a path to a stream fairly close to the trail.
I headed on, accosted by flies heading straight into my face and tiny little fly-like gnats that hovered around my eyes and nose. When the mosquitoes came out, I had no choice but to put on my head net. My breath was labored as I climbed and my legs felt slow. I looked behind to see Ole approaching and stepped aside so he could pass by. We continued to climb, looking at the crags around us. I had to use all of my energy to keep making forward progress.

With great fortune, we found a small stream with just enough running water to drip into our collecting bags up ahead. Ole asked me how much father I was going to hike that night and I told him a mile. “A mile?!” he exclaimed. He seemed a bit envious and I asked him how long he was planning on hiking for. He said another hour or so! It was already nearly 7:30. He said they usually hiked until 9:00. I always hiked until the sun went down. We both wondered where Veggie was. I assumed he had stopped to get water, but he should have caught up by now. Something had happened to him…
As I filtered my water, I saw him approaching! He had just taken a long cigarette break! Ole asked Veggie when he wanted to stop and surprisingly, he said anytime! Ole told him that there was a campsite in a mile that I had planned on stopping at, and added, “She probably had someone hike up to put a ‘reserved’ sign for her there.
I got going as the boys sat around and hiked as fast as I could, knowing that other people were in pursuit of my intended stopping place!

I surprised myself by getting there more quickly than I thought I could! I looked down below me and saw a little flat space, and then checked my GPS. I had made it! I walked down the slope and looked around, trying to see how many people could fit, but also knowing that I was still too sick to camp near anyone… Still, I waited for the boys to decide what they wanted to do before I set up. Ole came by first and said he would find something further up the trail. This space was too small.
Once I spread out my sleeping bag, Veggie came by, happily singing to himself and giving me a little wave as he headed on. I hoped it wouldn’t take them too long to find a nice place to sleep!

Day 94
July 21
mile 1447.8-1476
28.2 miles

I didn’t get up as early as I had intended or had hoped to do… (which really came as no surprise to me), but I did get up a little earlier than I had been of late. In the soft morning light, Mt. Shasta took on an entirely new appearance and I could now see the snow that still sat on her slopes.

The bees returned once again to my stove, trash bag, and myself, searching for any new forms of sustenance. They didn’t allow my own breakfast to be very enjoyable.
By 7:15, I was again walking. This morning was the first that I didn’t have to rush out of my sleeping bag and into the trees, which I found quite amazing! The first few miles passed by pretty quickly, and when I discovered that I had walked 3.2 miles in that first hour, my spirits were given a great boost! I saw a man putting on a ULA pack down below the trail, but didn’t know who it was. Several minutes afterwards, I ran into the guy who crossed over the bridge at Rock Creek and didn’t say hi. I kept ahead of him and was proud of the time I was making! By 8:40, I reached the side trail to Mooshead Creek and went down to collect my water. On my return to the campsite, the quiet hiker had also appeared, but still said nothing. I felt agitated at the lack of politeness and went over to a rock to filter my water. He came and sat near me after he collected his water and at some point, asked if I had seen Braveheart. I said that I hadn’t seen him since right before Echo Lake. He responded that he was with him at that time and had seen me, too.
I headed out into the warming air, following the trail as it climbed and stopping to take breaks as I needed them. I decided to make another ice coffee as I sat on the bank of the trail, as it was good for a mood boost. I was surprised that the other hiker hadn’t come along yet. The trail followed a ridge and I could see Mt. Shasta in the distance.

The air was mostly heavy and oven-like as the temperatures soared to the mid 90s, but every now and then, I would come across a pool of cool air, which I was thankful for. They reminded me of the cool air pockets in Mahoosuc notch on the AT.
When my energy dropped and I needed food, I sat off of an intersection on the trail in a bit of shade and ate. The other hiker passed by and waved. Although the climbs were not big today, they felt slow with all of the water I was carrying. Unfortunately, my belly started to hurt again.

Somewhere along the way, I saw the biggest and most disgusting bug that I had ever seen! It moved very quickly, and I had to turn him around with my shoe several times to get a picture!

When I passed Half-way again, he asked me where the next source was as he was almost out already.
It turned out that the next source was well off the trail and up a hill! It’s always disappointing when our guidebooks don’t mention the distances from the trail. I assumed he was going to have to climb the hill. I still had plenty of water, but it was now a very hot and undesirable drinking temperature.

Fourteen miles after I collected water at Mooshead Creek, I arrived at the side trail to Deer Creek Spring, where I could hear the sound of rushing water. I followed the path down, dropped my pack and took my collecting bag to the pool of water. Then, I stepped in the water, leaving my shoes on, and rinsed some of the dirt off of my legs. The water was incredibly cool! I walked back to my pack to filter my water with the sun now burning my legs. I was surprised to see Halfway come down the path! He hadn’t stopped at Gold Creek after all! We both intended to make it to Ash camp by tonight, which was now just under 10 miles away, most of which were downhill. I got going, slowly plodding my way through the forested terrain.

Every few miles, I stopped to snack to attempt to boost my energy, but it was getting harder and harder to replenish my depleted feeling. Eventually, Half-Way caught up. I could see the river down below and knew that we would soon be reaching a road. I hoped for a garbage can to throw some unnecessary weight away, but was disappointed to find nothing there at all.
At last, I came out to another dirt road and the campground. I dropped my pack with no energy remaining. I couldn’t even socialize if I wanted to. Half-way went to join a couple of other hikers across the water while I used the outhouse. I decided to move my pack to a different campsite that was closer to the water, but had a hard time finding a place to sleep because there were either ants or garbage in all of the flat spaces! I chose the best spot I could, went down to the river to collect water and rinse of my legs again, and then get ready for bed. I noticed a red rash behind one of my legs and wondered if I had somehow gotten poison oak. I decided not to put anything on it and just wait to see what it looked like tomorrow, as it was not itching. Annoying gnats hovered around my body and face and the unpleasant smell from the outhouse wafted towards me. I kept shooing the ants that had found their way onto my groundcloth away. A couple of fishermen looked over at me on their way out, but I was too tired to be concerned about anything other than lying down and trying to get some sleep. Tomorrow, I had another big day ahead of me, and then I would have to figure out how I was supposed to hitch a ride on the interstate! I realized that I had slept outside every night since the 5th of July, which was a first in my life! I was becoming more of an outdoors person that I ever thought I would be! I really needed some rest and privacy, though, and looked forward to having my own room in Mt. Shasta.
At 9:15, it was 77 degrees out! So warm!

Day 93
July 20
mile 1423.8-1447.8
24 miles

I got up around 6:45 and was walking by 7:55. I only had 5.4 miles to hike before I would reach one of “the best swimming holes on the trail” according to a former hiker. Maybe this would be my chance! It was hot out, and so far, there was no one around me.
After my first couple of miles, I reached a huge dam with water gushing out of a pipe with tremendous force!

A stream of bikers were making away across the bridge on this Saturday morning and I wondered if I had stumbled upon a race. Once I reached the bridge myself, I had no idea which way to go… Did the trail go across the bridge, or should I follow the road in the direction the bikers were headed. I chose their way first and then stopped to check my GPS which showed that was not the right way. A biker called out, “Where’s your bike?”.
Ummm… where is your pack?…
I crossed the bridge and headed uphill, stopping to notice the pink flowers that my Swiss friend had told me were named after Mendelssohn.

When I reached the bridge across Rock Creek, I thought I heard voices, and felt disappointed. I had really hoped to be alone.

However, I didn’t see anyone. I carefully made my way down the bank and saw a fold-up camp chair under the bridge, which I first found to be creepy.

I couldn’t tell if anyone was around, but after several minutes, I finally relaxed a bit and figured that I was the only one there. I walked down to the water and after looking at the water for a couple of minutes, decided I didn’t feel like going in, after all.

It was much cooler under the bridge and I decided that I would be happy just sitting and listening to the water as I enjoyed some snacks. I wondered for several minutes if I should make myself an ice coffee as an additional treat and finally decided to collect some water, filter it, and do so. My powdered milk wouldn’t dissolve, but I still enjoyed it, feeling completely content, not wanting anything more than what I already had. This is one of the best feelings possible.
Above me, I heard footsteps heavily stomping on the bridge. I looked up and saw a hiker looking down, but he did not wave to me or acknowledge me, which I found strange. I packed up my foodbag and 2 and a half liters of water and headed back up the bank, over the bridge, and up the next big climb of over 2,000 feet in the heat of the day. At least I now had a little extra boost from my second coffee of the day, as well as my delicious chocolate snacks!

Eventually, I reached a dirt road where I saw a passed-out hiker sprawled out on the ground. I quietly made my way past him and then saw E-Path and Forget-me-Not sitting in a ditch along the intersecting dirt road! I wasn’t in a mood to socialize, so I started my way up the next climb. Part way up, I heard the sound of running water below! I had just walked by a running source of water! I thought about going back but figured I had enough water on me and just continued up the hill. It was now 97 degrees out. Luckily, there was more tree cover than there had been the past couple of days.
In a little over 4 miles, I reached the path to Clark Spring. A hiker that I had never seen was on his way out as I walked towards it. The water that I had been carrying for the last 12 miles was now boiling hot, and although it took awhile to filter several liters of water here, I was so happy to find the water nice and cool!
It was now a few minutes after 5 and I had only hiked just under 18 miles for the day! I was hoping to get in at least 7 more. I was so tired, though! The miles seemed to drag on and I had to stop often to give my shoulders a break.

At 7:38, I saw a flat camping spot along a bend in the trail with pretty pink flowers nearby and an open view. I had planned on getting further and there was still enough sunlight to continue walking. I hesitated and then decided to make a compromise with myself, as the site looked too good to pass up. I would just have to get up early the next morning to make up for the distance I had lost by stopping early tonight! I spread out my groundcloth and sleeping bag and then boiled water for dinner, taking pictures of the setting sun, and washing the dirt off my legs, as I waited.

As the sun lowered and the glare lessened, I was stunned to see an incredible view of Mt. Shasta that I had been unable to see when I first stopped! Holy cow! Although yellow jackets buzzed around my stove, garbage bag, and food, joining the flies and mosquitoes that were interested in my body, I was glad that I had chosen to stop here.

No one else passed by, and I enjoyed the solitude and the changing colors in the sky as the sun disappeared behind the mountains.

When I got into my sleeping bag, it was 67 degrees out and the wind was starting to pick up. A few minutes later, I was startled to see the temperature had risen to 72.6 degrees! What was happening?
Tomorrow, I would need to hike 28 miles to make it off the switchbacks and into Ash camp. After reading that the hitch into the town of Mt. Shasta could be a time-consuming one, I hoped for an easy hitch when the time came!

Day 92
July 19
mile 1402-1423.8
21.8 miles

It was too warm for the mosquitoes to go to sleep. Instead, they kept me awake with their constant attempts to bite me. I hoped no one would walk by me early in the morning, and luckily no one did! I got up at 6:23 and boiled water for my coffee. While I sat in my sleeping bag, eating my granola, E-Path and Forget-me-Not passed by and asked me if I had felt the heat radiating from the lava rocks. I had not.
I packed up and headed out at 7:38. It was already very hot in the morning hours! When I hiked with Fun Size a couple of days ago, he asked me if I was planning on hiking on Friday. I thought that was a funny question. Why wouldn’t I hike on Friday? I hike every day! He told me it was going to be over 100 degrees that day. Although I hate the heat, and although it is never pleasant to hike in such temperatures, especially when there are no water sources for 20 miles along the trail, I knew I would still rather be out here hiking than sweating on my couch in my living room back home, doing nothing!
I heard several owls calling to each other in the morning hours and later, was scared by two deer, who immediately ran off when they saw me!

After several miles, I came to a paved road with painted foot prints to show us the way, which amused me. There was no way to get lost here! The landscape reminded me of the hotter and drier sections of the Colorado Trail. I came across the ribcage bones of an animal and was disappointed to find the names of hikers written on it with marker. I felt like it was an egotistical act to do that and was not at all following the leave no trace principles.

The temperature continued to soar and I was nearly out of water by now. In a few more miles, I came to a huge black pipe from the powerhouse with a hole in the middle of it and a strong spray of water jumping out. Nearby, there was a sign pointing to a water source a quarter of a mile away. A quarter of a mile? I decided to take out my platypus and try to catch some of the spraying water, but found it impossible. It was shooting straight up in the air! I looked at my app and saw that there was a spring in 12 miles and decided I could make it that far if I needed to, even though it would be a very uncomfortable 12 miles!
I walked on and came to the powerhouse dam where people were fishing. A strong current of water was cascading down a wall, but I could not figure out how to get to it! I decided not to walk down to the bank of the river and try to collect there, as my filtration system requires running water.
Soon after, I found myself off the trail and on a paved road. I wished someone could point me back to the PCT, but somehow I was able to eventually refind it, myself. I saw what looked like an outhouse in a parking lot and thought about walking over to it, but it was too far away. I just kept walking ahead. Then, fortunately, I came to a couple of ponds, after I thought I walked by the last possible sources! I crawled down one of the banks and managed to collect some gushing water, happy that I wouldn’t have to survive the next 11 or 12 miles in a dehydrated state!

I took my collecting bags to a slope in the trees ahead and sat down to filter the water and snack. My energy was very low due to the heat. I wondered if some kind person might put out some water for us on the stretch of trail ahead. Cool water was the thing I most desired. By now, the temperature was well over 100 degrees.

I continued on, walking toward the highway where some hikers planned on trying to hitch into the town of Burney. Just before the road, there was a sign on a tree that said “Wild Bird Cache, 1 mile ahead”. I didn’t get excited because, often, there was nothing there, even when promised.
I walked on, feeling dirty and tired, and soon enough, came upon a set of of chairs, a picnic table, several coolers, and two garbage cans! One of the coolers was filled with ice, bottles of water, and sodas! The thing I was wishing for came true! Within a few minutes, a go-cart pulled up on the dirt road several yards away. I knew it was the people who had set this up- Randy and his wife, Kathy. They were surprised to find unmelted ice still in the cooler! They encouraged me to sit in one of the chairs and enjoy some snacks. I asked them why they did this for us and Kathy said it was fate. They had found a house at the end of this lane, not knowing what the PCT was, and when they encountered their first PCT hikers making their way north, starting learning about this long trek and wanted to help us out! Randy made a picnic table so we could take our packs off and rest for a bit, and wanted us all to sign our names on it. At the end of the season, he hangs the top of the picnic table in his garage like a plaque. They also left a camera for us to take self-portraits and matched our faces to our names in the register that they also provided. Randy let me look at the pictures that he had developed so far, and I was able to provide a few corrections for him. On the back of Smooth Operator’s photo, he had written, “Love Operator” which highly amused me! He had signed his entry “Love, Operator”, but Randy thought that was his trail name!
Kathy told me that I had some 6,000 foot climbs coming up after Mt. Shasta, which made my jaw drop. I thought we were done with the big climbs! She also said the mountains were the same color as my shirt, which I couldn’t really believe…
I was so thankful for the cold water. After they left, I made a probiotic drink from some powder that Susan had sent to me, and then got going. I still had six or seven miles to get to Burney State Park.
By now, it was 104 degrees! So hot! I had to just keep moving and get through it, as hard and slow going as it was.
Yogi’s guidebook made it seem that the State Park was right on the trail, but in fact, it was not! There were a couple of different options on how to get to the store and I spent a good amount of time looking at my maps and reading the descriptions of routes past hikers had taken.
I was glad that I didn’t have to collect water at the next spring, because it, too, was well off the PCT!

Eventually, I reached the next highway and continued on, looking everywhere for the campground and trail to Burney Falls. I saw a bridge ahead and decided to turn back and take the signed path, following the small headwater pool as it turned into a river, and finally into the falls.

I stood at an overlook and was very unimpressed with the view. I was so tired and just wanted to pick up my package! I reached the road, saw the tollbooth and thought the store was past that. It was a good thing I stopped to ask, as it turned out to be in the other direction!
At 4:28, I finally arrived at the store! I was charged $9 to pick up my two boxes- one which just contained the fuel, and the other, which was my regular resupply box. I had since learned that my box meant to be shipped to Belden had indeed been sent there, but had gotten lost in the mail! I also saw that it cost $7 to ship my fuel canister alone. I had to let that go…
I walked over to the restrooms and couldn’t believe the salt and dirt stains on my back! Never in my life did I look so dirty! I found an outlet outside the store and plugged in my iphone and camera charger and then set to work on organizing my food for the next stretch. Ham had packed this box full with pink styrofoam peanuts, which added an additional layer of work to clean up!
I hadn’t seen any other thru-hikers all day (with the exception of E-Path and Forget me not in the morning) until Runs with Elk waved to me on her way out of the park. She had just taken a shower in the campground and I told her that was my plan, as well! The clerk inside had begrudgingly given me $2 in coins for it- the most she could exchange. I decided to buy a polish hot dog and frappachino for dinner and couldn’t believe how quickly I polished off that drink! I thought about buying a second one, but my self-control won, and I headed down to the campground.
The two showers were both being used, so I washed a few articles in the sink in the meantime, hoping that I could jump in soon, as I needed to get back out to the trail! Finally, a shower opened and I surprised myself again by not even using my full 12 minutes! A lady chatted with me as I combed my hair, wanting to know if I was staying here overnight, and commented on the sunburn on my chest. She was surprised to hear that I was heading right back out.
I ran into a nice girl who had talked with me while I sat outside the store, who was returning from her evening walk around the Falls. I asked her if she knew how to get back to the PCT, as I felt the way I had taken to get in was far too long. She took out her map, pointed me in a different direction, and then came running back to apologize. She had gotten mixed up. I was glad that I got to see the Falls from this vantage point, as I could see essentially nothing from the overlook I was standing at before I got to the store!

I decided I would just walk out the same way I came in, as I knew that would get me back to the trail.
By the time I did, it was 7:41. I felt disappointed that I didn’t get in more miles today. I walked past a campground area and made it to the intersection with the bridge that also lead to the park and soon after, saw a flat patch of ground that was suitable for me to sleep on in the woods.
As I boiled water for my dinner, the piece of my stove that adjusts the flow of gas came off! The flame was still lit and I didn’t know how I was going to fix this! Somehow, with calmness and patience, I managed to… Every piece of gear was testing me out here!
Once again, I calculated the number of miles I would have to do each day if I wanted to have any time of at all… It was 25!! This was going to be an incredibly exhausting and difficult feat!