July 27 2010

Mile 1506.5 I-5/ Castella

*** Full Upload with videos and pictures will be in OREGON in 9 days!!!***

Northen California heat continues to deplete our electrolites but hasn’t hindered our hiking or spirits.  Since our last entry we returned to Old Station where we set out to cross the Hat Creek Rim, the longest waterless stretch on the PCT.  The weather has been hot, fluctuating in the range from high 90′s in the afternoons to maybe low 70′s in the evening.

After an early morning drop off at the trailhead, we slowly made our way down the trail before deciding to dip into JJs Cafe where we ate a delicious homemade and reasonably-priced breakfast (I had a monster pancake, egg, and bacon wrap for $6)! Following breakfast we entered the Subway Cave, a collapsed lava tube that can be entered by a staircase.  After our tour and water refill, we set out on the notoriously hot stretch of trail high atop Hat Creek. But before we could exit the scenic overlook, we were happy to connect with Melissa’s dad Jack who came out west for a suprise visit.  Jack enjoyed lunch with us and we arranged to meet up with him the following day in Burney Falls.
We were happy that we had a gentle breeze to ease the heat and enjoyed bumping into Balls, a hiker we met at mile 100 and his 10 year old daughter, Sunshine, who joined him for a section.  A water cache made the perfect place for a dinner stop and we were suprised to meet Mountain Stan, one of the kind folks who stocks the cache.
We enjoyed a peaceful and pleasant nights sleep before heading closer to Burney Falls where we were planning to meet up and set out for the next 83 mile section with my cousin Rob.  As we made our way closer towards Hwy 299 and the town of Burney, we began hearing the sounds of a camera shutter and, to our surprise, Jack had hiked in over 4 miles to meet us on trail with a picnic lunch in 100 degree weather!  Beneath the shade of a wheeping willow we ate Subway sandwiches, veggies, chocolate and sipped cold water.  On the walk to his car we saw a couple of Osprey nests with adults soaring high above the river below in search of food.  We completed the trek stopping for a cold drink at the car and then making our timeline at Burney Falls where Jack picked us up for a quick meal.  All-you-can-eat pizza, salad, and drink brought massive smiles and we enjoyed sharing photos and tales from the trail.

We headed back over to Burney Falls State Park where we had left the trail where we found Rob and his smiling family in the public parking lot. After photos and goodbyes we were off with our new companion!  We made our way to the PCT and went a short ways before the darkness overtook us and we were ready for rest.  The temperature was still in the mid 80′s and getting comfortable was diffiuclt as we all lay beneath the moonlight fighting off the buzzing mosquitos.  We hadn’t even begun section O and it was living up to it’s claim as one of the least favored sections on the PCT.  We awoke with a wink or two of sleep and set out on one of Rob’s first days of backpacking in many years.  He hiked quickly and we found ourselves completing 29 miles before calling it a night at Moose Creek Spring.  The entire section provided great views of snow covered Mt Shasta and distant glances of Mt Lassen.  Rob fared well and his feet held up against the tough volcanic terrain.  The best views of Castle Crags State Park came as we descended towards I-5, gleaming with excitement as we were ready for our first zero day in 18 days and over 400 miles.  Thank you Rob for taking on the challenge and joining us as well as picking me up some new Superfeet (my insoles), giving Melissa a spoon, and the great baked goodies!

~Justin

Today we celebrate 100 days on the trail with less than 50 to go. We can’t believe how the time has flown! We have about 1,100 miles left but we have picked up some major speed averaging 25+miles per day.

Weeks ago, my Uncle Carl and Aunt Rosana reserved a cabin in Burney Falls State Park to meet up with us on the trail. We have been counting down the days until our visit with them – 18 days since our last zero in Jackson! When we completed our section with Rob at I-5, Carl drove out to pick us up and bring us back to their cabin for a perfect zero day. We enjoyed BBQ hot dogs, spaghetti, salad and corn as a family. Gus, my 3 year old cousin, provides hours of entertainment and made sure to give us a warm welcome by inviting us immediately into their cabin as we exited the car. We ended our night around a campfire with delicious s’mores! All of today has been spent relaxing our tired legs. We ate a delicious breakfast, socialized with our hiking buddies Freebird, Daredevil, and Uncle Tom who were passing through Burney Falls, and swam with cousin Gus in Lake Britton. We finished the day with another stop in the town of Burney and delicious milkshakes.

We are so grateful to have such a loving family who has been cheering us along as we hike this insane hike. Proud Uncle Carl made sure to point out to the ladies working in the Burney General store that we had hiked there all the way from Mexico. After a dip a day ago in the Sacramento River with Rob, he smiled and mentioned that we are crazy but that what we are doing is such an awesome thing.

Fully recharged, we are heading back to the trail on Wednesday (July 28). Only NINE days until we reach Ashland, OREGON!! We will being taking two zero days there at our dear friends Bill & Alex’s home, so we  will have time to upload videos, pictures, and catch up on some amazing stories over the past month.

Thank you for all the touching emails and responses. We are so excited by the joy everyday brings.

~Melissa

July 21, 2010

Mile 1377 – Old Station

Since we left Donner, we have not had any zero days and have averaged over 25 miles per day. We only have a quick stop here in Redding to resupply for the next 9 days and tomorrow we are back out again in the weee morning hours (5am). We are hiking two days before we meet up wtih cousin Rob on Friday night in Burney Falls where he will hike from there to I-5, 83 miles in 3 days, with us. We have updated as much as possible and hopefully we will have more time next week when we visit family in Burney Falls to complete our update. We have lots more pictures and videos to share since we left Echo Lake in Tahoe and can’t wait to get a chance to post them. Now more than ever, your love and support has kept us pushing on during this hard stretch. Sorry for the delay in hearing from us as the small towns we do quick resupplies in have no internet! Check out our Trail Stats to see mileage covered. Oh! And we passed the halfway point this past week! Whoo hoo!!

Hace Calor (Holy smokes it is hot)

After parting with our dear friend Turtle, we headed out from Donner Pass. We climbed and descended through beautiful meadows before rolling into hiker friendly Sierra City. Upon arriving into town, we went straight for the post office where we knew we had packages waiting. To our suprise, we had much more than expected. Deb sent us more meals and a really neat dried vegtable kit that includes recipes for stews and soups, in addition to some chocolate bars and gummies bears. Stacey, my cousin, and her dear family made us the most delicious treats that are the ultimate hiker food, they are some sort of super saltine crackers that are buttery sweet and has almonds sprinked on top- such a treat gobbled up in two days (and she doubted we could eat them all). A friend, Rosemary, from England sent us some British treats and Melissa’s Aunt and Uncle sent us Coconut milk drinks that couldn’t have been more perfect on the timing as the heat was ramping up. We enjoyed our stay in Sierra City as we spent the afternoon at the Moose Cafe and restaurant run by Bill and Mary Margaret, new compassionate owners, who are new trail magic to the PCT scene. We ate a homecooked meal with about 15 other hikers before getting a scoop of ice cream and returning to the trail head for an early start on the 2,700 foot climb up the Sierra Butte.
From this point on we have been sweating our tails off. From 7am onward, we are soaked to the bone with sweat. The trail has covered some incredible terrain climbing up and down steep forested canyons including passing over the middle fork of the Feather River. The temperatures have been soaring compared to what we have previously experienced. Yesterday, July 17, we went to Bucks Lake to buy a few more salty snacks since we did not expect this heat and did not have near enough salt in our diets. The resort, campgrounds, and roads were bustling with people escaping the 110 degree temperatures down the hill.
Our hunger has been on overdrive as we have increased our milages to 26+ days and we were fine with paying high prices for a cheeseburger at the resort to satisfy a craving.

Belden Town

When we exited the trail into the town of Belden after a long, steep, and windy descent, we stumble upon hundreds of people camping along side the Feather River in Belden. Turns out that we arrived Sunday afternoon after a weekend long party. People wandered the quaint small mainstreet in bathing suits and costumes, and we jumped in line at the single booth serving food- 7$ for a delcious chicken wrap. We topped our appetizer off with an ice cream cone from the small store and joined the crowd at the busy beach for a dip in river. After listening to some music and washing up we crossed the town bridge to return us to the trail where we answered a few questions for some inquisitive out-of-towners. Funny how we are looked at like “zoo animals” as one hiker stated, with puzzled faces, but people are always so friendly and excited to hear about our travels. Belden produced one of my favorite quotes thus far from Melissa. After just a short time in town we began one of the longest continuous climbs on the PCT. Over 12 miles the trail climbs nearly 5000 feet, and with temperatures in the mid 90s in the shade we knew this would be no small feat. However, as we began climbing Melissa was in great spirits and claimed “Each time I become discouraged, I go into town and it is like a reset button is set making me want to return to the trail.” This held true as she pushed and pushed, through the heat and up the winding switchbacks, through slippey water crossing and over blown down trees, sweat poured and our heart rates raced, reaching the summit about 6 hours later. Atop we met Sherpa and Marmite who hit the trail at 4 am to beat the heat, boy were they smart. Now if we can just find a way to shake the pesty mosquitos. The mosquitos make the High Sierra feel like a five star hotel. They drive you crazy. Crazy!!

Volcanic Lassen Park to Old Station

Within 5 days, we had traveled nearly 140 miles, and the long days have started to take a toll on our bodies. My feet are practically numb from wearing poor shoes (I just bought a pair of Solomons, size 11 women’s here in Redding!) and my knees throb at bedtime. We have been leaving camp around 6am, eating lunch for 45min around 11:30 and then settling into camp around 7pm after 30 miles of hiking. People often ask, “Do you fish?” “What else do you do?” and the answer is – we hike, that is all we have time for! What makes this section so hard is the heat. It is HOT with limited shade. Such a shift from the thick skin we grew in the cold High Sierra.

On Tuesday, we entered Lassen National Park and were excited when we were able to see the power of our Earth. We saw both a geyser and a boiling spring – the most acidic lake in America, with a pH somewhere in the low 2 range according to a local in the area. As we passed through the park we were astonished by the spectacular views of the large volcanoe sticking out into the sky. As we crossed over hwy 36 we officially left the Sierra and are now transitioning to the early Cascades. Shasta is in the near distance and we are excited about hiking with cousin Rob and passing through the Trinity Alps en route to Oregon.