Section N is 134 miles long and runs from Belden to Burney Falls State Park. However, the PCT midway point is in this section and we took a triple 0-day halftime break so section N will be split into two posts. July 30th - August 3rd.
Day 85, 9.4 miles to North Fork Feather River.
Needless to say, after two days of partying, we were wiped out. Thankfully Sam wanted to sleep at home and made the trek back up to his van at night so he picked us up in the morning. He was exhausted and didn't feel like driving back up to Chester so I took the wheel. It is weird enough driving at all after a 3 month hiatus, let alone driving a massive van. Back at Chester, he had to downsize is life from the van to a pack and the rest of us went to get a food resupply. Antlers Hotel was kinda enough to let him stash the van there and then we hitched back to the trail. It was almost 4pm by the time we got to hiking and we only made it nine and a half miles. the trail was pretty flat and soft dirt for this stretch which was a nice break in for Sam's legs. We hoped to make it further, to the boundary of Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is the start of a 20 mile stretch which requires a bear canister for overnight camping. However, the festival was still taking its toll so we were looking at a 29 mile day tomorrow.
Day 86, 29.1 miles to Hat Creek.
We passed some more interesting rocks that would be fun to climb but I knew that all energy should be spent hiking the 29 miles on schedule for today. So we hiked along for a bit until arriving at a trail junction where we could split off and go to the Boiling Springs Lake which was a beautiful sight to behold. We thought it was a good swimming hole but the water was around 140F so instead it was just a nice break spot. The trail then dips down to Drakesbad Ranch and then up the last big incline for the day. After we crossed Kings Creek by walking on a huge fallen tree we took another quick break to camel up on water and then head to the Lower Twin Lake for a dip. Sam took another nap while we ate and then Shark and Squirrel caught up. It was a nice hour-long rest before beginning the final eight mile stretch out of the bear canister requirement plus another four miles to the next water source. It was flat and ran through an old burn zone with the white tree trunks looking like skeletons. I waited for Sam at the park boundary and caught up on my journal. We left for the downhill and soon caught sight of a deer wandering up the trail just as the orange sun was ducking behind a hill. The smoke from the Carr Fire may be ruining views but it did lead to a pretty sunset that stained the entire sky a vibrant pink. We got to camp along Hat Creek and were able to set our tents and eat before a headlamp was totally necessary.
Boiling Springs Lake.
Mud Pits on the shore of Boiling Springs Lake.
Sam crossing Kings Creek.
Day 87, 30.4 miles to camp.
The day started off with the nice flat easy eight miles to the town of Old Station. Sea Lion took off first and Sam and I hiked most the the way together. I noticed a shortcut to town on the maps and then took off hoping to catch Sea Lion so we could all take it. Unfortunately, I did not catch her so I continued to the road while and decided to take the shortcut. Fortunately, right before the road there was a big sinkhole and cave that I got to explore. We all rendezvoused at JJ's Cafe for second brekkie where I got a sausage, hash brown, egg scramble and a Nutella milkshake which was bangin. There was super fast Wi-Fi so we mooched that to download podcasts, upload videos, etc. It was looking like another high-20 mile day because of the water sources and Sam decided this was the end of his PCT hike. He had tons of work to do on the van for Burning Man and hiking huge days isn't really that fun, especially in 100F heat. So we parted ways and Sea Lion and I took off explore the Subway Caves. It is a lava tube which is much larger than the one I found in the sink hole but it was built up and touristy so it was not my favorite. After our two long breaks we were hiking in the afternoon sun through a stretch with almost no shade. The trail followed a ridge that would have had amazing views of a nearby hill but the smokey haze from the Carr Fire was putting a damper on it. We hiked fast to get to a trail magic and decided to skip a steep side trail to a creek. We could top off at the magic and then camp near a big water cache. However, after arriving at the trail magic, we learned that the "reliable" 550 gallon water cache was empty. A sobo we met in Old Station said it was full that morning and I now wished I could to punch him in the face. We didn't want to hoard all the water from the trail magic so we took barely enough to make it 19 miles to the next water source. We did some night hiking and pushed 13 miles so that the next morning would be an easy sprint to water before it got hot out. At least on the way I saw a scorpion and a nocturnal mouse with the fluffy ball on the end of its tail.
I went down a sinkhole!
Entrance to the more touristy Subway Caves.
Smokey sunset.
Day 88, 9.6 miles to Burney Mountain Guest Ranch.
Our feet were pretty sore from doing back to back 30 mile days so we decided to make it to the guest ranch and relax for the rest of the day. It was a relaxing downhill walk all the way there and we ate second brekkie in between sucking down many gulps of fresh cold water. I was the last to leave and knew I'd be late to the ranch since the trail went by Baum Lake which is home to tons of birds and wildlife that needed to be photographed. There were ducks and geese which aren't too amusing but I followed a pelican for quite a bit and was glad to have caught those shots. I arrived at the ranch and Sea Lion gave me the run down; wash your hands first, showers and laundry in the shed, the AMAZING resupply pantry, and a swimming pool out back. I can't stress enough how awesome the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch is. Linda is super kind, generous, and makes the best waffles I have ever had in my life! We took showers and started laundry then I worked on the blog for a bit. We swam in the pool for a little, played with their giant puppy, Duke, and snuggly cat, Bonsai. Most of our crew hiked on or went to town for the night but we opted to stay put. The delicious lunch they served ensured us that we chose wisely. I did another soapy water inspection of my sleeping mattress and found a second pinhole. I hope there will be no more rude wake ups at 4 or 5am to reinflate it. We also ate dinner there which was a salad and unlimited baked potatos loaded with chili and cheese. More relaxing ensued that night and we were asleep early.
Duke the big lovable idiot and Bonsai.
Day 89, 9.4 miles to Burney Falls State Park.
I left about 2" of the tent zipper unzipped and Bonsai the cat shoved his way in around 530am. He took up residence on my chest and it was the cutest wake up ever. I pet him and edited photos for a bit and then we mozied back to the lodge for brekkie. A breakfast burrito with unlimited homemade waffles was a superb start to the day. The puppy, Duke, wanted to play with Sea Lion when she went to the tent to change and he playfully pounced at her. He also weighs 100 lbs so he made some huge rips in the tent. Linda was very apologetic and wanted to make things right so she paid for a replacement body, comped some of our stay, gave us tenacious tape for the repair, and made plans to retrain Duke. Hikers who cowboy camp usually encourage morning play time so he became accustomed to it. Only a minor delay to make repairs to the tent and then we were off to make the quick run to Burney Falls. I got some amazing photos of some Osprey who nested near the ranch. The trail was again pretty flat and uneventful but the falls were amazing! After gazing at them and, of course, taking some long exposure photos, we went up to the visitor center to get some snacks.
Burney Falls.
Prom photos at Burney Falls, but we swapped things up.
Squirrel and Shark said they are thinking about skipping Section O since the air is so terrible from the Carr Fire. Sea Lion said it's been bothering her too and a lady overheard us and joined the conversation. She explained that the air around Mount Shasta is immensely more clear and she could give us all a ride up there. I was quite reluctant to skip ahead but the traimily laid out some very good points:
The fire has engulfed structures so the smoke is riddled with plastics, rubber, and other nasty things. The state issued an air quality advisory warning people to stay indoors as much as possible...we are outside in it 24/7.
Wewill have less miles to hitch ahead to PCT Trail Days.
Wemade a pact to road trip back to hike this section after we reach Canada and then we can summit Mount Shasta for a more climactic ending.
So off we went to Dunsmuir where we split a hotel and got a delicious dinner at the Wheelhouse Restaurant. They have tons of board games for people to play, delicious wings, and some of the best French toast I've ever had. The fact that they serve breakfast all day was the biggest deciding factor for us to go there. Dunsmuir is a tiny town but has tons of beautiful flowers all around and a few spots with grapes and blackberries.
