8/25/2023
Section: Milepost 1419.4 to 1391.9
Total Trail Miles: 1547/2650
Distance: 28.14 Miles
Moving Time: 10:36
Elevation Gain: 3156 ft
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Today was our biggest day to date (excluding my Spot incident outside of Tehachapi) and most of that was because of really perfect conditions in the first half… and the fact that we had to get to Old Station on the 26th to get our mail.
The stage today starts with 6 miles of very flat and highly cruise-able path which cuts across the bottom of a basin. The views today are very volcanic as we make our way closer to Lassen National Park. Around 7.5 miles in, the path gains a small rise and then drops down to Baum lake, where there is a municipal hydroelectric station and fish hatchery. After the power station the trail is all up, and up and up…for the rest of the day. Between miles 11 and 17 the climbing is very uniform as it passes through covered lava beds under short scrubby trees and crosses a few paved roads, all the while approaching an incredibly distinct wall in the distance. 17 miles in brings one to the foot of that imposing wall, before the trail goes straight up it to reach the top. Once on top, the path turns south-southeast and continues to climb. After 24.5 miles, the PCT crosses Bidwell Road where one of the only, and therefore highly critical, water caches is maintained by local ranchers. From the water cache, the trail climbs up a short distance more and parallels USFS 35N14 before arriving at a radio tower which served as the terminus for our stage today.
We woke around 5:30 this morning. Things start a little easier in an actual campground. We packed and I enjoyed some more decaf coffee while Amanda had some tea, all while sitting at a picnic table! I am calling it on my tent side’s door zipper- it’s dead. I had been making it work the last few nights, babying it along, but now it’s totally unworkable. Really hoping I can get it fixed in Chester because sleeping with an open tent zipper next to your face is…well, it’s cowboy camping!
We departed at 6:40. Most of the people in the campground were NOBO’s and left about the same time. The trail was incredible here, on the same level of quality as the trail out of Mt. Shasta. For the first 4 or 5 miles we tracked along at 3 mph, which is really good for us. The terrain as we crossed above the Highway 89 and State Route 299 intersection was scrubby and dotted with oak trees, which was a change from the conifers we had descended through the day before. Three and a half hours brought us up and down to the banks of Baum Lake where the PCT shares its route with a little nature trail hosting quite a few retirees out and about this am. At the south end of Baum Lake, we stopped at the hydroelectric station, heeding the warning from signs that suggested water levels could change drastically near its outlet. We pumped ourselves some fresh water and ate a snack. As we were resting in some shade another SOBO came by and asked if we knew where the PCT was. “You’re on it,” I joked, which wasn’t received super well. I realized quickly that he probably thought we were NOBOs and should, therefore, know where the trail goes behind us since he figured we had come from there. “We’re SOBO’s as well,” I said quickly, “I think the trail is behind us.” He walked on without another word. “Whoops,” I said to Amanda “not making friends today.” We loaded up on 3 liters of water each before heading back out on the trail. The day was hot and we weren’t going to get to water until the cache around mile 24.
The nice track we were on for most of the morning gave way to lava rock and heavy sun exposure shortly after the power station. Another couple passed us heading south as we left and shortly after I saw another baby rattlesnake. I did not tell Amanda because I did not want her to worry. As we continued on I tried to get my battery charged given, you know, all the great rays coming down on us but when I checked it about an hour later it was starting to blink in weird patterns, potentially signaling overheating - I just cannot win with this thing. Small buttes could be seen as we made our way east, prompting no small number of Butte jokes between the two of us. We reached the wall, about the same time temperatures reached their max for the day and began climbing. About 30 minutes of straining upwards on switchbacks brought us to the top of the wall. I gotta say - it’s weird to walk along relatively flat ground most of the day only to suddenly hit a wall and have to go straight up it. Take a look at the Strava map, it's an extremely defined feature in the middle of otherwise flat ground. I have no idea what caused it but Amanda and I decided to just chalk it up to “Volcanoes” and leave it there.
On top of the wall we turned south and paralleled the lip of the wall heading towards Lassen National Park. Our pace had slowed, but we eventually reached the water cache and sat to fill up. We figured out the spigot and sat to filter. We tried to talk with a guy who was already there eating dinner but it didn’t take long to realize he was a pretty weird dude. We are really finding, in this Northern California section that, with a few notable exceptions, there is a strong inverse relationship between hiking pace and social aptitude. In any case, we let the conversation die and decided to watch the beautiful yellow finches play in the puddles of water at the bottom of the cache instead. Before leaving, Amanda made the executive decision that we should eat dinner before closing out the last 3 miles so we broke out the stove and started heating some water. About 30 seconds before reaching the rolling boil we generally accept as “clean” the roar of the flame started to die and, not long after, the flame went out altogether. With the flame, so too went the light out of Amanda’s eyes. So tonight, for the first time on the trail, we cold soaked ramen and I have to say - mad respect for the ultra-lighters who make that their nightly meal on the trail. For those unfamiliar with the practice, there is a subset of ultralight thru hikers who save space and weight in their packs by forgoing the stove and, instead, soak their ramen in a Talentini container about 1 hour before it’s time to eat, hence - cold soaking. It’s not terrible, to be honest. Ramen has so much salt in it that I think it would be tasty under any condition but when you are prepped for a nice, hot Peak Refuel, cold ramen is a real let down.
We ate, packed and were under way. The trail meandered its way along the wall for another 2 miles. Amanda was done - 28 miles was a new record for us and she started looking for any spot along the trail we could pitch the tent and collapse. I pushed a little bit here, showing her the radio tower in the distance. “I read on FarOut that there were some spots under the tower.” Another 10 minutes brought us to the base of the tower where, indeed, there was a concrete pad and a gravel cleared space to set up a tent. We debated for exactly 30 seconds which was better before pitching the tent on the road. As we set up another couple came up behind us and started to search for a spot as well. They deliberated much longer, about 10 minutes. She seemed really concerned about her sleeping pad. Evidently the ultralight nature of her pad made it highly susceptible to popping on gravel but there weren’t many other options. They had finally picked a spot as we settled down for the night. “Great job today babe, 28 miles is awesome!'' I whispered once I was in the tent but she was already passed out.
