8/26/2023
Section: Milepost 1392 to 1371
Total Trail Miles: 1569/2650
Distance: 22.34 Miles
Moving Time: 08:30
Elevation Gain: 1378 ft
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Today was a sprint to Old Station. The post office in this tiny northern California town opens from around noon to 3 pm on Saturdays throughout the PCT season to allow hikers to still get their resupply without having to stay overnight. What this meant was that we had to do over 17 miles by around 1 pm in order to get my mom’s resupply package. Doing the math, I had told Amanda that we needed to be up and moving before 5 am today to reach Old Station in time. We both hated it but made it happen.
Today’s stage starts on the same volcanic bench we had stopped on the night before. The trail tiptoes along the edge of the bench for 11 miles, paralleling FSR 34N34 most of the time before making a pit stop at a scenic viewpoint and bathroom just off of Old Station Road 44. From here, the trail descends steeply into the canyon, dropping 800 feet in less than a mile and begins a slow meander along its floor. At the 13 mile mark, the trail crosses Route 44 before, a mile later, climbing a stout grade up to near the Spatter Cones Trailhead at mile 15. The trail then crosses south under the watchful gaze of a small cinder cone before paralleling State Route 89 the rest of the way into Old Station, which most hikers enter via the Hat Creek Resort and RV Park. The last 4 miles of the day compose a tumultuous climb up to the border of Lassen National Park, which most PCT hikers camp just outside of to avoid carrying a bear can in this section.
We woke at 4 and were indeed out before 5 am. We left the analysis-paralysis couple behind and made our way south in the predawn light, the open expanse of Hat Creek canyon opening below and west of us, ranches dotting its floor. I heard a rumor later that the PCT was originally supposed to go through the floor of this canyon but private interests had lobbied against it in the 70’s and ultimately got the trail rerouted up onto the high plateau we were currently walking. It would have made for an easier day yesterday but the high vantage point at least made for some nice views today. The sun started to come up around 5:30 casting beautiful light on the trail ahead. Today was our first contact with the Dixie fire, which became evident as we progressed along the canyon rim. The Dixie fire was a massive fire that occurred in the summer of 2021 and extended from today’s stage, near Old Station, all the way south to Buck’s Lake. For perspective, today was the first of 6 days that we would hike entirely though the burn zone left over from this fire - it was catastrophic. Most of Lassen National park was wiped clean from this fire and some PCTers now choose to skip this section all-together to avoid hiking in the devastated zone.
We hiked on, making a strange little U-turn at about 2 hours in to stay along the edge of the canyon. Here, the strange acquaintance we had made yesterday caught up to us and passed us without a word. We crossed over a few cattle guards and continued to meander south. State route 44 came into view and it wasn’t long before we came upon a very new built viewpoint with bathrooms. We hiked past and soon found ourselves on the steep descent into the canyon. We started down and, about halfway, my feet skated out from under me and I found myself on my ass. Amanda gave me a worried look before she saw me smiling. This might have been my first non-snow related fall on the trip so, felt like I was due for one. We found the bottom about 20 minutes later and the trail flattened out on a landscape dotted with small cinder cones. A little more walking along the canyon floor brought us to the true edge of the fire at a small campground that wasn’t on the map but had a pit toilet and box of goodies for the hikers. Amanda and I rooted through the box and located a can of WINCO refried beans which put a huge smile on our faces because, well, WINCO is the best. We sat and ate the beans and made use of the pit toilet while commenting on the fire before reshouldering our packs and moving on.
We crossed Old Station road around 10 am and considered walking into town on the road but I had heard it was better to head up to Hat Creek Resort and RV Park and go into town there because that was where the post office was, so we continued on. The day was getting hot, we hadn’t hit noon yet and it was already 97 degrees so, when we came to the last little climb, we were not stoked with the heavy grade that met us there. We lumbered up the 3 or so hundred feet, listening to 2-stroke engines whine up and down the gravel roads that criss-crossed the area and eventually found ourselves back on level ground. We followed a barbed wire fence for a while before reaching the turn-off for Hat Creek Resort and RV Park.
We made our way into the resort, looking longingly at some of the large 5th wheels parked in the full hook-up spaces and eventually navigated out to state route 89 and Old Station. While technically not at the heart of Old Station, the Hat Creek Resort and RV Park is situated right next to the post office and so gets most of the hiker traffic. It also hosts a gas station with a very small cafe in the back where you can order their “famous” Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches. We came around to the front of the little store and dropped our packs at a picnic table where the guy with whom my joke hadn’t landed the day before was already sitting down. We said “hi” to each other and went in to get beers and a chicken and waffle sandwiches. We came back outside and enjoyed our meal while talking with the guy who I found out was most recently living in Portland. Amanda and I referred to him as “Skull and Crossbones” because of the tattoo on his calf. After eating our sandwiches, which were “meh,” I went over to the post office and picked up my mom’s package which weighed in at a solid 22 pounds. I also got a chance to see Sheryl Strayed's note about her time here in the early 90’s. Oddly enough, she also encountered heavy snow and had to do quite a bit of walking on forest service roads. In the Old Station entry she also mentions some friends whom she had separated from and was trying to reconnect with. It was crazy to think that here, almost 30 years later, we were facing some of the exact same challenges and thinking some of the exact same thoughts as she was. It is a true testament to the trail that, despite all that has changed in our world, it continues to offer the same experience it always has. I looked through some older pages, going back into the 80’s for a while before returning to the table to excitedly tell amanda about the entry and relieve her to go take a look. When she returned, I went back into the store for some more drinks and came out to find her and Skull and Crossbones talking with an older guy in a dodge pick-up. The guy was an ex US Forestry manager and had lots to say about the Dixie fire and how it was (or in his opinion wasn’t) well managed. He asked if there was anything we needed and Skull and Crossbones asked if he could leave a prepaid USPS flat rate box with him to bounce forward and I asked if he could take me down the road to another gas station for a butane cartridge since ours was now out. He said yes to both and I hopped into his truck, leaving Amanda to watch the bags. 5 minutes down the road brought us into Old Station proper and I jumped out at Gordons Old Station Ranch and Country store where they had gas and a familiar face walking through the aisles - Light Weight. “Hey!'' I said with a smile. She was working on her third milkshake and I asked if she wanted a lift up the road to the Post Office since I was headed back anyway. “Sure!” she said “I didn’t really want to walk up there in this heat anyway.” Back at the truck we loaded up and another 5 minutes brought us back to Hat Creek Resort and RV Park. We climbed out and she said high to Skull and Crossbones, whom she recognized from a few days before. I got Amanda and I a milkshake, since Lightweight’s looked really good, and she got a fourth one while we sat and chatted for a while.
At around 3 pm, Amanda and I finally decided we needed to get a move on or risk getting vortexed into Old Station. We didn’t have a bear can so had to get all the way through Lassen the next day. The plan was to get as close to the northern boundary of the park as possible. Lethargically, we pulled on our packs, said “see ya soon” to Lightweight and made our way down the trail. The day was hot, our stomachs were filled to the brim and the climb up out of Hat Creek Resort and RV Park was hell but we ambled on, heading south across the labyrinth of USFS roads that crisscrossed this area. At around 20 total miles on the day we crossed USFS 32N12 and a short distance later the gurgle of Hat Creek could be heard. About 5 more minutes brought us to a beautiful, big campsite on the eastern shore of the creek where we called it a day. The sun was still out and the water was wonderfully cool. We set up camp and started food now that we had a full gas canister to cook with. I took a dip and convinced Amanda to at least get her feet wet. This was my second favorite swimming spot so far! Eventually Lightweight caught up to us as well as an older couple before we turned in for the night. The white noise of the creek lulled us into a quick and sound sleep.
