Day 58 1092.9 - 1108.9

Breakfast was something to behold. Stuffed French toast, bacon, and 4 eggs graced my plate and promptly disappeared. This turned out to just be first breakfast as when we went into the bakery next door I got a latte, apple fritter, breakfast burrito, and brick of sourdough to pack out.

Getting back to the trailhead, the climb out went by in an instant. After that, it was cruising to camp. I went off trail a hundred feet to overlook Kangaroo lake. I didnt see the animal, just a developed campground.

Camp was on some pretty hard ground but there was a lot of space. There were around 8 people people that showed up to sleep. Before anyone else got in, someone camping below startled me when they shot off a gun 10 times.

Day 59 1108.9 - 1134.2

Another hole in my pad made for a poor night's sleep. I can't wait for the replacement in Burney.

Not much to today beside good views of Shasta. The goal was to get to a site that comments on guthooks raved about. I was taking a break at a road crossing since I didnt have that many miles and it was early. I was lucky that a jeep driving by stopped and offered me a beer. They were kind and gave me a liter of powerade instead.

This campsite is no joke. Shasta is so close that is dominated the view in one direction while the Castle Crags is off to the side. Sunset was lackluster but I really hoped for some clouds to form in time for sunrise. I was productive and booked a room in Dunsmuir for tomorrow night. Eric, who runs the Dunsmuir Lodge, is the friendliest person on the phone.

Day 60 1134.2 - 1151.9

Oh my! Sunrise was amazing. This is one of the few times I wish that I had more of my gear. At least a better tripod.

After getting a good dose of color, it was time to boogey down the trail towards the highway. In the excitement of sunrise and prospect of town food, I didnt have breakfast.

The gnats were intolerable and I was quick to bring out the head net. It was scary to see how many there were when the sunlight lit them against a dark background. Before I knew it I was at the road. No traffic meant no hitch. I called Eric and for $10 got a ride into town.

I hoped the Cornerstone Cafe would still have breakfast but had to settle for a mediocre burger. Looking ahead, I order a pizza that I picked up on the way back from resupplying so I didnt have to leave the room for the rest of the night. The room was basic but more than acceptable. I slept like a baby on the bed and the bathtub let me find yet another leak in my sleeping pad.

Day 61 1151.9 - 1175.7

The Wheelhouse was talked up a lot on guthooks so we went for breakfast there. The food was great! The pancakes were something special. I doubt I would go again though, because it was just so expensive and the portions weren't that large.

Back on trail with a moderate climb. There is a shortcut that I took to cut off a few miles by taking a logging road straight up the hill instead of the light grade of the trail. The road was exposed and hot so I went through my water quickly.

I had a thought about picking up my new pad at the post office in Burney Nd checked their hours. Not open on the weekend. I thought I was going to have to push out 40 mile days to get there before they closed for the weekend. I called and it turns out they have pickup hours on Saturday. Praise the maker!

Before I knew it i had crested the top and was going down again. There was a nice creek that I rested at before crossing the bridge there.

I made it to camp around 6 and watched the YouTube videos that I downloaded in town.

Day 63 1175.7 - 1205.4

Easy day. Hot. Camped at a creek.

Day 64 1205.4 - 1241.8

Looking at Burney, the town has both a McDonalds and a Chinese restaurant. There is also a church that let's hiker sleep inside with showers available. It's only 37 miles. With my pad being useless now I really want to be in town.

I boogied real quick.

There was a distinct change in the landscape halfway through the day. The big pines disappeared and made way for dry grass. It was HOT.

Burney falls lived up to the hype. It was a shame that I got there in the afternoon as the sun backlit all of the mist in the air ruining any shot I wanted. The store had soft serve ice cream though.

Leaving towards the highway I took a logging road to cut a mile off. I got there the same time as Nick and the first car to pass stopped. Turned out to be a fishing guide heading home for the weekend. He dropped us off at the Chinese place which was right next to the church.

The gym in the back was where the hikers could sleep. It was a wonderful arrangement.

The Chinese was good and the McDonalds after was tasty.

Day 65 1241.8 - 1250

The situation was so comfortable that no one was on their way out early.

We didn't leave until 4pm. Archive and I had trouble hitching so she posted on the trail angel Facebook page and a nice lady was there in no time.

A pleasant 8 mile walk brought us to camp. The lighting was fantastic as the sun set with magenta tones saturating everything.

Day 66 1250 - 1277.3

The trail went over Hat Creek Rim today and had some really amazing views of Lassen and some bomb campsite.

Only a few miles in there was trail magic. The same woman who was doing magic near Fish Lake in Oregon was now down here with here son giving out good food. I forgot my water filter there but she was amazing and dropped it off in Old Station for me.

I just kept walking to get to Old Station. The gas station was well stocked and I got a lot of food as well as my water filter.

A few of us camped behind the station. I cowboy camped on top of table. It's getting cold now.

Day 67 1277.3 - 1302.8

Woke up just in time to be in JJs cafe for the opening of breakfast. Oh, it hit the spot. The waitress was super friendly and the man who maintains the water cache at forest road 22. Turns out that someone broke into his donation box and made off with what he assumed was a couple hundred bucks. He had a lot of good info about the trail and encouraged everyone to join a trail maintenance team.

I'll be honest. Going through Lassen National Park was a bit of a disappointment. Their were great views of Mt Lassen on the approach to the park but once inside the mountain was always obscured. Having been to the park before I know that the west side has spectacular lakes and thermal features.

Ended the day at Warner Valley Campground. I walked down to Drakesbad Guest Ranch hoping to get dinner. The employee said there were no openings for dinner but the showers and hot spring fed pool. I may have used the outdoor chair in the bathroom stall to sit in the shower for a while. On the way out I dipped my toes in the pool. The water felt amazing so i went all the way into the 100° pool.

Day 68 1302.8 - 1321.8

I cowboyed and according to the others it rained last night. I didnt notice.

The trail went by two thermal features on the few miles left in the park. Before I knew it, the nice overcast clouds turned angry and dropped rain and hail. Holy hell it was cold. The highway couldn't come soon enough. I got to the road just in time to grab a hitch with 4 other hikers. Nick was looking a bit chilled and kept shivering well after getting into town.

First stop was the post office to pick up my beautiful new shoes. I got the pair with a bit of blue on it. Then it was time for breakfast. The Kopper Kettle Cafe is a Denny's clone but I liked it all the more for it.

Camping was at the church. They had a charging strip but there was a less fortunate homeless man getting high in the hiker tent so no one felt comfortable leaving electronics out.

Day 69 1321.8 - 1338.6

There was a lot of condensation buildup last night. Spent an hour after breakfast at the coffee shop letting the tent dry in the parking lot.

Hit the halfway point today. It feels as though it took so long but as the same time likening just started. The monument should really be bigger. Maybe a 20 foot tall pyramid made of platinum. Took some pics and kept on.

The light near the end of the day was gorgeous. The wildfire smoke in the distance diffused the light into a brilliant orange. Pretty windy at camp but good views. The moon is bright and annoyed me enough to get my buff over my eyes.

Day 70 1338.6 - 1366.2

The winds have blown some of the smoke into the area. It gave me some trouble breathing over the day.

Going down towards Belden, it got very hot. I had two liters of water spiked with caffeinated Mio and that did not make me feel good on the exposed portion.

Couldn't get a hitch but Eric, the owner of Caribou Crossroads, picked us up. Even though it was passed closing time he still let us order and heated up the grill to make a few burgers. The store was small but it had enough, even a Starbucks frappuccino. The blackberry milkshake hit the spot. He is a really nice guy and deserves business.

Day 71 1366.2 - 1393.2

Oh the climb out of Belden. How people have build it up. It is but a small hill. The grade was nice and trail well groomed. I feared that it would be too easy but I had nothing to fear as the trail would provide. Thick smoke had blown in and filled the valley making it a bit hard to breath. Still, before I knew it I was at the top and over the smoke.

I was up far earlier than I had imagined. In the end, I still got in close to 27 miles, stopping at Lookout Rock where I could see a plume of smoke rising far on the horizon.

Day 72 1393.2 - 1447.8

Wow, the winds sweeping across the trail as I walked along the ridges were intense. Even with a 40lb pack driving me into the ground I had to use my poles to keep my balance.

Later in the day I could see the South Sierra Buttes.

The weather is forecast to rain a lot tomorrow so camping at Tamarack Lake puts me 10 miles out from Sierra City. The night was windy and kept my rain fly dry which I really appreciated.

Day 73 1147.8 - 1457.7

As I woke up and rose towards the crest of the trail, it was misty with a light drizzle. Nothing much to see but it could have been much worse. On the other side heading down towards the town, there were breaks in the clouds with beams of light cascading across the mountains. For a minute, I thought that the weather might not be so bad. I could see it in the distance. The valley was so dark that it could have been night. Those clouds were coming quickly.

I at least made it past the scree field and to the top of the switchbacks before the sheets of rain fell. Mixed in with the drops were small hail. Thunder cracked overhead just an instant after I saw the flash.

My rain jacket was wetted out and my shirt was wet. Gods I felt cold. My hands weren't working and there was no mercy from the trail. No miracle hitch for the two miles into town.

As it was Monday, nothing was open in town except for The Sierra Pines Resort restaurant. The owners are so accommodating and made breakfast after they had closed up. The rooms available weren't that expensive so Archive and I split one.

Both Archive and Yahtzee had their phones wrecked by the rain.

Saw Dave at dinner. He only has 5 more days before he is in Chester having completed his hike.

Day 74 1457.7 - 1478.2

Was able to pick up my package from the general store. Down pants and booties to keep me warm at night.

Leaving just before noon. I took Wild Plum Rd to reconnect with the trail. As I left, I knew that I should have taken a zero. I was so mentally exhausted. The thought of skipping from Truckee to SLT was looking likely as the forecast has rain all day tomorrow and up here it can be sleet.

Day 75 1478.2 - 1495.5

I got up early to break camp before it started raining. Having my puffy pants on while I packed up was so comfortable. There was nice light slipping in under the clouds at sunrise but it didnt last. Soon there was rain which turned to snow for an hour. Once again, I was cold and wet. Happy birthday to me.

At least the rest stop at Interstate 80 had heated floors. The Uber I called took 50 minutes to traverse the 10 miles from Truckee because of a bad wreck on the way up.

The hitch to SLT wasnt much better. While the owners of the camper van were nice, spending an hour sitting on the floor bracing myself on every turn made me car sick.

At least Motel 6 was cheap. Having trouble trying to cross the road to the grocery store was the last straw. I shut down and didnt do anything for the rest of the night.

Day 76 Zero

I feel better today. Went to Denny's and caught up with Wonka and Sour Patch. I should be able to catch up to them in a few days.

Resupplied at the grocery store, enjoyed a wonderful hour massage to loosen up my back, grabbed my packages with a new lens and rain jacket, and got a hair cut.