August 1, 2017

Day 88: Mile 1370.9 to Mile 1387.1

Miles: 16.2

Steps: 52,274

Breakfast at JJ’s in Old Station, hit the spot before a long, hot day on the trail. I had to wait for the post office to open at 11, before continuing on.

Shortly after leaving Old Station, we took a detour to the Subway, a lava tube cave!

The trek out of Old Station, is called Hat Creek Rim and known to be a hot, exposed and waterless section (20-30 miles depending on a water cache). I left Old Station with 5 liters of fluids. It was very very hot. Thank goodness for a wonderful group of wildfire firemen who gave me 2 gatorades and 2 waters, or I don’t think I would have made the long stretch. They were awesome. They didn’t know what trail Magic was, but I explained it to them and told them how grateful I was for their generosity. There were several wildfires in the area, so they were on standby. This is going to sound terrible, but I was a bit grateful for the wildfires. These fine gentlemen were in the right place, at the right place, because of these wildfires.

The desert flowers of this day, were quite different and beautiful. 

I also asked God for clouds and He gave me clouds. He was being too good to me.

The smoke from the fires, obstructed what would have been gorgeous views. Typically, you’re able to see Mt Shasta from this section, but we only saw an outline toward the end of the day.

The smoke added a bit of dimension to the sunset that made it quite spectacular, actually.

It was a warm night to camp, and had to be really careful with any water consumption, despite me wanting to drink it all.

August 2, 2017

Day 89: Mile 1387.1 to Mile 1407.2 – Burney Mountain Ranch

Miles: 20.1

Steps: 52,040

The mooing cows and rodents kept me up the majority of the evening. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what the rodents were doing all evening, until I got out of my tent to find my brand new trekking pole straps shredded and the handles chewed to pieces.

Apparently, not only do deer like the sweat from the trekking poles, but also rodents. Let this be a lesson for you all: keep your trekking poles in your tent!

It was the hottest day I had experienced on the trail. 105 degrees, with an excessive heat warning.

Right after the 1400 mile marker, Storyteller, Ranger and I arrived at a river with a bridge, a few miles before Burney Mountain Guest Ranch. Without saying a word, Ranger set his belongings down, went to the top of the bridge and jumped off. I had never jumped off a bridge before, so this was the day. It felt amazing.

We arrived at Burney Mountain Guest Ranch and were greeted with ice cream and explained the rules of the Ranch.

After going to the town of Burney for the outdoor store and pizza, we showered and did laundry at the ranch. About 10 or so of us hiker trash, gathered around a huge flat screen tv and watched A Knight’s Tale before going to bed. It was a great ending to a very hot day.