Section 14 - Belden to Old Station
July 11
20 miles. I crossed the 1,300 mile mark today. It's just
another day or so to the halfway point.
Shirt and Packrat walked into Belden this morning, ripe
from the trail. They never did get out of town the day
I left and put in three very long days to get to Belden
when they did. I don't know when I'll see them again but
it was good to say hi.
I had a tough 4,900-foot climb out of Belden. I left
later than I should have and paid the price in the heat.
Fortunately there aren't many, if any, climbs like that
ahead of me. This is certainly a trail of contrasts: from
stifling heat to snowbanks, all in a day's hike.
Mosquito season is in full swing and I wore my headnet
more than once today. Is there anything more obnoxious
than a mosquito doing a loop-de-loop in your ear?
I'm camped in a nameless, faceless forest about 40 miles
south of Mt. Lassen. It's hot and humid and the sky is
a hazy yellow. I got a good look at the peak today as
it lay shimmering in the afternoon haze but it was a long
way from a Kodak moment.
July 12
28 miles. I'm halfway to Canada! I passed the halfway
point about an hour ago just before I crossed Highway
36, near the southern border of Lassen National Park.
It's all downhill from here--except for the uphill parts
and the 1,330 miles to go. In golfing terms, I'm headed
down the back nine and still in contention.
This trip is feeling more possible now. When I left the
border it was so far to Canada that it was ridiculous
to even contemplate its completion. It's still too far
but I can at least think about getting through California.
Less than 400 miles to go.
It was hot and muggy again today. It felt like the East
Coast: temperatures near 90 even at 6,000 feet, and humid
enough that I sweated in the shade doing nothing. I hope
the heat wave breaks soon because hiking in this weather
is not pleasant.
This section is heavily forested with few open ridgelines
but I did get a good view of Lake Almanor today. Mt. Lassen
continues to loom closer and I had filtered views of it
as well.
Mt. Lassen is the southernmost volcano in the Cascade
Range and its rich volcanic soil supports an amazing amount
of plant life. The soil--when crushed under thousands
of human and equine feet--also produces incredibly fine
volcanic dust. Year after year it deepens and grows finer.
For the PCTer, it's a minefield. Every step sets off little
mushroom clouds of dust which permeate everything. For
the past few days I've stopped several times to wash my
legs, feet, socks, and shoes but within an hour or two
they're covered again. I'm losing the war and there's
nothing I can do about it.
I'm camped by the side of a logging road. Judging by
the recent cuts just a few feet away there will probably
be trucks through here in the morning. Best not to sleep
in.
July 13
25 miles. I'm locked in my tent watching and listening
to a HUGE swarm of mosquitoes doing everything they can
to get to me. They land on the netting and walk, probing
and poking through the holes. They land on the walls like
rain drops, their leggy shadows projecting through the
nylon. They land on each other, jostling for position.
Hundreds of them, all making the same hideous high-pitched
whine. All of them wanting one thing: my blood. This scene
puts Hitchcock's The Birds to shame. If I didn't
have this tent I think I would either be insane or bloodless
by morning.
I walked through Lassen Volcanic National Park for much
of the afternoon. It was a welcome change from the monotony
of the last few days. Soon after entering park property,
I detoured slightly off the trail to visit Terminal Geyser--a
fumerole actually, but fascinating nonetheless. A few
miles further the trail passed Boiling Springs Lake, a
good-sized milky green lake fed by hot springs and fumeroles
around its edges. Very interesting and very beautiful.
The trail then dropped into Warner Valley, passing Drakesbad
Guest Ranch--booked years in advance--and passed through
a hot-spring fed meadow as lush as I've ever seen.
A thunderstorm rolled through this afternoon. First dark,
menacing clouds, then thunder and lightning, and then
rain...for about 5 minutes. Just enough to make little
pits in the dust.
I woke with a start at midnight last night. There was
a large animal--a deer or a bear--ripping and tearing
the shrubbery about 50 yards from my tent. I yelled, "Hey
bear!" and rattled my cooking pot and it left. I'm
getting a little tired of this routine. Can't they just
do that somewhere else?
Tomorrow I walk to Old Station for a meal, a shower,
and a food pickup.
July 14
15 dusty miles. I made it to Old Station but, unfortunately,
my food box did not. Considering that I'm over halfway
and this is the first time this has happened I'm doing
really well. I was planning a layover in a few days anyway.
I guess this is it.
There's one restaurant in town, Indian John's Cafe, and
it's open 6 days a week. Today is not one of those days.
Fortunately, there's plenty of food at the general store.
After a bag of grapes, a banana, a box of cookies, 3 pepperoni
Hot Pockets, 2 barbecue beef sandwiches, 2 ice cream cones,
a quart of root beer, and a half gallon of milk I'm feeling
a little better.
Some new PCTers arrived just after me--Jamie, Beth, and
Brian--and we hung out together on the nice lawn next
to the river. Jersey Jim and New Hampshire Brian showed
up too and it was to good to get caught up. It's funny
how trail communication works. You read trail registers
and learn to recognize footprints. You hear news from
the rear as other hikers move up. You learn names and
then later, sometimes much later, learn faces.
The heatwave finally broke. It's still very warm but
the air is dry and the sky a deep blue. Just after Old
Station I face the infamous Hat Creek Rim--a 30 mile shadeless,
waterless stretch--and
I could not imagine doing it in the weather we just had.
I got a room at the motel and will wait for my food box
tomorrow. I think I just might visit Indian John's Cafe
a couple of times before I go.
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