Susanne's Adventure Journal

24.5 PCT miles I started a couple hours before sunrise again. I don't really like doing this but I had two reasons for it. The first was that I needed to pick up my resupply package in MacArthur Burney Falls State Park. I needed to get there early enough to be there during store hours, plus give me time to shower and use the internet. The second reason was I was headed down in elevation. It was going to get hot. I wanted to do some hiking while it was cooler outside. I headed down the trail and hit some switchbacks early on. Even though I was in the dark, I could tell that I was going over lava rock and sometimes over old lava flows.  When daylight broke, it confirmed this. Soon after it got light out again I hit the 1400 mile marker. I walked passed it at first and had to backtrack because it was not obvious. It was spelled out in lava rock and there were lava rocks everywhere. 1,400 miles. After that I was walking through exposed trail again. Mostly it was de...

29.6 PCT miles This was another day of starting before sunrise, although I started closer to sunrise than originally planned. I was so tired from yesterday that I hit the snooze button so many times that I got up 1.5 hrs later. The hike during the beginning of the day was so easy. I was walking through a wide, flat forest of well spaced trees that was carpeted with pine needles. Morning on the PCT.  Eventually, I started coming across more and more lava rock on the trail from some ancient flow. I hit the junction for a trail that would take me to the trailhead of Subway Cave, a lava tube. As much as I wanted to explore the lava tube, I knew I didn't have a lot of time for side trips, so I  just headed towards the trailhead to fill up on water. Trail junction to Subway Cave. However, as I passed the exit and entrance, I  noticed that the tube parallels the trail anyway and decided to take the lava tube route on the way back since it was cooler ...

16.9 PCT miles I got up around 6 am to get to Drakesbad by 7 am. I was hoping that an employee had gotten there early and had ferried my package from Chester. No such luck. Drakesbad Guest Ranch in the morning. I went down to the hot springs pool to soak my feet. It felt absolutely amazing and I wished I could have soaked my whole body in it. Unfortunately,  certain wounds have to heal. The hot springs pool. At 7:30 am, I went back to check on my package. The dining room server told me that the person who brings packages wouldn't be there until 8 am. While I was waiting for this mysterious person to arrive, I had another employee ask if he could help me out. He went to double check that my package was not in storage. He came back empty, but said that he would be heading into Chester at 10 am and could get it then. I hoped it would not come to that as I was already late for getting on the trail today. As I sat around waiting,  I noticed a jay. It...

20.4 PCT miles, plus 0.6 mile detour to thermal vent and 1 mile round trip to Drakesbad Guest Ranch Today I had to get moving way before sunrise. I had 20 miles to get to my next destination and I was trying to get there in the early afternoon. My resupply was sent to Drakesbad Guest Ranch in Lassen National Park and, because my Trail Angel was incredibly late getting it out, it wasn't scheduled to arrive until 4:30 pm. Lassen National Park instituted bear can requirements this year. Since most of us dropped our (3.5 lb) bear can off a couple hundred miles ago,  I  had planned to pick up my resupply in the morning, then walk through the boundary in a day since it was less than 20 miles. However,  with the package problem,  I would have to stay overnight, I would need to get one of the campsites at Warner Valley Campground, which has bear boxes. Those campsites are first come, first serve, so I would have to compete with people driving their cars there. It w...

27.5 PCT miles I started my morning just before sunrise because I wanted to put good miles in and get as close to Lassen National Park as I could. I hiked a couple miles to a piped spring to fill up on water. At the trail junction, I was amused to find a sign that pointed to the spring on one side,  and Canada on the other, like the border was close. I’m only about half way there. Trail sign. Cold Springs. Most of the rest of the morning involved walking through shaded, wooded areas. Eventually, I came across a dirt road and parking area that had some nice views of the surrounding forest. Forest for days. I decided to take a break here. When I was finished and packing up my stuff, I met a couple who had driven up in their car. They asked if I was hiking the trail. I told them about my thu-hiking adventure and the man couldn't seem to wrap his head around it. He had a lot of questions for me. This way to Canada. When I started hiking again, I...

15.6 miles I got absolutely no sleep last night. The music from the festival was very loud and still going at 4 am. I had camped near the train tracks and there was a freight train that seemed to come by every hour, shaking the ground and screeching on the tracks. I started packing up at 6 am and figured I would be the only one up. I was wrong. There were quite a few festival goers up and walking around and they all wanted to talk to me and try to convince me to stay. I eventually made it past everyone, and over the bridge to Highway 70. Instead of getting back on the trail, I turned right on the highway to head to Caribou Crossing, where my resupply package had been sent. I was cursing sending it to this place the entire walk. It was 2.2 miles down highway 70, which didn't really have a shoulder.  Luckily it was morning and there were not many cars on the road. I reached Caribou Crossing around 7:30 am and everything was shut down and locked. The store, that was al...