Terminal Geyser
Boiling Springs Lake
Hot Spring fed pool!!
Northern California has been extremely dusty!
One of our favorite things to do is find lakes to break at and take a dip in!
So hitting Northern California has been like going back to the desert. Just hotter and dustier... It felt like we were somehow transported to a safari.
Breaking at a water cache. So we stopped here for lunch at 12:30....and then didn't leave until 5:30. It was extremely hot out....topping out somewhere in the high 90s. We laid under this tree sweating and whenever we stepped out into the sun (for whatever obscene reason) we immediately sought cover again. We chose to night hike the 13+ miles we had left.
We took a short side trail to see Burney Falls. It was absolutely beautiful! Then we all jumped in...because even though it was ice cold, we had been pouring with sweat the last few days!
Once past Lassan, we could finally see Mount Shasta! It was rather exciting to get a view of a different volcanic mountain. However the excitement has worn off after still being being able to see it a couple hundred miles later. I believe we have gotten views of Shasta from almost every angle! And about the time you think you have actually walked far enough that you should be long past seeing it, you turn a corner and there it sits. No matter how stunning it is, I will be excited to say goodbye to it and be able to stare at another mountain for a few hundred miles. :)
After we passed the town of Mount Shasta, we crushed miles. Our daily average over the last week has been 30 miles! Needless to say Butters, Wild Turkey, and I are whipped! Not only did we do big miles, but we still took plenty of long breaks (our favorite part...😁). This meant that we did a fair bit of night hiking...getting to camp late. We were all ready to get to the Oregon border and then into Ashland where we planned to zero.
After 1500 miles, I decided it was time to retire my shirt...
So then I went thrift shopping for a new one...!
One of the best things about hitching, is that you literally have no idea who will offer up a ride. Thus, you meet some of the most interesting characters doing so. On this occasion we were picked up by an older hippie lady who kindof lived out of her van...?
Hiker Trash. Yes, we look like and act like bums most of the time. The crazy and cool thing is though that people looking at us would never guess that in real life one is a fireman/emt and one a master's in Biomedical engineering. See on trail, hikers arent just transient people with no aim in life. There are doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, researchers, and social workers all out here to take in an unbelievable experience. We learn from the trail and the people we meet. And yes, we frequently look homeless while on this journey.
Yesterday morning we FINALLY crossed into Oregon!!! After nearly 1700 miles in California and over 3 months, I have never been so ready to bid farwell to a state! It's like a movie that had a lot of good scenes, but just went on too long. Everything needs to have an ending and some sooner than others. 😊
We made it to Callahans late morning where we got the all you can eat spaghetti for $16. We ended up hanging out there for several hours before catching a ride into Ashland. We are staying at a trail angels place tonight and then will be zeroing tomorrow. I seriously can't tell you how excited I am for this zero, or how long I have waited for it!! It's been many a mile since we had a zero and we plan to take every last second of it in!:)
Until Next Time....
