Castella

8/9-
Day 121 - I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but for along time we have been referring to Pickle as the Iron Pickle due to her extreme toughness. Last night she got a new nickname when she told us she may get a Ph.D. someday. Now we call her Doctor Pickle. - Squirrelfight

8/10-
Day 122 - Wow, so much has happened today it's hard to fathom. We were reunited this morning with Pickle, Squirrelfight, and Staggerin' Willie. After sharing tales of past days and passing a bottle of blackberries picked by Rachel (YUM!) we began the long hitchhike through the rest of Plumas County to Lassen Volcanic National Park. With the realization that we won't hike the entire PCT this year, we have decided that we can now be a little more picky about where we hike. So we're skipping an unspectacular 200 miles of Northern California in order to be able to hike through more of the Cascade Range in the North. I guess we're not thru-hikers anymore. After a series of more or less bizarre rides, Rachel, Ezra, and I found ourselves in Chester on the north shore of Lake Almanor at 6pm, hoping for a ride 17 miles down a dead end road into the heart of Lassen Park. And wonder of wonders, we got one! Some super-nice local pulled up and said,"Sure, I'll drive you there." So tonight we're camped on the beautiful and strange Boiling Springs Lake, and yes, the lake is actually boiling. Steam is rising from the surface in the moonlight and all around me I can hear the eerie sounds of geothermics - hissing steam vents, boiling hot pools, and gurgling mud pots. This place is like no other I've ever been. - Krumholz

Day 122 - Vegetables on the move! After taking care of town chores in Belden (and reuniting w/ Ben and Rachel, who had been in town last night), we were ready to hitch the 80-odd miles to Drakesbad. Mostly hitching alone - sometimes with Ben & Rachel - I wound up with some of the strangest rides I can recall: A guy in an ancient Ford truck w/ no seatbelts and a dangerously loose steering wheel; not one but two (!) rides from elderly women driving with their adult, half-wit sons; another woman who passed me by, then turned back to pick me up because, "you just looked sooo pitiful, I had to stop." Hitchhiking is always a strange and random adventure, and I felt fortunate to make it to Drakesbad (A guest Ranch in Lassen N.P., situated along the PCT a the dead end of a 17 mile dirt road) hours before dark without having been hacked to bits by the extremely weird residents of Plumas County - Staggerin' Willie

8/11-
Day 123 - 1255.4 PCT miles. Today was four months on the trail for the Menacing Vegetables. Today is also the day that we officially relinquish our thru-hiker status by jumping ahead 62 trail miles to Lassen National Park. With 1403.3 miles left on the PCT, it should be apparent to everyone that, at our pace, we will not be completing the trail this year. Instead, we will begin jumping around Northern California for a couple of weeks, then taking a trip to Burning Man, and then jumping all the way up to Canada to begin hiking south. But first, to explore the geothermic conditions of Lassen's Volcanic park. - Statistician

Day 123 - Our group reunited yesterday in Belden and separated again to hitch up into Lassen. We reunited again today at an active fumarole called Terminal Geyser. This roaring fumarole has boiling water and steam pouring out of it. An awesome and somewhat dangerous place to explore. The hot stream that flows from it cools down enough to soak in about 100 yards down. The Vegetables, of course, spent the afternoon cleaning and rebuilding the pool, and then the evening soaking in it. We traded our hitchhiking stories, and it sounds like Pickle and I had the only normal lifts of the bunch. It took everyone at least five rides to get here (two of Willie's were with half-wit adult males and their elderly mothers) but all five of our lifts were interesting people who we enjoyed talking to. Most notably was a guy from San Francisco (whose name is escaping me) who was headed to a campground on Lake Almanor for the weekend. When he dropped us off he left us with ribs and chicken from Nate's BBQ in San Fran. Wow. It felt like that M*A*S*H episode when they get the BBQ delivered to Korea. What a treat in Plumas County. - Squirrelfight

Day 123 - About an hour after entering Lassen Park, I started complaining that I had not yet seen any geothermal wonders. Not 5 minutes later, we came across Boiling Springs Lake, which, and the name implies, is actually a boiling lake. Surrounded by bubbling mud pots, fumaroles, and steam vents, it was quite a sight in the moonlight. Tonight we're camped at Thermal Geyser - another geothermal wonder - and have spent most of the afternoon/evening soaking in the hot spring pool below the geyser (a wonderful geothermic experience). - Staggerin' Willie

Day 123 - Wahoo! It's our 4 month anniversary on the hike today! And what better way to celebrate than with a 1 1/2 mile day to a hot spring. Doesn't seem like any of us are in danger of contracting Mad Hiker's Disease. Upon arrival here at Terminal Geyser Hot Spring, Ez, Rachel, and I breached a wall of the pool and set to work de-mucking. After Jonny and Ez had rebuilt the wall we were set with a new and improved hot tub for the evening. - Krumholz

Vocab:
#6 Toe - The big toe on the right foot. Jonny popped a disc in his back and pinched a nerve down his leg in February. The #6 Toe is still suffering from this injury.
Pubic Scunge - The grit and mud that seems to collect only in the pubic area. Hot spring and swimming hole term.
Amoebic Meningoencephalitis - Commonly known as Mad Hikers Disease, this condition occurs to those who put their heads under water in hot springs, allowing the amoeba to invade via the ear. Symptoms include an instant desire to wear a backpack, a ruthless devotion to hiking at least 25 miles a day and an utter disregard for scenery. Despite extensive exposure, none of the vegetables seem to have been infected.
Dumbening - The gradual loss of intelligence experienced y most long distance hikers. Especially noteworthy are damaged verbal skills, regressive social behavior, and an inability to retain various details simultaneously.

8/12-
Day 124 - Incredible. The #6 toe has been in terrible pain for days, looking bright red and seeming infected. The soak in the hot water last night (and this morning) at Terminal Geyser seems to have completely healed it. Another reason to stop and soak in these natural baths whenever possible. - Squirrelfight

Day 124 - We met up with Hawkeye today after our jump up to Lassen. He joined us on our side trip out to Devil's Kitchen. He even left the trail for a night in order to camp and potluck with the Veggies. Finally someone who doesn't hesitate to Vegitate.

Day 124 - Last night we slept at Terminal Geyser. It is one of the areas of geothermal activity in Lassen Park. It is sooo cool! Steam comes out of the ground in these great big plumes. The one largest fumarole was pushing out heat and steam with such great force that it sounded like a jet engine. The smaller ones made hissing noises. About 100 ft below the geyser area, the stream was cool enough to sit and soak in the man made pool which Ezra, Jonny, Ben, and Rachel improved upon. We soaked before dinner for 1/2 an hour. Then again a little while after dinner when the almost full moon rose. We remained in the hot, soothing water for several hours. Jonny's #6 toe infection healed. I was very relieved. I thought he would need antibiotics. I found a small lava rock that looked as if it had faces on it - a tiki head face, a lion face, and a demented gremlin. The different faces were apparent as you turned the rock around, We wanted to send it to Tanner, but none of us are tough enough to carry an extra pound and a half for 4 days. Plus, we knew he would think we were just plain crazy. The next morning the faces were no longer apparent. Are we crazy or was it moonlight? - Pickle : )

Day 124 - Today I ate lunch! All-you-can-eat buffet at Drakesbad Guest Ranch: 3 kinds of fresh salad, raspberry vinagarette dressing (drool, drool), tunafish sandwiches, 3 kinds of cheese, cream of mushroom soup, tortellini, chocolate mousse, and cheesecake, and cookies for dessert. It was about the best on-trail meal I've eaten since Campo. Oh yeah, and I hiked and camped and did some of that nature-type stuff today, too. - Staggerin' Willie

8/13-
Day 125 - Well, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all that we did today. The morning began with breakfast atop King Creek Falls, a beautiful 100 ft. waterfall set within the black cliffs and forest. We hiked out and reconvened with the Vegetables at Cold Boiling Lake where we decided that today would be a perfect day for our sunset ascent of Lassen Peak. So after a midday visit to crowded Bumpass Hell and a long lunch, we began our climb. The trail to the summit is 2.5 miles long, climbs 2000', and has probably 50 switchbacks, and is the closest equivalent to a highway that one sees in the backcountry. We passed hordes of weekenders coming down and when we reached the summit, had it to ourselves for a good, chilly hour before the sunset. And the moment it dropped below the horizon we had our packs on and were moving our frozen butts down the off the peak. We watched the almost full moon rise over silvery Lake Almanor and walked a few miles in its light back to Bumpass Hell. This well named geothermic wonderland is a fascinating collection of sizzling springs, boiling pools, steaming earth, and bubbling mud. In the moonlight and free of crowds, Bumpass Hell was a marvelous sight, with moonlit steam rising all around and the sounds of superheated earth hissing and sighing. We set up camp on the ridge above and there called it a night. - Krumholz

Day 125 - Actual sign at Bumpass Hell Overlook:
"The strange, barren landscape you see below is Bumpass Hell. Named after Kendall Vonbook Bumpass who discovered it in the 1860s. Bumpass lost a leg when he stepped into a boiling thermal pool."

Willie went down to the sulfur stream at Bumpass Hell today to stick his hand in and check the temperature. A little girl was watching him as he put his hand up to his face to smell the water. I heard her telling her mother that the wild man had drunk the water. "He did mommy, he drank it!" - Squirrelfight

Day 125 - Another day of geothermal wonders in Lassen Park. We visited a place called Bumpass Hell which was - No kidding! - named after Kendall Vonwood Bumpass. I think that if my name was Kendall V. Bumpass, I would certainly change it. Still, it was awful purty in the moonlight, after the hordes of dayhikers had gone home. - Staggerin' Willie

8/14-
Day 126 - People in Lassen Park have been asking me some really weird questions that make me think I have lost touch with reality. A woman today saw me coming up the trail and said "have you been here in winter?" I answered that I had never been here before and her husband laughed as if I were joking with her. So I'm thinking, am I insane, or is it the world around me. I asked Krumholz and thinks that people think I'm a ranger because I'm dressed in khaki. We already know that yellow does not necessarily mean waterproof. Likewise, khaki does not necessarily mean park official. - Squirrelfight

Day 126 - We've been off of the PCT for a couple days now over here on the west side of the park. It's interesting not being on the PCT - we still look like scrungy grungy thru-hikers, but no one has any clue what we're doing. In fact, I can't recall seeing any other people out here with packs and gear for camping out. Lassen seems to be a day hiker's paradise. - Staggerin' Willie

8/15-
Day 127 - I just traveled 150 trail miles today, and boy is my thumb tired! With a mixture of relief and guilt, we skipped hot and arid sections "N" & "O" of the California PCT. I won't get into details of the hitch, except to say that all 5 Vegetables made it to Castella without incident, and that my rides were far less weird than the folks I rode with on my way into Lassen. - Staggerin' Willie

Day 127 - Today we are leaving Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was an incredible 4 days of small hikes and amazing natural wonders. Last night we camped just upstream of Mill Creek Falls. Arguably one of the most beautiful falls I've ever seen in my life. So glad to not be on the PCT so that I can experience these wonderful sites. The waterfall was about 75-100 ft tall and was at a junction of two rivers. One river was about 30 ft above the other - fell over sheer rock into a pool where it met the second river. Then together they fell over another 50 ft of sheer rock. - Pickle : )

Day 127 - Places visited in Lassen Volcanic National Park:
Drakesbad guest Ranch, Boiling Springs Lake, Terminal Geyser, Devil's Kitchen, Kings Creek Falls, Upper Meadow, Cold Boiling Lake, Bumpass Hell, Lake Helen, Lassen Peak (10,457'), Crumbaugh Lake, Mill Creek Falls, Little Hot Springs Valley, and Lassen Chalet.
Days there - 4 1/2
Miles Walked - 39
Of that, PCT miles - 2.7
PCT miles we're jumping ahead today - 152
- Statistician

This week's ask Squirrelfight-
L. Lupin of Berkeley writes:
Dear Squirrelfight,
"What is the grossest thing you do out there?"

Miss Lupin,
If you must know, I use the same towel to dry my dishes as I do to dry my armpits. Thanks for writing. - J. Squirrelfight

< Previous - Menu - Next >