Monday June 29
The birds start singing the minute it starts to get light. This morning it was at 4:45. Willie was ready a few minutes before I was, so I had to gobble up my pastry as I headed out of camp.
For the first several hours, the trail was really flat and soon passed into an area where the trees were all burned by the Reading Fire in 2012. The fire was caused by lightning.
By late morning, there we good views of Lassen.
We hurried down the trail at midday as the temperature pushed into the 90's. Our destination was Old Town, which has a grocery store, restaurant and post office. We arrived at 1:30, envisioning a juicy hamburger and cold drink. To our surprise, the "restaurant" was a deli in the grocery store. The deli was closed! The grocery store did have cold soda and a few snacks. We were told that we should go down the road to JJ's Cafe. It was only three miles away but closed in two hours. It might as well have been 30 miles away.
This is what Old Station looks like from the road.
This is what Old Station looks like from the road.
Willie and I decided to hike another three miles to the Subway Cave. The cave is a lava tube that can be explored. The average temperature inside the cave is 46 degrees!
We stopped at the picnic area and fixed dinner. We refilled our water bottles and got extra water for tomorrow's hike around the Hat Creek Rim, which has no water for 30 miles! In addition, there is little shade and daytime temperatures can reach into the upper 90's. Some consider this the hottest section of the trail.
I am stealth camped tonight near the Subway Cave picnic area, at about PCT mile 1381.7. The elevation here is 4,215 feet.
Stealth camping....I love it! Did you get to check out the cave?
ReplyDeleteThe geyser and springs sound cool. I wish I was able to experience that with you!
ReplyDeleteLassen Volcanic NP sounds really interesting! The geyser & mudpots, do they make you feel close to home? :)
ReplyDeleteI wish you could count on the information in the guide regarding the location of water sources... that would make me nervous! I'm sure glad you had the foresight and ability to carry extra!
Oooo, 46 degrees sounds great about now. At least for a few minutes! I remember reading about the Hat Creek Rim. Best of luck making it through the hellish heat! Both of you drink lots of water please! and make sure to get enough salt and stuff too. Love ya, Valorie
ReplyDeleteYou didn't say anything about swimming in the hot lake. Did you? It looks fun. It makes me so happy to hear that you are carrying enough water! But as Jeni says, yikes about the guidebook! I hope your fellow hikers are a good source of information, at least. <3
ReplyDelete