Miles hiked: 22 - you see how I hiked just the right distance to make the math easy? Will probably try to do that from now on.
I heard that same baby train locomotive noise again this morning, but still couldn't figure out what it is. It really sounds like some big mammal, like a cow or maybe an elk. I had a tough time getting going this morning, slow to get out of bed, but once I got past that hurdle I packed and got walking pretty quickly (mosquitoes helped). Missing my afternoon nap lately on these longer days is starting to catch up with me.
Got hiking and was stoked to see nighthawks swooping right through he forest just 20 feet over my head. I passed into Lassen National Park and soon took the short spur trail down to Terminal Geyser. I'm not sure if this geyser ever gushes like Old Faithful; when I was there it was billowing an impressive amount of steam which glowed in the sunrise and filtered the low sunlight into ever shifting rays. The main show was from a house sized hole in the ground; I got as close as I dared to the edge but still couldn't see exactly the hole the steam came from, since it was so thick and at times totally enveloped me when the wind shifted. The next thermal wonder to see was Boiling Lake, which involved an alternate trail to the official PCT, but which is the same distance. The lake is a few acres and is the sort of light green you only see in these places with so many minerals and such coming up hot from deep in the earth. Bubbles burst on he surface but I think these are just steam bubbles coming from the bottom, rather than the lake actually boiling. Around the shore are bubbling mud pots and red cracked earth with dried white crust. These are really the only two thermal features to see along the PCT through all of the National Park, so I'm really glad I made these side trips.
After Boiling Lake it was just another mile or so to Drakesbad Ranch, which is a private concession inside the park operating as a guest lodge with all sorts of activities for guests to do: horse rides, hikes, badminton, a pool slightly heated I guess by some thermal activity. It's just a half mile or so off the trail, and they actually let PCT hikers come use all the facilities only for the price of a meal. Hikers just have to go through the buffet line after all the guests have eaten, and I got there a bit early so sat with a great cup of coffee with real milk and shot the shit with other hikers waiting. Eventually we were loosed on the food and the busy but super friendly staff had a hard time keeping things stocked. There was granola and fruit and toast and yogurt and cottage cheese at the buffet, and we also had a plate of eggs and hash browns made. After eating I made my way down to the shower building and really went to town on the 10 days of trail grim, making myself bleed in a few spots. They even have nice full sized clean towels for us to use; they're old and with some holes and a bit off white, not like the ones the guests get, but all the hikers seemed to think this was totally appropriate and really loved having them. Then it was up to the free laundry machine, and all the while my phone and battery were charging. This place has pretty much everything a hiker could want except a store to buy resupply stuff, but you can send boxes to them.
After everything was cleaned and charged and a couple little holes in some socks were patched and some more shit was shot I got back on the trail feeling really refreshed. It was good to get all this town stuff done, because Old Station, where I'll get a box tomorrow, looks pretty small and may not have all these services.
The trail climbed up through more thick forest, this time mostly Lodgepole and white fir and a few cedars, and traversed the low rolling country around the east and north of Lassen Peak. It was another quiet afternoon, wildlife-wise, and in stead of counting trees my mind wandered to my gear. Things are all working quite well except for one important item: my backpack (I know this might make some of you who know about my "thing" with backpacks chuckle; I guess I have sort of a lot). I think I mentioned that it didn't carry the bear can very well. I thought that once I got rid of the can everything would go back to how it was before the Sierra, but the pack has just become less and less comfortable, even with the lighter loads now with resupply towns closer together. It already had some minor issues with the bottom of the frame stay wearing through near waist belt. Its now developed a sort of tilt to the right, which Ive been trying to fix with different packing schemes and strap adjustments for a few hundred miles, with no luck. I've compensated for this tilt by having the shoulder straps sort of off center on my shoulders, the right one is almost on my neck while the left is way to the outside. The other day when I had an itch on my left shoulder, my finger went right through my shirt, and closer inspection revealed a whole patch of rotten fabric, while the other side still seems like all the rest of the shirt; so it seems I'm carrying most of the weight on my left shoulder. The last couple days the frame has really started sticking into my back. And there are a couple other minor issues. Just one or two of these problems might be tolerable (I've dealt with some for hundreds of miles), but the issues are starting to add up and I'm starting to think about switching to pretty much the most popular pack in the trail, the ULA Circuit. I talked to a few people with these packs (and a couple other ULA models) today And tried one on. The main difference from my pack is that there is more padding on the back, waist belt, and shoulder straps, and the suspension system is just a bit heavier duty.
But I sort of hate to get a new pack. The pack part is still in excellent shape, and I don't want to be a wasteful consumer. I've also become sort of attached to this pack; we've done a lot of miles together. And I also wonder if maybe I'm just being a big sissy about it; maybe it's not as bad as I think, maybe I'm just a little bit bored with my kit and want to mix things up some.
But there are a lot of miles left to go. Even though I expect the second half of the miles to take 2 months in stead of 3, I still have a lot of long days under the pack. Being comfortable during those days has a high value to me.
It's a hard decision and I'm still not totally sure, but I'm getting closer to making the switch.
After having another early dinner along the shore of a beautiful blue lake the trail passed through a burned area for several miles. This was again a bit repetitive, but as it was now getting into the evening more birds were coming out. Lots of birds seemed to be out with their fledglings in the burned area, and I guess the dead trees must now have a lot of insects living in them. Plenty of juncos, of course, but also Hairy Woodpecker and Mountain Bluebird families and a hatch year Black-headed Grosbeak (apparently independent) and several Western Tanagers maybe upset with the woodpecker family moving through. Now my mind wandered to the fact that there isn't really a good natural history guide for the trail; perhaps a project to undertake.
I made it just outside the National Park boundary, and within about 6 miles of Old Station, before finding a little spot to roll out my bed a the edge of a burned young tree farm overlooking a hillside of scrub and far hills of trees as the sun set through a clear sky. As I sat eating cookies I heard the baby locomotive again, and it finally clicked that I always hear it at the same time that Common Nighthawks are overhead. Sure enough when I checked my bird app there is another call they make, and this was it! It sounded so un-bird-like to me, for some reason, that the thought just hadn't occurred.
As darkness fell a deer walked a circle around my camp 50 feet away and some Canada Geese flew overhead. And the half moon followed the set sun down toward a sparsely forested ridge. And I ate more cookies.
Birds:
Common Nighthawk
Hermit Thrush
Fox Sparrow
Hairy Woodpecker
Brown Creeper
Northern Flicker
American Robin
Oregon Junco
Mountain Chickadee
Western Wood-pewee
Steller's Jay
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Cassin's Finch
Gray Jay
Mountain Bluebird
Black-headed Grosbeak- hatch year
Western Tanager
Canada Goose
Green-tailed Towhee
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