Day 84-93: Quincy to Dunsmuir

Mile 1266.4-1500.1

Wow, this was an eventful section and I’m gonna have to remember way back for the start of this one. Here goes.

I got out of Quincy around 9:15, so quite a bit later than expected. I made fantastic time to get to the small “town” of Belden for a burger. I met a hiker there, Sandstorm, who I had been hanging out with a bit, and we ended up camping together the next few nights. The first was just a couple miles past Belden but had a fantastic swim spot to get out of the heat.

Cooling off

The thing with Belden is that it’s at the bottom of a canyon, and I needed to get out. It was a steep 11 mile climb out of the hole the next morning but eventually I topped out and was greeted by a nice view of Lassen Peak.

Sandstorm and I both did another 15 miles through much easier terrain that day, but did not get into camp until late. The next morning we would reach a huge milestone on our hike. Crossing the halfway marker was uplifting but also a reminder that there is still a long way to go.

Hanging out at the halfway point

The rest of the day was pretty easy, and I crossed paths with Timothy Olson, an ultra runner trying to set a speed record on the PCT by averaging over 50 miles a day. Yikes. The next day was a short 9 miler into Drakesbad Guest Ranch in Lassen Volcanic National Park. The ranch was a cool place, and I got a nice shower and food. But the real benefit to the stop was my new shoes… and I’d like to thank my mom for doing everything she possibly could to get them there on time. Let’s just say my old shoes had run their course.

The real fun began after Drakesbad in this section. I wanted to do big miles with no town stops until Dunsmuir, over 150 miles ahead. I had a resupply box waiting for me around midway through, so I did not carry food for the whole section. The first day, I felt real good in my new shoes, and started toying with the idea of doing huge miles around midday. Extreme heat was forecast starting the next day, so I decided I would go for it. This ended up being an awesome decision as I hiked the first 8 miles of the infamous Hat Creek Rim at sunset. I got my first views of Mount Shasta here, and the whole scene was stunning.

I stumbled into camp at 10 PM having set a new mileage record of 35.5, and over 36 if you include a small side trip. Despite the big day, the next morning I was right back at it to try to get through the exposed rim before the heat really set in. I did just that, but the exposure continued even after I came off of the rim, making for some real hot hiking.

Looking back at Lassen Peak from Hat Creek Rim

Even with the 35 miler the day before, I managed 26 miles, putting a good dent in the stretch to Dunsmuir. The next morning I walked a short 7 miles to Burney Falls State Park, where I had a resupply box waiting. The falls themselves were crowded but I’m not exaggerating when I say it was one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen.

I ate a ton of ice cream and looked at the falls for a while, but then it was time to get back out into the searing triple digit heat.

Burney Falls

While it was extremely hot, I spent most of the rest of the day in the shade, so it was manageable. That night I had an incredible view of Shasta at sunset with an unfortunate forest fire burning behind it.

The next day was a big 29 miler, and it was tough but not terrible considering the length. At one point the way the smoke from the fire made it look like Mount Shasta was erupting, which was pretty frightening.

It was less hot as we were at elevation, but definitely still pretty warm. I made it into camp that night well set up to hit my goal of getting to Dunsmuir Wednesday morning. The next day was 25 miles of hot hiking once again, but it was very cruisy until the last climb of the day. At that point, I just pushed to camp and finished a stretch of 140 miles in 5 days since Drakesbad. This morning I took a short day into town with interesting views across The Valley to Castle Crags.

Castle Crags

Tomorrow it’s back on trail, but I’ll enjoy this rest while it lasts.