Truckee to Etna

This post pretty much sums up Northern California. I chose not to update in between individual towns because often times there wasn't much to post and I rarely had internet. The first stop was the old gold town of Sierra City where I stayed at the Red Moose Inn, a great stop. Then it was on to the old logging town of Quincy where I got my first trail haircut. The tiny towns of Belden and Old Station came next, followed by Burney Falls State Park, Castella, and Etna. The trail was generally flat and boring with regular crossings of logging roads. It flattened out considerably which made 30 mile days the new norm. Scenery only improved between Castella and Etna where the trail heads West into the Trinity Alps. I've seen more bears than I did in the High Sierra and more rattlers than in the desert. California is nearly over and after 3 months I'm ready to be in a new state!

As usual, I have a few folks to thank:

- The people at Rowe Photo in Rochester, NY, who worked with me and my dad to ensure a seamless transition between a malfunctioning camera and a new one.

- All the folks from Truckee that I met on the 6th of July that fed me at a campground a little before Sierra City. In other news, I held my first (and probably last) autograph session of my life there.

- The family from Red Bluffs that gave me fresh veges and baked goods near Lassen.

- All the formal trail angels that left coolers and treats near roads - you're all amazing.

Uhhh joke?

Sierra City

Outhouses up here need a high snow level entrance

Wolf lichen levels can tell you where the highest snow level was the past winter. 2 years ago it would have started at 23ft!

A noisy cicada.

Toad hiding on the water spigot

Family breakfast at Sierra City

The climb out of Belden - in 2008 this was a giant wildfire and the area hasn't yet recovered

Halfway there!

Boiling Pot Lake near Lassen National Park

More burn area

When the trail gives you shotgun shells....make a sign?

A sign near Hat Creek Rim

30 mile dry stretch with first views of Shasta in the distance

An obstinate cow with Lassen in the background

Shasta was about the only thing to see on the horizon for over a few hundred miles

Trail magic!

Burney Falls

Shasta keeps getting bigger....

In Northern California the trees are carnivorous.

My tent with Castle Crags in the background after climbing out of Castella

Same spot as before with Shasta in the background

The sunrise next morning

Now that's spring water

Note how much lower the wolf lichen is on these trees.



Don't know what this is but I like it



Yet another side of Shasta after a nice thunderstorm

Finally, some scenery again! Trinity Alps Wilderness

The Hiker Hut in Etna. A formal B&B has separate hiker lodging with bunks and showers and things. Great place to stay.