I can't believe I made it to Chester. I've hiked through multiple rainstorms in 7 days all the while not seeing a single other person on the trail.
From Shasta to Burney the trail wasn't very interesting. Found many gooseberries though, which are ripe in the fall. I got to the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch at 6:30 pm. Ate a home cooked meal with homemade ice cream. Weather was on everyone's minds. The storm of ages was supposed to slam the PNW and NorCal, and I was planning to hike into it. I asked the hosts about where I might bail out and bought some trash bags. Met 2-Pack whose total load was 160 lb (!!) and who went 62 days without a food resupply. Not my style, but it's eye-opening to see a different approach. He did a lot of an spur-of-the-moment sidetrips so the extra weight meant he was ready for anything. I left in the morning after doing my laundry.
Normally one of the hottest parts of the trail, Hat Creek Rim was cool and shaded all day. There were some white cow bones by the trail. The water cache at FS Road 22 was fully stocked. I camped a few miles past it at the "communication facility," which had some flat spots around it. Winds were picking up quickly and it was time to give my tent a proper wind test.
My tent warped and flexed like crazy that night, but held. Rainfall was heavy, sounded like gravel. In the morning the rain stopped. I stepped out into a world of grey. My pitching was not good; a few stakes had popped out because the ground had gone soft (should have used rocks), and some of the guylines I didn't tighten enough. Nothing broken though. Walked 17 more miles into Old Station in fair weather.
Old Station was tiny but useful. I got a burger at JJ's, whose menus had printed on them a Cheryl Strayed quote. First time I've seen her mentioned on the trail without revilement. Some townies said the trail would be snowbound and urged me to bail. One said I'd be fine though; I chose to believe him, plus the NWS was saying the snowline would stay above trail elevations. Not by a huge margin, but enough that I thought any snow would not be deep. I bought some candy bars, saved a few weather forecasts to my phone, and hiked out the next day.
Just past noon, the precip started. The wind picked up, a 30 mph headwind gusting to 50, blasting my face with cold rain. I braced myself with my poles and pushed steadily uphill. The rain fell in curtains. I stopped a few miles later in a slightly sheltered depression right of the trail. I couldn't go on in those conditions, so, 12 miles in, at 1 pm, I was calling it a day.
The wind absolutely roared through the forest. It sounded like a jetliner. I wore my earplugs as soon as I got into my tent. Through the afternoon, the rain was mixed with small hail and sleet. Stopping at that time was the right move.
It was miraculously quiet and dry in the morning. Even my tent rain fly had dried out. I checked the hourly forecast on InReach. There was an 8 hour window before more rain and I planned to maximize it. I kept a 3.0 mph pace. The trail was clear of snow. At 4 pm it started raining, on schedule, falling straight. I had walked 24 miles and setup camp next to the Feather River.
Next day was clear. Walked for half a day to make it to the road leading into Chester. Took 20 minutes to get a hitch, not bad. So I returned to the town where I had spent 9 days injured. Caught the bus to Quincy at 6 am the next day. My last remaining trail segment is 33 miles and starts/ends in Quincy, while I had already done the segment between Quincy and Chester (passing through Beldentown), hence the bus.
From Shasta to Burney the trail wasn't very interesting. Found many gooseberries though, which are ripe in the fall. I got to the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch at 6:30 pm. Ate a home cooked meal with homemade ice cream. Weather was on everyone's minds. The storm of ages was supposed to slam the PNW and NorCal, and I was planning to hike into it. I asked the hosts about where I might bail out and bought some trash bags. Met 2-Pack whose total load was 160 lb (!!) and who went 62 days without a food resupply. Not my style, but it's eye-opening to see a different approach. He did a lot of an spur-of-the-moment sidetrips so the extra weight meant he was ready for anything. I left in the morning after doing my laundry.
Normally one of the hottest parts of the trail, Hat Creek Rim was cool and shaded all day. There were some white cow bones by the trail. The water cache at FS Road 22 was fully stocked. I camped a few miles past it at the "communication facility," which had some flat spots around it. Winds were picking up quickly and it was time to give my tent a proper wind test.
My tent warped and flexed like crazy that night, but held. Rainfall was heavy, sounded like gravel. In the morning the rain stopped. I stepped out into a world of grey. My pitching was not good; a few stakes had popped out because the ground had gone soft (should have used rocks), and some of the guylines I didn't tighten enough. Nothing broken though. Walked 17 more miles into Old Station in fair weather.
Old Station was tiny but useful. I got a burger at JJ's, whose menus had printed on them a Cheryl Strayed quote. First time I've seen her mentioned on the trail without revilement. Some townies said the trail would be snowbound and urged me to bail. One said I'd be fine though; I chose to believe him, plus the NWS was saying the snowline would stay above trail elevations. Not by a huge margin, but enough that I thought any snow would not be deep. I bought some candy bars, saved a few weather forecasts to my phone, and hiked out the next day.
Just past noon, the precip started. The wind picked up, a 30 mph headwind gusting to 50, blasting my face with cold rain. I braced myself with my poles and pushed steadily uphill. The rain fell in curtains. I stopped a few miles later in a slightly sheltered depression right of the trail. I couldn't go on in those conditions, so, 12 miles in, at 1 pm, I was calling it a day.
The wind absolutely roared through the forest. It sounded like a jetliner. I wore my earplugs as soon as I got into my tent. Through the afternoon, the rain was mixed with small hail and sleet. Stopping at that time was the right move.
It was miraculously quiet and dry in the morning. Even my tent rain fly had dried out. I checked the hourly forecast on InReach. There was an 8 hour window before more rain and I planned to maximize it. I kept a 3.0 mph pace. The trail was clear of snow. At 4 pm it started raining, on schedule, falling straight. I had walked 24 miles and setup camp next to the Feather River.
Next day was clear. Walked for half a day to make it to the road leading into Chester. Took 20 minutes to get a hitch, not bad. So I returned to the town where I had spent 9 days injured. Caught the bus to Quincy at 6 am the next day. My last remaining trail segment is 33 miles and starts/ends in Quincy, while I had already done the segment between Quincy and Chester (passing through Beldentown), hence the bus.
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