PCT SOBO DAY 69 – Miles of thorns

Day 69

Home: TENTSITE, MILLA 1287.1

END: Domingo Springs Campground, outside Mile 1312.9

Walked miles: 25.8 miles

Without an urgent mission today, I decided to sleep a little. The other sobo got up early to get to Drakesbad’s guest ranch on time for lunch hours, but I didn’t feel like running today.

I left the camp before the hiker of the Nevo section woke up and began my walk to the Lassen National Park. I didn’t know too much about the park, apart from the fact that there were some geothermal characteristics. Unfortunately, our route through the park was burned mainly. On the positive side, it was also mainly flat. I moved through the desolate landscape trying to imagine how it would look with living trees. There were also many people on the paths. Maybe this was just an unpopular part of the park.

I briefly stopped in a lake, listening to the Nobo that had been a great place to swim. When I arrived, however, there was a couple of weekend hikers who told me they had seen leeches! Ewww! I was not going to risk that a leech cling to me even if I had contradictory information, so I continued along the way.

I met a mom deer with her twin babies. They were so beautiful! The twins moved to close each other as human twins. It was great to see.

After a sandwich and accidentally go to half mile along the wrong path (the sign definitely pointed out the wrong way), I finally arrived at Drakesbad Guest’s ranch. Zee and John were walking along the way after finishing their meals. They were full! Apparently, the guest ranch was not afraid to feed hikers. Awesome!

When I arrived, the place was almost a ghost town. Some people worked here and there, but the tables outside the dining room were empty. I arrived a little after the official time of lunch, but the man who worked at the reception greeted me hotly.

«How about a hamburger and french fries?» asked.

I wasn’t about to reject a hamburger, so I happily accepted. When my dish arrived, I was impressed. This was much more than a hamburger and fried potatoes! Baked beans were placed on my dish, a double hamburger with cheese and bacon, potato slices and fried potatoes. Even with my hunger for hikers, I knew I couldn’t finish everything, but I tried the hardest. Everything was so good and he definitely gave the place!

After eating and paying, I spent a few minutes hanging relaxing. Apparently, they only had 2 guests reserved for the night after the busy weekend on vacation, so it was a relaxing place for me to sit and digest the enormous food I had just had.

Soon, however, it was time to move on. The following attractions on my list were a couple of geothermal characteristics. First he was boiling the springs lake, a sulphuric lake that bubbles and smelled of rotten eggs. He was small and without pretensions, but it is still great to see.

Then, I walked a couple more miles to the terminal’s geyser, which was at a half mile of the route. When I arrived, the white steam came out of a crack on the floor. I could feel the heat of the geyer when I approached him. I kept my distance, but I saw a deer walking around a foot behind him. I guess I wasn’t worried about hot water!

With all the attractions of the Lassen PCT, it was time for him to leave the park. I had a last little climb before reaching my camp. Just when I thought I was in the final stretch, I discovered the bush of White Spines. Aligning and invading the path, this pointed bush scratched me and laughed my legs during literal miles. It was very painful that these inevitable thorns hit me. I even bleed a little, the thorns were so bad. I couldn’t move as fast as I used to do, so when I got off my climbing, I was dark.

With my flashlight outside, I went to a established rate camp. Normally, I did not camp on rates sites, but it was dark and there were no nearby tent points I could find. I thought I would only pay my rate in the morning when I could see what was happening.

There were a couple of cars in the distant sites, but otherwise the place was quite empty. I quickly configured my store and ate my dinner, ready to crawl to bed and rest my leg pain.

And that is a day in the life of a PCT Sobo hiker!

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