Day 100-101: Word of Life

July 13-14; Mile 1396-1421

Day 100

Fifteen miles stood between me and the next resupply town of Burney. When I woke that morning at 5:30, hikers all around me were already packing up their tents and heading off down the trail. Thankfully the terrain ahead was relatively flat and vaguely downhill.

My feet led me through oak savanna, past dirt roads and paved ones, until reaching a hydroelectric plant. I was drenched in sweat by 10 in the morning, and my clothes were filthy from walking through the burn area. At the bridge between Baum and Crystal lakes, I paused to gather water, and then I decided to douse my shirt and scrub the dirt from my feet and legs. Ten feet away, a couple in their Sunday best were taking photos with their new puppy.

Feeling freshly washed and pleasantly cool, I set off down the trail and took a wrong turn onto a forest road. It led toward the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch, which was apparently closed, and once I realized my mistake I headed due east to reconnect with the PCT. Walking through a field of prickly, yellow grass meant that I spent the next two hours pulling barbs out of my shoes and socks.

I made it to town around lunchtime and headed straight for the church. The Word of Life church in Burney hosted hikers in their gymnasium all summer long, which included access to a real kitchen, showers, loaner clothes, even some air-conditioned rooms upstairs. Sleeping pads lined the walls of the gym, as if we were all having a slumber party together.

I found Tony (Inga) and Talkie Walkie (Stine) dressed in eclectic outfits: Tony had a Santa Claus tshirt on, while Talkie Walkie was decked out in a chartreuse blouse and flowing skirt. It was not the first time – nor likely the last – that I was glad I had relented on the “ultralight” lifestyle and carried a simple black dress with me for town.

I spent the day getting groceries and planning my upcoming diversion from trail: my friends were getting married in Seattle in about ten days. Though my feet cried out for a full day off, I decided to leave the next afternoon.

I ran into several other hikers that I hadn’t seen in months: Rally from Big Bear Lake, and Annet (now going by Rabbit) from the day I was stuck waiting for shoes in Warner Springs. Plus a hiker I never thought I’d see again: Ballsack (yes that is her trail name, and yes she owns it). That evening I played a game of Horse with Rally and two other hikers I hadn’t met before; it amazed me how I could remember the names of people I’d met once over two months ago, but the names of new acquaintances slipped away as soon as I heard them.

Day 101

The next day I forced heaps of food into my stomach: ice cream, salad, yogurt, bananas, a family-sized box of tortellini. Back near Lake Tahoe I had noticed how bony my cheeks were getting while applying sunscreen to my face, and ever since then I had been carrying a lot more food and cramming in calories whenever I got to town. By this point in the hike I’d met folks who had lost 10, 20, even 40+ pounds. If I lost that kind of weight, I’d blow away in the next stiff breeze.

At 3pm I started walking from the church with another hiker named Sidetrack. We got a hitch out of town after a few minutes, and then I was back on the red dirt track among the dead stalks of grass. It was the hottest part of the day, and the mountain of tortellini in my stomach was like a lead weight.

I took the side trail to Burney Falls and watched the foaming water cascade through the cracks in the rock as dusk began to settle over the forest. I hiked on to the Lake Britton Dam and walked across the empty platform. Night was creeping in, and I began to look for a potential campspot. Soon after, I came to a clearing where another hiker had set up their tent; it turned out to be Rabbit!

For the first time in 500 miles, I set up my own tent. Dov’s little 1person tent had gotten me through mosquito hell while mine was being repaired, but it was good to be back inside my familiar blue home. I stretched out inside the palatial space, my muscles aching from the accumulated fatigue and strain. I had 120 more miles to go, and then I could rest.