Brrrr!  It was very cold last night.  I checked the thermometer as soon as it was light enough to read it–32 degrees!  We started hiking “all woolied up”–what a switch from the last few days, when it’s been warm at 6 am!

We followed the PCT as it headed into what I call “The Lassen Desert” of pumice and pine trees, but were saddened by the still very serious damage done by the 2004 fire.  Finally we were out of the fire zone and back into green forest with lots of wildflowers along the trail.  I stopped to take a picture of them…and that was the last pic for the whole day–from that time on, the camera refused to open.  I tried replacing the battery, and that didn’t help, either.  So I have no pictures for today.  In 2005, our little camera worked faithfully for the whole hike, except for when the batteries died in the heat at San Gorgonio Pass.  This camera has been a hassle ever since Campo!  Sigh.

Once we reached Badger Flat with its beautiful view of Mt. Lassen, we were on very familiar trail, and happily headed downhill for Old Station, stopping off at the tree plantation to enjoy a rest break & Snickers while lying on deep, soft pine duff.  Ahhh!  We were looking forward to “a rest on the duff” for the last several days!   From the plantation, the PCT goes wandering north, first alongside rushing Hat Creek, then over a couple of lava bluffs, and through a forest with huge trees.  Not too far from the side trail to Old Station, we met 3 nice ladies out horseback riding, and we talked to them for awhile. 

A few more minutes and we were at the Old Station “junction.”  Some thruhikers were sitting around there, debating whether to head up to Hat Creek Rim immediately (which would mean hiking in the heat of the day) or whether to wait and hike up when it was cooler.  Bill and I have a policy of “just hike, don’t worry about the weather.”  If it were us, we would have headed for the Rim.  But in actual fact, WE were headed for the post office at Old Station, so that’s where we went!  At the  PO, we had a temporary scare when the postmistress couldn’t find our box.  Fortunately for us, she had another go at the big pile of hiker boxes, and finally found it–whew! 

Bill was anxious to get to the Heitman’s, and we headed to the store to phone Georgi, but just as we walked up to the store, a car pulled in, and it was friends of Georgi’s who help maintain Cache 22 up on the Rim.  They said Georgi and WS Monty were off shopping in Redding, and offered us a ride if we would just wait while they loaded the car with stuff for the Cache.  So I used that time to get us some great hotdogs for lunch, plus some food to supplement what was in the box.  Georgi’s friends told me that only a few days ago, about 3 hikers per day were coming through, but now it’s more like 10 or 15!  So I guess Bill and I are now part of “The Wave” as it moves north. 

It was a good thing I got those hot dogs, because as it turned out, there’s no lunch available at the Heitmans.  Bill and I piled out of the car and walked about to look at everything.  In 2005, we were the only hikers here.  Now there were hikers everywhere!  We met Shin, much thinner than when we last saw him.  He said that the Sierras just about did him in.  Every hiker we talked to was very tired, and suffering from all sorts of aches and pains.  Many said they were staying for several days, just to rest and recuperate.  A number of tents were set up in the yard for the hikers; Bill and I claimed one, and then I collected all our dirty clothes and started on laundry.  While that was going, I did more repairs on Bill’s pack, and added some padding to my fanny pack.  I  wish there were a way to put more padding on ME!  I am still horribly thin.  Once I got the laundry done, I took my Ridgerest out to a shady spot in the lawn and just plain collapsed for awhile.

WS Monty came by–he cheered when he saw me.  “Hey, Monty!” he said.  “Did you know you’re in the UTube video of the kickoff?”  I didn’t know–that was a fun bit of news!  Monty and his helpers made a fantastic dinner–BBQ hamburgers with all the trimmings, potato salad, regular salad, and lots of watermelon.  It was all-you-can-eat, and believe me, we hikers can EAT!  And what’s really cool is that WS Monty and some others have organized a whole outdoor kitchen so that the Heitmans don’t have to have hikers in the house!  We sat around eating and talking for a long time.  Some of the hikers we’d seen before, and others were new, including a Belgian guy who said his tourist visa for the USA had run out. He had applied for an extension, but was refused.  “I guess I’m an illegal now!” he said.  “But I don’t care–I am going to FINISH this trail, and then I’ll go home from Canada!”    The Israeli girls were listening to him a bit anxiously.  Their visas are also “running low” and they are very worried that they won’t reach Canada before their visas run out.

Meanwhile, Georgi Heitman was running around “mothering” everybody.  She told me how frightening it was last fall when a wildfire almost reached their property.  The green meadow that literally saved their house is very green right now,  and very pretty, but beyond it is fireblackened forest.  She and Dennis had to evacuate, and she told me how hard it was to decide on what to take with them, knowing that when they got back, there might be nothing left.

So tonight, Bill and I are sleeping in a huge carcamping tent that we have named “Pharaoh’s Palace”.  We are clean, wellfed, and comfortable–it’s wonderful!  Tomorrow we will tackle the Hat Creek Rim!