Days 86, 87, Last place you look

Part 3, Northern California, Days 86, 87

Last place you look

Miles: 19.5

Total Miles: 1347.84

I stayed another night in Chester. The night before I had planned to leave town, I started feeling sick to my stomach. I slept maybe 2-3 hours and early in the morning I... Let's just say... Yacked. I felt awful. I waited a few hours, packed up my pack and when I stepped outside at 10 am, the sky was filthy. There was a severe weather alert for thunderstorms today, as well as flash flood warnings. I begrudgingly made the decision to stay until Friday. I was not thrilled about this, but who was I kidding; a huge storm was brewing and I had some stomach sickness. 

I slept most of the day in my dark room. When I was awake, I watched tv mindlessly. I felt extremely guilty about not being on the trail, yet I could barely stand up. Every few minutes the cracking thunder outside reminded me that I'd made a wise decision. I did relax hardcore, and it was nice. 

On Friday morning I woke up still feeling sick. I was gonna hike today, rain or shine. When I looked outside and saw the black sky, I was overcome with a sense of dread. I anxiously packed up and walked to the road at 9am. I used this sign I found in a hiker box to hitchhike.

Signs like this help drivers distinguish between hikers and vagrants. After 10 minutes an old timer named Larry picked me up. He's lived in Chester his whole life and he told me some stories about the area. Larry said he always picks up hikers when he sees them; a true trail angel. I got dropped off at the trail head and as hiking by 9:30am. 

As you can see, the morning held some I patches of sunlight. I enjoyed the sun while it lasted, since I was surrounded by black sky. Luckily, I spent time in my motel room rain proofing my pack. I may get wet, but my clothes, food, and sleeping bag would not. 

Because of my extended stay in Chester, the hikers I'd hiked in with were ahead of me somewhere. I was hoping there'd be hikers on the trail today, and sure enough, I met a bunch of new people. I first passed Avo, then Pogo, and then Nola. It always feels better to see others out here when there's bad weather, because it makes me feel less alone. Solidarity, I guess. 

At around 11am it began to rain. I covered my pack, put on my jacket, and zip locked my phone and iPod. It wasn't so bad, just slightly annoying. I realize this is an El Niño year, so the bad weather is expected. I also know how badly we need the rain, so I try not to complain. As a hiker, the weather unfortunately is not only uncomfortable, but obstructs all the views, and the views are what makes the PCT special. 

I do worry about the weather in Oregon and especially Washington. After being on the trail for nearly 3 months, I have a gut feeling that it's gonna dump this year. Snow, rain, etc. 

I came to a bridge over the North Fork of the Feather River. 

Here's me looking tired. I felt exhausted. 

I heard voices under the bridge. Was it troll? Much worse... Thru Hikers! I found Haiku, Mountain Pirahna, and Roadside Attraction taking shelter under the bridge.  I hadn't seen them in over 500 miles!! It was good seeing them. I left them and shortly passed another hiker named Gene the Machine. I was moving quickly when it started to pour. I was quickly soaked, as was my pack. The contents of my pack was safe though. I line my pack with a trash compactor bag and use a pack cover as well. It rained hard for almost 2 hours. It wasn't fun, but it's all part of the experience I guess. 

Here's me in my armor. 

I started to get really cold. The rain gear causes my body to become a sweat lodge, so of I stop or slow down, I lose heat fast. I found trail magic and a register to sign. 

Nothing like drinking an ice cold sprite in the freezing rain! 

The rain finally stopped right as I entered Lassen Volcanic National Park. 

I'd been waiting to get here. 

I ran into Limey on my way to see the Terminal Geyser. Limey is from the UK. 

This thing looked like a volcano. I smelled it long before I saw it. Amazing!

This was pretty cool. I was really feeling tired and my stomach was still all messed up. I took a side trail to see a boiling lake and I could barely make it to the lake. My legs were cramping up and my feet and back were having spasms. I credit the long break for this body failure. The same thing happened after South Lake Tahoe. I passed the boiling lake:

It made me feel sick to my stomach...

I saw a family passing me and I waved and right as I did that I felt a sharp pain in my right foot. I think they saw me cringe, because they asked if I was all right. I could think of nothing else but the pain. I badly tweaked a muscle in my foot. Red faced, I limped down the trail. Why did my body break down today? My mind was strong, not my body. I'm not sure what's wrong, but it doesn't feel good. We'll have to wait and see here. I hope tomorrow will be better, because I need to do big miles. I passed Drakesbad Guest Ranch, where many of the other thru hikers were stopping for dinner. All I needed was to rest. 

There is a nice campground near the road with water, trash cans, bear boxes, and even toilets! It costs 16 bucks a site though, so I stealth camped right outside the official camp like a any decent thru hiker would. This way, I can use all there posh facilities. 

Of course, the foreseeable future forecasts thunderstorms daily. Where is summer? I've learned that the crest carries its own weather system. It's cold now, for the first time since the Sierras. At least when it's cold, I sleep better. Until tomorrow.