July 20th, 2016
Miles Hiked: 19
Start Location: Mile 1363
End Location: Mile 1382
End Location GPS: 40.75240, -121.40661
We didn’t have any trees fall on us last night so we started the day ahead of the game (we camped in a semi burn area- not recommended). The terrain was very easy as we made our way 12 miles to HWY 44 where there is a cafe nearby and had an OK lunch (portions were a little small).
In the afternoon we ascended to something called Hat Creek Rim which we will follow for almost 30 miles. It is a mostly exposed mesa-like thing that drops off to a valley to our south. We were offered our first neat glimpsed of Mount Shasta In the distance, a towering mammoth of a mountain that sticks up out of the surrounding landscape like a skyscraper among a sea of two story buildings.
We did a shorter day and are camped overlooking Shasta and the valley. Words cannot describe the beauty as the sun sets here. There are a lot of hikers here. Among them is Poptart who is on a shakedown and training hike for her upcoming unsupported record attempt of the PCT, which she starts August 8th from Canada. She hopes to complete it in 59 days. The record is 60, set by Anish a few years ago. It was fun talking with her about FKTs and running ultras. I hope she succeeds and I wish her the best of luck!
