The July Fourth weekend is upon us and the weather has gotten very hot. Here is the crisp dry grass of the Hat Creek Rim and the shadeless trail as it proceeds ever northward. I quickly resupplied in the Town of Burney then immediately got back on trail to get to Burney Falls State Park for the night. There I got a shower, but had to dry off without a towel. Also I switched to new undies. My clothes have not been washed since South Lake Tahoe and are absolutely filthy. However there hadn’t been an easy opportunity to do them yet.

They, the miles, seem to be going by quicker now.

I looked at the map yesterday while at mile 1354 and was planning to go to 1374, but I saw that Old Station was only 3 more miles. Instead of then waIting for the Post Office to open maybe I could catch it before it closed. So that is what I did. I started at 5:30 AM and needed to do 23 miles before 4:30 PM. I did 20 miles as fast as I could and completed it in only 7 hours – a new speed record for me. So I did all 23 miles with time to spare.

For several weeks I have been having numb fingers on both hands in the morning. It is especially bad on cold mornings. It happened while Justin and I were hiking weeks ago and even before that. It has even woken me up with the tingling occurring at night. I’ve found if I lay flat on my back and put my hands to my sides that it subsides, but I’m a side sleeper so that doesn’t solve the problem. I think it is related to always hiking with poles and maybe gripping them to tightly. However I have to have poles because my balance is so bad. it. As I begin to hike and I get warmed up then it slowly dissipates.

Update: I tried hiking without poles and the numbness is reduced however my hands swell up.

From Justin’s Blog: 150 Miles in 8 Days

At about mile 1340 off to the left was this peak. It has been dominant in the distance for the last day. I wonder which one it is? Since I’m in Lassen National Park could it be Mt. Lassen?

After 1326.9 miles I arrived at the halfway marker. I wrote in the register that I dedicate my hike to my father who did so much for me.

Belden is 45 miles behind me and Old Station is 45 miles in front. Does it bother me that I’m in the middle of nowhere? Nope. It’s quiet. The breeze is whispering through the trees. The sun is slowly rising. I’m all alone, but for some strange reason I’m at peace.

Almost halfway!

It was a long long climb out of Belden. It was 14 miles of climbing from 2000 to 7000 or about a mile up. I started at 6 AM after being dropped off at the trailhead by Brenda Braaten, a sweet trail angel, who hosted me and a half dozen other thru-hikers yesterday night. I finally got to the top at 1 PM. Wow! I continued on until mile 1310 where I’m camping. Here is a picture out my “front door”