South Lake Tahoe to Old Station: Snakes, Bears, and Lava, oh my!

Turns out I’m not hiking the PCT. I’m hiking the Mt. Shasta Trail!

Writing from Old Station, California, near Lassen National Park. Northern Cali is hot and dry like the desert again—but with more trees

In the infamous Section O near Redding, California, we encountered the hardest part of the trail.  Heat, lack of views, abundant poison oak, unmaintained, overgrown, bushy trails, numerous bears, and countless rattlers make Northern CA a popular destination for PCT hikers to quit.  I almost stepped on a rattler.

We’ve passed many a giant volcano in the past month.  The PCT takes almost a 300 degree route around Mt. Shasta, allowing us to see it for nearly 3 weeks. We went through Lassen National Park past the volcanic sulphuric bubbling lakes.  Unfortunately, I was hoping to catch breakfast before a restaurant closed, so didn’t grab any photos of it.  Next time.

When people send me packages, I feel very loved!

I accidentally ate something with peanuts (I’m allergic to) on a long, hot hike out of Belden, and got sick on the side of the trail.

Yesterday was my first 40 mile day.  It wasn’t hard, minus a strike of diarrhea (let me tell you, hiking with that ailment is *difficult*). 😉