All the elevation that we so laboriously descended yesterday was our work climbing for today, from 2300' back up to 7000'. Whew.

I think the trail is from gold mining days because our route was always up drainages. At times we walked in a ravine that must have rushing water in the spring and be impassable for a while. Our route also did not follow what was marked on the map. One hiker estimated our route was 3 miles longer than that in the guide.

So the climbing up from Belden became very interesting when we climbed the headwall of the canyon to a hanging meadow, a unique area. The very top was a nice mix of rock and forest.

We both saw the campground on the map so that was our destination even though it made a short day. The piped spring was flowing well with cold water. We collected and hiked on a short distance.

We were very careful with camping arrangements tonight. We saw lots of bear scat today so we want a very clean camp. Also, rainclouds are completely covering the sky so we have all food, gear and shoes carefully bagged.

We have marginally enough food for this leg, so we decided to stop at Chester. The highway is 27 miles down the trail and we were glad to get there tonight.

At about 7:30 this morning we found a small sign saying "Butte County high point .2 miles". No name or altitude. Marcia dropped her pack and added another California county summit to her collection.

The sad forests here have no vegetation on the floor but just layers of dead white logs and branches. We passed the northernmost Sierra Nevada granite and now walk on red or gray volcanic pumice.

The rain that has threatened for days finally fell after lunch. The drops were just enough to dampen the dust on the trail and wet the plants. The exotic, mysterious botanical scents were heavenly!

Just after the rain stopped we passed the half way post this afternoon: 1325 miles from Mexico, 1325 miles to Canada. We signed the register and walked on. Of course, the mileage varies with reroutes but the numbers are exciting to us.

We finished our 27 miles and caught a ride to town. We got the last room at the motel and the nearest restaurant closed as we ate. It was a late evening by hiker standards.

Trail signs at junctions since Belden have been wooden boards nailed to trees. They have two lines routed into the surface. The top line gives the next point and distance. The bottom line has consistantly said "Lassen" with the distance to Lassen Volcanic NP. We crossed Lassen's southern border today.

We were not far past the boundary when we smelled, then reached, Boiling Springs Lake, a small milky green lake with a steaming surface. Surrounding soil varied from white and pinks to deep red. Our trail was hot and moist. Even our ears were treated to a deep gooey bubbling sound. A doe was visiting the lake at the same time we were and the three of us enjoyed our private viewing.

We reached the campground in time for a gorgeous red sunset. We have a table, piped water, bear box, garbage can and toilet. Luxury! Life doesn't get any better. That's why we

Here's a tricky switch, especially on Friday the 13th: our bear box had a resident mouse who chewed on our garbage baggie and ATE OUR LUNCH.
We securely locked mouse and food together for the night! Now we deserve a citation for feeding the wildlife and that way too smart mouse is going to breed more tricky geniuses.

We had easy trail all day through the remainder of Lassen NP then through a tree plantation. Water late in the day was out of Hat Creek.

We read in Yogi's guide that JJ's in Old Station has a pizza special on Friday night from 5pm to 8pm. We left the trail early so we would be there in good time. However JJ's now serves take-and-bake pizza. What a disappointment!

We got sandwiches at the gas station mini-mart. The owner called the local trail angels. A hiker friend, As-A-Bat, picked us up and took us to the trail angels. He had just finished a section hike so we and many other hikers ate dinner, showered and slept at Dennis and Georgi Heitman's. We really had a great evening, especially when Hammer compared smoking a Cuban cigar to hiking the PCT!

The plan is to hike from road 32N12 tomorrow then meet our GottaWalk Team Photo Editor, Linda. I am looking forward to that!