The Wonderland Journal

Miles hiked: 30.3

Mile marker: 1367

Total ascent: 4300 ft

Total descent: 4000 ft

Today is the first day that I sleep in on trail when I have a big day ahead of me. Voyager (Savannah) and Bumper left at 5:15 for the big day. Rafiki and I are tired from our last week of long miles and strong UV rays. I’m curious to see how Voyager does today. She’s been off trail for a week and a half. Getting back to hiking 25 plus mile days is no joke!

The sunrise has already come and gone by the time Rafiki and I get on the road. NorCal is full of burn areas, so our legs soon become the canvas for the powder dirt that clouds around our feet with every step. 

We’re moving quickly today. Usually that means walking about 3.3 miles an hour, slower on the uphill and faster on the down. 

We pause for Boiling Lake. Today we’re hiking through Lassen Volcanic National Park. Because we need a bear canister, we have to hike past the national park boundary, where the canister is required. 

Boiling Lake is big and murky. It smells of Sulphur — so rotten eggs. It’s bubbling as we walk on the red mound that overlooks it. We can’t go far, but I can see two points where steam is coming from a big hole in the ground. The mud is bubbling from a small exit point. 

We continue to hike through the forest. 

Voyager messaged us about a good lunch spot with running water and pit toilets. It’s wicked hot by the time we settle down. Rafiki chats with a couple who’re in a camper van for about fifteen minutes, then we lay out our Tyveks and stretch out for lunch. 

A little girl walks up to us. Her family is by a nearby picnic table. 

“Do you want some watermelon?” she asks. 

Do we look needy or what!

“Yes please!” we say. She relays the message to her dad, who cuts us giant slices of juicy and crisp watermelon! We eat it down to the rhine. 

It’s a hot day. The sun is trying to melt our skin off. For some reason, it’s not as bad here as it is in the desert. Maybe it has something to do with the flat terrain we’ve been gifted. 

Dinner is a quick stop. We will walking into the night. Our lunch at the lake ends quickly. I feel like I could sleep right now! It’s 8:00 pm and we have miles to go!

Our hike turns into an open field with tall yellow grass. The sun sets ahead of us, an orange hue over the mountains. 

Darkness falls, leaving only a glow of light in the sky. 

Deer hang on the side of the path. When they see us, they run about fifteen feet from us then pause behind a fallen tree. It’s like a puppy hiding under a blanket with his backside poking out and still visible to the world. 

Eyes glow at us as we walk quickly. Rafiki is setting a pace of 3.4-3.5 mph, so I just have enough time to steal glances of the glowing eyes in the distance. 

It’s been three hours, but at last we pass the red sign telling us we have crossed the boundary of Lassen! 

“Here looks good,” Rafiki says at a semi bare space with strands of grass sticking up. 

It’s 11:00 pm, but we made it! My longest day yet!