PCT upto Burney Falls (2007.05.26)

Adam Thacher, his girlfriend Jill Eccher and I did a little 27 mile section of the PCT this weekend with the final destination Burney Falls. The first morning's stretch of trail ran a volcanic ridge line with Shasta ahead of us across a long valley Lassen behind us; the first two snow capped volcanoes of the Cascade range. A delightful number of wildflowers were able to gather enough moisture on the volcanic landscape to push up bright explosions of firey yellows and pinks. The pocked rocks from old lava flows cut into our boots and legs while the sun sliced into the upper layers of our epidermis. In the shade mosquitos made further violations against our skin. Junipers heavy with gin berries lay lonely on bluffs and provided us with shade for a meal while fledgling cicadas floundered around in the bushes trying to gain their seemingly electric hum. The first day we rolled a little further than expected and then a little less then projected (at mid day) so ended up ghost camping near Daum and Crystal lake. It was warm enough out to sleep in the backpacking hammock every night, which was nice since the ticks, spiders and snakes were at their peak. The next night we crashed out a Britton lake. We ghost camped near the waters edge where the trout jumped incessantly and large stoneflys fell back and forth from trees and grass to water. I attempted to use the stoneflys to catch trout with three hooks I had found on the trail and with a couple spears I fashioned out of willows, but all to no avail the lines all snapped and the trout were far to quick and deep to even attempt a blow with the widdled staffs. The final stretch of trail was crossed with a rattler, a gopher snake, and a couple rubber boas before crossing the 89 and landing upon the muddy little spring that a mile later produces the grand Burney Falls. By the time the water is falling and twisting off the lava crafted edge the water has been cleaned by grasses in the stream above leaving water that is more like glass that like water. Plants in the stream bed appear to be part of a giant 1980's paperweight and not part of the natural landscape. The 129 foot drop from top to bottom is enough to let the water froth up to a nice bright whiteness that is collected at the bottom into an aquamarine blue pool that draws visitors from all corners of the world.

below a couple shots from the trip:

toothy the trail troll .... one of the many trail markers I built on the trip

Burney Falls long exposure

Burney Falls

Burney Falls long exposure hanging garden falls