Back to being a lone wolf.
I love socializing and hanging out with friends, but I also treasure my solo time. I find that being alone allows me to reflect more deeply on my life experiences, recharge my batteries, rediscover who I am and have my own adventures. After a bit of alone time, I start to yearn for more companionship, socializing and meeting new people. It’s all about balance.
After the nonstop fun and giggles of the Manzanita campground crew, I was a bit sad to head off on my own; also very excited to continue this journey in my MiniVan!
As I was departing, my bro asked me where I was going; “I don’t know!” I said. We laughed. It’s thrilling and a bit scary to have such a loosely structured plan. I knew I wanted to make my way north towards Shasta, but didn’t know my exact route. A handful of other travelers mentioned Burney Falls, which was directly north on a 2 lane forrest highway. I decided to go there.
I cruised through the windy, hilly roads of highway 89. The scenery was epic; nonstop forest and trees for as far as I could see. Eventually, the menacing mount shasta appeared on the horizon. The mountain is very striking – a towering snow-covered peak. It was an incredible site to see for the first time.
I stopped in the town of Burney to recharge all my electronics and catch up on some blogging. I figured there would be some sort of local coffee shop with internet. I was wrong; the only spot with wifi was McDonalds! I spent a few hours catching up on photos, blogging and emails. It’s tough to make enough time for computer work while I’m on the road; all I want to do is hike and be outside.
The original plan was to stealth camp in Burney, but the town was hot, depressing and filled with concrete. I decided to splurge on a campsite at Burney Falls. I definitely did not regret it; Burney Falls State Park is a beautiful place with an immaculate campground. The falls are stunning; some of the best waterfalls I’ve ever seen. I hiked a 3 mile loop around the falls; part of the path was the PCT trail. I’ve seen (and hiked) several sections of the PCT trail on my journey. As I continue hiking and realizing that it’s an activity that I can consistently thrive at (with no injury issues) the seed has been planted to try and hike the PCT trail; the scenery is beautiful and I love the idea of accomplishing something as grand as seeing such a diverse range of mountains and natural scenery as the PCT trail has to offer.
After Burney Falls, I continued my journey north to Castle Crags State park. Castle crags is known for their humongous granite peaks jutting out from the earth to an elevation of 6,500 feet. It overlooks Shasta Mountain and the surrounding forests. I was pretty tired from the Burney Falls Hike and it was really hot; I decided to go on a short hike to a natural spring that was halfway up the mountain – there was no way I could go to the top. I started off on the hike; it was shaded but steep. The temperatures were high; in the 90’s- but the trees protected me from the sun. I was still sweating profusely and before I knew it, I was drenched.
After a few miles of shaded switchbacks, I reached a clearing in the trees; what an incredible view it was! Rolling hills and trees for as far as the eye could see. The amount of untouched space out here is absolutely incredible. The sun was scorching; by this time, I was envisioning that the springs had a giant pool and I would rip my clothes off and jump in so that I could cool off. I reached the spring and it wasn’t quite a pool – but really green and beautiful. There was a creek cascading off giant rocks; the water was freshly melted glacial water. It was shaded and beautiful. I stood under the falling water and was instantly cooled off. It was super refreshing. I was no longer severely overheating and found renewed energy to tackle this Castle Crag and take down the evil Skeletor who clearly lives at the top of the crags.
On my way up, I ran into another hiker who had just summited. He went on for 5 minutes about how amazing the view was and how I can’t turn back; that sealed the deal. With no food remaining and only a bit of water, I decided to chance it and continue on upward. It was only around 6pm; the days are bright until well into 8; I had plenty of time. I could even see the top of the Crags from where I was!
I slogged on and on…and on. It was a lot farther than it looked; but I had passed the point of no return. I had invested this much – how could I stop? I pushed on and on; at times I needed to scale rock faces on all fours. I stopped often to stretch and check in with my body; all systems were operating at optimal capacity! No signs of pain in knees or hips. Excellent news. Eventually, I made it to the top! It was an incredible moment for me; one year ago I was recovering from hip surgery and uncertain of my athletic future. Now I am scaling mountains!
Oh yeah, here is a quick recap of my journey:
- Herm and Alberta in Sactown.
- The Devestated Area. Semi stealth camping.
- The Devestated Area. Semi stealth camping.
- Manzanita Lake Shenanigans and Tomfoolery
- Manzanita Lake Shenanigans and Tomfoolery.
- McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park.
- Castle Crag state park. STEALTH CAMPING for the first time. Spooky town of Dunsmuir.
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