Mile 1,395.2 - 1,415.7

Today was a 6am start due to the extreme heat here in Northern California. It really feels as hot as it did months ago in the desert. I remember being told to watch out for the heat in Northern California, and here it is. Not long after sunrise and it's pushing 100 degrees, with little shade and water. We were lucky that a few of the water caches were stocked with jugs of water. Credit goes out to the people who stock these caches as it takes time and money to do so. In return they save hundreds of hikers from dehydration and we thank you.

As the heat climbed to well over 100 degrees both Balance and I agreed that going into the town of Burney was the smart thing to do. It would still be a 20 mile day, but since we started early we could be in town by mid afternoon and get out of the unbearable heat.

The problem is that the road into Burney is a highway and cars are traveling at top speed. It is in our guide book as a very tough hitch. We don't care and are determined to get a ride to town. 

Yes, it took about an half hour but a man who just got off work as a logger turned around and picked us up. We were so happy be to heading for town and air conditioning. Not to mention cleaning off the dust that coats our bodies. 

We relaxed, ate good food, and most importantly stayed cool. The forecast for the next week is just slightly cooler. So instead of temperatures over 100, they may hover around the mid to upper 90's.  No relief in sight. 

Mile 1,398 water cache. This cache is in the middle of a 32 mile waterless stretch of trail. Meaning no other source of water. 

Hundreds of gallons of H2O. Thank you goes out to the Cassel family.

A dry and barren landscape here in Northern California

We have been walking through dry lava fields for days now. The soil is not much more than a dust powder and these lava rocks stick up in the trail. We stub our toes countless times a day which causes you to trip and get ticked off. By days end our bodies are covered in dust. I even wear pants but that's no match for this fine powdery dust.

Balance on top of Hat Creek Rim. I'm not sure where the creek is? This was one of the hottest days of our trip. It's not much fun to hike 20 plus miles in 100 degree heat with very limited water. Very dangerous.

We finally came to a fish hatchery and this huge pipe is carrying water from the stream to the hatchery. There was a small hole in the top of the pipe which was squirting water out of. We soaked ourselves before leaving. This was the first water source we had seen for the last 32 miles.

A burry photo but it shows Balance resting in our air conditioned room and a bed full of Y-Knot's resupply from the Safeway supermarket.