Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - July 11th
Day 86: Thursday 11th July Highway 36 – Flatiron Ridge
“Iron Man” caught up with me at Storr Camp. He was one of the fastest walkers on
the trail. He had spent 5 days at Tahoe with friends and family and used this break to
try and put some weight back on since he had lost more than was good for him.
From the hills above the North Fork of the Feather River, there were good views of
Brokeoff Mountain and Lassen Peak. Brokeoff Mountain, at 9,235ft, was the eroded
remnant of a giant stratovolcano that would have stood over 11,000ft, 300,000 years ago.
Lassen Peak, at10,457ft a huge dome of lava, is only about 10,000 years old. It erupted
in May 1914 and again in May 1915, when hot lava flowed 1,000ft down the mountain
melting snow and casing big mudflows. The volcano has been dormant since 1921 but can
be expected to erupt again. The peak was named after a Dutch immigrant, Peter Lassen,
who pioneered a route for settlers into Northern Californian in 1847.
As I approached the North Fork of the Feather River I was delighted to see a fly-
past of an American Bald Eagle, the National Bird of the USA, with its distinctive white
head. The populations of these birds were decimated by pesticides in the last century but
intense recovery programs have helped the recovery of the species.
I caught up with “Iron Man” again at the river, where I had a break. I had a late
lunch at a small creek below Little Willow Lake and was again passed by “Mags” who
had dropped down to Chester for supplies.
So far today I had drunk 2½ litres of tea, 3½ litres of Gatorade (electrolyte drink),
½ litre of soup and ½ litre to hydrate my freeze-dried meal. A good indication of how
much a hiker should be drinking to avoid de-hydration in these hot conditions.
Clouds were building up to the northeast and, as I was packing up, the wind suddenly
started getting up, quickly followed by hail and rain. It was still raining as I cut across
country to “Terminal Geyser”. Approaching Terminal Geyser from below I was engulfed
with sulphurous clouds of water vapour. As I got closer I saw where the superheated
boiling water came up from underground, giving off clouds of vapour on meeting the
now cold air. The “geyser “ is actually a fumarole! As I climbed back to the PCT there
were a number of secondary vapour clouds coming out of the rocks. The trail then
dropped down to Boiling Springs Lake, with fumaroles, mudpots and sulphurous fumes
on the banks of the scalding lake. The rain had made the volcanic soil gluttonous and it
felt as if I was walking with lead weights in my boots.
Further down the trail passed the Drakes Hot Springs, but unfortunately the hot
water was piped down to the Drakesbad Guest Ranch where it heated the swimming
pool. The pool is for guests only and the resort is usually booked years ahead. The trail
then crossed the mis-named, very cold, Hot Springs Creek and reached the Warner
Valley Campground. This was a popular campground for car-based campers. Warner
Valley had been having a lot of trouble with bears and the campground was newly
equipped with large bear boxes for food storage. The policy of relocating troublesome
Yosemite bears was probably to blame. “The bears are trained in Yosemite and take
their skills elsewhere”
As the sun was setting, I climbed up to Flatiron Ridge where I camped. The degree
of rehydration needed was emphasised when I needed to make myself yet another mug
of tea at 1.30 am during the night.
Day 86: 19.3 miles 8.46 hours Camp: Flatiron Ridge
“Iron Man” caught up with me at Storr Camp. He was one of the fastest walkers on
the trail. He had spent 5 days at Tahoe with friends and family and used this break to
try and put some weight back on since he had lost more than was good for him.
From the hills above the North Fork of the Feather River, there were good views of
Brokeoff Mountain and Lassen Peak. Brokeoff Mountain, at 9,235ft, was the eroded
remnant of a giant stratovolcano that would have stood over 11,000ft, 300,000 years ago.
Lassen Peak, at10,457ft a huge dome of lava, is only about 10,000 years old. It erupted
in May 1914 and again in May 1915, when hot lava flowed 1,000ft down the mountain
melting snow and casing big mudflows. The volcano has been dormant since 1921 but can
be expected to erupt again. The peak was named after a Dutch immigrant, Peter Lassen,
who pioneered a route for settlers into Northern Californian in 1847.
As I approached the North Fork of the Feather River I was delighted to see a fly-
past of an American Bald Eagle, the National Bird of the USA, with its distinctive white
head. The populations of these birds were decimated by pesticides in the last century but
intense recovery programs have helped the recovery of the species.
I caught up with “Iron Man” again at the river, where I had a break. I had a late
lunch at a small creek below Little Willow Lake and was again passed by “Mags” who
had dropped down to Chester for supplies.
So far today I had drunk 2½ litres of tea, 3½ litres of Gatorade (electrolyte drink),
½ litre of soup and ½ litre to hydrate my freeze-dried meal. A good indication of how
much a hiker should be drinking to avoid de-hydration in these hot conditions.
Clouds were building up to the northeast and, as I was packing up, the wind suddenly
started getting up, quickly followed by hail and rain. It was still raining as I cut across
country to “Terminal Geyser”. Approaching Terminal Geyser from below I was engulfed
with sulphurous clouds of water vapour. As I got closer I saw where the superheated
boiling water came up from underground, giving off clouds of vapour on meeting the
now cold air. The “geyser “ is actually a fumarole! As I climbed back to the PCT there
were a number of secondary vapour clouds coming out of the rocks. The trail then
dropped down to Boiling Springs Lake, with fumaroles, mudpots and sulphurous fumes
on the banks of the scalding lake. The rain had made the volcanic soil gluttonous and it
felt as if I was walking with lead weights in my boots.
Further down the trail passed the Drakes Hot Springs, but unfortunately the hot
water was piped down to the Drakesbad Guest Ranch where it heated the swimming
pool. The pool is for guests only and the resort is usually booked years ahead. The trail
then crossed the mis-named, very cold, Hot Springs Creek and reached the Warner
Valley Campground. This was a popular campground for car-based campers. Warner
Valley had been having a lot of trouble with bears and the campground was newly
equipped with large bear boxes for food storage. The policy of relocating troublesome
Yosemite bears was probably to blame. “The bears are trained in Yosemite and take
their skills elsewhere”
As the sun was setting, I climbed up to Flatiron Ridge where I camped. The degree
of rehydration needed was emphasised when I needed to make myself yet another mug
of tea at 1.30 am during the night.
Day 86: 19.3 miles 8.46 hours Camp: Flatiron Ridge
Terminal Geyser
Julia and John
Lassen Peak over
Stump Ranch Meadow
Stump Ranch Meadow
North Fork
Feather River
Feather River
Boiling Springs Lake
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