July 20th
We enjoyed a breakfast of grapefruit, apple and bread despite the micies best efforts to get at these delicacies last night. The steel box in the campsite may keep bears out, but the have yet to devise one that is mouse proof.
Our soak last night has placed us too far away from Old Station to arrive before 4pm when the Post Office closes. So we sleep in a little later than originally planned. Leaving the campground, we immediately confront a very gradual 1,000 ascent to the highlands of Lassen’s back country. This part of the park is a rolling plain, dotted with lakes and covered with mosquitoes. It is visited much less often than the fabled peak. He thru hikers pretty much have it to ourselves. During the 23 miles from Warner campground to Old Station we saw only one other person, Phoenix.
In the park, from the PCT, there are only one or two very heavily “filtered” views of the namesake mountain, Lassen. So, we took a short alternate route, passing by some shallow lakes filled with clear water and more mossies.
After leaving Lassen Park the trail passes through a long stretch of plantation pines, very uniform in spacing, girth and height. Monotonous, but al least they provided shade from the sun and the deer seemed to like it.
We arrived at Old Station just a few minutes after 6pm, just a few minutes after the store has closed. But the two clerks, very graciously, reopened for us to be able to get ice cream and sodas.
Gordon and Sue are there and shuttle packs to the campground, for us and several other hikers, while we walk the 4.5 miles unencumbered by packs. At the campground there is a mini gathering of hikers in Gordon and Sue’s campsite: Tigger, Strut , Trainwreck, Little John, Phoenix and Peaches. Someone bought up all the 50 cent, closeout special, beers the store had to offer. A nice addition to our dinner of Lipton Asian Noodles…
