Everybody had a leisurely start this morning.
Since Miles had driven his truck to the shop earlier yesterday, a lot of the hikers were able to buy lots of beer and have him bring it over to the campsite. He’d even brought a cooler with him. One can imagine it was a late night for some… I too slept in, happy to get a good nights rest after two pretty hard days. Today the majority of the group would hike the remaining 17 miles into the town of Burney.
The trail dropped off the ridge and onto the plain we would be crossing. I spoke to several hikers and a lot of them agreed that it looked a lot like Africa. I definitely got that feel of the savannah region. Arid, dominated by yellow helm. And hot too! Very hot. It felt like being back in the desert again. I enjoyed the scenery though, reminded me of safari in Kenya. Every once in a while the trail would wind through patches of black igneous rock from volcanic activity. The smoky air had by no means cleared yet…
It was only 17 miles into town, and because of the heat I stopped frequently. Every once in a while closing my eyes underneath the shady shelter of the trees, dozing off and daydreaming about the comforts of town that would soon be upon me. I leapfrogged with several other hikers and was happy to be able to fill up my water-bottles at a creek (I’d accidentally kicked over a full liter of water as I was filtering, leaving me with just enough). The creek marked the transition zone into greener pastures. We passed some sort of sluice-system and hiked over a bridge. Then all of a sudden we found ourselves in a lush, gorgeous and green area with a large body of water, swans and a very idyllic feel to it. A true oasis amidst the dry stretch. I joined Turtle and Coach underneath a tree, soaking it all in, and just happy to have another excuse to take a short break.
During the second half of the afternoon I finally reached highway 299 from where we’d hitch into Burney. Four of us got a ride within the hour and were dropped off at the church in Burney. At the church we knew that hikers could get free accommodation. I expected a similar situation as in Chester; hikers camping outside on some field. What we ran into here however, was a true revelation; behind the church was a large was an old gymnasium, which was used as a Multi-purpose building, complete with lounge area, showers, kitchen and enough room to fit a hundred hikers. We’d be sleeping indoors tonight for free, with all amenities one could wish for; amazing! Sleeping on the carpeted indoor-gymnasium floor, reminded me a lot of a field-hockey trip we once had taken to Hamburg, Germany. We’d slept inside a gymnasium there with a large group of people too; good times.
I took a wonderful hot shower, chilled out for a bit and then went to the local pizza place. I ordered a medium pizza, of which I ate all but the final piece. Afterwards I felt violated.
Now everybody is just hanging out inside, discussing their plan for tomorrow. Apparently the smoke from the Reading fire nearby is real thick for the upcoming 90 miles. There are even people skipping 100 to 200 miles ahead up the trail, avoiding the smoky section now and aiming to return later, when hopefully the smoke will have cleared somewhat.
I will make up my mind tomorrow, but I have no intention of getting out of here before the end of the day anyways. There’s several chores for me to do, and I feel like my legs can use a good rest.
Life goes flashing by
Lifts me off my feet
Broken wings don’t fly
I can’t breathe, you know that I need you
You smile and it pulls me through
Spinning out of time
Falling far too deep
You’re my perfect sky, sets me free
You know that I need you
You smile and it pulls me through
Whenever I feel far from home
Facing the world on my own
You are the calm in my storm
You are the light
You are the light that’s guiding me
The only one I see
The only one I need
You’re my gravity
Gravity – Leo Stannard
