Hat Creek Rim

I needed the extra water bottles from Old Station because we were about to enter a 33 mile waterless section called Hat Creek Rim.
This section is notoriously hot so Seven and I got up at 5 am and were hiking by 5:30. We were making good time and having a great conversation when before we knew it, we got to a road and rest area.
Unfortunately, that meant that we had missed the turn off for Subway Cave, which is supposed to be a great cave to explore, and more importantly is the last water source for 33 miles.
I had less than a liter of water 10 miles into the dry section, but I had heard from a south bound hiker that there was a water cache near a road. I hoped it wasn’t far.

Just as I was about to take my last swig of water, we came to the Twigloo, which contained lots of water jugs and some chairs to sit on. It was a wonderful place for a break and we both filled up our water bottles. I was so thankful for that cache! It really saved the day since it was so hot.
The trail was flat and we finished 20 miles before noon! That means we averaged over 3 miles an hour the whole way along the rim. I never thought I could hike that fast with a pack.
After getting off the rim, we stopped at a fishery to fill up on water, which is kind of random, but when that’s all you got, you drink it.

That evening, we camped near a lake that had a lot of birds and geese. I was serenaded to sleep by their calls…along with the sound of mosquitoes buzzing just outside my tent!