On July 17th, Jethro and Lydia of Great Britain picked up Freebird and me in Lassen Volcanic National Park and brought us to Burney Falls State Park. They were originally going to take us only to the edge of the national park, but Burney sounded intriguing to them, the more they heard about it. So they took us about 40 miles out of their way, and refused to let us pay for gas! We arrived at this beautiful (that's an understatement), massive, spring-fed waterfall, and raced down the trail to plunge in the cool water below.
We walked back up the trail with Lydia and Jethro to say farewell, before heading over to the park's store to resupply. They offered us a ride into the town of Burney so that we could have a wider selection of food, but we refused. We knew it would be slim pickings (and very expensive, at that) here in the park, but that would be fine. It was already so kind of them to drive us all the way to the falls that day!
Outside the store, we met many thru-hikers. I was impressed to find several of them lounging at a picnic table, in no hurry to get to Canada. They understand how to enjoy the present moment, the people and the scenery around them. Among the group were Beer, Robin, Goggles, and some others whose trail names I don't recall. Goggles and his brother gave us a massive freezer storage bag of trail mix and homemade granola bars called "wise poop." Thanks to them and the hiker box filled with snacks and dinners, we spent less money in the store.
For the rest of the day, we took showers at the campgrounds and used the payphone. I got the chance to call Kayla, a friend from Fort Wayne, to discuss her joining us for part of the journey. She would be meeting us at Castle Crags State Park. Thankfully I finally got a chance to get a hold of her! I was so excited to talk to her, anticipating when I would see her again!
At sunset, of course Beer and Robin were still lingering at a picnic table. Freebird and I enjoyed a chat with them for awhile, then we walked back to the falls for one last view and to camp nearby for the night.
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| Ospreys nesting above the falls. |
In the morning, we walked the trail up to the top of the falls and saw fishermen along Burney Creek.
From there, we reconnected to the Pacific Crest Trail to begin our next stretch northward.
What an incredible adventure Burney Falls was!
