Halfway there

 Half way there. I can't believe it! The miles have flown by now that we are back on solid ground. Instead of off trail navigation through miles of snow we are cruising and pushing 30 miles on a regular basis.

So I decided to change my shirt for something a little brighter... As the photographer told me over and over, bright colors pop better and I think it's true!

Glorious fields of lupine and bolsom root!

More fields of wildflowers... easy walking in Northern California

Love that ridge walking

The view from the top of Tinkler Nob at sunset

The two ladies in pink

The bright green Staghorn moss grows the entire length of the pine trees except for the bottom 10 feet which get buried in snow every winter

Awesome flowers

We stopped at a forest service hut build in honor of Peter Grubb. Unger is standing up in the winter entrance for times when there are 15 feet of snow on the ground.

Flat horizons mean maybe a little less elevation gain tomorrow?

Shout out to wonderful Aunt Barbara and wonderful friend Boz and wonderful sister Skye for three towns in a row with care packages. Thank you!!!

This is part of a 5000 foot climb out of the town of Belden which is situated way way down in The Valley!

Lots of Northern California lakes that we of course HAVE to jump in

Leopard lily

Found the bunny on trail (we named him The Walkin Fool and I carried him for three days). The watermelon was a surprise bit of trail magic from a wonderful couple

Beautiful bridge over the north fork of the Feather River

Giant sugar pine cones are a delicious snack for the local squirrel population and they leave their leftovers all over the trail

A beautiful surprise around every corner

Notice the reflection of the clouds

Easy trail

Lassen peak calling us north through beautiful volcanic landscapes

Which way to Canada?

This is the halfway point on the trail. Can't quite believe it! We are trying to practice our balancing skills but you can tell we are still falling in style.

Lassen volcanic park... lots of board walks as well as geysers, hydrothermal lakes and lots of volcanic rock

Mount Shasta at sunset calling us ever northward