Monarch and I were not in a big hurry to break camp this morning as we had a short hike to the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch. Having picnic tables to sit at is a rare luxury, and we sat at the tables with other hikers as we ate breakfast. I still had WAY too much food in my food bag considering I was getting my resupply box this afternoon so I gave away almost all of it. It was a revelation to hike with a significantly lighter bag. I need to work on not bringing so much extra food – this is still really hard for me.
Burney Falls – Can You See the Rainbow?
Selfie at the Falls
We started out the morning by checking out the falls which we were too tired to view the precious evening. We went over to the observation deck, and then decided to take the short hike down to the base of the falls. The temperature noticeably dropped as we walked down the path, and water misted us from the splashing of the falls into the deep pool below. Wow. Pretty spectacular.
Sevie, Elise and Me (I forgot their new trail names)
After leaving the State Park we followed the short 9.3-mile trail to the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch. It was hot and I ambled along, not feeling motivated to go very fast. I sat down for a break and looked up to see my Swiss friends Elise and Sevie coming northbound towards me. It was such a wonderful surprise to see them! We hiked together from Deep Creek Hot Springs all the way to Wrightwood but we haven’t seen each other since then. So naturally we sat down and chatted for a while, catching up on the latest gossip.
Wild Bird Cache
About two miles north of the Ranch, I came upon a picnic table in the shade with coolers of cold lemonade and snacks. Trail Magic! Woohoo! This trail spot, known as Wild Bird Cache, seems to be regularly maintained. I sat down for a bit and helped myself to some ice cold lemonade. Yum!
Burney Mountain Guest Ranch
We arrived at the Burney Mountain Guest Ranch in the afternoon and were welcomed with homemade ice cream by the hosts. Hikers lounged on the porch in the shade, poring over resupply boxes and sorting laundry. It is a very hiker-friendly place and I felt comfortable there. They have laundry, showers, a pool, homemade meals, and one of the best hiker resupply stores on the trail. The facility operates on an honor system and it is up to each hiker to keep track of each item and service purchased (on a sheet of paper) and then to pay at the end.
Pool Time!
I was so happy to get my resupply boxes at the Ranch. I had new shoes and a new shirt and my back-up mattress pad. Hooray! I felt like a new person after showering and washing my clothes and putting on my new duds. Ahhhhh.
We all pitched our tents on the front lawn and as I was falling to sleep I realized that we hit a milestone today – I’ve hiked 900 miles!
Woooooo!!!
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 78 – Friday June 30
Burney Falls State Park Mile 1416.5 to Burney Mountain Guest Ranch Mile 1407.2
PCT Miles Hiked Today: 9.3
Total PCT Miles Hiked: 900.1
Feet Ascended Today: 602
Feet Descended Today: 256
Current Elevation: 3327
Steps: 33571
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:
All seems well. So happy for you.