July 13

1412- 1425

The heat wave continues, and we are beaten up from our recent stretch of high temps and massive sun exposure. We have read that the worst of the heat breaks tomorrow- it will go from 100-105 down to 90-95. That still seems very hot, but more bearable.

We gather supplies and linger in town. Amber is still quite nauseous from the heat exposure yesterday, so we plan on a short day out of town.

We hike a few miles in viewless but LIVING forest, before entering Burney Falls State Park. It is a massive psychological boost to hike in a forest with shade and living plants. For a few weeks it felt like we were live action role playing as characters in the Road by Cormac McCarthy. Burney falls is fed by underground springs, which gives it a constant flow year round. Teddy Roosevelt referred to the falls as the 8th wonder of the world.

The scene from Stand By Me where the boys run from the trail over the large trestle was filmed in this area. The day ends with a hike over the Lake Britton dam. As we fall asleep we wish for a respite from the heat tomorrow.