“Two Scoop”
The infamous Hat Creek Rim, popularized by Wild lays between Burney and Old Station. This rim is an extremely exposed 30 mile waterless stretch, where some hikers are forced to carry upwards of 6 liters of water each. This is where Reese Witherspoon finds the empty cache and has to filter water from a frog-infested pond. Fortunately, the 550 gallon “Cache 22” was well stocked before we departed, according to our Far Out app that gives us up-to-date trail info, no trouble there! Partially due to the well stocked water cache, partially to the stunning views from the rim, and partially to the miraculous discovery of a carbon-fiber sun umbrella left behind on the trail the day before, we had a fantastic day!
At the end of the day, we came upon an abandoned communication tower after being surprised by some very noisy cows. We cowboy camped (no tent!) under an incredible starry sky, and woke early to watch the sunrise from the tower. These are the moments and feelings I think we’ll carry forwards most from this adventure, the ones where you feel like you're in a movie, the special nights (And not just because Cheryl Strayed was there…).
At the end of Hat Creek Rim, Old Station welcomes hikers with legendarily large ice creams. The RV park store run by “Two Scoop” (trail name) is known for its generous hiker portions up and down the trail. We were not disappointed!
