Day 3: Red Bluff to Burney, CA

Alright, Day 3 was VERY eventful for Van 2. We drove out of Red Bluff and started running into Lassen Volcanic National Park, only to realize that we were NOT supposed to be running in the park because the roads were so narrow and winding. We then had to backtrack out of the park over the miles we had already run. When we all had gotten about half of our miles for the day in, we decided it was time to take the long drive through Lassen and finish our miles on the other side of the park. Imagine our surprise when the ranger told us (after we paid the $30 fee :/) that the road was covered with 10-12 feet of snow and we wouldn’t be able to get through the park! Also I found the biggest pinecone ever and named him Van 2 (the actual van is named Van 2 Jr.).

My partner for the day was Caroline “the Boss” Watson (photo below)! Caroline is a Boston resident, so she’s basically Homeward Bound.

Having already paid we figured we should see some sights of the park. Mt. Lassen was, at one point, an active volcano. My best estimate for the last eruption is some time in the last ~160 years since the development of photography because there are photos of the eruption that SOME lucky donors will see on postcards in the next few days! Anyway, the volcano has been dormant for a long time but could definitely become active again in the near future. There are a bunch of crazy bubbling mud/sulfur pits that are caused by magma heating ground water and creating Hydrogen Sulfide. Basically, pits of boiling sulfuric acid are created. I’ll refer my readers to Thomas Howard, soon-to-be Ph.D for the chemistry behind this process. I read the sign in the park about the reaction that creates them but I already forget. Anyway, no one cares.

At the Sulfur pits we met a woman named Kay who is a breast cancer survivor. We talked to her a bit about who we are and what we’re doing this summer and she was so moved. She told us about her experience with breast cancer and how her sister and other family members had battled or were currently battling cancer. She seemed genuinely moved when we told her that we would dedicate some miles to her and her family. Before 4K I wasn’t really sure of the impact we’d actually have on cancer survivors or people affected by cancer. I definitely believed in what we were doing but… I don’t know, I wasn’t sure if people would *care*, you know?

Nevertheless, I think the most impactful part of the journey for me thus far has been meeting the random people like Kay, or Jackie from the bar in Red Bluff, who are so moved by what we’re doing. We might not be able to solve everyone’s problems, but I think that our 4,000 mile journey can really help people know that we care about them, that they’re not alone in this world.

Back to Day 3! So we had to drive a roundabout way to our host, Word of Life Assembly in Burney, CA. It took about 2 hours and Van 1, aka “Black Stallion,” beat us there, ending Van 2 Jr.’s reign of dominance. Most of us had to finish our miles at the host, for me that meant running 5 miles. Managed to close my last half mile at 6:00 pace so, yeah, the kid’s still got it. Word of Life made us an incredible taco bar for dinner, had hot showers, and is just generally the real MVP. They also host PCT thru-hikers—looking at you Brad!

It’s time to RUN so I’m signing off, thanks to everyone for reading! Day 4 is off to a hot start thus far!