Exit stage California: Shasta-Trinity NF, Trinity Alps Wilderness, Klamath NF, Siskiyou Mountains

Maps p, q, and r/a (onward to Oregon)
Shasta-Trinity National Forest from map o continues into map p.
Flora: The forests and woodlands will be filled with gray pine, ponderosa pine, knob cone pine, jeffrey pine, sugar pine, white fir, douglas fir, canyon live oak, huckleberry oak, blue oak, and black oak. Common shrubs will include the whiteleaf manzanita, California buckeye, and California coffee berry, and western redbud. In the canyons we should see willows, big leaf maples, white alder, and dogwood. I am going to make a pdf of pictures and names off common and some uncommon plants we will/may see on the trail. Should be posting that sometime in February after I complete this trail section overview and finish my gear special in January.
After walking around Castle Crags, the trail goes up and follows the Trinity Divide. Follow this link to see a good map of where the trinity divide meets PCT. There are so many things in this area with Trinity in the name; it's a bit ridiculous. The Trinity Divide is known for it's solitude, granite peaks (my fav), glacial lakes, and nice forested land in between.

The trail goes from the Trinity Divide to the Scott Mountains. Here we have another endemic gem! The Scott Mountain phacelia.

The next Trinity along the trail is the Trinity Alps Wilderness apart of the Klamath National Forest. It is known for having 55 alpine lakes. The Scott Mountains are in the northern part of the wilderness.
Farther north in the Klamath Forest are the Siskiyou Mountains which have a population of the endangered Spotted Owls. There are also salmon that live in the Rogue and Klamath watersheds. 
In general we should have mild temperatures and see the signs of more precipitation in this section.

Rock Climbing: none…at least not marked on mountain project so I will have to keep my eyes open to possible boulders or routes. I'm sure there is something to keep the callouses on my hands :)

Southern Cascade Mountains: Plumas NF, Lassen NF, Lassen Volcano NP, Shasta-Trinity National Forest

maps m and n and o: and the halfway mark!!
After Sierra City the trail enters Plumas National Forest. We will pass the beautiful Gold Lake, cross the Middle Fork Feather River, and head up to Bucks Lake.

We will then head into an area called the crossroads; where granite meets active volcanic region. We will see Mt Lassen, the southern most peak in the Cascade Volcanic Range and the largest plug-dome volcano on the planet. It last erupted in 1915. Lassen National Forest has signs of volcanic action with boiling springs lake (below) and steaming areas.

We go from the pine and fir filled national forest to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Here we will get into some pretty hot territory in the sun and pretty scary territory in a thunderstorm. It's known as Hat Creek Rim. It is a long 27 mile stretch with volcanic rock underfoot and no water in sight. Unfortunately, I have gone 24 hours without a water source before while hiking. It isn't fun, especially in heat and sun, but it is doable. I will probably hike to Old Statioin the morning, eat and resupply there, head to Subway Cave until it cools and then hike until the water cache or beyond depending on how I feel. Some people say this is the hardest section of trail, others seem to pass by it without making a stink. Staying positive and hoping for an overcast but not raining day is all you can hope for. Remember, it's only one or two days of hiking.
Mcarther-Burney Falls State Park ends map n. It is within the Cascade Range and the Modoc Plateau. The Modoc Plateau describes a flat area with pine forests and grasslands with conical mountains. There are wild horses that roam the Modoc Plateau, they probably will not be seen. It is wonderful that wild horses still exist, they are a relic from a time when the planes of North America were filled with herds of wild animals. Mcarther-Burney Falls State Park was designated as such because Samuel Burney bought the land including falls and donated it to the state.

From here the trail heads west into Shasta-Trinity National Forest. This NF is gorgeous and huge and we will see great views of Mt Shasta, but we will also be going south of all the areas that are usually visited. This is both good and bad. I will have to make a trip back down to this area to climb Mt Shasta and rock climb/live around there for a while.
We end map o with Castle Crag.

I will scrambling and climbing about, exploring some route options and then continuing on my way.

Rock Climbing:
Outside of Sierra City there is the bouldering spot Free for All. I will hopefully be moving through these three maps rather quickly. Then I will spend a little time (maybe a long lunch) at Castle Crag. The Cosmic Wall looks like a good route to quickly free climb as long as there is an alright descent.