PCT Day 64: JMT Day 1

Saturday, 8 September 2018

Yosemite Valley (0) – Sunrise High Sierra Camp (13.4): 13.4 miles / 605.7 total miles walked

The smell of smoke lingered all night and it was really hot. Despite all that I slept decently, probably because last night was so short.

My alarm woke me from a strange dream at 5 am. It was still pitch black outside, but we managed to pack up and head out by 5:30. We took the road to the Happy Isles trailhead and started climbing immediately.

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PCT Day 61/62: Lake Tahoe

Wednesday, 5 September and Thursday, 6 September 2018

Lake Tahoe, CA: 0 miles hiked

Wednesday was spent as a true zero day should…..eating food, watching TV and only moving the barest minimum of distance.

I made some more fresh food, but other than that, nothing really happened.

Thursday we actually took care of some errands. We went to the store to figure out resupply for the next section.

While there, we received news that the point where we wanted to get back on trail was not accessible as of that morning. They closed the road because of an out of control fire.

Well that put a wrench in our day…..

So we bought a beer and like true hikertrash we sat behind a store, drinking and being on our phones, furiously trying to figure out our next moves.

Thankfully Mark came through for us once again. He said he’d pick us up in the morning and drive us all the way to Tuolumne Meadows, the next possible entry point for the PCT.

Having sorted that out we went to a thrift store and I found a town outfit for 10$, because all my hiking clothes are irrevocably dirty.

Dan picked us up again and asked if we wanted to go to the beach. Well, yes, yes we would. So we went.

While we enjoyed the sun and good conversation with Dan and his friend Renee, he arranged for us to go sailing with some other friends of his. 🤗

Sometimes a dad like this happens, where the morning is filled with anxiety and uncertainty and then it ends up being one of the best days ever.

So I got to see the sun set over Lake Tahoe and later watch the stars come out. It was bliss. Laying down at the front of the boat, looking up at the milky way, a million twinkling points of light in the sky.

It was the perfect way to end our time in Tahoe. Thanks for everything, Dan!

Tomorrow, Mark is picking us up.

Keeping you posted…

PCT Day 60: Echo or no echo??

Tuesday, 4 September 2018

Lake Susie Outlet (1551) – Echo Lake (1560.3): 9.3 miles / 592.3 total miles walked

Since I fell asleep around 8:30 last night it wasn’t surprising that I woke up in the middle of the night. T

What was surprising, was that I smelled thick smoke and almost had a panic attack because of it, at around 1 am. The smell of fire was so strong and fresh that I seriously considered waking up Sink to tell her we have to pack up and get the hell out of there.

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PCT Day 59: Desolation can be a good thing

Monday, 3 September 2018

Lake Richardson (1534) – Lake Susie Outlet (1551): 17 miles / 583 total miles walked

It was a warm night, and while I still enjoyed having a warm hat (btw I absolutely LOVE my new hat) it wasn’t cold enough to make me need gloves. And the best of all, camping next to a lake and waking up with no condensation inside the tarp. Priceless.

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PCT Day 58: It’s the altitude

Sunday, 2 September 2018

Five Lakes Creek & Tentsite (1516.8) – Lake Richardson (1534): 17.2 miles / 566 total miles hiked

Although the temperature was around freezing, it didn’t feel as bad as it did in Oregon. There’s some benefit to the dryness out here. I woke up several times during the night, and finally forced myself out of my cocoon around 5 am because my bladder was just too insistent.

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PCT Day 56: Migraine

Friday, 31 August 2018

Donner Summit (1499.2): 0 miles / 531.2 total miles walked

I’ll be brief….I woke up with a migraine, which pretty much stopped me from hiking today.

Thankfully the Ski resort rents bunk beds, which is where I spent most of the day.

By evening I was feeling okay again, so we’ll be hiking out tomorrow.

Keeping you posted…