Category: PCT 2018

6.20.2018

PCT Mile 1146-1157 Karen Mile 958

So we went to sleep last night with clear skies and no wind. I woke hours later to crazy wind down in the valley below us but to our liking the trees that we setup against provided plenty of protection. The noise of the wind was just enough to keep me awake most of the night. It’s also be getting warmer at night, so that’s good but now I need to adjust my sleeping layers as I’m gonna start to overheat as I sleep. I’m always trying to find the balance.

This morning we were hiking by 8am again. We knew we had 11 miles to go to 6.5 miles to Highway 40, Donner Ski Ranch and 4.5 miles to Highway 80 which we would take into Truckee. Laura’s parents drove up from Nevada City and met us at the Ski Ranch. We knew the Ski Ranch opened up for lunch at 11am, so we knew our timing would be almost perfect to knock on their door as hungry hikers. We’d also heard that they give free beer to hikers-anyone ever heard of King Cobra? Yeah, me neither. I opted for a Deschutes. Oh hey! And guess what, the bartender made sure she checked our IDs. Awesome, still getting carded and I’m almost 40! Yay!

So there we sat for almost 2 hours. Chatting and eating. A Burger, salad, beer, caramel apple pie with a scoop of ice cream in my belly and we had 4.5 miles left to hike for the day. We laughed about having Debbie and Neil drop us off, only to hitchhike to the next pick up spot. But we were purists instead and grabbed our packs one more time for the next few miles. Debbie and Neil parked and came down about a mile and a half and walked back to their car with us at the Highway 80 trailhead parking.

We made a quick stop at Safeway for some resupply items and then headed off to Truckee. Andrew arranged a room as he is scheduled to play in a golf tournament here this weekend. Laura was already planning to spend a few days with him in Truckee. I love when a plan comes together.

After Laura and I were clean and ready for society again, Neil and Debbie found a place for dinner. I should mention, I received a message earlier this morning from my high school friend Christy. She told me they were on their way to Sacramento as her husband Frank was competing in the Western States Endurance Run this weekend. As I didn’t know their plans for sure, we kept in touch during the day and by dinner time they were able to meet up with us. We went to Alibi Ale Brewing. Scott and Linda (Christy’s parents) were along for the ride as well as they will help to crew Frank for his 100 mile run. That’s right, I said 100 mile RUN. Pretty amazing. He said this is his 6th year he’s qualified but the first time his name came up in the lottery. Go Frank!!!!

It was great to see Christy and her family. Again, I love it even more when an impromptu plan comes together!

After dinner, Debbie and Neil dropped us back off at the hotel. Andrew showed up around 9pm from the Bay Area. We caught up for few moments and eventually called it a night.

Tomorrow, Laura and Andrew will drop me off at the highway where I will continue northbound for another 8 days. I’m not sure how many miles I’ll be making a day, but I’m hoping to exit out at Belden still. I’ll be headed out solo for the first time in a long time so it should be a unique experience again. Laura will be back out again on Sunday–which will be her first time solo as well. We have been getting messaged from Justin. He made it to Belden a few days ago and happily picked up his dog Jesse yesterday when he made his drive home. He’ll bring Jesse back to the trail with him when he’s done with his work obligation at the end of the month.

For now, good night. I’m sure tomorrow will be chock full of stupid stuff I will have done now that I’m by myself.

6.19.2018

Miles 1135-1146 Karen Mile 947

Man the sun was bright today. I’m pretty sure this was the warmest morning we’ve had. Full sun to wake us at sunrise, what a difference. We agreed today would be a short one. Eleven miles, leaving 10 miles for Wednesday, with a ride into Truckee. Even though it was only 10 miles, we had two decent climbs for the day.

Our first climb was on the backside of Squaw Valley Ski resort. I can’t tell you how weird it is to be hiking on a ski resort. I know I’ve looked at these maps before but until you walk the miles and you’re actually on the resort it actually makes me kinda chuckle.

There was a little bit of snow under the ski lifts. We only lost the trail once in the trees and it was just a short stint. The views of the valley below were beautiful. I know I’ll never see them in the winter but I’m sure they are just as pleasant.

Just before starting the next climb we saw another familiar face. It was Sonia (AKA BlueTaco). I met Sonia on day 2, pretty sure we hiked some miles together. Last I saw her though was in Julian. She said she made it through the Sierras and flipped to Sierra City and was making her way back down to Mammoth now. She was a few days behind us going into the Sierras, which seems to be the common thread–those are the folks who made it there right after the new snow had settled. We wished her well and said goodbye!

After that we had 5 more miles before we passed by the top of Tinker Knob. Laura’s Grandfather actually had a hand in the creation of this particular part of the trail, so I blame him for the steep climb up Tinker Knob. Although the ridge walk that followed provided ample views of the surrounding valleys.

And after that it was just a brief mile to where we planned to camp. I’m pretty sure it was not much after 3, which was a perfect time to have a snack before dinner. We spent the afternoon reflecting on our experience out here. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to hike with Laura. She’s taught me so much. I have no doubt she will continue down this dusty path to Canada.

As for myself, again, I’m still indifferent but will continue to Belden for now. We will stay in Truckee tomorrow and from highway 80 I will have 129 miles to go. I may not be able to make that in the time frame I’ve allowed myself so I may adjust that plan. But I’m gonna do my best, that’s all I can do 😊

For now, goodnight, again thanks for all the messages of love and support. They mean so much!

6.18.2018

PCT 1118-1135 Karen: 936

So I made up for my lack of sleep. It was pretty early when we retreated to our tents. Our lakeside campsite in cahoots with the clouds overhead proved to be a cold, damp kind of night. We never received any rain but plenty of moisture was hanging on our tents this morning. I woke up at 630. I think I made Laura laugh cause I had no idea it was that late. I still pull my beanie hat over my eyes when I sleep so the sunshine doesn’t wake me. But clearly, I needed some rest. I’m pretty sure that was 10hours of sleep!

Well, we slowly packed up. We actually ate a little bit before leaving camp. Most days I usually walk and eat my first bite of food. It was 8am when we were hiking. It was cool but man, the sun was out in perfection. We were off to a great start.

The first few miles were just like yesterday, easy. Gently rolling hills with beautiful peaks to admire. Around 11am we reached the parking lot for Barker Peak. There was a picnic table there (and I was hungry!) so we had a few civilized minutes at a table for lunch. While we were there (finally) a hiker came up behind us. I actually had just mentioned to Laura that I thought it was weird that we hadn’t been past by any northbound PCTers and sure enough, here comes Einstein. He started April 19 and he’s from Maryland. We chatted for a bit but he took break up ahead. We leapfrogged one more time but never saw him the rest of the day.

After leaving the picnic table though we ran into Luc! He said he took 3 buses to get to Dunsmuir, CA which is where he flipped to. He’s unsure of his plan yet. I was glad to see him out. Justin had sent a message just a few days ago that he had seen Luc as well. Those are the moments I like out here. The only thing that would have been better is having had more time to talk to Luc. We wished him well and safe travels through the Sierras.

After that we had a few switchbacks to climb. I will say this part of the trail seems much more thought out than the desert section. The long switchbacks here were actually pleasant. Not downright grueling as they were down south, but maybe that’s just my opinion.

We had just a little bit of snow when we entered the Granite Chief Wilderness. The wildflowers from here are almost in full June bloom. The colors are so vibrant and soften the harsh contrasting rock walls they grow upon.

The ridge walk across the backside of Alpine Meadows Ski Area was pretty cool. I think I took my favorite photo of Lake Tahoe here.

After that we had about 2 miles of downhill to our campsite. Laura knew of a site off trail–so after I grumbled about hiking more–we ended up at 5 Lakes to camp. Cool view of the mountains and lakes near. And not infested with mosquitos where I had intended to stay. We did have to get creative with the rocks and tent stakes tonight. There’s not a lot of dirt up here to secure a stake.

The dark clouds have passed over and I think we’ve be spared another day of rainfall. We have 21 miles to highway 80. We will make the next 2 days somewhat short. We had already discussed going into Truckee on Wednesday morning. Laura’s husband Andrew is coming up a day early now, so that will be fun. We will get a little time in Truckee before I head back out on Thursday.

The eyes are getting tired. The body is tired as well. I forgot what it was like to do 18 mile days.