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Steadily gaining on pace, which is fun to see. I should be on pace by the halfway point if I keep hiking like this!
These past few days had a lot of good quotes. Leaving South Lake Tahoe, I got a ride from a guy who hiked the AT back in 1999, and "had a lot of trail karma to pay back". He was talking about hiking, and mentioned "that place you go in your head where the miles melt away", which definitely resonated with me at this point. Sometimes it feels like every mile is a struggle, and sometimes it feels like 10 miles just passed in the blink of an eye.
Went for a nice swim in Aloha Lake a few miles out of SLT with Third Wind, but then pressed on to camp, since there were a lot of weekenders. Maverick (who I met after this, but he camped there) confirmed that this was the right move a few minutes ago. There were a couple of poorly behaved off-leash dogs that kept him up all night.
The next day Third Wind and I decided to do a 30, so we could meet up with Jon again. (There was a small general store right by trail that he resupplied at instead of going into SLT, so he ended up a few miles ahead of us.) It was a good day for a big day, since the miles were pretty easy, and there weren't many breathtaking views until where we camped. We watched sunset and sunrise there, along with Slip n' Slide and Goat. It was awesome, and so was the stargazing. I stayed up way too late stargazing, then woke up in the middle of the night and stargazed some more after the Milky Way was fully visible. (It wasn't ideal conditions, as you could see the city glow from Reno off in the distance, but it was still marvelous.) Maverick camped a few miles earlier, and woke up very early to hike to our spot for sunrise.
Did I mention that I caved to the thru-hiker hivemind and got Altra Lone Peaks in SLT? So far they've been alright. I'd prefer something more minimalist, but zero-drop + wide toe box makes for a pretty good shoe, even if there is a little too much padding. I mention this because the next day, Third Wind was with me and Jon at a poorly marked trail intersection, and said "I see more Altra footprints going left, so that must be the PCT." She was right.
We hiked from the amazing sunrise to the Donner Ski Ranch, which was hosting a dirt bike race, and giving away free 40s to thru-hikers. I spent a ton of money on food while drinking my 40 (and then waiting a bit for everything to settle). It was a hot afternoon, so the rest was doubly appreciated. Some other hikers mentioned going back to a siesta schedule.
I stayed that night in Peter Grubb Hut, which was wonderful. Multiple indoor tables and a wood stove which was totally unnecessary in summer. And a 2-story privy!
Yesterday had a nice swim in a reservoir with an early dinner at East Meadow Campground, with Roller, Jon, and Third Wind. Roller stayed there, I pressed 3 miles on, and the other two went a bit further.
Now it's Maverick, Third Wind, Jon, and I in Sierra City all by 10 am. We're planning to stay in town until the heat of the day breaks, and do a shorter day today. (It will still probably be about 21, since I'm technically at 1195.4 right now.)
- Happy Meal, 1028 flying insects killed
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