What we thought would be a boring day off in Sierra City was anything but. Let me first say that there was no cell signal in town and our waitress was the same lady for all three restaurants that we dined. That goes to show that this is a small, but cute, old gold mining town.
At dinner the first night the owner was seating another hiker couple for dinner, when we invited them over. To our surprise it Oak and Cypress! We had met around mile 100. I'm starting to enjoy going South-Bound (SoBo). Since the late snow storm hit, hikers are everywhere on the PCT. Some skipped the Sierra's and are going North to Canada. Most of them claim that they will come back and hike the Sierra's afterwards, but I doubt it. Some are hiking North for a while then coming back, while others are like us and hiking SoBo back to the Sierras. We have only met 5 hikers that have made it through the Sierras NoBo and 2 of them are Boa and Impala. They just so happened to be in Sierra City as well. Our day off was spent touring the Kentucky Mine Museum and hanging out on the country store's front porch. The only place in town with wifi. We chatted with Boa and Impala most of the afternoon and invited them for dessert later. We had another surprise when Zippy and Running Dawg showed up in town. They live about and 1 hour away. The 6 of us took over the restaurant reminiscing about the trail.
We left the next morning and continued South to Truckee, CA and back into the Sierras. Being only 2 days away, we don't plan on stopping for a day off, just a quick resupply at a trail side grocery.
Our days hiking South to Truckee reminded me of why I love this area so much. Spring is here. At the lower elevations at least. Mosquitoes and wildflowers drape the meadows. The Sierra club maintains a few cabins around this area. They are super cute, clean, and even have a 2-story privy if the snow is high. The trail was easy and fast to Truckee.
3 years ago Shadow and I spent a weekend giving out trail magic in our old RV at Donner's Pass off Hwy40. It was so cool to cross that road again and see the ski resort were we parked. It's the weekend and people are out and about. Rock climbing, cycling, and hiking. An easy hitch 3 miles down to Soda Springs for a resupply. Shadow and I rummaged through the isles then sat outside on the front porch eating deli sandwiches. It wasn't long before we were back on the trail. Climbing past a ski resort to find a flat, hidden spot for the night.
The Sierras welcomed us back with cool temperatures and cold strong wind. We were in and out of tree line all day. The temperatures warmed but the wind was still cold. With out rain gear on to stay warm we defied gravity by pressing our bodies against the wind. Hiking crooked down the trail. Up ski slopes, across ski boundaries, and under ski lifts took up most of the day. We had lunch in a bowl at Squaw Valley. Out campsite is hidden from most of the wind with an amazing view of Lake Tahoe.
The snow level here is between 8,000-9,000feet. We have been in and out of snow banks for the last couple days. Tomorrow we will climb our first pass at 9,400feet. Don't worry, they will get higher.
The wind calmed overnight and the sun's reflection over Lake Tahoe woke us this morning. After inspecting some bear prints on the trail we took a break and Loran, one of the guys that went with us to Chester, came down the trail. The three of us proceeded to spend a great day together. Perfect weather, nice trail, and unbelievable view towards the end of the day. As we climbed to Dicks Pass this afternoon, we came upon these pristine mountain lakes. Large granite cliffs lined the shores with snow touching the edges. The water was crystal clear and made it hard for us to pass up. We continued our way up the snowy pass. Loran post holed up to his waist once, but that's what we get for starting late in the day. Most of the snow was firm slush. The other side of the pass was just as stunning. We found our spot by Gilmore Lake for the night. Shadow fished while I finished dinner. No luck though. Plenty more chances to come. I hope the rest of the Sierra are this amazing.
When people hear about us hiking the trail most will ask how we deal with animal encounters. Today we passed the 1,000 mile mark and the only "animal encounter" we have had is an aggressive dog. This morning around 5am I was out looking for a perfect spot for my cat hole. I heard a growl. A bear? No. To my surprise a dog staying with another hiker had me cornered. With his back hair up and teeth showing, I grabbed some sticks and began throwing them. He continued to growl and bark. Finally the owner came out...geez!
The walk into Echo Lake was beautiful. Around every corner was another granite lined clear lake. Lots of hikers out since it's an easy hike from Lake Tahoe.
I mentioned early that Spring has sprung here. As we passed Aloha Lake swarms of mosquitoes waited for us to pass. I have never seen so many! Echo Lake is a small community of Summer cabins that are anchored into the rocks along the lake shore. They are accessed by boat and are rarely for sale.
1 comment:
Beautiful pictures!!! This looks like a great stretch! Justin & I decided when we do the PCT (I am getting closer to that decision), we will go southbound for sure. Not sure why more people don't! I think you are getting close to passing our other friend we have on the trail - Siren. She is at mile marker 1,000 & you are at 1,090? Keep up the good, hard work!
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