“Now I see the secret of making the best person. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth”.
– Walt Whitman
The Thirteenth Week – The Trail Will Provide…
Enjoying early birthday celebrations for Wayne as we make it to South Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July!
Day 85 – Tuesday 3rd July 2018, Wild Camp at Mile 1,060 to Wild Camp at Mile 1,085, 25 miles
We enter into ‘Week 13’ having already completed 1,060 miles of the PCT! We’re now halfway in time, but not yet halfway in distance, largely as we kept our pace slow at the beginning and built up our daily distances over time, getting fit on the trail as we didn’t have chance for any proper training beforehand. (Which paid off as we’re still here, with no major injuries or ailments to speak of.) But now is the time to up our game!
We still have 1,560 miles left to reach the Canadian border by September 22nd, our preferred end date. It’s quite overwhelming to think of it in one great trail, so it helps to break up the distances into more manageable chunks. The entire Californian section of the PCT is 1,691 trail miles, so having already completed 700 miles of the desert and 360 miles of the Sierra Nevada, there are just 631 miles of Northern California remaining before we reach Oregon. In our heads, that’s much more manageable! Our greatest challenge now on this section will be having to do regular 25 mile days to stay on schedule for completion. That’s tough going when it works out at 4 x 25 mile days and 2 x 20 mile days per week to allow for a nearo every 7 days, which after our stop in South Lake Tahoe will most likely be our schedule for the next 12 weeks! We just hope that we can stay mentally strong and make it all the way to Canada…
So today we agreed to push for our first 25 mile stint. Covering that distance would only leave us 5 or 6 miles the following morning to reach the Echo Summit trailhead where we had planned on hitching into South Lake Tahoe for 4th of July celebrations. If ever there was a carrot to dangle, then this was the perfect motivator! With a motel booked next to the Tahoe Brewery, Independence Day fireworks, beer, and an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet on the cards, the earlier we got into South Lake Tahoe, the better, so 25 miles seemed completely doable! And that was all we could think about that morning when we left camp.
It was like a highway as soon as we hit the trail, every other thru-hiker at this point pushing on like us to get to Tahoe for the 4th of July. Surrounded by volcanic peaks again, the trail stayed high for a while before taking us around the Lower and Upper Sunset Lakes. Further on, the trail crossed Blue Lakes Road where we saw a coupe of hikers already trying to hitch out. Although it was tempting to follow suit, we’d only have to hitch back to this spot and continue from here in a few day’s time so as not to miss out any trail miles, so we stuck with our original plan and pushed on!
Eager to complete our first 25-mile day as it would bring us closer to South Lake Tahoe and some much-needed treats!
Surrounded by more giant volcanic peaks in the Mokelumne Wilderness.
The trail stayed high affording us a tremendous view of the Sunset Lakes.
Looking across to the brilliantly blue Lower Sunset Lake.
Leaving the Mokelumne Wilderness and entering the Eldorado National Forest, I wasn’t really concentrating on the change of scenery, but more the prospect of trail magic happening at Carson Pass another 5 miles ahead. It had been muted by another thru-hiker that there was the potential for burritos and other such goodies at this particular spot as there was both a Visitor Centre and trailhead car park used by day hikers. But we didn’t like to get our hopes up…
After all the pretty purple and yellow wild flowers of late, we spotted a new flower on trail with delicate orange pink petals.
We had passed through what felt like several different ‘Wilderness areas’ and National Forests over the past few days!
Crossing into the Eldorado National Forest, we were reminded about the importance of proper food storage whilst still in ‘bear country’.
It was a long uphill stint winding around gully after gully, followed by another uphill climb to Frog Lake, but the thought of just the slightest chance of trail magic happening at Carson Pass kept us going. So much for the ‘easy’ day we thought we were going to have based on the elevation profiles. It had been thoroughly exhausting the amount of ups and downs we were having to contend with!
We thought today was going to be a breeze based on the elevation profiles. Little did we realise about the continual ‘undulations’ we had to traverse on our way up to Carson Pass!
Mountains, trees and lakes, just another standard day on the trail.
We knew the Visitor Centre was a mile downhill after the lake, but it seemed an extra long mile, especially since we hadn’t eaten lunch yet and our stomachs were growling for more fuel. We were now passing lots of day hikers walking in the opposite direction smelling wonderfully clean with their freshly washed hair and laundered clothes. (I dread to think what we now smell like to others as you can’t generally smell yourself!)
You know you’re in ‘day hiker’ territory when the trail flattens out and becomes a lot nicer!
Finally, we reached Carson Pass at Mile 1,076, named after Kit Carson (1809 to 1868), a local guide and Wild West legend from the Gold Rush era for whom the pass, and many other local features, are named. As we rounded the corner to the Visitor Centre, to our great satisfaction we were immediately handed cold cans of coke by a volunteer who was helping out. We were then also offered fresh watermelon and crisps (or ‘chips’ as the Americans would say) and were given free ’50 year anniversary’ PCT stickers for our bear cans!
Thrilled to have reached the Visitor Centre at Carson Pass… And even more ecstatic at receiving some much-needed ‘Trail Magic’!
Already there enjoying the trail magic love was Spell Check, Whoopie, Sunshine, Trail Mix, Two Ply and Easy Company who were sat in the picnic area at the front making the most of the shade. We were told that 77 hikers had passed through yesterday, so the ever growing bubble was definitely making its way to South Lake Tahoe and we were now back in its radius!
Some of our fellow thru-hikers! Introducing Two Ply, Trail Mix, Sunshine, Easy Company and the closest person whom we would consider as one of our trail family – Jen.
We signed the PCT Trail Register and checked through the previous couple of weeks to see if anyone we knew had already passed through. We were pleased to see that Marc and Tami were still on the trail and were only about a week ahead of us so I noted Marc’s email so that we could get in touch. Out on the porch was a set of weighing scales so we took the opportunity to find out how much weight we’d lost. Wayne is now incredibly thin, so we knew it would be a lot. (It turns out it’s almost 3 stone! So he needs to up his calorie intake yet again.) Me, being ‘Two Plates’ who never stops eating (especially when we get to a trail town) have only lost just over a stone, so I’m not wasting away just yet!
Looking skinny! Wayne weighs in at an extremely low 150 pounds! (That’s 10 and a half stone!)
As Carson Pass is reached by Highway 88, some thru-hikers had already decided to hitch out at this point, but we dragged ourselves away, keen to complete the last 8 miles to get our first 25 mile day in the bag. We had barely walked a few hundred feet however, when at the next parking lot along the road there was more trail magic going on! This time, section hiker Indy had set up chairs, a table and a sun shade for PCT hikers passing by. He shouted to us to come on over and make ourselves sandwiches, so how could we refuse! He had provided all the necessary food stuffs including bread, lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese, mayonnaise, potato salad, packets of crisps, apples, cookies and cold sodas. Being a hiker himself, he said he knew exactly what everyone hankers after on the trail and sandwiches were definitely a winner! (After eating what feels like several hundred tortillas since the start, it was simply amazing to have ‘proper’ bread!)
We couldn’t believe our luck! Our second trail magic of the day from PCT Section Hiker, Indy!
A full table of fresh goodies to get stuck into!
Co-Pilot, our French trail buddy, was already there so we sat and joined him, loading our sandwiches with as many ingredients as we could fit in! After a short while, Sunshine, Trail Mix, Two Ply and Easy Company all walked through the car park and joined us as well. They laughed that we hadn’t got far since the last time they saw us, all of us thrilled at having a second round of trail magic within minutes! This would definitely give us enough energy to go the distance today!
After thanking Indy for his wonderful hospitality and finally dragging ourselves away before we ate everything, we were back on the trail powering through the last few miles of the day. We had a much more gentle walk following the Upper Truckee River through some beautiful wild flower meadows before a small uphill climb to Showers Lake. There were lots of tent sites around the lake, but as a local’s favourite with it not being far from the trailhead, it was already busy with campers, so we carried on uphill through the trees until the terrain opened out and the trail passed a dry, rocky area with a few tent sites just before Mile 1,085. It seemed perfect for avoiding the mosquitoes and the sun was still on the area, but best of all, we had just hit 25 miles and I had reached 60,000 steps in one day on my FitBit, which would earn me the next badge!
Realising just how far we’ve come, but also how much farther we’ve still got to go on the PCT map at the trailhead car park.
After two trail magic experiences in quick succession we were back on the PCT with a very big spring in our step!
Passing by Showers Lake, which had we not been pushing on for 25 miles, looked a very scenic place to camp.
After 25 miles, we found a great open wild camp spot free of mosquitoes and managed to watch the sun go down. The perfect end to a busy and eventful trail day!
Happy at covering 25 miles and our bodies still feeling good, (in fact our legs and feet felt no different to any other day on the trail), it gave us confidence that we will be able to push the miles when we need to. After setting the tent up, we still had a hot dinner, despite us already having fully loaded sandwiches and whatever snacks were going just a few hours before! It must be those few extra miles, making us extra hungry having done the 25! Anyhow, both the trail magic and achieving the 25 miles had been a good morale booster, especially after last week feeling so tough! A few days of rest and relaxation in South Lake Tahoe would also do us the world of good!
Day 86 – Wednesday 4th July 2018, Wild Camp at Mile 1,085 to Echo Summit Trailhead/ Highway 50, Mile 1,090, 5 miles. Hitch & bus to Travel Inn, South Lake Tahoe
Well, what a morning! We were up and away from camp earlier than usual, very eager to get out of the mountains and down to the Echo Summit Trailhead where we could hitch a ride into South Lake Tahoe. With 3 nights booked in a motel, we’d been looking forward to a little break from the trail for several days now! So apart from missing a trail marker when we came to a junction, thereby following the ski route down instead, which we realised after a while when the trail became unusually gnarly, we had covered the last 5 miles in what felt like no time at all! Even better, when we reached the trailhead car park, there was more trail magic waiting for us, which was a complete surprise and wonderful start to our 4th of July celebrations! (It seems ironic that we would celebrate ‘American Independence’ from Great Britain, but that’s ‘history’ as they say. And as all of our family and friends know, we’re always up for a party whatever the occasion!)
Back on trail early morning and excited to be hitting a trail town to coincide with an American National Holiday! (Apart from the extortionate prices of the motels!)
Providing the trail magic this morning was veteran PCT Thru-hiker ‘Copper Tone’. It was the first time we had the honour of meeting this friendly, unassuming guy whom we found out is in his sixth year of driving up and down the trail offering weary thru-hikers a chair to sit on and a root beer ‘float’ to revive the spirits! (In case you’re wondering, root beer is a soft drink and the ‘float’ is a blob of ice-cream in the cup!) So having never experienced such a drink before, of course we had to try one! There was also a picnic table laden with several other goodies including cookies, bananas, iced biscuits and crackers. It made for an excellent off-trail breakfast and we hadn’t even gotten to Tahoe yet!
Wayne samples his first root beer float courtesy of Copper Tone’s trail magic!
There were already a few hikers sat around the table including Co-Pilot, and joining us not long after were Easy Company and gang, Sunshine, just like her trail name, literally beaming with excitement at the presence of Copper Tone and getting lucky with trail magic again! It felt great to sit and chat with other thru-hikers and swap trail stories, especially as everyone was in such a good mood knowing that a rest day was just around the corner…
Trail magic fever gets everyone excited for a night off-trail in Tahoe!
That was when we met another legendary trail angel going by the name of ‘Grateful Dad’. Like us, his daughter is part of the ‘PCT Class of 2018’ and is currently thru-hiking the trail, so Grateful Dad has taken it upon himself to provide rides for thru-hikers hitching to towns up and down the trail for resupply as he follows her progress and takes on the role of ‘Support Team’. He has bought and pimped out a campervan specifically for the task, which he gets hikers to paint motifs on each time they get a ride! (‘Support Team Fenton’ back in the UK take note!) Unlucky for us however, his van was already full when we dragged ourselves away from Copper Tone’s little haven, so we had to work our own magic to try and bag ourselves a hitch from a very busy Highway 50!
Trying our best not to look like ‘Hiker Trash’ as we all needed a ride to town!
In small groups, we all managed to bag ourselves a ride within a matter of minutes, myself, Wayne and Co-Pilot travelling with a local couple familiar with the PCT and thru-hikers zeroing in Tahoe, which always helps! They dropped us off in the car park of Railey’s supermarket in the southern part of town, located next to the area known as ‘The Y’, which is where both the Bus Station and main Post Office are located. So that was perfect for us as we were then able to get a local bus to take us further up Highway 50 to the Ski Boulevard area in the northern part of town where our motel was located.
We stayed at the Travel Inn, which I’d like to say was a ‘cheap and cheerful’ kind of place, but it definitely wasn’t cheap being the fourth of July. Prices were extortionate for an outdated motel with an out-of-order pool, but the plus points were that the room was clean, it was in a good location close to the lake and the owners were very friendly, letting us check in early as the room was ready.
We wasted no time in showering and popping to the liquor store over the road to stock up with alcoholic refreshments to get the party started. But we also needed clean clothes, so before we could indulge in the offerings of the Lake Tahoe Brewery located right next door (that was also another plus point of the motel according to Wayne), we had to make a visit to the nearby laundry, which fortunately was still open despite it being a National Holiday.
Looking and smelling a whole lot fresher, it was then time to go and mingle with the ‘normal’ folk! With a continuous stream of traffic crawling along the main road outside the motel and large groups of people walking towards the lake armed with parasols, picnic blankets and ice coolers it had been such a long time since we had seen this amount of people and cars in one place, it felt like complete craziness! But we weren’t running back to the solitude of the woods just yet… We could cope with being back in civilisation for a couple of nights at least!
Our first stop of the evening seeing as it was right next door was the Tahoe Brewery, which conveniently doubled up to be a pizza restaurant!
Going ‘Large’ as Wayne currently needs all the calories he can get! (We dread to think how big the ‘Extra-large’ pizza is!)
As we were in a brewery we opted to try the taster ‘flights’ so we could sample their selection of IPAs.
It was a good choice!
From the brewery, we then headed towards the lakeside, which was already a mass of people, mostly lounging out on picnic blankets having bagged their beach spot early in anticipation of the forthcoming fireworks. As they weren’t due to start until 9:45pm, we headed to the Artemis Lakefront Café where we’d spied a vacant spot at the bar. One craft ale and G&T later and we’d settled in for the night around the fire pit in front of the live band, with a prime view out to the lake ready for the firework show.
Heading down to the beach front after sunset to see how the locals celebrate Independence Day.
We had a prime viewing spot for watching both the live band and fireworks from the Artemis Lakefront Café.
South Lake Tahoe claims to have the fifth biggest fireworks show in the USA!
Tahoe put on a dazzling show, but having been to watch the spectacular London NYE fireworks in 2017, it didn’t really compare.
Whilst enjoying a few more drinks and forgetting about the next thousand or so miles we’d soon be tackling, we met American couple Brent and Pam. Decked out in their USA regalia to celebrate Independence Day, they had travelled down from Washington and were holidaying in Tahoe for a few days. After finding out we were hiking the PCT they gave us their contact details with the offer of collecting us from the trail and putting us up for the night with a home cooked meal and a shower, once we hit Washington. How amazing is that! They weren’t your regular trail angels, but are quite simply one of the nicest, friendliest couples we have met off-trail! (We even got an invite to their camp BBQ the following evening, which we had to sadly decline as we had too many tasks to get done before getting back on trail.)
Meeting Brent and Pam, who with their kind offers made themselves our ‘off-trail’ angels!
We stayed out until around midnight and then we were beat. We’re definitely not used to such late nights anymore! But it was great to experience a festive time in the USA that we had not been accustomed to before and also meet some incredibly kind people that once again demonstrates the community spirit and friendliness of small town America that we have come to know and love.
Days 87 & 88 – Thursday & Friday, 5th & 6th July 2018, Travel Inn, South Lake Tahoe, zero miles
After allowing ourselves one night off, we were up early-ish and back to business! We had a whole host of jobs to get done before leaving town, so even though everyone else was still enjoying the holiday festivities we had to focus on organising our food resupply for the next 30 days! We had planned on resupplying ourselves with food all the way to Ashland across the Oregon border, mainly to save us precious time in trail towns, but also to save us money as we could bulk buy once again with there being a ‘Smart & Final’ supermarket at the other end of town.
But first we had to make a trip to the Post Office to send home our bear cans, having finally left the National Park areas where carrying foodstuffs and scented items in a bear proof canister is mandatory. The only drawback with being situated at the northern end of town was that we had to take the bus to get to all the places we needed. That is not usually a problem as we have found public transport to be both reliable and convenient so far, but seeing as traffic was at a stand-still and buses were running an hour later than scheduled, it meant that we wasted a large chunk of the day going back and forth with shopping bags and boxes. In fact, once we had bought our entire food resupply for the next month, we had to get a taxi back to the motel as it was just far too much to carry and too far to take the shopping trolley this time!
We then spent several hours taking everything out of its bulky packaging, measuring out daily portions and putting various food stuffs into zip lock bags to make it easier to carry on trail. We had already planned out our daily itinerary for the next 30 days, so we then grouped items into different resupply ‘sections’ and finally packaged the right number of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks into boxes to collect from Sierra City, Chester, Burney Mountain Guest Ranch, Castella and Etna, before our anticipated arrival in Ashland on August 8th. It was a laborious task, which prevented us from visiting the lake and going to Brent and Pam’s BBQ dinner, but having everything organised for the next month would pay dividends in the long-term.
We put considerable time and effort at South Lake Tahoe into organising our food resupply to save us time off trail over the next month.
What 30 days of hiker food looks like organised into 4 or 5 day sections!
The following day (after returning to the Post Office to mail all of our boxes), was then spent consuming more calories as we enjoyed a much-awaited all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. Having been dreaming of one since before Bishop, it really did live up to my expectations and was excellent!
An extremely poor phone photo, but considering we dined at an all-you-can-eat buffet, the choice and quality of the food on offer was excellent. (Obviously, this was my second plateful!)
Using public transport again to get back to the centre of town, we also had a nice surprise! When we got on the bus, sat right at the back was none other than Gandalph the Blonde! After wondering whereabouts he’d be after all this time, he was still on the trail and we’d finally caught up with him! We chatted quickly before the bus reached his stop. Still with his well-worn wooden staff in hand, Gandalph was planning on hitching back to the trailhead, but we were sure we’d be catching up with him again soon.
Taking our food resupply boxes to the Post Office seemed a mission and a half, but we made it! Now all mailed forward, we can have a much more relaxing time when we get to trail towns instead of rushing around food shopping all afternoon.
Our final mission of the two zero days was to update everyone with our progress, which meant several hours spent editing and uploading photos in an effort to get some new blog posts online, as well as editing and uploading a new video, which Wayne was keen to work on as he had so much good footage from our time in the High Sierra. Oh and of course, we enjoyed a bit more calorie loading courtesy of staying near to a Safeway supermarket. Their $7 ‘Combo’ meals are really good value as they include ‘salad’ and keep us going for at least a few hours!
Basically, when we’re not walking, we’re eating. And we really make the most of eating large amounts of food each time we get to a trail town!
Phew! After such a busy few days, I think we were more than ready to get back on trail and get back to walking! Life’s much simpler out there in the woods!
Day 89 – Saturday, 7th July 2018, Travel Inn, South Lake Tahoe, bus & hitch to Echo Summit Trailhead, to Wild Camp by Lake Aloha at Mile 1,099, 9 miles
As we didn’t have to check out of the motel until 11am, we made the most of all the facilities a room has to offer that a tent doesn’t – bed, TV, coffee maker, table and chairs, WiFi and our favourite, a flushing toilet, before completing another ‘expert’ re-pack of the rucksacks. They were once again heavily laden with a new supply of food to see us through to Sierra City, 105 miles north of Lake Tahoe, which we planned on reaching in five day’s time to coincide with Wayne’s birthday.
Leaving the northern end of town, we took a bus back down Highway 50 to the ‘Y’ area and decided on having a spot of lunch before getting back on trail. Although it was extremely tempting, we refrained from going for another all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet as we’d have been that stuffed we’d be incapable of doing any walking and we really did need to get some miles done. So instead, we went for our first ‘Taco Bell’ experience. As fast food goes, it wasn’t so bad and as my chicken taco bowl had some salad in it, it felt kind of ‘healthy’!
No sooner had we left, all geared up for trying to get a hitch back to the trailhead, than local guy Jimmy pulled over and offered us a ride. He said he was “…Busy doing nothing” whilst recovering from an operation on his arm so had all the time in the world to help some hikers get back to the trail. I guess we were just in the right place at the right time as we had got ourselves a ride without even really trying!
We were grateful to local guy Jimmy for giving us a ride back to the trailhead at Echo Summit.
After the comforts and conveniences of being in a trail town for a few days, we were now back on the PCT, ready to knock off some miles and make some progress through Northern California. Apart from looking and smelling fresher and having a clean set of clothes, it was like we’d never been away!
Even for ‘hiker trash’ we scrub up well!
As we walked downhill towards Echo Lake and followed the trail where it crosses the Lower Echo Lake dam and spillway near Echo Chalet, we saw a few hikers sat outside eating ice-cream, but they were unfamiliar faces. Having already eaten a pint of ice-cream back in Tahoe, we resisted the urge to have another, despite the Chalet having an excellent reputation for its deli. By now it was already 2pm, so we didn’t need any more distractions. We just needed to get walking!
So off we strode around the beautiful Lower and Upper Echo Lakes, the PCT following the eastern shore trail. The only downside and an annoying hinderance to our progress was that there were lots of day hikers walking in the opposite direction, so out of courtesy rather than trail etiquette as we were the ones generally going uphill, we had to keep stopping to give way as there wasn’t enough room on the trail to pass by. After what felt like the 957th time of stopping, we were quite frustrated, especially having gotten used to being the only ones on trail the majority of the time!
Sat on the edge of the dam looking out across Lower Echo Lake.
Panorama as we walked along the eastern shore of Lower Echo Lake. Very picturesque, we understand why it’s so popular with day hikers!
As we entered the area known as the ‘Desolation Wilderness’ it was good to see that a permit is required for hiking in the backcountry here. Sadly, so often we find litter and toilet paper left in wilderness areas that are easily accessible by car and have trailhead parking facilities as people ignore the ‘Leave No Trace’ principles. We have genuinely found that this poor conduct is not from PCT hikers who pack out their trash in an effort to preserve the backcountry, but is a bad habit of casual outdoor goers!
Entering the ‘Desolation Wilderness’ area, a wonderful place of natural beauty.
We took a pack break at the sign, before then continuing past the Upper Echo Lake. From here, the trail conditions declined somewhat as it became very rocky, with loose gravel under foot that seemed to slow us down again. The one consolation however, was that day hikers were now few and far between as they didn’t seem to walk this far or had returned to the southern end of the lower lake via water taxi.
Looking back onto Upper Echo Lake from the northern end.
We had planned on hiking around 12 miles since we hadn’t set off properly until mid-afternoon, but when we came to the wonderfully scenic Lake Aloha, we made the decision to cut the mileage short. So we stopped after only 9 miles and looked for somewhere close to the shoreline to pitch the tent as the lake looked such a fantastic spot to wild camp. We’ve learnt that no matter the plan, plans can be amended. We just couldn’t let as good an opportunity as this pass us by!
Our unexpected wild camp spot by Lake Aloha.
Taking respite from the late afternoon sun and enjoying a little bit of shade.
Going for a paddle and cooling off whilst enjoying the splendid view across the lake.
View of the tent from the lake shore. At Mile 1,099 – We enjoyed another great wild camp spot on the PCT!
As we had finished at least an hour or so earlier than expected, we had time to really appreciate our surroundings and enjoy our time at camp. We walked down to the water and went for a paddle in the lake to cool off. Temperatures had been well into the 90s all week; there was no doubt that summer was here. Wayne then resumed his duty as ‘Camp Chef’ and cooked up an Alfredo Spaghetti dish for dinner with the promise of ‘seconds’ to keep Mrs Two Plates happy! After eating such big portions in town, trail food suddenly seems small and insufficient again, despite our new hiker rations.
After a couple of days off, Wayne resumes his duty as ‘Camp Chef’.
We watched the sky turn a gentle shade of pink as the sun went down, then it was back to retiring to our sleeping bags before 9pm, our bodies glad of resuming ‘hiker midnight’ after a hectic few days and nights in South Lake Tahoe.
Day 90 – Sunday, 8th July 2018, Wild Camp by Lake Aloha at Mile 1,099 to Wild Camp at Richardson Lake at Mile 1,119, 20 miles
Unusually so, we had a very unsettled sleep because of blustery winds around the lake causing the tent to creak incessantly throughout the night, which meant we both didn’t feel like getting up when the alarm sounded at 6am. So we switched it off and said that we’d have another hour wrapped in our bags and maybe hike 20 miles today instead of 25. (Our aim is to get to Sierra City by Thursday, which is Wayne’s birthday, so as long as we are still on track for that, it’s all good!)
After leaving our picturesque camp spot on the edge of Lake Aloha, we had a good day on the trail. Our morning was spent hiking around several scenic lakes, which included Heather Lake, Susie Lake, Gilmore Lake and Half Moon Lake as we progressively made our way up to Dick’s Pass, the high point of the day at 9,377 feet. Compared with any of the passes we had traversed in the High Sierra, Dick’s Pass was an easy climb. First we followed a long ridge that gradually gained height from 8,000 to 9,000 feet without us really noticing as the incline was so minimal over a couple of miles. Next there was a short set of switchbacks to the viewpoint from which Dick’s Lake can be seen to the north, along with Fontanillis Lake and Upper Velma Lake, way off in the distance. Finally, there was a steeper climb covering the last few hundred feet taking us straight uphill to the pass where the view from the saddle was very impressive.
Leaving Lake Aloha around 8am, a little later than anticipated.
We were treated to a morning of lovely lake views as we made our way up to Dick’s Pass.
Reaching Dick’s Pass at 9,400 feet. We considered it a gentler climb in comparison to any of those in the High Sierra.
Standing on the pass right below Dick’s Peak, we had a vast view over the Desolation Wilderness area, the beautiful lakes on the horizon teasing us for what was to come in Northern California. We already had high hopes of being able to pick up the pace and knock off some big miles over the next few weeks as the trail seemed to have improved significantly and felt that bit easier. Even though it was stony in places, especially when walking around the lake shores, the trail overall was generally good underfoot. Where parts of it had been engineered to minimise erosion, decent sized rock steps had been built instead of rises made for giants, as had been the custom leading up to the big passes in Kings Canyon National Park. We were in really good spirits as everything today just seemed much less taxing!
The views were like a window of what was to come as we moved into Northern California.
Looking upon more spectacular lakes and valleys from the top of Dick’s Pass.
Now that could easily have been due to us feeling better refreshed after having two zeros in town, or the fact that our packs were feeling a lot more manageable after finally off-loading our bear cans and posting them home. Our great mood could even have been attributed to it being the start of our new food rations regime today. Whereas previously we have eaten the same foods in equal portions, for this segment we have chosen our own breakfasts, lunches and snacks as Wayne has needed to up his calorie intake to at least 5,000 calories per day as he has been losing too much weight. We are still going to cook and have the same evening meal, but other than that, we now have very different trail diets.
To increase his calorie intake, Wayne has taken to eating peanut butter wraps with added peanut M&Ms at lunchtime!
Having tried it for the first time today, another significant change to our hiker menu that we’ve introduced is having granola and a dried fruit and nut mix with powdered milk for our second breakfast instead of a chocolate bar. Already we have found it to be much more filling as well as nutritiously beneficial than our usual chocolate bar or bag of jelly sweets. We are usually hungry again after an hour or so of eating a bar of chocolate (even a Snickers bar), but after the granola, fruit and nut mix, we were satisfied and surprisingly the meal kept us full until well into the afternoon. (For someone known as ‘Two Plates’ on the trail, feeling full for once is a significant feat!)
My own savoury choice of lunch included seeded bagels with cream cheese, tuna and mayonnaise, which was much more palatable!
After eating lunch overlooking Middle Velma Lake, we left the Desolation Wilderness area and enjoyed a long walk through shaded forest giving us some respite from the baking sun before the trail wound down to Lake Richardson where we intended on camping. As there was a trailhead close by, we found that already several people had pitched their tents at the northern end of the lake it being a popular backpacker campground and not just a haven for PCTers.
Heading into the shady forest for some respite from the baking sun.
We were afforded more wonderful views as the trail wound its way above the treeline again.
Managing a creek crossing without getting wet feet for once!
It felt quite strange that after being in the midst of the bubble heading to South Lake Tahoe earlier in the week, we were now well and truly out of it. We had not seen any other thru-hikers we knew for the past two days, yet the trail had been busy but with hikers passing in the opposite direction following the Tahoe Rim Trail, another American hiking route on Wayne’s bucket list! I suppose we’ll have to get used to meeting new faces again as we progress further north.
When we pitched the tent near to Lake Richardson, it was in the only clearing left that was big enough for our tent’s footprint, which was basically a big patch of dirt. Some wild camp spots are worth shouting about, some not so much! But we had a new dinner menu tonight, so that is worth a mention, although we didn’t get a photo of it as we were that eager to tuck in! We enjoyed a bowl of rice cooked with a Chinese Chow Mein flavouring, with a new flavour ‘tuna packet’ mixed in – which was Tuna with Lemongrass, Sesame and Ginger, which we ate with crunchy tostadas. For ‘trail food’ it was so good and tasty! (I know I’m very lucky having a husband who is an excellent cook both off and on trail!) Food is such an important motivating factor for me that I might not still be here if I was having to face my 90th day of Ramen!
Day 91 – Monday, 9th July 2018, Wild Camp at Richardson Lake at Mile 1,119 to Wild Camp at Mile 1,141, 22 miles
Even though we were awake at 6am, by the time we were ready to set off from Lake Richardson at 7:30am, we were still the last to leave camp! (I don’t think we’ll ever get quick enough to be the first, no matter how many nights we sleep in a tent!) Our morning started with a gradual uphill climb through a leafy forest on a soft track, so we set off at a good 3+ mile an hour pace bound for Barker Pass.
Leaving Richardson Lake we had blue skies and knew it was going to be a hot day again!
But we couldn’t complain about the mountainous views!
As we headed into the trees the trail was soft underfoot and very much in full bloom.
As we strode through the wild woods, we chanced upon a Casio watch abandoned in the middle of the trail. I know how upset I would be if I happened to lose my Fitbit on trail, so we picked it up with the intention of asking anyone at the trailhead car park (when we got there) if it belonged to them. It could have belonged to a hiker walking in either direction, but in theory it was most likely the unsuspecting PCTer walking up front. We stopped at the next small creek to filter water where another couple were already there doing same thing. So we asked them if they’d lost a watch and indeed they had – it belonged to the guy! He had it fastened to the front strap of his backpack but without realising it had dropped off. He was really pleased to be reunited with his watch and said that he’d repay us with a beer in town. But we declined the offer, being more than happy just to have returned it to its rightful owner. But it’s always good to get a nice bit of trail karma in the bag!
Arriving at the Barker Pass trailhead where we took an extended break for second breakfast.
With 5 miles still to go to reach Barker Pass, we stopped for a break at the trailhead parking area and made use of the picnic bench for our second breakfast. Again, we enjoyed our healthier and more filling bowl of granola with mixed fruit and nuts that we have now agreed will be a staple part of our daily diet.
Thoroughly enjoying our new second breakfast regime.
We spent longer than anticipated at the parking area however as we also got a data signal, so we spent some time Googling ‘Big Agnes’ and their policy for tent repairs. We love our choice of tent, but over the last week or so we have been struggling with the tent zips. The actual zippers seem to be playing up and are no longer functioning properly so as we slide the zipper around it is not clasping the teeth of the zip together resulting with the inner door not closing. Having looked on the internet, we discovered that it’s a fairly common problem with Big Agnes tents, especially when camping in dusty areas, as the dust wears the zipper out. As annoying as it is, with still being on trail, we cannot send our tent off for repair, so we’ll just have to live with it for the moment whilst we try to order a replacement zip. After reading some comments and reviews online, Wayne wants to try pliers first to clamp the zipper and make it tighter so that it will squeeze the teeth of the zip together properly. Hopefully we’ll be able to borrow some pliers off some kind soul in the next trail town and the problem will be solved!
Finally on the trail again, we set off uphill, the trail winding around Barker Peak then opening out to give a good view of Lake Tahoe’s northern McKinney Bay. The bay is named after John McKinney who opened one of the first Lake Tahoe resorts in the late 1800s. The trail then followed a long, exposed ridge, affording us magnificent views of the valleys on either side.
Enjoying the tremendous view from up high.
Before long, we entered the Granite Chief Wilderness Area where there were masses of beautiful wild flowers growing again, including bright yellow sunflowers, striking purple lupins, and what we thought were green leafed plants likeable to hostas. Already having grown a few feet in height, they were now beginning to flower. (Having planted hostas previously in our own garden back home in England, this was a rare treat as we never got to see ours come into flower, largely as they were eaten by snails before we got the chance.)
Entering the Granite Chief Wilderness area.
Compared to the rocky terrain we were faced with when crossing much of the High Sierra, the trail was a joy to set foot upon!
Surrounded by wonderful wild flowers, we had hit this section of trail at the most opportune time.
A meadow of flowering plants that we likened to hostas from back home in England.
Stepping into summer, the trail was in full bloom as we entered Northern California.
The tremendous mountain scenery is no less spectacular, yet Northern California finds itself overshadowed by other, more well-known parts of the PCT.
A palette of green captivates the eye.
For the remainder of the afternoon, the PCT kept us high affording us expansive views of the striking mountains cloaked in green. It wasn’t a surprise to find we were now in the midst of ski country, yet soaring metal structures atop the rolling hills just looked alien in the pristine landscape. We had around 8 miles to go before reaching camp, but it was a tiring segment with 4 miles of descent to the valley bottom, followed by a gradual 4 miles back uphill and over into next valley. It was not the best having to contend with a climb last thing in the day, but at least we were not going the original 25 miles as initially planned. I must admit, I was feeling really exhausted today and was glad when we reached the river as we had just 1 final mile of uphill exertions to contend with to reach the Alpine Meadows Ski Area.
Heading uphill to the Alpine Meadows Ski Area where we were hoping to find a flat spot to set up camp.
When we reached the American River at Mile 1,139.6 we stopped to filter water and replenish our supplies as we knew that we’d be dry camping just past the Squaw Valley Ski Lifts. It was here that we saw Spell Check, Whoopie and Moses doing exactly the same thing. It’s become a given on the trail now that wherever more than two hikers are congregated it’s a sure-fire way of knowing there is a reliable water source. Over the last few days, they were the first hikers we had seen whom we recognised and knew, so we had a catch up with them before continuing on our way.
We found a good, sheltered camp spot just past the Squaw Valley Ski Lifts that would do us for the night.
Feeling rather exhausted, we had a quick dinner of Mixed Bean Chilli and Mash before wanting to sleep. As we were still high in elevation, the positive was that we noticed a significant difference with regards to the mosquito situation. It felt wonderful to sit outside without fear of being bitten and being constantly plagued by them. There was also a beautiful sunset to the west creating vivid pink skies, yet because we didn’t have an open view from our camp spot, unfortunately most of it was obscured by the surrounding trees. Not dwelling on it too much, we just hoped that was a typical sunset of Northern California, and that they’d be plenty more colourful ones to witness over the remaining distance.
With another week of the PCT completed, happily it means we are another week closer to the Canadian border!
Again, we’ve had some tough segments to contend with, and it can be difficult to stay positive when having to push big miles, especially when in the back of our minds we are telling ourselves continually that we must maintain the big miles day after day or we won’t reach our end date. Wayne is much more upbeat than me and finds it easier to remain positive and stay focused on the goal. At times, I am struggling to stay motivated with the walking. In my head, over 91 days, I have thought about anything and everything, and get to the point where I feel like there is nothing more I can possibly think about! Conversation definitely helps, but we need something new and fresh to discuss. We have talked about many things and often find ourselves repeating the same old stuff so that now we can go long periods without saying anything. Talking passes the time, so when we don’t talk and it’s a tough section, the walking seems to go slow.
We have seen so many incredible scenic vistas, striking sunsets, tremendous mountains and stunning lakes, that if the landscape before us is not absolutely ‘amazing’ then it just becomes background. Our brains have been saturated with so much, that we have gotten used to it.
But out here in this pristine wilderness it is not the norm, and we need to try hard to remember to appreciate every aspect of every new day as this humbling experience won’t last forever…
16 Comments
Perfect report again, love to read it.
Thank you 🙂 I love receiving such nice comments!
Hi, i met a swedish guy, walking the PCT, last year. He also told me, that after the high sierra it was difficult to see the beauty of the trail after this. He said it will be beter in the last state. But the PCT is not about getting to the Canadien border, it is like the Camino, getting to yourself.
Stay possitive, trying is al you can, and you are doing more then that.
Thank you again! Yes, it’s definitely becoming more of a mental challenge, especially because of the current situation with the forest fires and the smoke significantly reducing visibility for us. We’ve downloaded some apps to help us identify birds and trees to give us a new focus in Oregon. Just six weeks left for us now!
Great read
You guys are a great team
Keep going
Thanks Splash! We’ve made it to Oregon💪👍
Thank you so much for taking the time to write about each day and to include such wonderful pictures. You both seem to have such a positive and appreciative outlook on your journey which is inspiring. Happy hiking! Jane
Thank you for such lovely comments Jane 🙂 Having the opportunity to do this hike is something that a lot of people can only dream of, so we are making the most of being here and enjoying all the new experiences it is presenting us with! And of course we’re happy to share them!
Wonderful reading and images as always. There is such a thing as being too skinny however and I hope you too do not lose too much more weight in the coming weeks. Stay healthy! Maybe some carb building drinks or something like that?
Thanks again for sharing these great posts!
Thanks Garry! We had significantly upped our daily calorie intake since leaving Lake Tahoe so I have actually put weight on 😫 and Wayne’s has at least stabilised. Town food has helped as well! We never seem to stop eating!
Looking forward to the finish now and getting back to a more healthy balanced diet though. I never want to see a Snickers bar again!
Great read, Danielle.
You’re both doing brill. You know that though, I hope.
Wayne has lost three stone? Walking the PCT is certainly one drastic way to diet.
Yes it is!🤣 Wayne had actually put about a stone on before starting the hike to bulk up a bit as he knew he would lose a lot of weight over the course of the trail. It doesn’t seem to work like that for women though unfortunately!
We’ve still got 900 miles or so to go, but we feel like we’re on the home stretch now. Canada here we come!😀
More fantastic pictures! Looking at the videos/blogs on the AT and the CDT, the PCT wins hands down on scenery! Three stone is a lot of weight to lose.
Yes, the PCT goes through a lot of spectacular areas! We feel very lucky to have experienced so many great things along the way.😀
Wayne’s weight has stabilised now. He’s been having 3 chocolate bars just for breakfast lately! (Not the healthiest but a good amount of calories in one sitting!)
Another brilliant post. Such ‘wow’ scenery. Loved the giant pizza and the Peanut M&M wrap. Such a shame you have to keep up 25 mile days. I / we loved your posts but I am sure keeping them up to date must add to your pressure. Thanks.
You’re very welcome! We are glad to share our experiences so that other people get to see this spectacular trail. 🙂