Day 74: June 28; 19.2 miles (Cont)
After hitting 1100 it was lunch time at Aloha Lake. Last time I was here it was inundated with mosquitoes. This time there wasn’t even one. I was so happy to eat my lunch in peace.
The rest of the day is honestly a blur to me. The clouds enveloped the sun and it got cold. But it was okay – we had a 4.2 mile climb up Dick’s Pass. It wasn’t a crazy climb and I handled it much better than 2021. It was during this climb that I decided I wasn’t going to finish the TRT. I was going to pick up my dog and go home. I had the same thought this time around too (I really really miss that dog) but know it’s only a little longer till I can see her again.
It was a descent the rest of the day past several lakes until we reached our destination – Middle Velma Lake. The clouds were still very much present. Unsure if it was going to rain or not, I begrudgingly put on my fly. And wouldn’t you know it, the sun came out that very moment to bless us with a beautiful sunset. Oh well, just how it goes. It’ll probably be an early bedtime, I’m wiped.
Day 75: June 29; 28 miles
It certainly was an early bedtime. I passed out almost immediately, even before getting fully ready for bed. So without my puffy and liner I zonked out, didn’t even wake up from being cold. I said it once and I’ll say it again – I sleep better in my tent than anywhere else. Even in the middle of bear country, I don’t think one of those could’ve woken me up last night.
And so we set out. The terrain looked forgiving, which was great for a long distance day. A lot of what I saw today reminded me of the TRT. I realize I don’t remember much from that trip, mainly because I was so preoccupied with Addie and her wellness. But some scenery really jolted back the memories, mainly a field of yellow sunflowers on a 200m stretch of trail.
We ran back into Tarzan, Heaps, and Big Sur. We met them originally at Stone’s trail magic. They were walking with Grant and Courtney. We all ran into each other again at Evan’s house. And when I say we ran into them – it’s literal. They were running the trail. We talked with them briefly during a break. For some reason that was lost on me, they wanted to get into Truckee tonight. Approaching 1pm and still 30 miles to go, I couldn’t imagine what would make someone want to run 43 miles with pack on the PCT. But hey, hike your own hike. I wished them Godspeed and wondered for the rest of the day if they made it and if so was it all in one piece.
The intent today was to do 26 miles, however, due to complicated logistics that have been too annoying to relay here, we have to do 150 miles by Sunday before 5pm. That gives us 6 days… at 25 miles per day that’s doable, but likely not fun. So on days like today where we get into camp early, we’re going to tack on additional mileage to make the last day (Sunday) a lighter day to get into town earlier.
It’s our longest day yet, but my body and mind feel great. I really think I could’ve gone farther, and would’ve opted to, but we were being chased by thunder and didn’t want to risk getting up an exposed climb without shelter. After getting through the whole Benson Pass ordeal, I feel so much better. My mental space has definitely improved and I have a much more positive outlook on the rest of the upcoming miles.
Our intended spot to camp was fully occupied, so we found a really good spot with great potential just a bit further up trail. With a little work it makes for a very cozy home for the night. And once again, once I put on my vestibule the threat of rain disappeared. Figures. Hopefully this means another great night of sleep.
Day 76; June 30; 26.5 miles
Another great night of sleep. No rain, no wind, no condensation. 10/10. We woke up early knowing that it was a mini town day. We were going to Donner Ski Ranch. A restaurant known for giving hikers free beer. I have been fantasizing about breakfast burritos for days now, but being 15 miles away I knew my craving had to continue, sadly. Since we’d likely spend significant time there and had a decent mileage day with huge elevation gain we had no other choice than to get it moving early.
It was a ton of climbing (5303’ to be exact) and it started early. Still half asleep I was jolted awake almost immediately by a bear. It must’ve been near the trail when we startled it, very much startling us. He was only 15’ away and he was looking us up and down. Either by our stench or our incredibly intimidating look, he bounded away uninterested in bothering with us as little as we cared to bother him. He was a gorgeous bear, cinnamon colored with the most beautiful ears. Aside from the initial shock, I had no fear of him. Would I go up and pet him, of course not, but I felt comfortable just standing there, relatively close, staring at him. He gave off good bear energy.
The rest of the morning was climbing, and more climbing, with a little dash of…. climbing! I walked with Turbo for a little, a college sophomore studying mechanical engineering who has only 3 months to complete the trail. Averaging 30 miles a day, I think he’ll manage it. From San Francisco, his family has a cabin in Truckee he’s going back to for his first zero day. I wish I had half his energy!
After 15.3 miles we finally got close to the restaurant around noon when we stumbled upon trail magic! The notorious Keith, who we got a ride from day 1, was back! Drinks and food he made everyone feel welcome. But snacks don’t cut it like a hot sandwich does so we left after a few minutes.
When we got to the restaurant we ran into the running crew (maybe more like the hobbling crew from the looks of it). They made it to Truckee! But at 11pm. I still don’t know why they did it. Either way they were grabbing a ride 20 miles up the trail. I’d be shocked if we run into them again.
After a French dip it was time to hit the trail again. We ascended up with a beautiful view of Donner Lake. The Donner story is still something I find fascinating. I thought about it a lot today, for obvious reasons. The rest of the day was nondescript. Lots of trees which I absolutely love. After the Sierra I do not mind at all “boring”. There have been a ton of blowdowns blocking the trail, but I think this is just a small taste of what’s to come.
We got to camp in good time and what wasn’t a good time were all the mosquitoes. After 3 days without much activity I couldn’t believe that as soon as we get to camp is when they made a reappearance. Impeccable timing.
Tomorrow is going to be a easy one. Unfortunately Sierra City’s post office doesn’t open until 10am, so we’re pigeonholed to get there until late. And I need the post office. We’re officially out of bear canister territory and I desperately need to get rid of it. It has dug into my back the last week, making these high mileage days super uncomfortable. Plus I need to get rid of the microspikes, they have been useless for a while. With only 31 miles between us and Sierra City, it makes no sense to rush those miles. So it looks like I may get to sleep in! It does, however, impact our ability to get into Belden by early Sunday. But I have no doubt we’ll find a way!
Day 77: July 1; 26.3 miles
I cannot believe it’s July! June was the fastest month I think I have ever experienced. I can’t believe we accomplished so much in that time span. That’s probably why it felt like it flew by!
It was a full moon last night, shining directly into my tent to the extent that it made my tent look like it was glowing. But I was so tired it didn’t bother me.
We left at our normal time and when I say there was nothing to write about today, there was nothing to write about. It was mostly in the trees with only 3000’ of manageable climbing. We saw only two people all day. It was boring, but I loved it.
The reason why we were rushing to Belden by Sunday is because the store we sent resupply packages to is closed Monday and Tuesday. Give a guess as to what day we were due to arrive. Not wanting to have to wait two days for them to open to collect our stuff, we were making every effort to get there Sunday. But today (a Wednesday) we were finally able to call the store. The owner, Michele, said not to rush – we can still get our packages Monday. PHEW. With Sierra City likely holding us up, I was growing more concerned that we weren’t going to make it. And now we don’t have to worry about it! Just hoping the holiday weekend doesn’t throw a wrench in our plans. And huge shout out to my parents, who sent out my package just in time. I think it was just as stressful for them as figuring out how we’re gonna make it in time was for me.
We got to camp just after 5pm. We’re camping by Milton Creek and had enough sun to wash up. I can’t say it’s warm sun, we’re in the middle of a cold snap. It was 35 degrees this morning. Talk about brisk! Soon Code, Sherpa, and Quickdraw joined us at camp. I had all of them believing I was the winner of season 32 of Survivor. Maybe one day!
Even though the rush to get to Belden has been called off, we’re still trying to get to Sierra City early. There’s a breakfast burrito with my name on it, plus we were told it’s a tough hitch to get into town. If we have to, it’s a 1.5 mile walk in and out. I don’t want to add 3 miles to the day, but if we must at least it’ll get done early.
Day 78: July 2; 18.7 miles
With visions of breakfast burritos dancing in my head all night, I slept really well and woke up excited to finally get a breakfast burrito. Only 4.7 miles were between me and achieving that goal.
The miles went quickly with the company of Blaze and Code. Blaze is from Minnesota and just got back on trail after nursing an injury for a month. She is happy to be back and no longer has the goal of Canada on the forefront of her mind. Instead the goal is to take it slow and enjoy the little moments. She said it takes so much pressure off her and she is enjoying it more than ever. Since we’ve started picking up the miles, I have noticed a shift in “fun”. It’s shifted to a more focused and intentional plan, since Canada is still very much the goal. I wouldn’t say it’s any less fun, just a bit less “laissez-faire”.
Sierra City is only 1.5 miles off trail. But of course, none of us wanted to walk it. The road is not heavily traveled, especially at 8:00am on a Tuesday, so we started walking. Eventually, only half a mile out of town, we lucked out and got picked up by a sprinter van, easily accommodating all 4 of us.
Sierra City is a cute tiny little town that has a country store, post office, and breakfast burritos. All a hungry hiker needs. I sent a small box there for resupply after hearing the store has limited stock. Well, they were wrong. The store, albeit expensive, was fully stocked with everything a hiker would need. Oh well.
I loaded up on a 3lb burrito (Code and I were the only ones to finish the whole thing) and a milkshake. I offset the weight in my belly by offloading weight in my pack. I happily sent home my bear can, some clothes, and microspikes. All in all, it saved me about 4lbs off my back.
All in all we spent about 3 hours in town. But alas, there were miles to conquer and we had to depart. Absolutely refusing to walk back to trail, we stood on the side of the road with thumbs out. Within minutes we were picked up by Vive and dropped off to trail, where we ran into Silver and Icelandic Poker. Great timing for them cause they caught the ride back into town with Vive.
With an exceedingly full belly, I was not at all ready for the huge climb waiting for me. I had been anticipating this climb for 2 days. All the comments made it sound heinous. At 8 miles and 3500’ elevation gain, I knew I’d done worse. But the FarOut comments claimed it was fully exposed, nothing but rocks/slate, and vegetation that scratched up legs. Well, the first 3.5 miles were great. Shaded and in the trees, I wondered what the next 4.5 miles had in store. As we were coming out of the trees we surely were exposed, we could see right down 1000’ to Sierra City. And there it was, the 1200 mile sign. The miles certainly are coming faster and easier, just like I hoped and planned for. I can’t keep dilly dallying, I need to get home to my dog!
Emilie Bikes and Hikes 