September 13, 2016

Dicks Lake (mile 1107.6) to bushcamp (mile 1129.7)

Miles: 22.1

Our total miles: 2487

We all slept well during the night, warm and cozy in our sleeping bags.

Sometime during the night the earplug in Andy’s left ear fell out (this happens from time to time), and around 4 or 5 in the morning Andy woke up to the sound of rain.

He smiled, turned to his side and drifted off to sleep once more.

We had all planned to wake up early to catch the sunrise over Dicks Lake, but when we woke up around 6:30, it was to the sound of snow. 

And it was cold out! We were all glad we had put up our rain flies last night. 
Since we couldn’t go out to watch the sunrise, Kelly joined us in our tent for coffee, tea and hot chocolate. 

We enjoyed 3 rounds of hot beverages, sharing food and good conversation until 9am. 

It was still cloudy and cold but it had stopped snowing so we decided to pack up and hit the trail. 

We were walking by 10am, wearing most of our layers as we descended about 1000 feet to beautiful Fontanillis Lake.

Here Kelly took the Bayview Trail back to her car. We really enjoyed her company and are grateful she was able to join us. 

The dark clouds remained in the sky most of the day, threatening to produce rain but only spitting and hailing for short periods. 

For the first 6 miles or so we enjoyed cruising along the rolling trail. The short ups and downs and cool weather were a good combo for quick miles.

We were determined to hike 22 miles today to have the option of going into Truckee tomorrow. 

Laurie set a good pace from 12pm til 5pm, even with us making time to stop and chat with SOBOs and other hikers.

Andy kept track of our progress:

12pm- 1pm = 3.1 mph (rolling terrain)

1pm – 2pm = 3.1 mph (rolling terrain)

2pm – 3pm = 2.3 mph (snack break, got water, had hail and light rain)

3pm – 4pm = 3.0 mph

4pm – 5pm = 2.6 mph (mostly climbed, took break at trailhead parking)

5pm – 6pm = ??  got distracted, took side trail for views, sent text messages, caught up with The Grateful Red whom we first met at Lava Spring in Washington.

Even though we got distracted the last hour or so, we still made it to camp around 6:45pm!

We layered up (it was cold and windy along the ridge), set up our tent and with camera in hand went over to the ridge to watch the beautiful sunset. 

The dark clouds turned orange, then pink. 

We love sunsets and enjoy every one of them that we get to see. 

We were getting cold so we returned to our tent. Laurie quickly got in the tent and Andy cooked. 

We were running really low on fuel so Andy squeezed filtered water out of Laurie’s Platypus bladder to avoid having to boil the water for 5 minutes. 

There was just enough fuel in the canister to boil water for dinner, then it died.

Laurie didn’t get to enjoy hot water but she did get to eat bison pasta for dinner! 

After a delicious and satisfying dinner we made a plan for town day tomorrow. 

Now we sleep. It’s cold but we hope to stay warm and cozy in our little home.

Tonight we are grateful for our waterproof tent and sunshine after the rain.

September 12, 2016

Lake aloha (mile 1097.3) to Dicks Lake (mile 1107.6)

Miles: 10.3

Our total miles: 2464.9

The wind howled all night. We were glad we had chosen to camp in a protected spot in the trees rather than out in the open.

Around 6:45am Kelly and Laurie walked down to the water to take pictures of the morning glow reflecting off of the lake. 

The lake was choppy from the wind but the granite surrounding the lake displayed a nice rosy golden color.

With only 11 miles on the agenda it was too cold and early to start walking so we all snuggled into one tent and enjoyed a leisurely morning sipping hot beverages.

Eventually we packed up and walked along Lake Aloha until the trail forked. We continued on the PCT past Heather Lake and eventually around Susie Lake. 

The trail was rocky and the wind persisted. At times Laurie felt as if the wind knocked her off balance. It was hard walking and we were all thankful we had trekking poles.

We stopped for an early lunch at Susie Lake. The wind made it too cold for a swim but we enjoyed lounging in the sun.

From here we gently climbed up toward Gilmore Lake. We took a side trail and played at its shores – skipping rocks and seeing who could throw the furthest. 

Kelly worked up the nerve to go swimming and we cheered her on as she dove into the clear and cold water.

We slowly gained another 1000 feet of elevation as we made our way up to Dicks Pass. This pass is the last time the PCT travels over 9,000 feet. It is hard to believe that the mountains we walked through and up and down in Washington are all lower than 9,000 feet!

Near the the top of the pass we ran into a group of 4 SOBOs. They asked us about resupply options in the Sierra and transportation options.

It is interesting that no matter which direction you hike, there are still things to worry about. 

From the Pass we dropped down to Dicks Lake. It was a beautiful lake.

We claimed our spots in the trees (by leaving our backpacks there) and headed to the water before we lost sunlight. 

Kelly and Laurie swam and then warmed themselves on warm granite boulders. It was a wonderful way to finish a good day on the trail.

We ate miso soup and dinner sitting on a large rock watching pink clouds cross the sky.

The wind picked up after the sun set. We started to set up our tents in one spot but quickly changed our minds and moved them to more protected spots. Kelly’s tent flew 20 feet as we all stepped away to move our tent. 

We each put up the rain fly to add a little warmth.

Tonight we are grateful for friends joining us on the trail and the opportunity to slow down and enjoy each mile.

September 11, 2016 

Echo Lake Trailhead (mile 1092.3) to Lake Aloha (mile 1098.3)

Miles: 6

Our total miles: 2454.6

Laurie tossed and turned last night resulting in little sleep. Needless to say she woke up tired. Andy though, slept well. 

Before leaving our room in the morning we uploaded a few blog posts, checked our bank accounts and credit card statements.

Then we got hungry, so we went in search of breakfast. 

Crissy and Eric had brought a lot of veggies, which we used to make scrambled eggs. 

Andy made bacon as well. 

Oh how we love fresh food. Many people who hike a long trail experience deep gratitude for certain things we take for granted – such as running water at our fingertips. 

What we miss most and will never take for granted is fresh food. Oh how we love cooking and eating fresh, crunchy food!

Andy hadn’t finished cooking all the bacon when Laurie started on her second breakfast – leftover Thai food.

As we finished eating Eric returned from his run with Barrett (who owns the house we were staying in) and told us of the mother bear and 2 cubs they saw.

Andy excitedly listened to them recounting their sighting and couldn’t help but laugh that they saw more bears on their morning run than we have our entire hike. 

Around 10am we (along with Crissy, Eric and Adara (their 1 and a half year old daughter)) piled into their car and drove to the Bayview Trailhead.

We went on short hike until Kelly – Laurie’s former roommate and good friend – arrived around 10:45. The parking lot was full and the plan was for Kelly to take our spot but someone else left just before us, allowing her to snag a spot.

We drove back to the house, sorted our resupplies for the next leg, packed our packs, ate more leftovers and piled into the car once more. 

Crissy and Eric graciously drove us to the Echo Lake trailhead, where we would resume our hike with Kelly.

We can’t thank Crissy and Eric enough for their generosity and help! 

We hit the trail around 1:30pm, making our way slowly up the trail past Lower Echo Lake.

It was Sunday and there were TONS of people on the trail, many of them heading back to Echo Lake.

Many hikers inquired about what Andy was carrying in his right hand. Andy excitedly informed them it was curry from our favorite Thai restaurant in San Francisco. 

We can’t get enough Thai food these days. Thank you Kelly for bringing us more delicious curry!

We walked past many beautiful cabins thinking “we could live here, we just need to work remotely.”

South and North Echo Lakes are almost as beautiful as the cabins surrounding them are charming.

The trail was mainly flat until we passed North Echo Lake. Then we climbed about 600 feet to Lake Aloha.

It’s great to have Kelly with us to enjoy the views.

Laurie and Kelly went swimming in Lake Aloha before dinner. We snacked, then set up our tents in a sheltered spot. 

We considered setting up closer to the water but elected not to do so as the wind picked up once the sun set. 

We enjoyed good conversation and delicious red and green curry while watching the sunset. 

The moon is bright but there are still many stars out. 

Tonight we sleep without the fly on, enjoying the warm mountain air, sheltered from the wind. 

And the solitude is worth more than gold. We only walked 6 miles from a busy place like Lake Tahoe and feel so far from civilization. 

There are only 2 other people here that we know of. We feel like we have the wilderness to ourselves. It’s very relaxing and enjoyable.

Yesterday and this morning were very busy but as always, it was very worth it.

We got to see genuinely great people and share our journey with them. 

Tonight we ate grateful for amazing friends and more delicious Thai food.