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.

September 10, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 1066.8) to Echo Summit trailhead (mile 1090)

Miles: 23.2

Our total miles: 2448.6

It was a warm, still night. We treasure these moments of complete silence. We imagine this may be one of the hardest parts of readjusting to city life – the constant noise.

We had friends meeting us at Echo Summit that evening so we wanted an early start. We were packed and walking by 6:30 am. 

We high-fived before we left camp because we were proud of how efficient we were.

The air was warm as we hiked up a ridge above Upper and Lower Blue Lakes. Smells of bacon and pancakes wafted into the air from the campground below. 

Throughout this thru hike Andy has refined his hiker forensic skills. While normally staring at the clouds, he occasionally looks down and is great at identifying shoe prints. He then links these prints to those hiking around us which helps us know who is ahead or behind. 

This morning Laurie, who always stares at the ground, noticed recent animal prints. They looked like cat prints and were accompanied by deer prints. We created a story about the wild chase that had occurred at dawn.

At one point in the quiet of the morning, the wind blew and rustled the dying mules ears leaves. Laurie jumped and squealed – thinking something was stalking her.

Oh the power of the mind!

We dropped down off the rocky ridge into a large green and yellow basin. The Aspen trees are starting to turn and the bright yellow leaves made us smile. We have walked through 3 seasons.

We switchbacked up toward Carson Pass, trying to guess where the trail would go next.

We stopped and chatted with 2 women at the junction of the PCT with the very popular Lake Winnemucca trail. They had hiked from Sonora Pass to Carson Pass and were curious about our adventure. We chatted for at least 15 minutes before continuing on.

We met again at the Carson Pass Visitor Center. This place was amazing. The log cabin is really cute, but what makes it amazing are the volunteers. 

There are over 60 volunteers who take turns providing information to day hikers and offering shelter and a little R&R to thru hikers. They gave us potable water and shared parts of their lunch with us. So incredibly sweet!

They had a scale and for the first time in over 6 months both of us weighed ourselves. 

Knowing that all scales are different and estimating our starting weights, we took these readings with a grain of salt.

Andy gained 4 lbs and Laurie lost 10. How did that happen? Men typically lose more weight than women. Must be the amount and kind of foods we eat. 

One of the volunteers told us that we were the healthiest looking thru hikers they had seen!

People also say we look clean… we guess our clothes hide the dirt well or they just don’t get close enough to us. We are pretty dirty!

It was 13.5 miles from Carson Pass to Echo Summit. It was hard to leave the comforts of the shady chairs and good conversation but we didn’t want to be late.

After an hour and a half, we unglued ourselves from our seats and walked into the afternoon heat. We gently climbed up to a ridge and then dropped down into a beautiful meadow with an old log cabin. 

Here the PCT joined the Tahoe Rim Trail. The trial continued on for 2 flat miles before climbing again to Showers Lake.

We got water at its outlet and continued climbing. We were so excited to see friends and take a shower that the miles seemed to fly by.

We got to the parking lot just after 6 pm. We changed into our “town clothes” and got comfy. 

Eric and Crissy had offered to pick up a “surprise dinner” for us too. We couldn’t say no to that!

We had pre soaked Laurie’s mac and cheese noodles before discussing dinner options so we decided to eat a first dinner and then a second dinner with them. 

This is one of the perks of doing this much walking – indulging with no remorse.

Crissy and Eric arrived right at 7:45 as planned, however we didn’t see them. We were sitting in a large empty parking lot but didn’t know that there was a closed gate up the road. 

It got darker and darker, and there we were, leaning up against our backpacks with our down jackets on, waiting.

Andy’s gut told him to go closer to the highway but we didn’t move. 

Luckily Andy had service and got a text saying they couldn’t find us. AT&T didn’t work but Verizon did. At this point we got up and walked toward Highway 50. Eric was outside the car calling for us. 

Andy heard him and yelled back. As we turned the corner we saw the gate. Oops! Next time we will walk a little further!

We were so happy to see great friends and ride in a warm car.

We got to the house, ate a delicious Thai dinner (thank you Eric and Crissy for the wonderful surprise), took showers and did laundry. 

This was the longest stretch without a shower for us the entire hike – 12 days!

We chatted until none of us could keep our eyes open. 

We go to bed tonight loving life, our friends and the delicious food we devoured.

Tonight we are grateful for patient and generous friends, warm water and soap!