PCT SOBO DAY 82 – Back on the trail!

Day 82

Start: Highway 50/South Lake Tahoe, mile 1563.9

Finish: Stealthsite, mile 1577.7

Miles driven: 13.8 miles

After feeling agitated yesterday, I was determined not to repeat history. As usual, I lazed around for a bit in the morning sun, but got up and headed out a little before departure time. After doing some last minute chores and eating breakfast, I hopped on the bus and headed out of town.

It wasn’t long before a local woman contacted me. He lives just outside of South Lake Tahoe, so he usually picks up hikers if they’re headed there. Before long, I got back on the road and headed south again.

In the mountains, the day was warm and the sky was clear. There were quite a few hikers out there; including a SOBO I hadn’t met yet. He was moving a little slower, so I doubted I’d see him again. My first climb wasn’t that bad; I gained quite a bit of elevation, but the climb was steady and forgiving. Halfway there I remembered that I had to bounce a package. Fortunately, I got some cell service at an overlook and was able to complete my last minute business.

When I reached the top of the climb, the mountains opened up and revealed a magical Sierra wonderland. Every tree, rock, and blade of grass seemed perfectly placed, as if painted by a classically trained master. I had to stop and stare for several minutes to soak in all the magnificence.

As I progressed, I found even more beauty. I went down to a stretching golden meadow. Small streams ran along the trail with brown fish gliding through the narrow channels. I saw a family of stork-like birds strutting through the burnt orange grass. I felt like I was in a fairytale forest surrounded by mysterious fauna.

I continued on, up a short final climb and came to a road and the Carson Pass visitor center. During opening hours this is a nice place for hikers offering refreshments and free WiFi. However, now that it was late, everything was closed. However, I still had to take a photo of the rarely seen payphone on the wall.

Not feeling like walking much more during the day, I stopped here relatively early and decided to have dinner at the picnic tables outside the visitor center. I only had one problem: I didn’t have water to cook with.

There were several cars and a couple of hikers in the parking lot, so I figured one of them would have some water to spare. I received much more than I expected! Not only did they give me 3 bottles of water, but they were very excited to hear about my hike and amazed that I had hiked all the way from Canada. In addition to the water, they also gave me a small bottle of whiskey and some fruit. Sweet!

After saying thank you, I prepared my food and said goodbye to the hikers as they drove back home. The air was getting colder and the sky a little darker. It didn’t take me long to devour my dinner, leaving me with nothing to do but set up camp. I found a spot among the trees and since I had some free time before nightfall, I found a spot to watch the sunset. Sometimes it’s nice to have nothing to do and enjoy the daylight while you’re at camp.

When the color show was over, I ran to my tent and snuggled into my warm quilt. The road noise was a little loud, but once I put the earplugs in, I was off to dreamland.

And that’s a day in the life of a PCT SOBO hiker!

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