PCT SOBO DAY 77 – Trail to Truckee

Day 77

Start: Stealthsite, mile 1471.2

End: I-80/Truckee, mile 1497.7

Miles driven: 26.5 miles

This morning I woke up refreshed from my deep, cozy sleep. I tried to get up a little earlier so I could get to Truckee before it got dark, but I ended up packing up and leaving camp at about the same time I usually do. Oh ok. At least I tried.

It was cold this morning! I wore gloves for the first few miles of the day so my fingers and the air could warm up before taking them off. The sky was a perfect, bright blue and finally the sun rose high and shone warmly. I spent the morning right under the sky, hiking along the ridges and admiring the distant lakes and mountains.

The road was quiet today. Fortunately, there were no dirt bikes on the trail in this section. As morning turned into afternoon, more clouds appeared, filling the sky with pockets of shadow. I wished the gaps in the clouds would fall right above me because it was too cold without the sun. I sat at lunch in my puffy clothes, looking up at the sky from time to time to see when I would get another ray of warm sunlight.

Lunch finished, I continued along the trail and shortly after came across another SOBO. It was the first time I had met her, but I had been following her name in the tracking records for quite some time. Sometimes I find it funny to put a face to the name of the trail because you never know what to expect. Sometimes the name fits his appearance, sometimes it’s a complete surprise.

As I began my final climb of the day, I realized I was in good shape to make it to Truckee before dark. I wanted to get in and out (just resupply and get back on the road right away), but I was going to get into town a little late for that. As I got closer to the road, more and more people appeared on the road. There was a group of college kids and their instructors, who were on their outdoor education school trip, as well as a couple of what looked like multi-day hikers. Then a runner appeared, so I knew I was almost there.

After a final descent, I could hear the roar of the busy road. It didn’t take me long to get a car at the on-ramp, and I was soon headed to Truckee! My hookup was a young ski enthusiast who practiced urban skiing. I’m not a big skier, I had no idea what that was, but apparently he and his friends build ski jumps in the city and film them. You learn something new every day.

Once in town, I said thank you and goodbye to my problem and headed straight to the nearby Indian restaurant. When I say this meal was delicious, I mean it! It was definitely the best Indian food I’ve had so far. Full and satisfied, I headed to the grocery store to resupply and then made the long walk to the hotel for the night.

Once clean and comfortable, I collapsed into bed and quickly fell asleep.

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

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