PCT SOBO DAY 80 – To wet or not to wet

Day 80

Start: Stealthsite, mile 1538.9

End: Echo Lakes Road/South Lake Tahoe, mile ~1563.0

Miles driven: 24.1 miles

The only thing on my mind last night was whether or not a bear would find me and try to steal my food. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well at night. So, I got up a little late and took my time getting ready, sitting in the morning sun while I ate breakfast.

When I finally packed up and prepared to leave, I found my way back to the trail and headed south. Honestly, Desolation Wilderness was a bit of a disappointment. From what everyone had said, I was expecting a lot more beauty, but most of the time I found myself among the trees.

However, it wasn’t long before the landscape began to change. At Velma Lakes, I had a snack and soaked in the beautiful blue waters along with the sun. I definitely felt like I was getting closer to the Sierra. A little further on, the trail took me along the shore of Fontanillis Lake. It was so attractive that I was tempted to take a dip. However, I had a climb to face and more kilometers to cover.

Climbing Dick’s Pass was a little tricky, especially near the top when I reached a higher elevation. However, as always, the climb was worth it. It had a panoramic view of Lake Susie and many other lakes that I would pass later that day. I took a few minutes at the top to take it all in.

Now it was time to go down. The descent was a little long, but there were a lot of people walking towards the pass. Not only were there people, but there was also a bear! As usual, the bear didn’t look at me twice and went about its business. He had an ear tag, so I’m sure he had seen his fair share of humans.

For lunch, I stopped by Susie Lake and was again tempted to take a dip. I even took off my shoes and socks, but chickened out at the last minute. Instead, I enjoyed the sun while eating my meat and cheese sandwich. It was such a beautiful day; It couldn’t get any better than this.

But then he did it. After lunch, I walked around idyllic Heather Lake and then came face to face with Aloha Lake. Wow!! I definitely had to take a dip now. Today I wanted to get to South Lake Tahoe at a decent time, but I would have to sacrifice 30 minutes to enjoy this beauty. Lake Aloha looked more like a collection of small lakes linked together that stretched for at least a mile. Rocky shores were plentiful and there were plenty of great spots to take a dip.

I found a place and went inside. I didn’t go all the way in, but I enjoyed splashing in the water and looking up at the blue sky. This would have been a perfect campground if I hadn’t tried to get into town.

Soon it was time to say goodbye and hike the last few miles to the Echo Lake trailhead. I thought the trail was going to be smooth, but it was rocky and a little frustrating to walk on. Still, I found myself in the parking lot just before sunset. I received a complaint from a group of college kids returning from their weekend hike and soon found myself in South Lake Tahoe.

I was more than ready to rest when I got to my motel, so I quickly grabbed a pizza from across the street, showered, and relaxed for the rest of the night.

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

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