Welcome to Hostal California

I didn’t want to leave my tent this morning. The glow of dawn on the mountain was too beautiful. However, I only had one granola bar and a small bag of corn nuts left, so I needed to go into town to get more food.

Today’s climb was done entirely on the blue flame, outside the PCT. I hiked Kearsarge Pass on the lower route past Bullfrog Lake. The climb wasn’t too bad and the views were more than impressive. The decline, however, seemed to last a long time. Probably because you can first see the parking lot with about 2 miles to go and what seems so close is actually very far away.

I called a friend to pass the time and rode the long switchbacks as Rascal came into view. Her phone and watch had completely died so she packed up and walked not knowing what time it was and arrived at the trailhead around 8am. She had been waiting over 2 hours for Straight Up and I to get there.

An injured hiker, Ted Talk, was heading back to the Hostel California where he had been hanging out. I had room for a hiker, so we decided to send Straight Up to see if they could reserve beds for us. Not long after, a friendly couple crossed the parking lot and headed back to their car. I asked them if there was a chance they would head down the hill towards the city, and they said yes! They were going to Bishop and would be happy to give us a ride! I am very grateful for the kindness of the people here.

It was fun exchanging stories and hearing about their life here at Bishop. They live primarily in San Luis Obispo, but have a home here and come often to explore the Eastern Sierra. They had advice on the best trails in the area and the best restaurants in town.

Just when I got into town, some of my best friends stopped by for lunch on the way to Mammoth! I was more than happy to see them. We went to the brewery and had the most amazing food and handmade ice cream. They brought me some treats, including a new pair of shoes, and they had their dog with them so I could get some puppy snuggles. I feel very lucky to have friends who will go out of their way to visit me along the way. It’s not easy to coordinate, but even a quick visit makes me very happy.

I’ve been on the road for 7 days since the last city, which means my clothes haven’t been washed for longer. I smelled very bad. The first thing to do after lunch was to check into the hostel, then take a shower and wash my clothes.

Hostel California in Bishop is everything and more you would want in a hostel. It is a paradise for hikers and climbers built in an old Victorian house. I love the fun little paradoxes here. It gives him such charm. For example, the beautiful, intricate built-in wooden bookshelf in the living room is filled with VHS tapes and Nintendo 64 games.

The World Cup is on right now, so our next task was to find a place to watch a game. We walked to the local lounge, Rusty’s, where they had a huge projector and a mixed crowd of locals and day trippers. Exactly what we were looking for! After a few drinks and a few games of pool, we walked back to the lodge where we met up with Heaps and Tarzan. They started in May and are trying to meet the mid-August deadline, so they’re just catching up with the hiker bubble we’re in. I had fun listening to some of their trail stories and telling them about all the characters I’ve been meeting. They are both super sweet, I hope we run into them again.

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