By the time I awoke this morning, the chill of the air overnight had mercifully chased the hordes of mosquitoes from the air. As Beardoh, Sweet Pea and I struck out for the first miles of the morning, the trail began to tilt up out of our low lying campsite into the sunlight and the warmth of its early rays.
Donner Pass
Of the three historical signs I passed this morning commemorating various points of interest around the crossing of Donner Pass, not one of them mentioned the infamous and ill-fated Donner Party. And rather than rehash the gruesome story of their fate in my mind, I stood for a few moments along the now quiet Highway 40…
The Birth of Wildflowers
Slowly but surely these past few days, my attention has begun to shift away from the miles of stunning scenery and towards the ground that had for so long been comprised of either dusty desert or shrinking snowpack. The calendar may have fooled you into thinking it's summer, but up here spring is just beginning…
Lake Tahoe Blue
Since yesterday morning, the PCT has coincided with the Tahoe Rim Trail, a loop that circumnavigates Lake Tahoe in the mountains high above. Surprisingly, there have only been pocket glimpses of the lake itself, but each time it appears its sapphire waters are unmistakable. I've resolved to dub the shade of its water "Lake Tahoe blue".
Desolation
With Proton having left the house early this morning, Beardoh, Sweet Pea, Dreamcatcher and I enjoyed one final breakfast at the house before contacting a local trail angel named Sue for a ride back to the trail. Happening to be at the grocery store only a few minutes walk down the street, we met her in the parking lot…
Nearos and Zeros
An extremely brief morning of hiking was punctuated by one final surprise just as we reached the highway that would take us into South Lake Tahoe for some much anticipated time off: another sighting of Coppertone and his van of trail magic. Setup in a nearby stand of trees was his usual arrangement of camp chairs surrounding a small table.
Anticipation
Like a kid on Christmas Eve, my mind was distracted all day today with thoughts not of the present but of the very near future. Tomorrow, our little hiking band rolls into South Lake Tahoe for nearly three full days of rest that each and every one of us has been looking forward to for several weeks now. But far more than that, as much as I've been satisfying an enormous part of who I am with this trail adventure…