Day 69-74
Mile1019.5-1094.5
Sonora Pass to Echo Lake/Tahoe
Day 69-Wet Feet
We left Sonora Pass early and were immediately hiking through beautiful wild flowers in pristine mountain country.
The hiking was not bad with mild ups and downs in the Carson Iceberg wilderness. We dropped below 10,000 ft for the last time on the PCT.
As we were getting water in a canyon Jenna slipped on a wet rock getting her foot all wet. As I was getting water for myself in the same spot I also slipped and fell in. It was even funnier when Jenna slipped and fell in another creek a few hours later. It is nice that there are few Mosquitos here but there are tons of biting flies. Mosquitos are much worse though so we are thankful for that. As the day progressed it got windy and clouds in the east started to build to an intimidating level. The wind was nice because it kept the Mosquitos at bay but we kept a weary eye on the clouds. Near the end of the day we were walking down a steep embankment and we both fell again flat on our backpacks. We found a nice little spot near Asa lake and as we were falling asleep we heard the sound of cattle bells.
Day 70-The Amazing Race
Today we woke up eager to get hiking. 7 miles in to the day we crossed Ebbets pass.
On the other side of the road were three other hikers watching the bike race. We found waited for a clearing in the bikes ad crossed over and chatted with them for awhile. The bike race was called the Death Ride and it looked just like it sounded. There were thousands of riders and apparently the race is around 100 miles and crosses five passes. We were right below the pass around a corner and every time a rider came up the hill below us to see the last hill of the pass they cursed.
After siting and watching the race for awhile we kept hiking and passed a large trail crew working on clearing some overgrown brush. They gave us cookies, chatted with us, and got an awesome picture for us.
We hiked on and ate lunch below some huge conglomerate cliffs. It really seems like we enter a new forest or wilderness every day.
After lunch we went up to a ridge where we got cell service and called our parents since they had not heard from us in awhile. We ended the day hiking 22 miles in a beautiful spot near Lily Pad lake. There were lots of owls around us hooting making for a nice way to fall asleep.
Day 71-This must be how celebrities feel!
The terrain in this area is so much easier than the Sierras. Most slopes are less steep and the trail is mainly dirt as opposed to loose rocks and steps. We got hiking today with an end destination in mind. We don't normally hike with a destination but we wanted to meet my family at Echo lake the following day. It was a cool morning hike through rocky terrain and lakes.
Early in the day we saw three US forest service rangers on a nearby road. They stopped and talked to us and gave us a few surveys. Afterwards they gave us apple crisp bars for the road. We hiked on to Carson pass through more wild flowers and jagged exposed peaks. When we neared Carson pass we began to pass hoards of day hikers flowing into the area. At Carson pass we came upon an information cabin where we were greeted by two volunteers at the cabin who gave us fruit, food, water and company for several hours.
While at the Carson pass cabin we talked to several of the hikers/ tourists about our adventure. Almost everyone thought it was amazing and really cool. After this much needed break we moved on in our mission to do 25 miles that day. As we hike on through wild flowers in view of lake Tahoe we passed several dozen other hikers.
We stopped and chatted with a dozen people about our journey. Everyone seemed really excited and in awe. We felt like celebrities today. We eventually got to camp after passing through some beautiful meadows and many more groves of wild flowers.
We really feel lucky to have made it this far and are both very proud of ourselves. We are still so excited for the rest of the journey and our anxious to see what still lies ahead.
Day 72-In Good Company
Both our iPhones were dead this morning so we had to rely on our natural clocks to wake us up.
Fortunately this was around 7 am. The hiking in to Echo lake was through a beautiful forest with lots of granite walls and boulders. On the trail we met a hiker who was quitting at Highway 50 because she had had enough. We all hiked through a blowdown section where we lost the main trail. Luckily the trail we followed eventually led us back to the real trail. Once at highway 50 we very carefully crossed. Crossing highways are the most dangerous part of any hikers day. Fast moving cars at Carson pass yesterday really gave us a scare. We anxiously hiked from the highway to echo lake where we hoped my family would be. We got to the lake and went to the post office/store. There we saw Kindergarden Cop, who was well, and another hiker who had hiked from Donner Pass to Echo Lake. After sitting for ten minutes I saw my dad riding his bike. I went over and gave him a hug and said hello. My mom came down to the store a few minutes later and I gave her a big hug too. We all went up to the RV and I gave my sisters and dog a hug too. It was really great to see my family, it has been awhile. We all rode in to south lake Tahoe to an outfitter where we got new aquamira, new shoes for myself, deet, and socks. We did some other errands and headed to our camp site at sugar pine state campground. Once there we did the usual emptying of our packs and my parents helped do our laundry the old fashioned way.
That night we ate plenty and sat around talking and watching Star Trek. It was a surreal day and we were both very grateful to my family for traveling all this way to spend time with us and help us out. Thanks Dad, Mom, Desi, Ang, and Glacier! It is really awesome to be done with central California. Jenna and I are very excited for what awaits us in this new section.
Day 73-0 Day with Nate's Family
It is nice to wake up in a warm bed once and awhile. Today Jenna and I decided to simply rest as much as possible. We ate a great big breakfast with my family and sat around most of the morning chatting. In the afternoon Jenna and I went to a coffee shop and pizza place in order to use wifi to upload some photos and videos. That is one unfortunate aspect of technology on the trail. Your days off all seem to be dictated by wifi. The media section of the blog is missing the entire central California photo album and I will post that as soon as I find a computer. After getting pizza and using the Internet we went down to the lake with my family and sat around. I went out on the lake with a kayak for a little bit. It was a lot of fun and got to work some muscles other than my legs for a change. That night we ate more food and sat down and watched the movie the Matrix. Jenna, Ang, and I also went on a late night bike ride. It was an awesome day and we got a lot if rest.
Day 74-Double Zero!?
Today was the first time we have slept in the same bed for more than two nights. We all got up and ate a big breakfast. Afterwards, Jenna and I got our packs and food ready before heading back to the pizza shop to use wifi. After a few hours we went down to the beach and laid around and played in the water a little bit with the family.
It will be sad to leave everyone. We have really enjoyed our time here and have gotten some much needed rest. That night we ate more food and sat around the fire and relaxed with the fam. Tomorrow we will begin section K and northern California. In Tahoe we have taken 2 full days off and another day mostly off. We are about half way done with the time we estimated it would take to do this trip. In a few weeks we will be halfway done with our miles. The pace picks up from here and hopefully our bodies are up to the challenge. Happy trails!
-Natey
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