Start: 0700 - South Lake Tahoe (Jennifer and Daniel's house)
End: 2030 - Fontanillis Lake
Miles (today): 19 (18.5 PCT, 0.5 off)
Miles (cumulative): 1147 (1000.5 PCT, 91.5 alternate, 55 off)
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." ~Lao Tzu
I think of the above quote quite a bit while on the trail, but today it echoed in my brain over and over - probably because of what Gayle said to me yesterday. :)
I woke up refreshed, took a fabulous shower, and enjoyed yet another delicious breakfast - this time egg sandwiches and a green smoothie made with kale fresh from the garden! Jennifer and Daniel really outdid themselves.
breakfast!
Jennifer chose the bee, Daniel chose the penguin
When Gayle came by around 0900 to take us to the trailhead, she surprised Nick and me with a going-back-to-the-trail care package - hard boiled eggs (she even thought to include salt and pepper!), a few bandanas (they always come in handy), and some healing balm (she noticed Nick's lips are chapped and that my cuticles/hangnails are a disaster). So very thoughtful! It was difficult to leave Jennifer and Daniel's - this may sound crazy but it felt like I was surrounded by friends/family while there. The kindness and generosity of the people we met in South Lake Tahoe blows me away!
Gayle graciously stopped at a gas station on the way to the trail so I could get new Smart Water bottles (the ones I had been carrying since day 1 were getting a little too nasty for my taste).
At the trailhead we ran into G-String and Sing Song... And Gayle became a trail angel to a few hikers who needed a ride into town. :)
a selfie with Gayle - I just can't get over how beautiful she is, inside and out
My injury was ok today, although I took it very easy (i.e. I walked very slowly) and I even took a few ibuprofen (I usually don't like to take pills when in pain - I think it's important to listen to your body - but the rocky terrain was a little challenging for the leg). All in all, though, it was fine. :)
After spending so much time with such good people off-trail it was a little difficult to get back in the hiking groove. There were a lot of day-hikers on the trail today, too (the most we've seen so far), which also made it difficult to come to grips with thru-hiking reality - I could have easily been visiting Tahoe and just out hiking for the day.
Nick and I made plans to meet at 1800 - whoever was ahead would stop and wait for the one behind. We should have known better than to arrange a meet based on a time (never do that - always choose a location!). I was a little ahead of him the first part of the day, but then I took a wrong turn and ended up walking off-trail for a while (0.5 miles total). During the time I spent off-trail, Nick got ahead of me. You can see the dilemma - he still thought I was ahead of him and so would hike until he ran into me ... only he would never run into me. Similarly, if I thought I was still ahead, I would have stopped at 1800 and waited in vain. However, I encountered a day hiker who said a guy had asked her if she saw a girl in a white shirt and black shorts and she wondered if he could have meant me. Yeah, he meant me. At least I knew Nick was ahead, although I didn't know what I could do about it (hiking faster was out of the question).
Even though I walked off trail and even though I was slow and even though the terrain was rocky and even though I wasn't sure what to do about the meeting at 1800 situation, I enjoyed myself. I even enjoyed walking up and over Dick's Pass despite the snowy descent! I thought of how good I felt being with Jennifer, Daniel, Gayle, and their friends and I thought a lot about letting go of who I am so I can become who I might be. For once, I didn't worry about the miles - I just walked.
By 2000 I desperately hoped Nick figured out he was ahead of me - the temperature had dropped, the wind had picked up, and my hands had turned white (even with the puffy gloves and hot hands!). At least I had a warm puffy jacket to wear - I'm so grateful that Jennifer convinced us to wash our puffy jackets while at their house because I think they are a bit warmer now (they are a lot puffier at least).
Happily, Nick had sort-of figured out I was behind him - he stopped at the campsite we briefly discussed this morning and became a little worried when I wasn't here. He decided to walk up the trail a little further to see if I was there and when he did HE SAW A BEAR about 20 yards away! When he told me about it I was both relieved that I wasn't there and really jealous.
[Video: Nick's bear encounter - Theresa, can you grab the video Nick posted from Facebook?]
I find it amusing that the first day we hike without our bear cans we see a bear (oh yeah, we are no longer required to carry those heavy things so we sent them back while in East Lake Tahoe.) We have all our food in those special odor-proof sacks and it's all in the tent with us- I really hope a bear doesn't come sniffing around tonight!
A huge thanks to my dear husband who once again had to do all the evening chores on his own - my hands were completely useless (I blame the wind). :(
Along the trail:
Desolation Wilderness is anything but desolate - we saw more hikers on the trail today than we ever have
Aloha Lake
Heather Lake