Today we were heading back out into the bush, leaving Sierra City but heading within a few miles of our first zero since Ashland. I woke up around 5 and slipped out of the tent grabbing my pad and sleeping bag on the way out. I did my best not to wake Sherpa and let her sleep in till breakfast time at 8. My goal was to get a cold shower and take advantage of the Wi-Fi at the general store before the other hikers got up and took over.
The shower was brisk and refreshing and even though my sleep was a little sporadic, I felt good. At the general store I downloaded some podcasts and worked on the blog. I have been addicted to science and history podcasts and I was eager to get as many as I could while the internet was working well. A good internet connection is hard to come by out here. Someone at the Inn across the street was playing country music and it was one of the most enjoyable few moments on the trail as the sun came up and I was alone and chilly on the porch of an empty, small, mountain town.
Seven o’clock rolled around and it was time to wake up Sherpa and pack up in time for breakfast at our new favorite cafe, The Red Moose.
She was fast asleep and I felt bad waking her up but knew she would dissappointed if I didn’t.
We packed up our stuff and walked to the cafe right before it opened and sat on the porch and took in the sights. The owner soon came out and greeted us and obviously recognized us. We followed him in and sat down for a delicious classic breakfast. The pancakes were delicious and I am very discriminating when it comes to trail cakes.
After breakfast we walked outside to hitch a few yards away in the sun. At first it was a bit discouraging but after a few minutes a mom and her son pulled up and offered to take us to the trail. They were out on a weekend trip together and were planning to hike to some nearby falls.
We arrived to the trail with our packs way to heavy for a day and a half but my bag contained two big turkey sandwiches from the deli and I was really excited to eat them.
It turned out to be a really beautiful hike and we were really excited because today we would hit the halfway mark. Sherpa is really good at keeping track of our mileage on the flip and so she had it pinned down.
After only going short distance we came across the mom and her son. They were on there way back from the falls. They asked how we navigate the trail and we told them about Guthook, the app most hikers use. We said our goodbyes and walked on.
A short distance after we encountered the falls and snapped a couple photos and hiked on. A little while later we ran across Bamboo, a nobo hiker we hadn’t seen since before Kennedy Meadows. It was great to see him and we pumped him for info on the sections ahead.
We were back on our way and before long we hit the bridge that marked our halfway point. As we were making our little rock monument, Phil appeared out of nowhere. We realized it was his halfway point as well so we snapped a photo with him and had a celebratory snack! It was Phil’s last day so it was a bittersweet moment for him.
Soon we were on our way again and did a bit of climbing passing lots of Nobos. We encountered a large rock slides and many interesting formations. There was also several striking slopes covered in flowering mule’s ear that we had to pause and appreciate.
We finished our hike early and we were excited about eating and relaxing but when we arrived the mosquitos were unbearable. We ended up getting in our tent as quickly as we could and not leaving till the next morning. I was a little dissappointed because it was Phil’s last night and he had started a small fire. I would have loved to join him and celebrate but it was just too buggy for me.
We ate dinner in the tent and brushed our teeth. I swallowed the toothpaste so as to not have to face the bugs and then we turned in. We were both excited about our zero coming up in Truckee. For me it was an important milestone since most flip floppers had flipped north of Truckee heading north, so it was like a symbol of accomplishment in my mind.
The stars were brilliant and though we were plagued by rodents, red necks in their souped up trucks, and deer all night we slept like little hiker babies.
I surmised you ate your turkey sandwiches?
love u big
Oh yes! They were amazing 🙂