On the Trail Again

Well almost!  Due to bad snow conditions we have decided to bike path and road walk to Donner Pass. Today was our first day and we walked 11.4 miles. I got a blister on my foot Carol has none so she’s winning. The day was actually very nice no rain like was forecasted and a very comfortable walking temperature. We met a lady on the bike path who offered to drive us to the campground or let us stay in her cabin if we needed and drive us all the way to Donner Pass. We must be very new to this because we turned it all down.  Even though we’re not on the trail we want to do the miles so onward to Donner pass.  This is just a condensed version of the days events so people know we have started. I will update this more when I have a better opportunity. Signing out from our tent in the Tahoe Forest.

2016 PCT Begins

And now for the rest of the story. Last night we begrudgingly made a decision. We could pretend we are invincible and hike the trail risking a fall to sure death or be boring and responsible. Sorry but we chose option 2.  We will start near South Lake Tahoe and hike a bike path and some road walking to Donner Pass and the lodge. We woke up around 630 and were packed and loaded into Cheryl’s car by 7:10 AM.  On the way we stopped in the town of Lincoln California and we have a great breakfast at Awful Annie’s Café. Carol had a banana and berry waffle and I had a Montecristo breakfast sandwich with ham, egg, cheese, and fruit. Excellent food and Cheryl surprised us by treating us to breakfast.  She is Trail Angel above and beyond.

Bike or Hike?

We get to our drop off point and say our goodbyes. Once again we are left to her own devices with no vehicle and all our belongings on our back and only our feet to walk on. It is 11 AM as we start along the lake shore. It’s a bit breezy but there is no sign of the forecasted rain and snow.  After about 5 miles we stopped for lunch in Tahoe city at the Bridgetender. A burger and a burrito for lunch. This urban hiking may not be as bad as we thought.  From there we lost sight of the lake and walk the bike path mostly along the river. It was pleasant but the pavement is hard on the feet. The path ended and  shortly thereafter we saw a 7 11 store so of course we stopped to have a big gulp.

First Nights Camp

From there it was another mile or so to our camp for the night at the Silver Creek Campground.  We found a nice spot and settled in for the evening. I think we fell asleep by 730. The stats for today were 11.4 miles walked 3 mph pace. We left at 11 o’clock and arrived at 4:30. We are at an elevation of 6060 feet and not once did we have to walk in snow so maybe we made the right choice. We will see what tomorrow brings. Have a good night