Clair Tappan Lodge

This morning when we woke up it was raining and the temperature was 34°. We stayed snug and dry in our tiny tent. I think I will start a show that is called tiny tents. Maybe it will become a movement like the tiny houses.  By the looks around me I don’t think the Californians will join the cause.  A little after nine, the rain stopped and we packed up and headed out of the campground. Before we left we visited their visitor center and museum learning the history of the Donner party and the pass.  Maybe that is why we avoided the dangerous snow sections so we would not have to become fine young cannibals.  There is a rock group reference there. The rest of the day was more Road walking.

Near Donner Pass

The weather was cloudy and brisk. At Donner Pass a bar and restaurant was open  that was closed when we did our scout trip. So of course we had to go in and check it out. We ended up having a burger and fries. We also met two thru hikers who had come from the Mexican border and were much younger than we were. They both had struggled with this last section  saying it was much worse than the Sierras and the weather was miserable for the last three days. This made us feel like we made the right decision in skipping that section. We have plans of possibly doing it when we return to Sacramento in September or possibly another year.

Clair Tappan Lodge

The weather for the next few days are supposed to be beautiful so we are excited to rejoin the actual trail and continue our journey north. After our meal we walked another 1.4 miles down the road to the Clair Tappan lodge. We are at 7000 feet of elevation now.  We have got a little historical information about the lodge. It was built in 1934 and is run by the Sierra Club. Ansel Adams stayed here and his photographs are on display throughout the building.  Our room was smaller than most closets. It is bunk beds and then about 2 foot of space next to the bed. The trail we walked up to the lodge on was wider than our room.

Our Closet Room

The people here are very nice and we have met some other hikers that will be continuing on or starting their journey here.  We also got to pick up our resupply package that we left and so we are good to go for the next leg plenty of food. We also were able to do laundry and take a real shower. After 31.7 miles we are excited to begin walking the trail tomorrow.  They had dinner available for us at the lodge if we wanted however we chose to have macaroni and cheese so we did not have to carry it as we had one extra meal due to all the town food we have been eating. Time to shove Carol up to The top bunk for the night. happy trails.