Kyle and I had intended to Zero in Tahoe, but after the quiet and seclusion of the trail, the bustling town felt overwhelming and we headed back to trail early.
We hitched a ride back to trail with a wonderful trail angel Kathy, who works at a local bird shelter. She actually had a bird she was about to release in a box in the seat next to Kyle.
We hiked a few miles and were rewarded with views of Echo lake and Aloha lake, which I promptly jumped into! Sunset at Aloha lake was enchanting.
The next morning we hit 1,100 mile, but perhaps what was even more exciting is that we had our 5-year wedding anniversary! We celebrated both by dining out the Sierra Pine Resort on homemade bread, wine, salmon and steak!
We also trekked across the infamous Donner pass, which was part of the transcontinental road. This was a popular route over the Sierra’s in the 1848 Gold rush. The pass is named after the Donner Party, a group of American pioneers who became stranded there in late 1846 while traveling to California. Fortunately we brought extra provisions, so did not have to partake in the traditional cuisine.
We had all types of weather: thunderstorms, a heat wave with stifling temps into the upper 90’s, and a cold front with fluffy white clouds.
We received trail magic from Alan “Story Time” out of his converted van. Chicken dogs, cookies, salsa/Gauc, cookies and sodas!
Finally, we hiked through Olympic Valley, near Soda Springs, the site of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games. It was bizarre to see the slopes without snow and the chairlifts at a stand still in the summer heat!
What an amazing section! Next stop Chester, CA.
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