July 16, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Donner Lake
Miles: 5

Adrian:
We continued down the trail to the junction with Hwy 40 on the Donner Pass. This is where Billy and I rock climbed several fun routes about 4 years ago. The trail followed ski runs across the street from the Donner Ski Ranch until hitting the highway. We called Pooh's Corner, another trail angel in Northern California and waited for Lionheart to pick us up. He's getting off the trail due to injury and is doing some shuttle driving for the Persons (the trail angels) while waiting for his flight out on Friday. We got a ride to Billy's friends house on Donner Lake and went for Mexican food, resupplied at Safeway, went swimming in Donner Lake, and hung out at the house until it was time for sushi.

We all had a great time hiking and the Keyes did a fine job jumping into the PCT pace and mileage. Except for a blister, they finished the 61-mile section no worse for wear. Pretty much exactly how I thought it would play out. Like all new PCTers, they brought too much food, which is a good thing if you are not the one carrying it. This time it was toffee, peanut brittle and a wonderful concoction called Trinity. Great snacks that Saskia had a hand in procuring. Thanks Sas, and we're thinking of you. Good luck!

Kirsten:
You may have just finished reading yesterday's entry and are probably wondering why my section suddenly ends mid thought. Sometimes I write a little bit and then take a break before returning to it later. Well, I forgot so, sorry.

Back to today's entry. We rolled into Truckee by 10:30 a.m. and were at Bily's friends' house within a couple of hours. Our last day together was fun and relaxing - the perfect ending to our trip with the Keyes. I even learned something today: when you hike 1,100 miles, drop 15 pounds and rarely drink alcohol your tolerance drops. It drops significantly. So these days I'm a cheap date because I was loaded on 1.5 margaritas. I also learned that once properly pissed grocery shopping is generally a bad idea. I made some poor shopping choices. I have way too many snacks for our upcoming two-day hike to Sierra City, for example. And I've made some odd choices, as well. I grabbed a Snickers, for example. Not really a staple for me.

I think tomorrow will be much quieter without the Keyes around to make us laugh. Although anytime I need a chuckle I can always think about Billy dousing his face with whiskey.