Section K Echo Summit (Hwy 50) to Donnor Pass (Hwy 40)—August 11—13, 2008
On August 11th, after a big breakfast, Gantt drove me back up to Highway 50 where they picked me up.
I quickly came to Echo Lake and its Resort where they had a shuttle boat that took visitors to the various cabins that lined both Upper and Lower Echo Lakes. The PCT traversed the north side of the lakes.
The PCT continued up to a series of lakes where the trail again traversed the length of the rock-rimmed Lake Aloha which was dotted with little rock islands sprinkled throughout.
The PCT/Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) enters the Desolation Wilderness Area so named because of the sparse vegetation on the large areas of granite. I passed a number of lakes that owed their existence to this large layer of granite that retains water compared to the volcanic area to the south.
The Pyramid Peak shows up in the background below several of the lakes I passed by in my 1,500 ft climb to Dicks Pass which included Susie, Heather, and Aloha Lakes.
About 2 miles past Dick Pass I ended up staying overnight at Dicks Lake. I had hiked 18 miles in 12 hours with ascents of 3,471 ft and descents of 2,464 ft.
On August 12th, I woke as the sun began to hit Dicks Lake.
I continued passing several lakes and passed the Tahoe—Yosemite Trail junction and later the Tahoe Rim Road junction. From now on no more bikes sharing the trail with hikers and equestrians. On the ridgetops above the evergreen trees and bushes, I had distance views of Lake Tahoe.
I ended up just past the Alpine Meadows ski area at Whiskey Creek. I hiked 30 miles in 15 hours with ascents of 3,816 ft and descents of 4,462 ft.
On August 13th, I passed by this 50-acre field of Mules Ears plants on my way past the Squaw Valley ski area.
I continued over some hilltops and came to one where I got my first view of Donner Lake near Truckee. This marker was on Roller Pass to note how it got its name from the pioneers that crossed the Sierras on what was called the Truckee Trail in 1846.
These emigrants crossed over on September 22, 1846, just a month earlier than the ill-fated Donner party of 89 emigrants who faced an early snowstorm on October 28, 1846, that left snow 6 ft deep. They spent the winter near Truckee with only 45 survivors and reports of cannibalism.
I decided I would hitch down to Truckee for the night where we use to have a ski cabin we built back in the 1970s. I was especially looking forward to having a big breakfast omelet at the Squeeze In, one of our favorite restaurants.
I got a ride into town from Highway 40 from a few Sierra Club Lodge workers that were located at Donner Pass. I told them that I had stayed at their lodge about 4 years earlier when I attended one of my first American Long Distance Hiking Association-West annual Gatherings ( www.aldawest.org ).
Section L. Donner Pass to Sierra City (Highway 49)--August 14 to 15, 2008
On August 14th, I had a huge omelet at the Squeeze In before hitching back up to Highway 40.
I got a quick hitch from a couple who were heading up to the PCT to practice hiking before their upcoming guided John Muir hike. They took my picture with my upside-down sign —on my sleeping pad. One side said “PCT” and the other “TOWN”.
It was another 4 miles to the busy I-80 highway where I hiked through a pedestrian tunnel to the north side of I-80.
After reaching Castle Pass, I quickly came to the Peter Grubb Hut which is one of several Sierra Club huts open to hikers.
Just before stopping for the night at Pass Creek, I spotted this deer.
I hiked 31 miles in 15 hours with ascents of 2,976 ft and descents of 3,629 ft.
On August 15th, It was a short 12-mile hike where I crossed over the North Yuba River Bridge before arriving at Sierra City. It took me 6 hours with ascents of 2,972 ft and descents of 2,434 ft.
A local guy gave me the 1 1/2 mile hitch to Sierra City from the PCT trailhead. Another comfortable bed, a warm shower, and lots of food marked my time in Sierra City.
My next blog entry describes my hike further north to Dunsmuir where I caught the AMTRAK north to Eugene followed by a bus and hitch back up to Mc Kenzie Pass to resume the last section of the PCT ending at the Bridge of the Gods.
I have recently uploaded all of my travel videos to YouTube now that they allow longer uploads and you may want to see my travel adventures there. That link is
https://www.youtube.com/c/huntforgold.
If you do go there, please subscribe to my video channel since it will help me eventually get some income there and help with my future travels. Fewer people are using DVDs so I am transitioning to streaming my travels on my YouTube channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment