Day 62 – I can see clearly now
Originally published on Mason Hikes the PCT 2017.
Mileage: 28
Today had a pretty spectacular morning where I woke up underneath Squaw’s furthest north lift for the sunrise over the lake.
I then promptly fell back asleep and woke up when it was sunny.
Right out of Squaw, I descended before climbing up to Tinker’s Knob, a seemingly popular destination for day hikers and trail runners. It also probably helped that today was gorgeous and the smoke was finally gone! Hallelujah! I can finally see this beautiful place for what it really is!
I saw so many trail runners with their tiny hydration packs on and was pretty jealous, though my pack weight is way down from the Sierras and I actually kept up pretty well, especially when the trail got into the snow. I slowly caught a group of two trail runners as they walked over the snowfields, and watched in horror as the girl, who didn’t have any poles, lost her footing and slid down a snowfield into a tree and then bounced into the rocks and bushes below. Her legs and arms were scraped up and she was hurting, but she was otherwise okay. What is really alarming to me is that she had already crossed some much more dangerous snow chutes earlier in the hike and could have lost her footing in the same way and ended up in the hospital. She’s very lucky it happened where it did.
From there, I walked down through Sugar Bowl ski resort and got to Donner Pass, named for the infamous Donner Party that got lost nearby and resorted to cannibalism before eventually succumbing to the cold. Pretty neat!
I had seen on my maps that there was a burger place right down the road, so I walked on down to Donner Ski Ranch to see what all the fuss was about. First of all, as soon as you get there, you get a free beer. Sold, that’s good enough for me! If you need more reasons to like the place, the Philly cheesesteak and the sour cream, apple, and blueberry pie were delicious. Also, the half order of nachos was enormous.
I sat for a while taking to locals and the bartender at the bar and using their Wi-Fi, but it was soon time to hit the trail and I had to say goodbye to my new friends. I hiked out on the highway with a full stomach and high spirits, excited for the rest of my day.
As per usual, the hike was beautiful, even as I had to climb and climb to get away from the highway. I was soon back in snow, and I found myself at an awesome mountain hideaway run by the Sierra Club. It was a full-sized ski cabin in the middle of the woods with the entrance in the second story attic and a kitchen/dining room on the ground floor. Members of the Sierra Club can rent it out during the winter to go skiing nearby, which would be an amazing experience. I have always had a fascination with secluded huts and cabins in the wilderness for some reason, so finding things like this makes me really happy!
After forcing myself to leave the cabin (through the attic), I only needed to cover a few more miles to set myself up to get into Sierra City tomorrow afternoon. I crossed some rivers (they have bridges here!) and finished the final climb of the day before setting up my tent to watch the sunset. Sierra City and my box full o’ goodies, here I come!
