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Day 71
I’ve adjusted my pack, my routine, and my sleeping position to ease my lower back & hips, and it may be helping. It’s easier to walk this morning. The land is lush, rain threatens throughout the day. I try to retain my optimism to help Pete – he complains of feeling a little sick. Really…
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Day 70 (Pete)
The light was pretty much gone as we hurriedly ate a desert of mom cookies. As there have been clouds looming all evening, we used the last bit of day to pitch ol’ blue land. Now I can lay down and recount the days events by head lamp. Every building in Sierra City could qualify…
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Day 70
When we pack up in the morning, my hip is so painful that I can barely walk. I’m thrown into a dark mood, I can no longer ignore the doubts I’ve been having. Pete really proves the strength of his friendship to me when we discuss the possiblility of ending the trip early. He somehow…
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Day 69 (Pete)
After four days to Burney Falls we will be half way done with the miles, sort of. The things I have learned so far: The world is very large and can be imposing. I am very small. Yet, I have the ability to move across it as I please; and, in many ways, I have…
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Day 69
After a couple more trips to the now hilly crest we begin the descent to Sierra City. For a little while I break out of my spell and can’t help but immerse myself in the world as it completely changes around me. The air gets more humid, colorful plants are popping up everywhere in vast…
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Day 68
We ran into J.P. and Abbey around lunch. Just north of Donner Pass, we went to check out the Sierra Clubs Peter Grubb hut. Someone had left some stuff up in the loft. Soon enough we saw who. A young couple sitting out in back of the hut. They looked an awful lot like the…
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Day 68
We have many encounters and incidents. Pete takes a fall on a steep snowfield and barely avoids a serious injury. We cross I-80 at Donner Pass, coming into contact with a B&B climbing school, joggers, fishers, mountain bikers, and fellow trail walkers. All these events touch us somehow. Pete “swaps” the leaky water bottle for…
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Day 67 (Pete)
Today’s views more than compensated for yesterdays lack. Fairly early on, before breakfast, we climbed up onto the Sierra Crest. The trail was to stick close to the top of the ridge all day, dancing from one side to the other. To the west, green wooded foothills rolled off toward the central valley. To the…
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Day 67
Early on we climb up to the crest for some peeks at awesome Lake Tahoe. We can never see the whole lake at once. Cutting through closed Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley ski areas makes us imagine the hordes of skiers that were still on the slopes this time last year. Our attempts to glacade…
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Day 66 (Pete)
The morning we went from Showers lake to Echo lake the snow was icy hard and pitted out with sun cups. The lower elevations make route finding extremely difficult. Before, we were above tree line a great deal of the time. Peaks could be used as references and the topography of the land was much…