My quilt is nice. It’s keeping me warm even down around freezing (which we’re approaching every night). It should. It’s rated to 20 deg F, but that’s a survival rating, meaning I won’t freeze to death or die…but comfort? If we were going to be out much longer, I would want my 20 deg F Western Mountaineering Bag. My biggest complaint with the quilt is cold spots when I flip over. Bunny has her 20 deg F Sierra Designs bag which Digit Alice sent us almost a month ago. In addition, she has a sleeping bag liner, good for another 10 deg temperature difference. If all that fails, she has plenty of gas to light.
Our definition of luxury has changed. We got picnic tables and a pit latrine and we’re in heaven. It probably slowed down our getting ready. I took all my gear out to the table rather than packing in the tent. Then, having an actual seat to relax on vs. squatting over a hole adds more time. At least it adds more time for me to ponder the days activities and life’s mysteries. Bunny is a machine. In and out, the same amount of time, whether digging a hole, using a toilet, or tagging a cop car in a Wal-mart parking lot.
It was brisk as we headed out, but the first half mile was in full sun. We quickly dropped our packs and took off our coats in time to walk into the shaded, western side of the ridge. We had spectacular views of Lake Tahoe all day. This was the “Money Shot” day.
There was a side trail called Sand Harbor Overlook Loop which was an extra 0.6 miles which we don’t get credit for. (Only official trail miles count in my world…gross vs net). We had the same discussion we have on every side trail we come to: Is it worth it? Will a couple of hundred feet really make that big of a difference in the view? Who said it was spectacular? Have you been up there before? How do you know? This was the line of questioning we had on our first hike together in Scotland about Conic Hill and we’ve had this same discussion on every major hike since when/if I want to do an extra little hike. I choose my moments carefully.
Yes, it was worth it and Bunny did concur (as she has every time I’ve pushed for the extra). We had a clear shot of the entire lake from end to end and side to side. You could see all the mountains on the east side of the basin and spot a few additional lakes that look like they might be connected to Tahoe, but are actually 1000’ higher.
The rest of the day, if we came to another vista, we either just skipped it entirely or I went by myself to take a picture. There was only one side trip after Sand Harbor that was worth the effort and that was because of the sun reflecting off the lake’s surface. When I came down fro that one, Bunny was quite upset.
We had just taken our lunch break. Bunny had eaten her tuna, corn chips, veggies, and fruit snack, but she had neglected to eat anything her ass likes. When I went up to the vista, Bunny sat on a rock under a sap-dripping pine tree. Now, her ass likes pine sap. It was sucking up as much sap as quickly as possible knowing that Bunny wasn’t going to stay there for very long. Her ass sucked the sap so hard off the rock, that it partially inhaled her underwear and pants. When I came back down, Bunny stood up, realized her ass had partially eaten her underwear, and reached back to reclaim it. This is when she got sap all over her hand and became upset with her ass. I walked on. I try not to get involved in 3rd party arguments.
We did stop for another snack as we were nearing Tahoe Meadows. Digit had sent us some peanuts which we found a nice change of pace for us. A bird flew over head as we were snacking. Bunny put one in her hand and held it over her head. To our surprise, the bird swooped down, landed on her hand, grabbed the peanut, and flew away. This was a first for both of us. Bunny decided to try again and this time I had the camera ready. The bird ended up splitting the package of peanuts with Bunny as he kept coming back again and again.
This was really a day of bird interactions for Bunny. This morning as we were packing up, Bunny saw a bird of prey, possibly a falcon, catch a mouse beside our camp. Then there was the peanut snatching bird. As we were eating supper, a red tail Hawk swooped down over our heads. Lastly, as we were going to sleep, an owl started hooting beside our tent.
Last night, we shared the campground with one other couple. Tonight, we got a campground all to ourselves. The reason being, this camp is closed for the season. The water is shut off. There are no trash cans. I know how Moses felt after wandering the desert for 40 years and to not be allowed into the promised land. The pit latrines are locked.
EFG