The East Side Bunkhouse was a great place to recuperate. It was just a couple dollars more than the hotel we were headed to and we still got private rooms. The only TV was in the common room, but we are still in a news fast and much happier for it. In addition, there is on site laundry (including loaner clothes), a fully stocked kitchen for guests, outside shady dining areas, multiple seating areas, games, and very conveniently located. We decided to go for a double zero (3 nights) as soon as we checked in.
Bunny was beat from the moment she sat down. She had burned through all of her reserves on the way down from Kearsarge. As soon as we got our room, she emptied her pack, stripped down, took a shower, and went to bed. She napped all afternoon and evening until she decided on serious sleep and went to bed. I opted for second shower so I could get the laundry started.
Directly across the street is a Texas BBQ place. I couldn’t get Bunny out of bed to eat supper with the rest of us, so I brought her back some food. She groggily made it through the sandwich and fries before going after serious sleep. I sat outside with Bear for a bit, but we were all (Texas) toast after the last 12 days. Bunny’s hip pain is beyond hope. The reason she sleeps so much in town is not because she’s sleeping, it’s because she isn’t. Every time she moves, the pain wakes her up. That is, if she had actually gotten to fall asleep in the first place. There will be no more hiking after this year until she gets a new hip.
There’s a very well stocked Hiker Food Cabinet. Sassy and I raided it on the first night. I’m thinking 10 nights to Kennedy Meadows South from here. The fact that she was grabbing food made me think they were at least considering going on. By the end of the first zero day, they confirmed that, once again, for the second year in a row, they were ditching us. On the bright side, we got another influx of free food.
When we got up for breakfast, we heard a familiar voice in the Kitchen. Train had decided to bail from Horseshoe Meadows because of the smoke and water situation. We hadn’t seen him since he left us at Tuolumne Meadows. He’d made travel arrangements to catch a train home tomorrow. Train told us he hadn’t had problems getting water to where he was, but plenty of people were complaining about the water further south. Also, the smoke we are experiencing since we crossed Kearsarge is pretty bad. Most of the time, we can’t see any mountains around us, and we’re just a few miles from them. Occasionally, it clears up and we can see they are actually quite close, but the smoke is intimidating.
Bunny and I spent most of the day checking out gear shops and buying food. Bear and Sassy spent their day making travel arrangements. Apparently, the rental car market is very tight. They had a very hard time tracking any down and only managed to get on a waiting list. We got pizza for supper when two energetic members of our party agreed to walk down to buy it and get drinks while the two women lounged. We had hoped to actually go to a restaurant for supper, but Covid restrictions have reduced options.
As a final goodbye, Bear and Sassy decided to cook us a “Last Supper” on the second night. They half-heartedly tried to talk us into stopping because of the fires and water, but we are wanting to get this damn trail done. As it is, I finally agreed that we won’t be heading back up to Truckee to finish the section from there to Belden. We thought for sure after the North Complex fire destroyed that area last year, it wouldn’t have enough fuel to burn again any time soon. The Dixie fire put that thought to rest. It’s now engulfed in what’s looking to turn into the largest fire in California history. We will have to return to California once again at some point in the future. But we are not giving up on Walker Pass yet.
A feast was planned. Bear chose a brisket that was pre marinated. Also on the menu was salad, asparagus, baked potatoes, red wine, and a pie for dessert. I was willing to help out with grilling, but not the meat. Bear is very particular about his meat. In fact, I didn’t want to touch his meat at all. He seemed fine with Sassy touching it, but I was carefully keeping an eye on Bunny to make sure she kept her hands off his meat as well. It wasn’t until we were sitting down to eat and Bear shared his meat with two other guys that I even felt comfortable enough to let him flap it down on my plate. Once you see two strangers put your friend’s meat in their mouths, you can relax a bit.
Supper was delicious. We had an enjoyable dinner with friends who were ditching us, again. We made plans for breakfast in the morning, after which, Bear would get the car while the rest of us finished packing. They even agreed to give us a ride to the turn to the trailhead. I was assured the final 11 miles were an easy hitch from there. I was hoping, Bunny could turn on the tears and convince them to drive all the way to Onion Valley when the time arrived. Worst case, I’d have to play the “scared, lonely, and abandoned” guilt card.
EFG