Tag: Older hikers

We got up and going at our normal, 2021 start time…8:30, 8:45, never later than 9. This was our first morning without Strider. He usually wakes up around 4 and starts shuffling things. It’s become a morning comfort sound, kind of like Sassy’s snoring, or Sassy getting up to pee in the middle of the night, or Sassy getting up at 6 to go boom boom. Come to think of it, Strider makes Sassy seem like a church mouse. 

Bunny and I did leave a few minutes ahead of Bear and Sassy. We remembered the climb up to Fontanillis Lake as being fairly steep and we are very aware of how slow we ascend. Not 3 minutes from camp, we hit the jackpot. We’ve been carrying some “all natural” insect repellent. To be honest, it’s as effective as smearing horse crap all over your body. In other words, it doesn’t work at all. It only seems to attract more bugs. Give me good old carcinogenic chemistry to keep the bugs away. Some poor nobo hiker had left their 100% deet on a rock by the trail. We didn’t hesitate a second before grabbing it. It was probably some smart ass punk anyway, so no guilt here. 

We started climbing. Bunny had her head down and was pushing on not paying attention to anything. How true that was, I didn’t realize until we got to the top. A nobo thru-hiker had set up his tent in a flat spot right next to the trail. It looked to be a Big Agnes tent and he’d left his rain fly off. He was not a foot off the trail, so not only was he clearly seen sleeping in his underwear, he was close enough to the trail to smell him. When we got to the Fontanillis Lake overflow, Bear and Sassy caught up with us. Sassy asked Bunny what she thought of the nobo hiker sitting in his tent smoking a cigarette (he must have woke up just after we passed). Bunny said she hadn’t seen anyone hiking up. 

Fontanillis was as beautiful as we remembered. The mountains on the other side of the lake were reflected in the water’s surface. It was gorgeous. We met a few hikers in the area. One was a girl from Israel. Her trail name was Barnes & Noble. We chatted for a bit and told her we wanted to hike the Israel National Trail—she had hiked it twice and loved it. (Bedouins will take hikers in!) She’s hiked all over the world and wants to hike the Camino de Santiago next year because she wants to have coffees in all the small cafes along the trail. She got her trail name when she was in San Diego and stopped in a Barnes & Noble for a coffee and nearly choked on it. 

The four of us started the climb up to Dicks Lake where we planned to stop for a snack and get water for the climb up to Dicks Pass. Strider caught up with us just before we got to Dicks Lake. It seemed like all of us needed a little Dicks juice in our water bottles. Fontanillis is actually filled by Dicks overflow. I couldn’t swallow the juice without adding a bit of flavor to it first. I needed the salt, but only if it had a fruity taste. Everyone else seemed fine with Dicks water unflavored. 

It’s a 2 mile climb up to Dicks Pass from the lake with a gain of over 1000’. It’s really not too bad. The back side descent is much steeper and exposed. Bunny and I took off just a few minutes ahead of everyone else and it looked like we might actually be keeping pace with them until we neared the top where Sassy and Strider passed us. Bear was still behind us, but only because he was talking to everyone he passed on the way up. All in all, we did better keeping up than we had been. 

Going downhill was pure pleasure. The big climb was over and we could watch the crowds struggling up the steeper side to get to the Pass. Nothing gives greater pleasure than watching others suffer (even if it’s by their own choice). That’s probably why we, as a society, do nothing to tackle poverty. Nothing makes a person sleep sounder knowing that, somewhere, someone is worse off. 

I had a goal of having lunch on Susie Lake. Bunny and I had lunch on a small finger into the lake last fall. It’s the last spot to stop before the climb up to Heather Lake prior to our goal of Aloha Lake. The spot on Susie Lake allows us to look back up at Dicks Pass while we relax. I thought everyone might take their shoes and socks off and soak their feet, but I was the only one who partook. 

Bunny and I are getting better, but still slower than everyone else. We took off while the others were having a discussion on metaphysics. Bear and Strider were starting to get philosophical and my mind wasn’t up to it. Until my body gets adjusted to the trail, I just don’t have the energy to do anything other than feel sorry for myself…lord knows no one else does. Wo is me. 

It was getting quite hot. I’ve been trying to drink lots of electrolytes, but I just can’t keep up with all the sweat I’m losing every day. The walk along the shore of Heather and then up to Aloha is all in the sun. To make it worse, it’s all rocks which have been absorbing heat all day. I just can’t take being in direct sun for long periods of time. 

Sassy caught up with us before we got around Heather Lake. Bear and Strider were nowhere to be seen. She said they were full on into a philosophical discussion and she didn’t have the patience for it in this heat. I feel her pain (much more than I get from anyone). The three of us pushed on up to Aloha Lake. 

The camping area is on the far end of Aloha from us. When we came by here last fall, the lake water level was much lower. We actually camped in the lake bottom between rocks. Now, we could only see the top of those rocks. The other thing we had forgotten is how long this damn lake is when you’re hot and tired. 

There were lots of people out along the lake. People were swimming or camping almost everywhere we looked. We were afraid we might have a hard time finding a good spot. The three of us started looking for open spaces in the rocks. Sassy spotted a flat spot near the shore completely surrounded by huge boulders. She sent me to check it out. (Being the youngest, everyone feels free to tell me what to do, and I usually do it.) it was a beautiful spot that could easily hold 5 tents on two different levels. The best part, (don’t tell any LNT authorities) we were less than 50’ from the water with our own private Boulder access. In all fairness, no one on the lake could see us, nor could we actually see the lake from our spot. 

Before we could get out there to claim the spot, Bear and Strider showed up. I yelled at them and motioned for them to come directly to me which was the easiest route. They were still so deep in conversation that they didn’t notice and walked on by. When they bumped into Sassy, they noticed we had found a campsite. 

We set up camp in the depression. If someone walked by, they could only see us if we were standing up. Strider had gotten to go swimming in Middle Velma last night. Tonight, we all went into Aloha to cool off. Only Strider and I got completely under water. When I got out and back on the rocks, I about froze because a breeze had finally appeared. By the time we ate supper, almost everything was dry. 

Most of the people around the lake turned out to be day hikers. The crowds cleared out fast as the sun started setting. We all climbed up to a boulder behind camp to watch the sun set and have a nice after dinner conversation. Tomorrow will be our last day with Strider. His wife, Tracy, is going to meet us at the Chalet to bring us burgers and resupply Strider as he continues his TRT thru-hike. I wish we had been in better shape for hiking with him. We did warn him ahead of time, so he was well aware. We’ve had a great week with Strider and we will miss him.

EFG

Today was rough. Today was day 4. Enough said. Day 4 is always the hardest on us when starting out. Your body isn’t used to carrying a pack. You’re not used to hiking 8+ hours a day. Your body is tired of the repetition. Your tired of being tired and sore. You stink like urine (one perk of hiking that people don’t talk about much is the lack of hygiene…I’m willing to go the poop distance here). Day 4 just sucks. 

The first 3.6 miles of trail was completely dead air. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of wind or air movement. The humidity was high. (This is a relative comparison. Back home in MO, IL, and KY, it’s not unusual for the humidity to be 90+ %.) The humidity had to be 40%. Unusually high for here. We felt it. But the worst part was the mother f#$&ing mosquitoes buzzing in our faces. They weren’t thick, but always there. It was too hot to put on headnets for just one or two. I was starting to go (some might say “long gone”) crazy. 

I had no energy. Bear and Sassy caught up with us about 5 miles in, but they kept going. We passed them again a bit later when they had found a spot with a breeze. We were close enough to Richardson Lake that we kept going. I was short on patience, energy, and water. They caught up with us at the lake, but didn’t stay long because they had just had a snack. As soon as they left, Strider caught up with us. 

This was a new strategy for Strider. He’d wait anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes after we left someplace (depending on how far it was to our next rendezvous) and then he’d catch up, or pass us, as we were about there. Today was our entry into Desolation Wilderness. I honestly don’t know why it’s called this because this area is filled with alpine lakes. It was our favorite area on the Tahoe Rim Trail last year. 

Strider PM (we added the PM for Perpetual Motion…Strider is always doing something, he’s a total ball of energy) was carrying swim trunks because he plans on swimming in some of these lakes. Our goal for today is Middle Velma Lake. We didn’t stop there last year, but went on to Dicks Lake. We remembered walking by the lake, but didn’t remember the camping spot. 

Just as we were getting close, Guthook logged me out. Bunny’s phone was already dead, so we weren’t quite sure where we were headed. We knew we had to get water about 1/2 mile before camp. The outlet from Middle Velma wasn’t flowing well, so we headed up to the lake to get water. We filled all of our drinking bottles then filled our squeeze bags with another 4 liters. It seemed pretty stupid to camp next to a lake and carry 7 liters of water, but that’s what we remembered we had to do.

When we finally found the camp, we understood why. The camp was about 100’ above the lake on a rock shelf. Bear and Sassy had their tent all set up, but Strider wasn’t around. We asked if they had seen him because we were certain he was ahead of us. They told us he had shown up at camp, but when he saw how far from the water it was, he got antsy. He wanted to swim, so he had decided to bushwhack down to the water’s edge and camp there. He said he’d catch up with us in the morning. 

There was a decent breeze up where we were, so I was fine staying there. The site was just big enough for the two tents, so it all worked out for the best. We had dinner with just the 4 of us. We’ll have to get used to this because Strider will be continuing on when we head into South Lake Tahoe for a day of rest in a couple of days. Since the 4 of us have already hiked over 1300 miles together, this felt like old times. 

Except for being overweight, overheated, out of shape, old, dehydrated, annoyed by the bugs, and not used to the altitude, we might be having fun. Sassy reminded me this was day 4 and that things will probably get better. We promised them that if we were supposed to meet them in the future and we hadn’t stayed, or gotten, in shape, we wouldn’t show up. 

EFG

There were just too many reasons to not pass Bear Lake Outlet. 1) We’re hiking with Bear. 2) We’re carrying bear canisters. 3) We want to see a bear. 4) It took Bear to coax me into camp. And, most importantly, 5) I couldn’t possibly have taken another step yesterday. 

Once again, we were first out of camp at 8:45. It’s no accident. We’re so slow, we need the head start, especially on large climbs like we had today. For an in shape hiker, this would have been a pleasant rise to the back side of the ski areas above Lake Tahoe. To us, not so much. As usual, Bear and Sassy passed us before top. We expected Strider to pass us also, but he’s to the point he realizes he can stay in camp an hour after we leave and still catch us in time for lunch. 

Once we got to the top, we discovered we had cell signal enough to call ahead to South Lake Tahoe to make reservations for Mellow Mountain Hostel on the 7th and 8th. Strider still hadn’t caught up to us which caused me to worry a bit. I decided to call him as well to make sure he was okay. As I expected, he was just a single turn of the trail behind us. I think he took a short nap after we left. 

Something special happened to us today. Fortunately, it was on a level section of trail when it did (I almost appear like a capable hiker on level and downhill sections of trail). We were recognized by a couple heading north. “Is that Easily Forgotten and Bunny Tracks?” I didn’t recognize the person who asked, so I asked him to take off his sunglasses hoping a name would come to mind. “Don’t worry, you don’t know us. We recognize you from your videos.” This is only the third time this has happened to us, that someone knew who we were from our social media empire. Donkey and Chia actively looked for older hikers to get a feel for what to expect before they set out on the PCT. We definitely qualify as older. 

Nay, nay, nay. There is an actual older hiker on the trail this year. Chia told us Billy Goat is out trying to complete his 9th and 10th hikes on the PCT. He’s 82 years old and heading our way. They passed him several days ago. They said we’d recognize him because of his long beard and skinny legs that don’t look like they’d support a person. I filed this info away hoping to meet him. He’s out here at 82 doing what I can barely do at 57 (the youngest in calendar years of our group, but most feeble, by far).

We stopped for lunch at TRT/PCT junction. I remembered this area from last year and knew this area had trees and shade. This junction also has symbolic meaning to our group. This is where Strider leaves us on the PCT and starts hiking the TRT. We may be walking together for the next 40 miles, but we’ll be on completely different trails. This is the true start of Strider’s Tahoe Rim Trail thru-hike. 

After lunch, we ran into Cheerful from the former East Germany. When we heard her accent, we quizzed her on where she was from. We spent almost 3 weeks exploring Germany in 2017. She told us where she was from, but we didn’t recognize the town. When we listed all the cities we had visited, she told us she was very near to Wismar. This was a very cool city on the Baltic Sea that has hidden passages to neighborhoods that cut through houses. The princess that ruled the city was worried about affordable housing for the poor, so she mandated that some courtyards be modified to provide small houses. The only way into these neighborhoods was to cut passages into lower levels of the homes that surrounded them. We had a great time finding and exploring these hidden areas. 

Because I had been so feeble yesterday, Bear came up with a multifaceted plan to cover all options today. We had a bail out campsite at 8.4 miles with a targeted campsite at 10 miles. He had a stretch goal of camping at 12.4 miles. The only option he hadn’t considered was the chance that I might bounce back a bit. We ended up hiking 13.4 miles today to keep us relatively close to schedule. 

The main reason we did so much better today was the lower temperatures with partial cloud cover. There is a possibility that I might be starting to get used to the altitude. It will take me a long time to build some cardio and lose weight, both of which will help immensely. Until that happens, I will continue to drag everyone else down to my level. 

The campsite was gorgeous. There were lots of flats spots with downed logs separating the tent sites (which make great sitting and cooking areas). A stream was close by so we could rinse off and get good, cold drinking water. Bunny asked “why is no one here?” Almost as soon as we set up our tents on the choicest spots, other hikers started showing up. If you build it they will come.

The mosquitoes were thin enough that we could eat dinner outside of our tents. Tonight turned out to be “the great Spicy Southwestern Skillet debate.” I tried to offer up a trade for Stowaway Gourmet Chili with Bear and Sassy because Bunny was scared of the “spicy” in the name of the meal. I tried to convince her this was Backpacker Pantry spicy which only means “not bland.” I was trying to work out a deal that if Bunny didn’t like the Spicy Skillet, she might be able to trade with Sassy or Bear for half of their chili. It turned out, neither were willing to part with the chili. Instead, they were carrying the same meal and decided to cook it as well, so if Bunny didn’t like our skillet, she could trade for theirs. Turns out, and I couldn’t get Bunny to say it directly, but, I was right. Spicy merely means not bland. She ate it. 

About 8, the skeeters came out in full force. We might have liked to stay up a bit longer (it’s hard to go to bed when the sun is still up). The little bastards can just make life miserable if they choose to. It was close enough to hiker midnight for us to all turn in. I don’t think Strider is used to going to bed so early.

EFG