There is a common saying on the trail: Hike your own hike, sometimes written HYOH. It means different things to different people, but to us, it means that we are fun hikers. We aren't out here to prove anything, or to gain anything. We are here to enjoy, to experience, and to go wherever the trail takes us. We aren't in a rush, and we obviously aren't trying to cover every mile. We are doing exactly what feels right to us.
So, as we were hiking the other day, we realized that our wedding anniversary is coming up. We also realized that we would be hitting a part of the trail that has 30 mile stretches with no water and is known more for logging roads than for epic beauty. So we thought, hmmm... what would be a fun way to get around that?
And so, during the hours of hiking, when the mind is free to wander, Adam concocted a plan. What if we took a road trip from Quincy to Mt. Shasta, skipping those miles, and having a bit of a get-away for our anniversary! I was bought in immediately. Unfortunately, there are no rental cars near Quincy. But, that won't be stopping us.
Enter U-Haul. So, we will be road tripping in a U-Haul truck, because really, it would be rude not to. Stay tuned for more on that adventure.
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Our last update was from South Lake Tahoe, which is basically the antithesis of the life we have been living. We stayed at a casino, ate pizza, hung out at a pool, and took many many showers. It was a blast, but we were more than ready to get back to the wilderness. After six days in the woods, we made it to a small town called Sierra City. And I mean small. Population 200 kind of small. We were ready for some coffee and waffles (and by ready, I mean we had only been talking about them for the past 2 days), but were informed as we walked into the town that the power was out. Now, keep in mind, Sierra City is the kind of small town that, without power, just doesn't open. This was not good news for hungry hikers. But as we walked into the downtown area which consisted of a church, a general store, and a bar, we were greeeted by the bar owner out in the street cooking up some bacon egg cheeseburgers for breakfast for the hikers. It was the only food in town, and he had a cooler of Arnold Palmer for the taking. So, we forgot our dreams of waffles, and were stoked to get a good meal. As were the other 15 or so hikers that had strolled into the town that morning. The general store across the street was unable to open until the power went back on, but the owners were already thinking about the loss of all of their refrigerated food: the ice cream in particular. Once they passed the limit where they could no longer legally sell the ice cream, they called up all the hikers, told us to bring our spoons, and rolled out cart-fulls of half gallons of ice cream. Each hiker got his or her own, and we tucked in. As you can imagine, this was a seriously joyful moment. We didn't spend long in Sierra City. Just enough time to get our resupply packages, (and to go WILD over the wonderful treats our family and friends sent us). We camped on the lawn behind the church that night, and woke up to a rainy morning. Luckily, the power had come back on, so after some pancakes and waffles, we were able to make our way back to the trail. Our journey to Quincy was only 4 more hiking days, and we caught a ride into town pretty quickly. A lovely couple who have a summer house at Buck's Lake took us in, and drove us around the town so that we could get our bearings. I am continually amazed by the kind and generous people we have met along the way. Still living the dream... And now, here's some updates for the photo gallery! All along the trail, people from various walks of life come to perform the greatest of all magic: trail magic. We call them trail angels, and they bring unimaginable amounts of joy. Some leave coolers filled with Popsicles or sodas in the middle of dry stretches, while others leave 30 packs of beer in shady creeks. Regardless, we love them all. And for those who wonder what on earth you think about when you're hiking 20-25 miles per day, well, here it is. I write silly poems to keep myself going. Enjoy!
Twas A Hot Afternoon... A silly poem by Ali Bissonnette Twas a hot afternoon, and all along the path Every creature was stirring, especially the gnats. Our packs were nestled all snug on our backs While we daydreamed of all of the food that we lacked. And Adam in his blue cap and I in my black, had just settled down for our afternoon nap. When what to our wondering eyes did appear, but a trail angel with his cooler of soda and beer! We drank a few sips and smiled with delight, and he said, "You know there's burgers in sight!" So we tore down the street with all of our cash, and found ourselves at the front door of Donner Ski Ranch! We ordered our burgers and with free beers in hand decided, these moments are BEST when unplanned. After our burgers and brownies, it was time for farewell, So we went down the street to find the trail. With 14 more miles, starting at 3 o'clock, we really weren't sure how far we would walk. But as we headed up the path we heard our trail angel shout: "Safe travels to you, and enjoy the view on your way out! We've been back on the trail for two weeks, since our vacation hopping around from Portand to Washington to LA and back to Mammoth again. While our time off with friends and lots of food was greatly appreciated, we really were ready to hit the trail again. This round of hiking has had a few minor setbacks, but overall, we have found joy in the challenges and obstacles. Needless to say, we are still living the dream. Below are a few highlights from the past few weeks... *ON THE TRAIL AGAIN - After a long wedding vacation and road trip from Portland to Washington, we were ready to get back on the trail again. But, as things go, fate had other plans. Our flight back to Mammoth had a layover in LA, where our flight was cancelled. This meant we got to 1)stay in the LA Hilton, 2)see some of our favorite peeps in LA, 3)eat at The Shack in Playa del Rey. Seriously, things could not have turned out more perfectly. When we finally got back to Mammoth, the trail was waiting patiently, and it was a beautiful hike full of purple Lupins. *WHEN THINGS GO WRONG AND END UP RIGHT - As they say, man plans and God laughs. Ain't that the truth. Adam and I were stoked to spend a relaxing July 4th in Tuolumne Meadows, a small backpacker camping area. We arrived early, relaxed and enjoyed the day. In the afternoon, we headed to the campsite to pitch our tent only to find we had no poles. Hmmm. Problem. We had left them at our campsite 10 miles (uphill) back, and were not very willing to head back in to find them, since we weren't even sure they'd be there. Our options were: 1. Cowboy camp for the next 9 days 2. Hitch a ride into Yosemite or Mammoth to get a new tent. We opted for option number 2, and wrote on a cardboard sign "Mammoth or Yosemite Valley" (which are in opposite directions) and headed to the road in hopes of a ride. Within minutes we received a ride to the valley, which was PACKED on the 4th. Luckily, there was a backpacker camp that allowed us to roll in at 9pm, sleep under the stars, and head out to buy our tent in the morning. So, while losing our tent - our home - was a bit of a setback, we got to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL Yosemite Valley, a sidetrip we would not have taken otherwise. Our hitch even took us to a lookout point to show us a great view of halfdome. The experience not only reaffirmed my faith in the goodness of people willing to help our their fellow man, but it also reminded me that even when you don't know where you're going to sleep at night, the world is beautiful and life is good. Things always work out if you stay positive. *LUNCH BREAKS - When walking is your full time job, you really have to appreciate lunch breaks. And so, we do. There's nothing like taking a mid-day dip in the lake after a peanut butter tortilla lunch. *OUR SANDY BEACH IN THE WOODS - Anyone who knows Adam and I knows we couldn't go all summer without some sandy beach time. Enter Benson Lake. This is truly a paradise in the woods. After tearing our way through mosquito-ridden territory thick with vegitation, we made it out onto the white sandy beaches of Benson Lake. It was truly unimaginable. THE BEAUTY OF EVERY DAY - While the hiking is hard and long, we are constantly in awe of our surroundings. Every day, I look at Adam and say, "Ad, this is our life!" And it is a good one indeed. |