Nearing Lake Tahoe (June 27)

Woke up early this morning and thought how pretty the early morning light looked, shining on the mountains all around.  I had slept at my favorite kind of camp site, a site near the gentle running water of a creek.  These sites are often few and far between, and so, much appreciated when I do find one at the end of the day.  (Often instead of camping near water, we “dry camp”, or pack enough water from the latest source in the day to camp somewhere without a water source, then hike to the next one in the morning.)

I spent the morning catching up on my journal, sewing multiple tears in my shirt, which was ripping apart, after months, from the stress of being wet with sweat all the time (!), eating breakfast, using phone service to research plant names.  I was relaxed, thinking of how there was a group of friends behind me, and I wanted to see them again, so I’d give them some time to catch up.

Finally by 0900 I started hiking.  I passed one familiar hiker, who sheepishly told me that he had also started late this morning, due to having phone service where he camped last night.  Phone service has been sparse lately.

I saw another friend hiking along at the top of the next mountain (the scenery was very open) and felt happy that I’d probably catch up and chat with him.  I did catch up, as he was breaking, and we chatted some, then he lifted his pack up again and said, “Want to hike?”  It was a good day, I really enjoyed hiking with him.  He carries a heavy pack and moves with a heavier pace than some, and yet, he often stopped throughout the day to look around and say, “Look at this!” and take a picture.

We hiked over an array of stunning views.  This stretch of trail, north of Sonora Pass, crossed through Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and Mokelumne Wilderness.  We’ve seen many pretty lakes, open mountainsides covered with woolly mule’s ears, grassy meadows leading to mountains, and on this day, Lake Tahoe visible in the distance.  The open mountainsides covered in wildflowers have struck us all in this section, as something new and beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In spite of the beauty, I didn’t take many pictures on this particular day.  I felt so cheered to be hiking with a friend, chatting and laughing throughout the day, the natural beauty was more like an added bonus than the main feature.  It was a good change of pace.

I remain thankful for the ongoing opportunities for growth on this hike: making new friends and/or finding peace in hiking in solitude.