Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1159.0 What a wonderful break we had a for a few days at the Fireside Lodge! Consumed massive calories, had a few beers and glasses of wine, bike rides along Lake Tahoe, hikes at nearby bays and waterfalls, tandem kayak paddle on the lake, and 4th of July on the lake for fireworks. Even had time for a little shopping, replacing my burnt, torn, holey and baggy pants! Also time to replace my 2nd pair…

Daily Miles: 14.7, Total Miles: 1159.0 I left the Tahoe views and cruised down and then up to Tinker Knob. The prominent peak was covered with fields of broad-leafed yellow flowers on it’s flanks. I saw another bear on the way up, this one I assumed a big male, walking up towards the trail. He was swinging his head side to side grazing on the yellow flowers as he was walking. I snapped a few pics but gave him the…

Daily Miles: 30.0, Total Miles: 1144.3 After a long walk through a deep forest, I climbed to Barber Pass where the PCT joins the Tahoe Rim Trail. I had a rest and lunch with Lint and Brooks. Just prior to Barker Pass, I had my second encounter with a bear. She was climbing up the side of a hill and was going to intersect with the trail right in front of me. I yelled “Hey Bear” and she stopped and…

Daily Miles: 21.4, Total Miles: 1114.3 After a McDonalds breakfast in South Lake Tahoe, I hitched back to the TH past Echo Summit. A quick hike to Echo Lake and the General Store – I highly recommend the mango and banana milkshake. I said goodbye to James and Claire who are skipping up to Ashland to hike through Oregon. All the best! I hiked along the length of Echo Lake and entered Desolation Wilderness. Lake Aloha was strikingly beautiful so…

Daily Miles: 25.9, Total Miles: 1092.9 The skeeters were ravenous this morning, so I made a quick getaway. Th most prominent feature of this morning’s hike was a granite mountain named The Nipple for obvious reasons. I suspect it may have been named by a thru-hiker. The wildflowers, yellow and purple most prevalent, were again a highlight of the day. I cruised through the Mokelumne Wilderness with possibly my last snow on the trail for a long while? Before crossing…

Daily Miles: 30.2, Total Miles: 1067.0 I had pain and swelling on the bottom of my right foot yesterday. Upon further inspection this morning, it looked like a splinter. Got my needle and tweezers and pulled that baby out – not sure how or where I picked that one up. A soggy and wet trail for most of the morning, still a few snowdrifts but will melt fast with warming temperatures. I had heard rumors there may be trail magic…

Daily Miles: 18.3, Total Miles: 1036.8 A crystal-clear morning so good to go from Bridgeport. I thought the hitch back to Sonora Pass would be difficult and it was. I walked to the other end of town and was joined by Wild Child, also looking for a lift. We were then joined by two more hikers. After three hours, Tyler and his mother squeezed us and gear in the car and got us to Highway 108. Tyler’s grandmother owns the…

Daily Miles: 19.2, Total Miles: 1016.5 I wanted an early start for today’s destination of Sonora Pass so up at 4:30am and instantly attacked my mozzies. So much for that theory. A good cruise today through relatively flat terrain with plentiful lakes and ponds. That all changed at Kennedy Canyon where the climb started up an 11,000 ft high ridge above Sonora Pass. The trail bounced on both sides of the ridge crest with long traverses across snowbanks and chutes….

Daily Miles: 25.8, Total Miles: 999.3 I decided on an early start while the mosquitos were still asleep. The mountain passes aren’t as high in this part of the Sierras but the canyons are deeper so plenty of vertical today. I got over Seavy Pass and down into Kerrick Canyon with lots of ponds and standing water from the snowmelt. As the day warmed up, so did the skeeters. I finally had to put on my head net again and…