PCT Day 67: Mokelumne Wilderness to Hwy 50

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 Highway 88 at Carson Pass, I stopped into the ranger station/visitors center. What a great bunch of volunteer docents they have there. They had me sign their PCT register and had a bathroom scale for weigh-in, now about 35 pounds down. I was handed a plate of fresh fruit and cookies, and before I finished, was handed another one. They even topped off my water bottles.

I hiked down the headwaters of the Truckee River and saw my first equestrians on the trail. Surprised I hadn’t seen any before considering the trail is largely joint use.

Approaching Highway 50, I started thinking how close I was to South Lake Tahoe, only 11 miles away. How could I pass up the opportunity to get cleaned up and have a good dinner? Traffic was way too fast but one truck was able to stop without being rear-ended. Thanks Rod!

I checked into Motel 6, got my chores done and had a late, very good dinner at an Italian restaurant.