Sierra City

7/25-
Day 106 - Hannah's summer vacation is ending this week so she left us today from Echo Lake. We will miss her but we are glad she found a week to hike with us. See you at Burning Man, Hannah. - Squirrelfight

Day 106 - One makes choices and lives with the consequences - both positive and negative - of those choices. Choosing to hike as a Menacing Vegetable has had both good and bad ramifications. The bad side has been the farewells - since the first month of the trip - to those who I would have like to hike with for longer, but are on a more ambitious "schedule." Drew and John, Brad and Sundance, Lady G and Charlie, Pretzel and Stitch, "H", Llama, Roma, and Team Blue-foot (to name a few), all of whom are several hundred miles north of us. This morning I bid "bon voyage" to Natasha as she blasted up the trail, Canada-bound. It seems that one is either hiking to Canada or hiking with the Veggies, and you can't do both for long.
The good side, of course, is just how much more enjoyable the walking is, just how much more you see when you're not on a "Hike all day every day" sort of trip. Side trips to summits, long swims in sunny lakes, naps under shady trees, unhurried bird and flower watching, allowing myself the time to really enjoy the views, sights, and the company of fellow Veggies - these are ally why the idea of hiking straight through to Canada at 20 miles per day seems less appealing every day. - Staggerin' Willie

Day 106 - Vegitation is in full force. We only made it as far as the first nice swimmin' spot here at Tammarach Lake before calling it a day. It only took Staggerin' Willie a moment or two to shift from his catch-up brain to his Vegetable brain. It is a relief to see that his mind hasn't been warped by over exposure to thru-hikers. - Krumholz

"I hear the wind blow. I hear the wind blow. It seems to say Hello, hello, I'm the one who loves you so." - They Might Be Giants

7/26-
Day 107- We spent the whole day hiking through desolation wilderness, a part of California that I have always wanted to visit. At its heart is Lake Aloha, a truly desolate granite-and-ice sort of place, surrounded by barren peaks, that has absolutely nothing about it in any way reminiscent of Hawaii. Lots of relatively warm lakes 'round these parts, though, and opportunities for swimming abound. We're camped at Dicks Pass tonight - at 9300' it is the highest point on the PCT all the way north to Canada - and it's turning into a chilly night. - Staggerin' Willie

Day 107 - The Desolation Wilderness through which we now walk is lake heaven. Knergneemurgh and I spent the day hopping lake to lake, barely a few miles between each stop. I've identified more flowers today than I can possibly retain, but what the hell. Tonight we are camped on the viewful Dick's Pass, our last point above 9,000 feet on the entire PCT. Farewell to the high country. - Krumholz

7/27-
Day 108 - Last night we slept in Dicks Pass at 9380'. It is the last time the PCT goes above 9000', but that's not the only reason we chose this campsite. We wanted to experience the glorious sunset that usually comes with an uninterrupted view while sitting atop a windy high mountain pass. I slept beautifully and at dawn Jonny and I woke up just long enough to see the same orange hues light up the sky and highlight the many mountain ridges which surrounded us.
Today I went for my longest two swims so far on this hike. Since we've been creeping down to lower elevations the water has been getting enjoyably warmer. The lakes aren't quite as Alpiney and breathtaking but they are still quite beautiful. In my previous dips I would sum up enough courage to enter those icy waters, scream, and scramble as quickly as I could back to shore. - Pickle

Day 108 - The Menacing Vegetables have gone Hawaiian! The song of the day is "A-lo-ha Lake," sung upon reaching any body of water. Today we took a long midday break at island-dotted Middle Velma Lake. We renamed it Middle Velma Ocean, and named various islets after our favorite Hawaiian islands. We then swam out to "Oahu," where we luau-ed to attract tourists and scanned the water for Mahi-mahi. We saw only Trouti-trouti, so we decided to put off the fish dinner until we reach Truckee-truckee. - Staggerin' Willie

7/28-
Day 109 - Gnarly Knob Vicious Love Fashion Shoot
- Squirrelfight's hair - two week growth with daily sunscreen. $0
- 100% Nylon shirt with back vents and roll up sleeve tabs by Sportif. Made in Taiwan. Available in Granite or Ocean. $30
- EMS polarized shades. $18
- Wickers factory seconds polypropylene underpants available in black or dark black. $7
- Nylon/Polyester multipocketed zip off shorts/pants with lower side zips and elastic drawstring waistband by Columbia Sportswear. Available in Desert or Moss. $30
- Socks (not pictured) stinky polypro liners. $4
- Rag wool main socks. $6
- EMS snow gaiters (Chihuahua resistant). $40 (duct tape extra)
- Heavyweight leather thru-hiker boot by Limmer. $300 (possibly overpriced)
- Pickle's hair by PCT. $0
- 100% taffeta nylon shirt with back, chest, and pit vents by Columbia Sportswear. Available in Cornmeal and Olive. $30
- 100% nylon mosquito proof safari zip off pants/shorts by Sportif USA (made in Taiwan) available in Pine and Cigar. $30
- LOWA brushed leather sneaker-boot with bumblebee laces. $65

- Vicious Love. $Priceless

Day 109 - Today was one of those days where everything just comes together so nicely. After a few mediocre morning's walk through brushy, viewless, second-growth forest, we crossed Barker Pass, and since then the trail has been gorgeous. Wildflowers, clear gushing springs, huge hemlock trees, surrealist lava outcroppings, views of Lake Tahoe, the whole lot. Camp was high on a ridgetop saddle, where Johnny and I found water by bombing 1/4 mile straight down to a beautiful spring. Before dinner we climbed "Gnarly Knob," a dramatic lava plug that looks totally unclimable from every angle except the one we climbed it from. We took the Tanner-Cam along, so there should be plenty of groovy pictures of us on Gnarly Knob. - Staggerin' Willie

Day 109 - We have arrived here at the head of Grouse Canyon on the Sierra Crest and are pleased to find water a little ways down the gulch. So it is here that we'll camp and I'm thrilled because I didn't want to walk the five miles to the next water. The view is spectacular with Twin Peaks looming in the afternoon sun and volcanic outcroppings jutting in unlikely formations along the crest. Later... we just returned from an ascent of one such outcropping, vertical Gnarly Knob. Pickle said she'd come along to get a photo of us failing, but ultimately, she ended up on top as well. - Krumholz

7/29-
Day 110 - Staggerin' Love Fashion Shoot

- Staggerin' Willie's hair by Vidal Sassoon. $100
- Lost and found adolescent flower-patterned one piece swimsuit. $0
- Self-confidence. $Priceless

Day 110 - The tent is such a luxury. Every night before dark we sit in the tent reading and writing, listening to the mosquitos inches away. But they can't get us in here. - Squirrelfight

Day 110 - Today the trail wound around/through several of Tahoe's numerous ski areas - quite a visual intrusion into the wilderness experience. We're camped alongside Squaw Creek, in the middle of a Squaw Valley ski run. If it were 6 months later, Gore-tex clad skiers and snowboarders would be zipping above our heads. Then again, if we were right here 6 months from now, we would all be dead and frozen, buried under many feet of snow. - Staggerin' Willie

7/30-
Day 111- Once again motivated by the thought of yummy town food, I hiked hard this morning, covering the 12 miles to Donner Pass by 1:00. Along the way, I encountered hordes of strolling weekenders and day hikers, more on-trail company than I have seen on any single day of the hike. In fact, I probably saw more people on the trail today than in the first month of hiking cumulative. - Staggerin' Willie

7/31-
Day 112- As an exercise in positive-ness, I will simply list the experiences I enjoyed at Pooh Corner: soaking in the hot tub, swimming on Donner Lake, the climbing wall, their History of the Donner Party book with entertaining 19th century photos and gruesome quotations ("His sanity gone, utterly alone, Keyseburg ate boiled flesh."), ice cream and blueberry cobbler after every gut-bustin' meal, seeing Natasha again for a day, all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ in Truckee (Technically, this wasn't at Pooh Corner, but it sure was an enjoyable experience!), and Molly's hospitality. I wish I could say this was the whole story, but it isn't - it was actually a pretty stressful visit for reasons the other Vegetables have done a fine job of explaining, so I won't bother. - Staggerin' Willie

8/1-
Day 113 - I am tempted to not write about Pooh's Corner at all, but in order to present a more complete depiction of our trip I feel I should.
Bill and Molly Person have a home on Donner Lake five miles from the PCT. Bill hiked most of the AT in 1996 and received a good share of "trail magic" from "trail angels" along the way. In order to repay the generosity and hospitality that was shown to him, he and Molly have opened their house to PCT thru-hikers for the past four years. Like Pat and Paul in Anza and Donna and Jeff in Agua Dulce, the Person's have posted notes online, on bulletin boards, and at trailhouses, inviting hikers to come to their place for "free beds, meals, showers, swimming, boating, hot tub, and just plain loafing." A very generous offer.
We were all looking forward to this break, our first day off in a couple weeks, and to meeting our new friends, Bill and Molly. I can say now that we are all glad it is over and we would not want to go back. Bill was in a bad mood from the moment we met him and took every opportunity to scold all of us for impeding on his life in whatever way he felt we were at that moment. Not a very relaxing environment. I assume he is probably pretty burned out from hosting hikers all season. Either that or he is a big jerk all the time.
The five vegetables have a lot in common and we are all polite, thoughtful, experienced house gusts who clean up after ourselves and others. With Bill in such a foul mood we were all on our best behavior and we stayed out of his way as best we could. He insisted, though, on treating us all like teenagers who were continuously breaking all of his written and unwritten rules.
At first we figured we had just gotten off on the wrong foot and surely he wanted to get along with us so we tried to act as if he wasn't in a bad mood at all. He told us we were welcome to say the next day but then made us feel so unwelcome that we nearly left to spend the second night in a hotel. I'm glad we didn't because that night Bill went out to a meeting and we had a wonderful dinner with Molly and a long lovely after-dinner conversation with her too.
The next morning, though, Bill woke Willie and Knergneemergh up by yelling at them that they had better clean up after themselves before they left. As if they had given him any reason to believe they wouldn't. I understand that it is hard work being a host to so many people all summer, but, like hiking the trail, it is completely voluntary. It takes a very special person and from what I can tell, Bill is not that person.
Back to the sanity of the woods, - Squirrelfight

Day 113 - Whew! Boy am I glad to be out of Pooh Corner. We had been looking forward to a day off there all week, but that was about the most stressful day off I've ever had. We unfortunately got off to a bad start with Bill and were never able to right the situation. Bill, a previous AT thru-hiker, generously opens his cabin on Donner Lake to PCT hikers, offering pretty much everything a hiker could need. But he seemed to take an instant dislike to the Menacing Vegetables (is that possible?) and nothing we did was sufficient to alter his attitude. I spent an entire day feeling like an unwanted guest either ignored or yelled at by this guy. Admittedly, we were five minutes late to our pickup at the trail head, but we helped cook dinner, cleaned the kitchen after every meal, bought him beer (for which he simply said, "Could ya put that in the fridge?"), and in general tried our damnedest to be polite house guests, which I gotta say, I'm pretty good at. I even folded the guy's laundry for him, but to no avail. How mortifying to feel like I was abusing a person's generosity. Unfortunately, I can't help but think his generosity wasn't true. He spent a lot more time reminding us and others of how generous he is than actually being kind, and rather than calmly address any problems he may have had with our behavior, he could only lash out in anger and yell. This man is obviously burned out on hiker hosting. Understandably, it's a lot of work to provide for people who have been living outside for three months and he has taken on more than he can handle. I only wish that Bill had recognized this and not taken it out on us. I must add here that his wife, Molly (who seemed to take on most of the work of hosting) was very welcoming and friendly. We had a wonderful evening with her and all got along quite well. If only the whole visit had been so pleasant. - Krumholz

Day 113 - Very unpleasant morning at Pooh Corner. By the time I reached the trail again, I felt kind of dispirited and physically ill. Actually I felt sick most of the day, although an afternoon nap helped a lot. After only 7 miles, we stopped for the day at Peter Grubb Hut on Kate's recommendation and it turned out to be a pretty rad place. Mostly set up for winter visits, the main entrance is on the second floor, so if you show up in the summer you have to climb a ladder to get in. Good call, Kate! - Staggerin' Willie

Day 113 - Met our first thru-hiker in a long time today. Flatfoot is 57, hiked the AT southbound in 1990, wears size 15 boots, and is raising money for the Sunshine Foundation. He started in Campo May 14. His website is www.sunshinefoundation.org. Two other thru-hiker websites are www.earthdog.org and www.bnf.net
Kate used to live in Truckee and while she was with us she told us about a cool hut she had stayed at on the PCT near I-80. Today we left Pooh's Corner and decided to take a relaxing seven-mile trail day to help us process and get over our town trauma. Our destination for the night (at 4 pm) was the Peter Grubb Hut that Kate had raved about. It is a sweet place that the Sierra Club maintains. The main entrance is on the second floor by ladder because in winter the snow buries the lower half of the building. Upstairs are thin mattresses covering the floor and photos of the hut and the area around it. You can go downstairs by ladder where there are two wood stoves with space and tools for chopping the wood that obviously lines an entire wall in the winter. There are a couple tables and cabinets down there that surely get used in the winter when the place is deep under snow. The Vegetables had the hut to ourselves. We had a great sunset potluck, and we were glad to put our town stop far behind us. - Squirrelfight

8/2-
Day 114 - Every time we see antoher thru-hiker or group of thru-hikers, I think surely that's the last of them. I can't imagine anyone being behind the Vegetables at this point and still expecting to hike to Canada this year. I figured Natasha was the last of the lot, but then we met Willie "Greatest American Willie" Color, then Hawkeye, then yesterday we hiked with Flatfoot, and just today we were overtaken by Sam, Dave, and Dave (who say there's still one more behind them). They just keep on coming! Well I say good luck to all you " back of the packers." You'll need it! - Staggerin' Willie

Day 114 - It's lunchtime now and I'm sitting on a breezy saddle in a meadow dotted with wildflowers. The Pooh incident is thankfully behind me and I've returned to my natural state of bliss. - Krumholz

8/3-
Day 115 - Not only did we drop below 8000' today for the first time on the PCT, but the trail brought us below 7000' for the first time in 470 miles. That was eight weeks ago, five miles out of Kennedy Meadows. Tonight we are camped at 5252'! I realized how low we were when my nose finally stopped bleeding. - Squirrelfight

Day 115 - Today we dropped below 6000' for the first time since before Kennedy Meadows, about 500 miles ago. While it's sad to see the mighty Sierra Nevada winding down into its northern foothills, it has been exciting to see enormous canyon-bottom incense cedars, Doug firs, and black oaks, trees we haven't seen for months. It's also pretty gratifying to have hiked the entire length of the range from bottom to top, although we're not "officially" done with the Sierra Nevada for another 90 miles or so. - Staggerin' Willie

Day 115 - Taking lunch today at Jackson Meadow Resorvoir. Squirrelfight, Pickle, Knurgneemurgh, and I all took a refreshing dip. In fact, Knurgneemurgh seems quite thrilled to have returned to her aquatic habitat. - Krumholz

Day 115 - We are camped in the most spectacular and magical place. We are on top of a crest with views of endless mountains north and south. As we approached the top of the crest last night, the sky was a fiery palette ignited by an enormous neon magenta sun. The light below the sun was red and orange and the clouds and rays of light above the sun were brilliant purple, lavender, pink, yellow, and white set against a rich blue sky. As we reached the top of the crest, we all were astounded with the view of this glorious sunset.
It's past dawn now and the sky to the east is aglow with silver rays of sunlight raining down from giant gray-white-silver billowy clouds. Between this heavenly landscape of clouds are the rich blues and golds of a gorgeous morning sky. These skies seem otherworldly. I am stunned and in awe by the magnificent power of nature's theater. - Rachel

The Real Squeal on the Meal Deal
by Knergneemergh

"Desert ye not thy dessert." - Ivan Moore van Ella 1666 ann0 donutae

Just because we haven't encountered dehydrated Ben and Jerry's ice cream doesn't mean we Vegetables have abandoned Dessert as an institution. Gosh dangity-dang-dangit NO. The institution of Dessert has indeed been incorporated into our mealtime potluck experience and is hosted by a Veggie or two. This week, dinner has concluded with an enormous "Symphony" chocolate bar split five ways ala Pickle and Squirrelfight. Last night, Staggerin' Willie offered more than a touch of class. More like a scratch of class. He procured a box of 28 individually wrapped Andes after-dinner chocolate mints. Each Vegetable was allotted five and then we had to gamble the last three before some kind of chocolate mint rumble broke out. Out came the dice and the gambling had begun. The remaining three mints were gleefully gobbled by Pickle, Kaptain Krumholz and me. (Always choose the even numbers when the odds are against ya!) Tonight's dessert will be a homemade pudding passed down from one generation to the next called Jello. It also rhymes with hello, mellow, yellow fellow.
Wello well, that brings me to aperitifs. Although not essential or even officially part of the Menacing Vegetables mealtime potluck, aperitif can be a necessary staple to tide one over during the process of exquisite meal-making. Pickle is often seen munching on bread with oil, Kaptain Krumholz with his infamous GORP, Staggerin' Willie with sweedish fish or attempting to mooch from someone else, Squirrelfight with the corner of his boot. I myself sank to a new low when I found myself licking the bouillon cube wrapper panache.
One notable meal that must be mentioned is Chef Squirrelfight's Gadu Gadu. This meal made me want to stand up, grab everyone's hands high above our heads and sing, "We are the world, we are the Kitchen..." Gadu Gadu is equal parts of peanut butter, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and oil. You gotta gotta try this at home. Sadly, Squirrelfight gave this recipe to Team Bluefoot who were all sick for three days at Pooh's Corner. An appropriately named locale of recuperation perhaps? - Knergneemergh

Tanner - We're shuffling the schedule a bit - I hope you have this in hand before anything is sent. When we arrive in Belden (8/10) we're hopping off the trail for 5 days in Lassen National Park and then getting back on in Castella (8/15). This means we'll be skipping maildrops at Old Station and Burney Falls State Park. Feel free to remove those towns from the itinerary online. This puts us in Etna on 8/21 and Siead Valley 8/25. - Ben

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