[pct-l] Re: Off Trail

[Lonetrail at aol.com (Lonetrail@xxxxxxx)]

:


> 
> >> Well, I'm back home. Had a great physical, mental and spiritual workout. 
>> Reached my limit for my age, one hundred miles.  I guess I'm slowing down 
>> every year. I averaged 13 miles a day. That's down from 15 when I was 72 when 
>> I did the John Muir trail.  I can't complain at soon to be 75. It's starting 
>> to bother me when day hikers or weekend warriors stare at me and asked why 
>> I'm out here by myself. What would happen if you have an accident or die? I 
>> tell them if I would die I would know my last breath would be fresh mountain 
>> air, my last view would be off the forest, the last sound would be sound of 
>> nature, my last smell would be off mother earth. My last touch the sky that 
>> I reached for. If my body were not found I would return to earth. Hey! 
>> Isn't that what its suppose to be? I would cheat the undertaker.
>> 
>> I must say the Tahoe Rim Trail is right below the Wonderland trail and John 
>> Muir in Scenic views. I slept one night at Barker Pass over looking Lake 
>> Tahoe, a million dollar view.
>> 
>> I am guilty of playing more then I should have. Went swimming sometimes 
>> twice a day in the beautiful lakes areas. This section is a dog friendly 
>> section.  I had some trouble interpreting a sign, which read swimming, is allowed 
>> but no laundering or bathing. I jump in with my shorts and T-shirt. Got my 
>> laundry done, dirt and smelling body odor removed and swam.  Now did I break 
>> the law?
>> 
>> I had my filter and was never short of water. I usually carried three 
>> quarts with me. I could have gone with two, but I'm always concerned with having 
>> an accident and being without water. Remember the Old Gal (Marge) when she 
>> broke her ankle.
>> 
>> I had equipment breakdowns surprisingly more than usual. My Tarptent rear 
>> curve pole broke. I was pretty much able to correct this by stuffing my 
>> backpack with excess gear between the three guidelines. My GPS was way off on 
>> correct altitude. My camera lens locked resulting in no pictures. I just got 
>> drug store glasses, a brand called Dr. Dean O'Dell they fell apart in three 
>> days. On the last day I started a new fuel Primus Canister it kept sputtering 
>> and had a hard time boiling water. 
>> 
>> I made excellent choice of clothing and gear. Backpack the Go-lit Gush (18 
>> oz). Tarptent (24 oz), Marmot 30 degree Sleeping bag (34 oz), long sleeve 
>> shirt (7 oz), zip of pants (6.5 oz), T-shirt (3 oz) silks tops and bottoms 
>> (7oz) and extra pair of socks. Rain coat (3.5 oz). I used a painter hat (1 oz). 
>> Snow Peak stove, titanium pot and a spork. From now on I'm taking the 
>> disposable cameras.
>> 
>> The best tasting water I found was 300 feet south of Dick's pass. You can 
>> see the water running across the trail. I bush-wacked up to several large 
>> rocks were the spring came gushing out from the rocks. I filled up all my 
>> containers
>> 
>> There are several points of interest, which I came across. First at Whiskey 
>> Creek its one half mile of trail. There is a Sheep Herders Log house build 
>> I guess in the 18 hundreds. It is a historical landmark. Along side the 
>> cabin is a large stone oven where they roasted the sheep. This evidently was 
>> common for all herders.
>> 
>> Secondly Tinker Knob this was my last section. I slept at the American 
>> River headwater's campsite if you want to call it a campsite. The next morning I 
>> had to climb up to Tinker Knob once on top I was surprise to see how many 
>> people were on the trail. The locals were all in great shape and seem to love 
>> the trail, although it was very rocky. There was a group from all over the 
>> world, a pretty blond from Denmark, ( looked like the Swiss Miss),An 
>> aborigine from Australia, and a man who sounded like Arnold from Germany. They all 
>> were practicing for a triathlon the winner would receive $250,000 dollars. 
>> They explained that they had to run, bike for 400 miles in five days without 
>> sleep with a few exception. I told them about Brain Robertson feat of 8000 
>> miles. The German asked how much do the winner get. I said nothing. He said 
>> American are crazy.
>> 
>> I did not see a thru hiker. I did talk to a lady who did the trail in 73 
>> parts by horse, part by mule. The trail was not completed and they would have 
>> to stop at ranger stations to have the trail outlined on a map.
>> 
>> On my last day dark clouds started to kick in and I use this as an excuse 
>> to get off trail. I got of Trail about 6:00 PM at Sugar Loaf Ski Resort route 
>> 40. Got a ride in five minutes down to Truckee to Station, which was 
>> closed. I walked into a service station next door and asked the young man which 
>> way to hitch hike to South Tahoe, He said just walk up one mile and go south 
>> on 89. Well, I'm often mistaken for a homeless person; I was once refused to 
>> use the rest room at MacDonald's. I was walking on the sidewalk pasted a 
>> mini market when a car going the opposite way drove into the lot and the 
>> driver, a women in her fifties asked me if I wanted a ride. I said sure. She said 
>> all she had was 7 gallons of gas and was broke. She explained that she was 
>> homeless and though I was also homeless. It was a wonderful gesture a 
>> homeless person wanting to help another homeless person. Now I had to get to Ebbett 
>> Pass easily over 100 miles away. I offered $100.00 if she would drive me 
>> down. She accepted the offer and filled up her tank with 20 dollars I gave 
>> her. The young man in the service station came over to me and gave me a high 
>> five, saying he could not believe it. I didn't even have to put my thumb out. 
>> I found her to be very interesting in her thoughts on what is happening in 
>> America to people like her. She served twenty years in the military fighting 
>> for this country and now out on the streets. It's a disgrace. She was doing  
>> O.K. until the utilities were deregulated and lost her job.
>> 
>> Another point of interest: I read in the Tahoe newspaper that a group of 
>> Scientist have made an underwater trawler which scopes the mountain lakes some 
>> a mile deep and bring up samples of trees 1200 years old from the bottom. 
>> The scientific evidence pointed out there is earth warming about ever 400 
>> years. This sort of makes the Global Warmer's belief that modern day gases 
>> causes earth warming a hoax. They also pointed out in their findings that there 
>> were no evident of forest fires. The belief that forest fires occur every 
>> hundred years may also be wrong. Most forest fires are modern man made.
>> 
>> Well, I'm home and resting up for my next adventure along the PC. I have 
>> now completed up to 80 in CA and several sections in OR. and WA.  Thanks for 
>> your help.

      Just a side note The Sierra Club Hut that is right of the trail has a 
stack of logs                        to burn in their fireplace. Oh my god is 
that polical correct? Tish, Tish.

> >> 
>> Lonetrail
>> 
>> 
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