Day 76 – Donner Pass & Soda Springs

Miles: 1146.6 to 1153.4

Trail Miles: 6.8

I slept in again. It felt really good, so I obviously needed it. Still, I had some ‘hiker guilt’ about doing so and it was reinforced by the number of hikers I heard going by my tent. I finally got the on trail about 0720, just as Bandit was passing my campsite.

It was a beautiful morning.

I had cell service nearing Donner Summit so I called the P.O. and had my resupply forwarded to Sierra City. The Postmaster was really nice and helpful. – I already had enough food to make it to Sierra City. MI didn’t need to carry 7 additional days worth. I’d pick it up in Sierra City on Monday, assuming it arrived. Worst case I’d spend the night there and get it the following day.

The trail crossed behind a couple more ski resorts today – Sugar Bowl and Boreal.

Sugar Bowl Ski Area

It was the weekend before Independence Day, so there were lots of day hikers out. It was nice to chat with them and smell how clean they were. Thru hikers are like vampires in that regard. Oddly, I can smell their laundry detergent and soap, yet not my own B.O. (I was averaging 7 days between showers and laundry)

It took a while to get down to Hwy 40. It’s always like that when you can see the destination: the trail will take a circuitous route winding its way down. And it was rocky, really rocky. A girl passed me wearing white linen pants and a pair of Chuck Taylor’s. I couldn’t help but wonder how her feet would feel by the end of her hike.

I eventually got down to the road and headed to Donner Ski Ranch and Restaurant. I’d heard they offered the “40 at 40” special for thru hikers: a free 40 oz beer on Hwy 40. It wasn’t quite 11 am, but it was 5 o’clock somewhere. My hiking day was done.

Smokebeard and Bandit arrived shortly after me and joined me for lunch. Mozzarella sticks, a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a slice of apple-caramel pie. It was just what my hiker hunger needed.

Smokebeard and Bandit were continuing up the trail, but I was staying the night in Soda Springs. Before going to the lodge, I hitched a ride to the P.O. There was some cold weather gear i wanted to mail ahead; I might need it again when I got to Washington. (I was slowly whittling down my base weight, but no where near the ultra-light hikers with 12 lb or less backpacks.)

I hitched a ride back to the Clair Tappaan Lodge. It was a rustic hostel owned by the Sierra Club that was open to the public. There was a group there doing a week-long service project. Some participants were Sierra Club members, but most were teenagers from metropolitan areas, like Boston, on a program to get them outdoors.

Clair Tappaan Lodge

Since I was the only thru-hiker at the lodge, I had the 23-bunk female dorm to myself. It was perfect for catching up on more sleep.