PCT Day 63, 14 July 2022 (Thursday)
“Aloha, Aloha, Alohaaa…”
Start Location: |
South Lake Tahoe |
Destination: |
Wilderness Campsite Near Phipps Creek |
|
PCT Miles Day 63: |
21.8 |
Cum PCT Miles: |
1,112.6 |
|
Non-PCT Miles Day 63: |
0.1 |
Cum All Miles: |
1198.4 |
|
PCT Miles Remaining: |
1,540.0 |
|
|
|
Elevation Gain Day 63: |
3,892 |
Cum Elevation Gain: |
199,505 |
I got another good night's sleep and had the classic American breakfast of lactose-free chocolate milk and a teriyaki chicken rice bowl. Malcolm, another trail angel that I arranged a ride with, picked me up right on time a little before 8 AM, and I was back on the trail by 8:20 AM. Malcolm has hiked the Appalachian Trail before, so understands what long-distance hiking is all about.
Soon I was hiking by Lower and Upper Echo Lakes. There is a chalet and store there that are popular with hikers. This is also a very popular starting place for day hikers and short-trip backpackers (AKA recreational hikers). This is the area where the Desolation Wilderness starts. Again, it is very popular with the locals. There are many scenic lakes, and good places to camp. By far, the most scenic lake was Aloha Lake. This lake is on a par with Thousand Island Lake. And just like Thousand Island Lake, it is day-hikeable.
I am glad I got my new shoes. There was a lot of hiking on rocks today, and it would have been a bit painful to do that in my old, worn-out shoes.
One thing I don’t believe I’ve mentioned yet in any of my posts is mosquitoes. This is because they have generally not been that bad. It’s not that there haven’t been any, but they just haven’t been as bad as they can be in the Sierra this time of year. But today, especially the last 5 miles or so, they were the worst I’ve experienced on this hike.
Oh yeah, I saw my first bear of this hike. It was a large black bear, with brown fur, laying by the side of the highway while driving back to the trail. We drove by it too quickly, though, to get a photo.
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