Day 70 – Wednesday, Aug. 2

PCT Mile 1066.8 to PCT Mile 1090.3 South Lake Tahoe
Day Total: 23.5 Miles

We got up and hiked for an hour before breakfast, which has become our routine.

We stopped on a high rocky ridge with views of gorgeous lakes below. We were just about done with breakfast when two older men heading the other way walked up to us. They said they go backpacking every year and every year forget how to pack their bags, bringing too much food. We said, "Oh really?"

The one guy proceeded to give us three Mountain House freeze dried dinners and snacks along with some dried vegetables. It was funny, because of course we wanted his fancy freeze-dried lasagna, but what were we supposed to say when he handed us dried cabbage? We just said thanks and dropped the cabbage with green beans in the hiker box we found later that day.

The trail took us through the Molukumne Wilderness, beautiful country with plentiful water and only a little bit of snow. We started seeing lots of day hikers the last couple miles down to Carson Pass.

At the Pass, a woman asked us if we were hiking the PCT, and then invited us into the information station for snacks and a cold drink! It was such a nice surprise. She also pointed out their trail register, the first we had seen in a week or more. We signed it and saw the names of several other hikers who had come through earlier that day and the day before. Proof that we weren't the only ones left on the trail, which it had started to feel like the last few days.

From the Pass, the trail took us through some wide meadows filled with colorful wildflowers.

There were a bunch of dayhikers on the north side of the Pass too. Shortly after we started hiking we started hearing thunder and seeing dark clouds move in. Before long the thunder and lightning got close and we hunkered down in the trees for a while.

Eventually it passed and we started hiking again with the goal of making it to US 50 and South Lake Tahoe. We hiked fast and covered the mostly downhill section quickly.

We made it to the road a little after 8 p.m., much later than I had hoped due to the storm, but quickly got picked up by a Tahoe local. He drove us through town and pointed out the ski resorts, the popular restaurants and the casinos. We thanked him, and got out at a brewery where we ate a big dinner and then got a room at one of the million motels.