Today was a good day. Tourist and I cruised the 16 miles into Sierra City without any problems. We were surprised by some awesome trail magic at a random dirt road about 12 miles from town. A wonderful older gentleman named Bruce had driven out from Reno with Gatorades, delicious bars, and lawn chairs. He was a really cool guy - a retired cab driver who enjoyed making the drive between Reno and the trail helping hikers. Tourist and I really enjoyed the hour we spent with him and Mr. Pibbs who rolled up a little behind us.
I love all the trail magic. It is such a huge part of the PCT experience. It is amazing what a difference it can make in one's day. I am looking forward to paying it forward next year in Washington. I already have lots of ideas.....I think I'm going to be busy next September! The PCT community is pretty incredible, and I know I'm going to be involved in it forever.
Sierra City is great. It's located about 1.5 miles from the trail along Highway 49. There was a lot of road construction and traffic was flowing one direction at a time with a pilot car on the way into town. Tourist and I didn't think we would get picked up but a truck pulled over when we were about half way to town and let us hop in the back. Mr. Pipps was already on board. We definitely appreciated the hitch.
The town is super compact....perfect for trail hikers. The grocery, laundromat (even Maggie got a bath!), P.O., and lodge where we are camped in the back are all located within a tenth of a mile. Such a nice change from SLT. I was able to get my chores taken care of quickly. I wound up switching back to the Adidas shoes but mailed the still relatively new Obozes home in case I changed my mind. I also mailed off my dress for the second time. I'd missed it and had my mom send it back to me, but this time it's gone for good! I'm going UL (ultra light) the rest of the way!
We had a fabulous dinner at the general store of all places. I went with the chicken sandwich after Itchy told me it was the best one she had ever had. I was excited to compare it to the chicken sandwich at Latona Pub, my favorite item on the menu at my favorite restaurant in Seattle. The general store sandwich was truly delicious and I had none of the dreaded burger envy! However, I'd still have to go with Latona for the best chicken sandwich ever. I'm actually kind of relieved about that.....I'd hate to have anything taint my view of the lovely Latona!
We're just hanging out at the lodge right now. It's a nice place but a little strange. It's sort of a hotel/cafe/trail angel place combined. I haven't quite figured it out yet. Tourist just showed us a highlights video of his Utah skiing from this past year, and it seriously has me longing for skiing. Can someone please remind me why I am walking? Skiing looks so much more fun!
Back to the trail tomorrow. I just missed Smiles here in Sierra City, so she's less than a day ahead now. She left a note in the register promising our posse beer and/or ice cream if we catch her by the next town. She's on!
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