Date: September 26 & 27, 2017
Miles: 1069.7 – South Lake Tahoe; South Lake Tahoe – 1103.4
This morning we hiked through the El Dorado National Forest and joined up with the Tahoe Rim Trail. It was very windy, but sunny and enjoyable. The highlight was a relaxing lunch next to Showers Lake.
We then hitched a ride into South Lake Tahoe and grabbed a room at the Mellow Mountain Hostel, which rivals Hostel California for best hostel on trail. Their recommendations for places to eat could use some work, though…at their suggestion we went to a taco place down the street and had the worst burritos ever. We hung out at the hostel that night, doing laundry and binging on Internet things and HBO.
After breakfast the next morning, Fluffy and I picked up our resupply packages at the post office while JD shopped for his, ate a bunch of ice cream and apple crisp, then hitched out to the trail. We entered the Desolation Wilderness, which looked at first like it was going to live up to its name, but became a peaceful walk through forested lakes. A lot of people were camped around Aloha Lake, and as we stopped to take a break, Indian flute music came drifting out from the rocks next to us. It was beautifully surreal.
That evening we camped next to Gilmore Lake. We talked about random things, and bears, and listened to young coyotes who sounded like they were learning how to howl.
