Day 86

1 (+3) Mile (Granite Chief Trail)

We had intended to hike the 12 miles to the road and then try to hitch into Truckee, but we happened to check the Granite Chief trail information when we reached its junction with the PCT. It would take us to Squaw Valley ski resort where there is a bus that could take us to Truckee for free. That became our new plan and it worked out pretty well. Much shorter, less hassle with hitching, and put us in town earlier. When we got down to the resort we hung out at the bus stop and made a hotel reservation. The bus showed up and took us to downtown Truckee where we got breakfast at Wagon Train. Our first breakfast in the tent this morning didn’t count. Afterwards we went to Tahoe Mountain Sports so I could get new shoes. The Sierra were rough on my feet and the shoes held up pretty well, but the holes in the sides and the lack of grip on the soles meant it was time to replace. I couldn’t find the same shoes, so I’ll be hiking in a different size and style of shoe when we hit the trail tomorrow. I also got a new sun hoody. I’ve worn the same shirt while hiking since we started at the border, but it’s been sun-bleached, stained, and has a permanent stink to it. The past week or two I’ve noticed that the back of my neck, which takes the most direct sunlight while we’re moving, has felt like I’m getting burned. I assume the fabric has just reached its end so now I have a new one to wear. We then went next door to the Safeway and got a very small resupply. We’re going to resupply again in Sierra City, which is only a couple days away. The quick resupplies should make the hiking easier since we’ll be carrying less per stretch. We ran into Scooter and another hiker while waiting on the bus and they mentioned a new wildfire that’s about 10 miles south of the trail near Belden. There are about 140 trail miles until we reach that point, but still something we’ll have to watch closely. It’s burning in a canyon that leads straight to the PCT and winds could push it there quickly. Not to mention the smoke that will likely be covering that whole area making it unpleasant or dangerous to hike through. We checked in at the hotel, took showers, did laundry, and then went next door to 5050 Brewery to look up information about this new fire. Dinner was take-out from the Thai place next to the brewery, which we took back to the room.