Day 74
Miles: 7
Rock with a view to South Lake Tahoe

We wake up with a big ol’ view, then we have to hike back out of the bog. It goes better than hiking into it did. My shoes stank pretty bad before this, but now they smell like hiker feet AND swamp. Great combo.

We feel better than I expected, until we start walking… except we are still walking, so still better than expected. It’s a brutal seven miles of downhill.

Stumbling to the highway junction, we call up Teal. He had planned to rent a cabin in South Lake Tahoe with Tess for this week, and we’re hoping to get to spend some time hanging out, even if we aren’t hiking together anymore.

Teal picks us up and takes us home. It’s a vacation rental in town, and it’s huge. Showers, food, friends, beds. Teal and Tess stuff us with steak and crab legs. Dan and Christina drive out from Berkeley and join us, Dimples and Snake Eyes make it to town and join us too. I’m so tired I might die in my sleep. I’m going to take a couple days off.

Kind of an awkward pitch, but it did the trick last night.