Day 85 - Meadow Lake Road to Sierra City

After waking up too early in the morning, because the hikers nearby were not very quiet when they got up in the morning, we finally headed out to our long day.

We managed to do the first 10 miles or so before it was too hot, which was nice. It included some more ridge walking, on the shady side of the mountain. We filled our water at East Meadow camp ground, seeing many cars passing by, and fantasizing about being offered a soda from someone. We had no such luck. Going up another climb or two, the day became hotter and hotter. We just trudged on, and made another short water stop at Milton Creek. From there, we had about 5 more miles to go until highway 49, which leads to Sierra City.

I headed out and walked this last bit with no breaks. Just before the highway, I passed two southbound hikers that started at Crater Lake, some 600 miles to the north. We might bump into Tree Hugger and Petunia again in Oregon or Washington, when they hop over to do that section next. When I finally got to the road, I found Waterfall and Backup just as they were meeting Waterfall’s aunt and uncle. They offered me a ton of melon, watermelon and pineapple pieces, and brownies and cookies. That was an awesome way to finish up a hot day of walking.

I started walking down the highway towards town, and managed to catch a ride after several minutes. I met Idan at the back yard of the Red Moose Inn, where hikers can camp for free. We wanted to inquire about getting a room there, or at least a shower, but there was nobody around to talk to. We did manage to get a quick hose shower, and then to do our laundry by the general store. We got a buffet dinner at the Old Sierra City Hotel (no rooms for rent, only a bar/restaurant), and are now heading back to the back yard to crash for the night.

The town is full of hikers, many camp behind the church as well. We met Stumbles, which we haven’t seen since around Ziggy and The Bear, and a lot of other new and fast hikers catching up from behind. It starts to feel as though we are in “the herd”.