Days 74 - 78

The stay in South Lake Tahoe was everything I had been hoping for in the weeks leading up to it--relaxing, restful, and just a lot of fun. I started out on Friday, July 17, by getting a rental car and then driving the hour or so to Reno to pick up Adrienne. It was so good to see her! Before leaving Reno we made a stop at In-n-Out and then REI so that I could pick up some replacement gear. She was a great sport about it. I had very good luck at REI and they replaced my backpack free of charge because a crack was starting to develop in the internal frame. They also replaced my pants because of some stitching that was coming out. So when I hit the trail again, I had new socks, shoes, backpack, and pants. I felt like a new man! We also made a stop at Costco on the way back to Tahoe so that I could pick up some food for my hike. It tends to be pretty expensive near the trail so I was buying in bulk and then shipping it along to a few resupply spots.

Over the course of the next 3+ days, we went to the beach, ate VERY well (go to the Red Hut Cafe whenever you are in Tahoe!), took a drive around part of the lake, and even rented a boat for part of the afternoon. It was way too much fun and it went by way too fast. Before I knew it, it was Tuesday and I had to drive her back to the airport and start thinking about getting on the trail again.

I elected to stay an extra day in Tahoe to get my resupply business done. So after running errands and trying to figure out the best resupply strategy for me, I started packing things up. By the time I was done, it was 2 am this morning and I was exhausted. My hope was to get a ride to the trail around noon or so, but I hadn't yet been able to find one.