Dan Woods' 2009 PCT Hike - Report 4

South Lake Tahoe, CA
July 8, 2009

Howdy,

This is the fourth report on Daniel Woods’ 2009 Pacific Crest trail hike.

Daniel’s shoes did arrive. I picked them up at 1:00 PM and left town for points north. I stopped in Bridgeport for gas and an ice cream bar then went up to Sonora Pass and surveyed the area for a suitable camping spot.

I found a nice place in a small area off the highway about 1 1/4 miles below the pass where I could hide out a few days and settled in to wait for Dan. He came in Saturday evening. We drove down to Kennedy Meadows (North) and got hamburgers. Sadly we were too late for Dan to get a shower.

He left Sunday morning and I drove around to Ebbett’s Pass and set up at a campground a few miles below the pass. Monday morning I drove to Carson Pass and did the same thing. Yesterday after Dan left for Echo Summit on Highway 50 I came into South Lake Tahoe and got the motel room where I am now and will remain until tomorrow morning. Dan hiked 75 trail miles in these 2 1/2 days while I have been messing around.

Dan called from Highway 50 at about 12:00 yesterday and I drove up and got him at Echo Lake. We hit McDonald’s then he took a shower in my room. We went down the street to the Laundromat and I left him back at the trail at about 3:30. I gave a hiker, trail name “Man Down”, a ride from the lake to the local Motel 6.

A word about “trail names”. Many or most hikers end up with a trail name. It is usually assigned by other hikers based on some event the hiker is involved in or some attribute he/she displays. “Man Down” told me he got his name by falling off the trail in Deep Creek Canyon in Southern California and knocking two other hikers into the creek (no injuries). Daniel’s name is “Slacker” for obvious reasons. It is interesting and/or amusing to listen to a group of hikers talking. “Have you seen Coffee Pot or Bone Bag? No, but I hung out with “The Whistler” for two days in Mammoth. Have you seen Knuckle Head, etc., etc.” It is name-dropping with a different twist.

Tomorrow morning I will drive down to the Carson City area and visit Costco and Wal-Mart then go around to Donner Pass on Highway 80 to meet Dan and supply him for his walk to Sierra City on Highway 49.

Dan is within 1-200 miles of the halfway point and he is still going strong. He is also past most of the nasty sections of the trail or will be in a day or two.

Dave