Woke up late and was on the trail around 8:15am. Normally this would be a big issue but today was different. Today I only had to go four miles and then would get to take two days off. Even better was that Cora, Ms. Freddie, and my friend Chris were going to be driving down from Portland.

Right after I got onto the trail, Julian from Switzerland came around the corner. We walked together all the way to Highway 40 talking about random things. He told me that after I left Ebbetts Pass on Tuesday, a guy showed up Wednesday morning making chili omelettes for any hikers that passed through. The sad part was that one guy stayed in his tent all morning sleeping in, so when he woke up the omelette man had already left.

Julian didn't know why Donner Pass was called what it was so I filled him in. His response was just "wow".

We met several day hikers on the way down the trail. There was a couple on the trail with a cute white poodle named Sassy, complete with a pink bow on her head. Also met a trail runner named Dave who told us he had left a cooler out for hikers near his car. I was amazed/perplexed by his white shirt and asked if I could take a photo...it was so white and unstained.

Got to the parking lot and found Dave's cooler. Julian and I bid each other goodbye. He continued up the PCT and I started to try and hitch a ride to Truckee. A car stopped and it turns out it was Sassy (along with her caretakers, Dick and Theresa).

Dick and Theresa gave me a ride into Truckee. The post office was not open yet so we went across the street and they bought me a coffee. (thanks again!) We talked for a while and it turns out Dick knows the guy who inadvertently created the "Streisand Effect" (google it).

My laptop made it to the PO ok and then Dick and Theresa drove me up to the Burger joint up the street. We said goodbye and I went inside. I had a great burger and milkshake.

My phone was almost dead so I had to put the solar panel on, to which a lot of people stopped and asked me about it.

I didn't know exactly where my friend Chris' brother's house was, but got a roundabout description of it. Eventually I found it and went inside. I texted Cora saying "Found the house....we could live here".

Over the next several hours I tore my pack apart, washed, and repacked everything.

Mike's wife Cheryl and son Henry showed up a while later. I made a beer run for Cora and Chris. A couple hours later they showed up at the house. I went out to see them. Cora and Chris got big hugs but Ms. Freddie was a bit indifferent to me. Dog Stinkeye.

Cora had packed a ton of crap....crap I requested, and bless her for bringing it all, clear down to the 1/8" Fostner drill bit so I could redrill holes in my solar panel.

We went out to "The Last Mexican Restaurant Open In Town After the Better Mexican Restaurant had Closed For the Night" and then came home and went to bed.

Streisand effect

see cora and chris and freddie, try and find house

do laundry 3x and other chores, dry stuff out, figure out what to send home