View of Blue Lakes from Carson Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail:
Granny Hat is so thankful today on the Fourth of July. Thankful for the beautiful country we are privileged to live in, thankful for the wisdom and foresight of men like President Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir and others who set aside land for preservation and enjoyment, thankful for the freedom that adventurers like Mission have to travel our nation’s trails. We live a blessed life here in the United States of America.
Granny Hat’s dear Uncle Ken faithfully follows this blog and he had an interesting observation several days ago after Granny posted about Mission’s hurting feet and hiker hunger. Uncle Ken served as a missionary with SIM in Nigeria and then in the North Carolina headquarters, leading mission teams all over the world so he is qualified to make this comment. ” I think people in most other cultures in the world would say, ‘why are these people joining this struggle willingly?’. Granny Hat humbly acknowledges that there are many in our world whose feet hurt because they have to walk far to work, find food, obtain an education or flee from danger. And perhaps a thru-hiker’s hunger serves to give him just a little taste of what it is like to truly need food. Mission says he is not as picky as he once was and very thankful for a sit down hot meal when he can get one. Unexpected meals, even the most simple, are truly magic.
The Carson Wilderness above Lake Tahoe is, of course, named after U.S. Army officer Christopher (Kit) Houston Carson, an American frontiersman, wilderness guide, fur trapper and Indian agent. Granny Hat looked up some quotes by Kit Carson and let’s just say he was a little rough around the edges and is not at all politically correct anymore. But here is one quote that I’m sure Mission can resonate with:
“Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili!” Kit Carson
Kit’s quotes may leave much to be desired but his wilderness is very stunning. Mission said every melted snowfield is now a field of flowers. He said his camera just could not capture the expanse or profusion of color.
Mission also hiked through the Desolation Wilderness on the PCT which affords beautiful views of Lake Tahoe.
Mission made it into Sierra City (39.56611, -120.63554) in time for Taco Tuesday at the general store with carne asada tacos and a local band playing a very eclectic music mix, including Linus and Lucy and then some oldies. The town has a population of around 225 people and one small motel but most PCT thru-hikers take advantage of the generosity of the local Methodist Church which allows camping on their property. The store has 24 hour wifi, potable water and public bathrooms which stay open all night. And even though the sidewalks roll up at dark, there is loud taped music on the porch long into the night, a little ambience for the hikers perhaps. Mission said it was a little creepy. Most of his fellow hikers intended to zero in Sierra City and take advantage of whatever Fourth of July festivities would be offered, no fireworks up in the National Forest, of course. But Mission decided that after breakfast and using wifi to send these photos to Granny Hat, he would hit the trail again. What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July, than to hike in Wilderness USA!
“Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain.
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!” Katharine Lee Bates
Granny Hat thanks all of you for your prayers for Mission, his feet are feeling much better and he has been able to pick up his pace. He is enjoying his trek, collecting many interesting stories and meeting some amazing people. In Sierra City he met up again with some hikers he hadn’t seen since Sonora Pass. There are more day and short- section hikers on the trail now that the JMT and Tahoe area are behind him. Many thru-hikers stop after Tahoe, intending to hike the other half next year or decide they have had enough by the time they see that beautiful lake. Granny Hat can imagine wanting to just stick her toes in the water and gaze at the lofty mountains, that would be good enough for her. Happy Birthday America!
Granny Hat 