I had been eyeing this route, and when I received notice a few days earlier that my 50-mile race in Oregon was cancelled due to wildfires and AQI concerns, I quickly pivoted to it. My friends rallied and agreed to provide support throughout the day. My friend Jarad and his pup Marley met me at Echo Lake Trailhead at 4:00 am to guide me through the early dark miles. I enjoyed their company for the first 10 miles, then they sent me on my way towards Dicks Pass. I ran the following 22 miles solo until I was greeted by my friends – Nora, Kate, and Connor – at Barker Pass. They had my ice bandana sun shirt, snacks, and bottles ready to go. After a quick stop, Nora, Kate, and I continued on our way. I’ve never run this section northbound, so I was able to take in the sweeping views of Tahoe to the east and the dramatic slopes of the Granite Chief Wilderness to the west. Having company during this section was essential. Nora and Kate's joyous conversation helped to keep my spirits high, and they carried extra water and gels, and filtered water for me at Five Lakes Creek before we climbed toward Granite Chief. The highlight of this section was the pack goats we encountered deep in the wilderness (photo included). Looking back, the section between Barker Pass and PCT/Granite Chief Trail had some lows. It was quite warm, and there were only a few light streams to use for cooling. Thankfully, the combination of my pacers and the treat of seeing backcountry pack goats kept me going.
Ashley and Lyndsey met us at the PCT/Granite Chief Trail intersection to swap pacing duties. Once we set off, I sandwiched myself between the two of them, and we plugged away at the miles. The climb to Tinker Knob was longer than I remember, but I had that peak in sight for the past 10 or so miles as a more immediate goal. Arriving at the section of trail just below Tinker Knob came with the confidence that I was going to complete this adventure. Maybe that’s the bonus to selecting a route where the bail out points are just out of reach, so the best option is to continue moving forward. Connor graciously ran more water to us so Ashley was able to keep me wet while we travelled along the ridgeline toward Donner Peak Trailhead. My Lukes and Sucra met us at Donner Peak Trailhead, where I dropped my pack (this was dreamy), refilled my ice bandana, and set out for the final 3.5 miles to the finish at the tunnel where the PCT crosses under I-80 at Donner Summit. On the final section, we were in the shade, and it provided great reprieve from the sun that had been bathing me for the prior 12 hours. I was greeted by my entire crew just before the finish, and we were all able to share those final steps. Being able to spend so many miles with my friends is what made this day incredibly special. And a distance PR too!
Technical notes: First half of the route through Desolation Wilderness, there is lots of water. From Barker Pass to the PCT/Granite Chief Trail intersection, there is some water just shortly after Barker Pass; then it is dry until Five Lakes Creek. This was the lowest I have ever seen Five Lakes Creek, so I’m not sure what this will look like come late summer and early fall. From the PCT/Granite Chief Trail intersection to Donner Peak Trailhead, we found one water source to refill bottles before the climb to Tinker Knob.