7/14/18 South Lake Tahoe

Day 24

Miles: 1,099.74 to 1,090.76

We only have 10 miles to walk today. Our alarm is set for 4:30 a.m. so that we can greet the new day and do some sunrise photography. Aloha Lake is calm, reflecting the granite slopes above it. One star remains shining. There is not much color in the sky but the scene is still very serene.

We have mile and a half of shoreline to cover. Shoreline trails are never flat. We go up and down over small bumps negotiating the rocky terrain. The views are spectacular.

Once the trail leaves the lake, we walk through the forest. Mosquitoes start attacking us. They are rather aggressive, biting as we walk. Mosquitoes are the main pollinators in the Sierra and with the flower season in its peak, there is no way around them. Bug spray is on our shopping list.

Soon a viewpoint displays a vista of Echo Lake in front of us. We descend to it and meander around its shore, passing a water taxi station. They don’t run until 9:00 and so we keep walking. The trail is now full of day hikers. We are close to civilization.

At Echo Lake resort we stop at a store to get soda and a large peach. It tastes good.

Mile later we arrive at Hwy 50, our exit point. Cars fly by. In less that 10 minutes, one picks us up.

Joan, our trail angel, goes above and beyond to help us. She offers to take us home. We don’t want to impose so we try several hotels first. No luck.

The evening with Joan and her husband Jim is lovely. We barbecue chicken and corn, talk photography (Jim is a professional photographer), tell bear stories, discuss climate change and other topics. At nine we spread our pads on the living room floor. Joan brings us blankets. Jim suggests we should stay with them tomorrow as well. They like to have a company.