Some stories from the Sierras

Last post went over our time in the Sierras from a scenery and nature perspective but we had a lot of fun (and not so fun) stories that happened during our hike through the Sierra Nevadas. Here’s a compilation of stories or special moments:

In Bishop, CA we stayed at a guesthouse (think halfway between a hostel and a retreat). After a sequence of town stops where we met up with friends, family and other fellow hikers, we felt like we needed a place to be alone with our thoughts. The guesthouse we picked was perfect for that because while having a private room, still had the amenities a hiker would need: common areas to hang out with comfortable furniture, a kitchen and laundry. We spent a whole 0 day there, which was spent most of the time on bed just resting but we did get out for one thing: Food.

The original intention was to get açaí bowls, fresh and refreshing for a 90F / 30C weather in Bishop. However, we got discouraged after seeing the prices at the store: $16 for a small bowl. That wasn’t enough for our hiker hunger, which requires the volume of at least two normal person meals. The restaurant options were slim and we didn’t want to make a choice so Miles came up with a great idea: a “fast-food tapas tour”. In “real life” we never eat fast food because it’s not very healthy and because we follow a vegetarian diet. Since we’ve been eating some meat and fish during our trail stops, and our calorie intake is through the roof these days, it seemed like the perfect scenario to discover what all the fuss about fast food was about.

First stop: KFC

We got some chicken and a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. The chicken was crunchy and juicy, but the mashed potatoes were a little bit of a disappointment. We devoured the food while reflecting on how cheap and accessible fast food can be, especially when travelling.

Our second stop was Taco Bell, a favorite of a lot of our friends.

Two round were done here. First a crunch wrap supreme, which is a quesadilla with a hard taco inside. Very crunch and delicious 🌮. Second we got a cheese burrito - very decadent 🌯.

Rolling out of Taco Bell, we had to take a break. We went to the gear store and Miles got a haircut. Finally we headed to our last stop: McDonalds.

We opted for desert and we got a McFlurry with caramel for Daphne, and Oreos for Miles. The soft serve ice cream was excellent. We were surprised by how pleasant the atmosphere at McDonalds was. While in other fast food restaurants you felt the need to be in and out of there, McDonalds really invited you to stay and hang out with clean tables, soft music and an open space.

Our one time stint at the fast food restaurant was fun, but we don’t know if we’ll repeat it in the future!!

We met a lot of furry friends in the town stops in the Sierra: here are some pictures.

Can you tell we are in need of furry friends love on the trail? 💕

At the end of the Sierra section, from Kennedy Meadows South to Tehachapi, we decided to break up a 135 mile stretch in two and stop at Ridgecrest. We stayed with Sandy, a trail Angel legend who is known for her “amazingness” and her shower. She hosted us for one night in her beautiful home. She has two amazing dogs, Hops and Oliver, and a cat, Luna. We ended up taking a nero in her house (a nero is a day where just a few trail miles are walked), enjoying cuddle time with Hops and Oliver and conversation with Sandy. Ridgecrest was definitely one of our favorite town stops. We also got Mexican food in town and ordered the “monster burrito” and our first drinks on trail, two blended margaritas.

On our way to Tehachapi, we found a group of 10+ buggies on a dirt road. They were having a great time and were unsure whether to approach us. On trail we’ve learned you ALWAYS say hi to others and chat. ESPECIALLY if they might have extra food or drinks. So we went over and soon after a group of 20 people were surrounding us and asking questions about our journey. We love the face people make every time they ask: “how did you get here?” and we say: “we hiked from Canada!”. The puzzlement is usually followed by tons of questions: how many months have you been hiking for? How do you get food? How long do you have left?

They were awesome and also shared some drinks and snacks with us. They offered to drive us to the top of the hill with the buggies and, while we were tempted by the offer, we had to walk!

One of the most popular meals on trail is the Ramen Bomb. A ramen bomb consists in a package of instant noodles to which you add mashed potatoes, making a mush that’s a calorie bomb. Some people spike it up with toppings or seasonings as well. We had our first ramen bomb in Northen California and we love them. So we carry mash potatoes around. In the stretch from Ridgecrest to Tehachapi, we had extra so Miles decided to “bomb” every meal. Bombed oatmeal for breakfast, bombed pasta for dinner and bombed cheese concoction for lunch. I stayed away from the mashed potato bombing.

💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣

We saw our first cacti and Joshua trees while leaving the High Sierras and descending to the Tehachapi mountains.

On trail we met a lot of people and leap frogged with some other hikers. We met Hotshot, with whom we hiked in Kearsarge pass. She and her boyfriend Mike gave us a ride to Bishop!! We met Jockstrap, Sunshine and Space Cowboy getting back on trail when we were leaving for a needed zero in Bishop. We met Marmot in the Bishop guesthouse, who we later found again at the base of Mount Whitney and in Kennedy Meadows South. We were reunited with Trail Magic and hiked with him around and to Mount Whitney. We met Rick, a very friendly weekend hiker from LA both getting out at Kearsarge pass and back onto the trail. He gave us great snacks and a meal! We also met Greybeard again and hiked with him out of Kennedy Meadows South, we got to know him better while hiking and camping together. We met Steve, Maya, Andrew and Sophie, JMT hikers in their last stretch, who invited us to share dinner with them and gave us all their leftover food. (If it wasn’t clear by this time: we love food). We met Rainier and Mollie and got thai food with them in Tehachapi just last night. Family style is awesome with other hungry hikers. We met many others and had great experiences in this stretch.

The Sierras were tough, hard terrain and hard weather. We got snowed on one night! The night before summiting Mt Whitney. But we absolutely loved it! Now we’re ready for the last section of the PCT: Southern California!