Against the Grain

Day 26 Miles 4.8 We slept in until 5, then took the boys to watch the sunrise over Lake Tahoe. It was our final day. We took photos of the boys climbing around on rocks and playing, just as goats. Not goats with a job to do or a long day ahead. Just goats being goats. They’ve developed from barnyard animals into Wild Beasts of the Forest. They are wary and attentive to their surroundings. Read more…

Day 25Miles 6.6We sat in a meadow, knowing the routine well enough that we didn’t speak. She sat on one end of the boys and I sat on the other, scanning each other’s horizons for danger.Sentries in a Field of Flowers.Eventually Sophie fell asleep on her backpack and I watched her, all soft and comfy on a log, curled into her down jacket.This is A Day of Lasts.We met Kimberly a few hours into our Read more…

Day 24Miles 5.5It was warm before the sun even touched the tree tops with it’s itty bitty finger tips.You sure have a lot of stuff, one older woman said as we walked by. It was the nine thousand, four hundred, and fifty third time we’d heard that from someone, but for some reason today was the last straw.We railed about it for an hour.Of course it’s a lot of stuff. Is that meant as a Read more…

Day 23Miles 8My feet were a little swollen in the morning, but not bad.So of course Jennie and I immediately wrote a song called Baby Sausage Feet.It goes:Baby Sausage FeetAre not for you to eatEverybody knowsMy Baby Sausage ToesAnd Everybody SeesMy Baby Sausage Feeeeeet! …and that is 4am humor. We hiked through the heat until we got to a stock bypass at Heavenly Ski Resort. It went straight uphill. I guessed it was an 11% Read more…

Day 22Miles 8.5 Get Away – Get Away! Sophie called out. Jennie and I leaped out of the tent. Sophie busted out a flood light. It was a bear! She said. Her greatest fear realized, and she faced it down on her own. She chased the bear off by herself. Glorious. My Mom called her Sophie the Brave. It was the most excitement we’d had on the whole trip. And I’d missed the whole thing. Read more…

Day 21Miles 6.5I hopped across some boulders and peered down a five foot hole with water flowing at the bottom.Looks like I can get down there to fill up the water bottles, but I’ll need some help getting back up. I said.Sounds good. Jennie said.No. Let’s try down there. Sophie said.We roamed around the maze of giant boulders, looking for a spot to reach the water.The goats roamed around too. Bosco followed me around. Oatcake Read more…

Day 20Miles 6When there was service, I had a text from a California Highway Patrol Officer saying they would help us cross Highway 89 and to text if we were early or late. I was so worried about getting to the road on time that we sped too fast. We hurried our way through the cool forest with the soft floors and up giant inclines made of hard packed sand. We saw the first mountain Read more…

Day 18Miles 8It was a climb right from the start. And oh what a climb it was. We were so thankful we’d found the spot we had for the last day and a half; there were no others for miles.We came to an overlook where the whole green world spread out across the land. Everywhere. Cliffs and green. Trees and green.We called S. Lake Tahoe California Hwy Patrol to see if they’ll help us cross Read more…

Day 17Miles 0The wind picked up my chair and threw it directly on top of the stove, knocking off my pot of water and immediately catching the chair on fire.That’s what I get for bring luxury items.Well it was less than 1.5 pounds before, so it has to be lighter than that now.At least you can tell my chair apart from Sophie’s.Now My Left Butt Cheek has no place to go.We rested and rested and Read more…