Some days, things just go your way. Mash and I raced to the highway, where we would catch a hitch to South Lake Tahoe. A car awaited us at the trailhead. Trail magic! We each got a cup of pineapple and a cupcake. It turned out it was Fiber Kings mom. I’d met him the night prior and he’d told me his mom would be there, but I didn’t dare to hope, after having had so many letdowns when it comes to trail magic. But here it was! Very real and very welcome.
No sooner than we finished our last bite of fruit when a car pulled up offering rides to South Lake Tahoe. Fizzy and Louisa waved from inside. We finished our cupcakes in 2 big bites and hopped in. Never had it been so easy to get a ride.
In town we settled down on one of the lake beaches. Spice, Mouse and Stinger joined us soon after. It almost felt as if we were regular tourists, lounging in the sand, taking a tentative swim in the cold lake. Life is good.
Lunch was at a Himalayan place, which turned out to be actually Indian, but was leagues better than the umpteenth so-called ‘BeSt BuRgEr On TrAiL’.
We headed to our hostel and did the obligatory shower and laundry combo. Just when our laundry was in, I got a message from Leo, who was now Cookie. He was in the hostel! I rushed to his room and knocked on the door. He opened and I gave him a hug, wearing only my rain jacket and spare underpants. He was far behind due to strained ligaments and honestly, I hadn’t expected to see him again. That he was here was heartwarming. It must have been almost 2 months.
In the evening, I joined IPA, Four Mil, Frisky, Tour Guide, Icky, Classic and Spigot (these last 2 a couple of new Belgians) at Fire and Ice, a mongolian barbecue, for dinner. It was a buffet where you grabbed ingredients in a bowl, which were then live prepared on a giant grill plate by 2 chefs, very cool to see and also delicious.
This was the last night Andy was going to be in our vicinity. He’s here on an esta visa and needs to go to Guatemala to renew it. I wished I could have said goodbye to him, but he was way on the other end of town and my legs were not up for that. I’m sure he’ll catch us after he’s back.
Back at the hostel, Mash was in the process of getting drunk with Fitz, so I joined in. A bit later Four Mil and Frisky took seats as well. Frisky, from Quebec, was hilarious. We played Never have I ever but in a card game and it became a late night.
I went to sleep at 12h30. I woke up to pee and heard Mash in the bed below me fidgeting. I climbed down and saw him tinkering with the lamp and fan in the corner of his bed.
‘What are you doing?’ I asked bewildered.
Mash looked at me for 2 seconds, muttered something, shruged and got back to work. He went on for a long time.