Day 77: The World is a Cup...or possibly a stein of beer

Miles: 0
Camping: Mellow Mountain Hostel in South Lake Tahoe

Breakfast today exceeded every town to date. I actually managed to find a cafe serving banana pancakes with real maple syrup, which has been my #1 craving since day 1. I had made some of my own back in Bishop, but it was so nice to sit in the bustling cafe, sipping coffee and eating a nice breakfast. This was, of course, while my comrades slept in. I sometimes envy their ability to alter their clock, but I do like my solo morning time. It was nice to have some time with my own thoughts, especially in those sleepy morning hours.

Today we had to get the rest of our town chores done so we can hike out tomorrow morning. I'm ready to be back on trail, but visiting with my friends and having mini vacation has been wonderful. When I returned to the hostel, Cheeseburger, Danger Spoon and Polar Bear had arrived. They were in a hurry to get to the German pub for the World Cup (Cheeseburger is from Germany), and we were still getting ready for the day. We decided to go meet them, and a productive day began to look less likely. Giggles and Steel Toe showed up as well, joining our PCT World Cup viewing party. We ate spätzle, drank German beers and eagerly watched the game. In a German bar, with our 6'6" German friend, I pretty much enjoyed his jubilant reaction to the victory more than the game. This led to much celebration, and a silly journey back to the hostel.

We all had to resupply, and decided it would be fun to do so in the afterglow of the game, so 5 of us began walking to the supermarket. Danger Spoon was suddenly sidetracked by an old timey photo booth, and next we knew, we were all transported back to the 20s. We donned gangster gear and took one of my new favorite photos before getting our shopping done. At this point, we had to get into gear, and our friends Andy and Emily had gone back to San Jose. It was so awesome to have them here, I am so happy to have connected with them in this context...and everyone else was happy to have them here as well. You will be missed guys! Love you!

The rest of us cooked dinner, finished our packing and did some last minute laundry. A bunch of the guys went to see the new Planet of the Apes movie, but I decided to relax in the hostel and stop spending money. Tomorrow it is back to the task at hand....getting to Canada! Time to crack that whip, the party is over.