We came into town, sliding way down into the valley from high atop the steep shoulders of the Sierra Buttes late this morning. We passed day hikers and mountain bikers out for the weekend, enjoying the beautiful mountainscape. Lakes glint brightly at all levels of the many surrounding, heavily glaciated basins.
We are excited to be coming into a rest day, to laze off some of this fatigue that has been weighing us down like a yoke this past week. Our steps have been fleet and light all morning. A shortcut down an old mining road took us steeply down into the small one-horse hamlet of Sierra City and the quaint main street welcomed us with its comely, small-town ease.
Shade caught up with us a few hours after we arrived. His box did arrive on Wednesday in Belden after all and he couldn't stand that we were pulling away out ahead of him. He's a racehorse and can't stomach the thought of being passed out here. It is nice to have him back with us for he next short stretch before we leave the trail next Thursday.
Also, we met Little Bump and Stick Girl, a couple from Florida, this afternoon. They are southbounders who we've been seeing in the registers since Canada. We all sat in the churchyard next to Jim Duffy's RV, where we were informed (originally by the Heitman's in Old Station -- Jim is Dennis' old work buddy from the Oakland Fire Boat Patrol) we could pitch tents. We stopped in to say hello to Jim for Dennis and Georgi earlier when we first arrived and he very pleasantly and graciously welcomed us to town, carfeully pointing out where NOT to camp near all of the hidden sprinklers. This afternoon as we all sat in a circle sharing trail stories (ahh, remember the mighty Napeequa . . . ). Jim came back around after a day hike up near Deer Lake and invited us all to join him to dinner, his treat. So, all six of us sat at the Buckhorn garden cafe and ate mushroom raviolis and had a nice time. I feel great and already good and rested up for a hasty return to the trail tomorrow. Hopefully the microwave burritos we had bought for dinner will thaw out well enough overnight and make for a good lunch tomorrow as we ascend back up into the mountains. This is our last stop below 5000 ft for the rest of this trip. It's high country from here on out. "Bring it on!" says Koala.
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