Day 103, Lower Rosary Lake to Stealth Site at Mile 1898.2

Today was the day we would finally reconnect with Dave. He has been an enjoyable person to hike with. He has a good sense of humor and has little tolerance for drama or nonsense, which are qualities I value.

Dave fit in well with our small group when we hiked together before and we were looking forward to hiking with him again.

I left our campsite on Lower Rosary Lake at the surprisingly early time of 6:15 a.m. The morning was clear and pleasant.

The plan for today was to hike an easy 4.5 miles to a side trail leading to Shelter Cove Resort, which was located on Odell Lake. We had resupply boxes waiting for us at the resort, but more importantly, we knew we could order a hot meal there.

The trail made a gradual descent, which sometimes offered views of the large lake.

As I neared Highway 58 at Willamette Pass, I met a northbound hiker. “Are you Gravity?” she asked.

This question seemed out of nowhere, but I soon understood why she asked. She told me her name was Mayhem and she was hiking with Falls.

Falls appeared a couple of minutes later. It was a nice reunion. He was the last of the Woohoo Crew I would meet on the trail and the only one still hiking northbound.

He told me stories about how he, Bookworm, and MJ left Kennedy Meadows with a few other hikers, including Mayhem, with intentions to hike through the snow-covered Sierra. Before long, MJ realized this section was more difficult and dangerous than she expected, and decided to leave the group so she wouldn’t become a burden to them.

The rest continued north, though they were often slowed by post-holing, treacherous water crossings, and other obstacles. Bookworm left the group after completing the Sierra so he could return home and then go back to school. Now it was just Falls and Mayhem to continue the hike north.

Soon after Falls, Mayhem, and I said goodbye and headed our separate directions, I arrived at a trail junction leading to Shelter Cove Resort. Instead of taking this route, I elected to continue another four-tenths of a mile to a dirt road.

This also led to the resort but would be an easier walk. It would also make the return hike back to the trail much easier.

I arrived at the resort shortly after 9 a.m. Sunkist and Bluejay had already retrieved their resupply boxes and had ordered breakfast.

They warned me that the kitchen was slow and that I should expect a long wait. Knowing this, I ordered a breakfast burrito first, then picked up my resupply box.

The resort provided some useful amenities for thru-hikers under two canopies, including a charging station, a hiker box, and a water spigot.

Dave arrived while I was eating my burrito. He was greeted warmly by the three of us.

It didn’t take long before the subject came up of our pending jump south from Ashland to hike the Sierra. Sunkist, Bluejay, and I were still planning to do that and we all wanted to know if Dave was on board to join us.

He was hesitant, so we began pressing harder, lobbying him to see our point of view.

I now realize this was unfair to him. He had just arrived and barely had time to get his bearings at the resort. He hadn’t been with us more than a few minutes already we were pushing for him to commit to staying with us.

As with any hiker, Dave had his own goals, his own agenda for his hike, and that included being responsive to the needs of his family at home. We shouldn’t have badgered him the way we did. Nevertheless, we did that because we liked him.

The trail passed a few small ponds as it climbed a ridgeline. One was a little marshy, but we were able to access it well enough to filter and refill our water bottles.