July 9th
Today we took zero at the Person’s cabin, “Pooh Corner”. Its only 40 miles to Sierra City where several items await pick up at the post office. If we leave today we likely will arrive there Sat afternoon after the post office has closed and would have to wait in Sierra City until Monday. A day off here enjoying the hospitality offered by Bill, Molly, Erin and Rachel seems better than a day off Sunday in Sierra city.
Sitting on the deck of Pooh Corner, the Person’s cabin at Donner Lake it’s hard to imagine the hardships that the Donner party faced in the winter of 1846. The shelters that they hurriedly put together bear little resemblance to the elaborate vacation homes that are crammed along the shoreline. The starvation and harsh choices they confronted are in stark contrast to the grocery stores of plenty to be found in nearby Truckee and to the aroma of barbecue filling the air around the lake. The hunger that the Donner party felt is foreign to this place, and was a hunger that even the hardest working, most calorie deprived thru hiker could hardly grasp. And few people know insatiable hunger like thru-hikers. The constant sounds of truck and car engines as they cruise at full speed up interstate 80 make it hard to understand how these pioneers were trapped by granite walls and snowdrifts.
Fortunately we had the luxury of contemplating such thoughts today while relaxing at Pooh’s Corner, sitting on their deck sipping Chardonnay, paddling on the lake, sitting in the hot tub, checking email from a wireless work station and enjoying the camaraderie of the other 7 thru hikers who are here. We have come a long way, both since Campo and since 1846.
