Day 49,     0 miles

Yesterday we hiked out of The Sierras on The Paradise Valley Trail.  It took us to Cedar Grove where we hitched into Fresno.  It was a 2 hour lift for Venture and I, but the driver of the car that picked up Happy, Tugboat, and Sweet Virginia took them site seeing and they didn’t arrive at the Fresno Best Western till very late.  They were exhausted.  We all retreated to our rooms to eat, shower, and do laundry.

In the morning we had first breakfast at 7, second breakfast at 8, 3rd breakfast… You see where this is going… It was the best, all you can eat, hotel breakfast I’ve ever annihilated.

Venture’s brother Dan has driven all the way from San Francisco to take us 7 hours north of here to Chester, California, mile 1334.   Tomorrow we will get back on the PCT and head north.  There will still be snow, but hopefully we can manage it.

None of us can smile today.  We want to.  Our faces are so wind burned our skin is taunt and it hurts to even talk.  We give Dan a trail name. Uncle Don. No reason. We laugh. Ouch!

Uncle Don drops us off at The Best Western in Chester (yay, more excellent breakfast for tomorrow).  I am sharing a room with the three kids.  We take Uncle Don and Venture out for dinner then it’s back to our rooms and lights out.  We are all still so tired.  Tomorrow morning we feast again, do a bit more laundry, then back to the trail.