Our next resupply point marked the end of the “hard part” of Sierra Nevada. We would be done with the long stretch of 10,000 and above passes, most of the snow, and the heavy bear canisters! The landscape was changing. Sonora Pass lay between us and milkshakes, showers, and beds. It was different from anything else I’d seen on trail. The rock formations were irregular, the rock was red, and loose scree dominated a lot of the trail. There was a small patch of snow where we crossed a saddle. On the other side, the mountains were blanketed in green. Looking back, the mountains were gray, angular, and snow covered. We continued along a ridgeline for miles. As we approached the actual pass, we started passing butterflies travelling in the opposite direction along the trail.  They increased in number until we were walking by hundreds of orange, black, and brown butterflies. We crossed over a flat area into strong wind. There, the butterflies were struggling against the wind and being blasted back, in a huge, revolving dance. This was and remains the most magical moment of the entire trail. How lucky were we to be passing this migration at that exact moment?

The descent to the highway was covered in wildflowers and we reached the road in good time. There was a woman dropping off hikers soon after we started hitching and she offered to take us down to the next highway, where it’d be easier to hitch to the town of Bridgeport. This gal was on a cross country trip with her dog, Cowboy, who had to be introduced to us before we were allowed into the car. We crammed into the back with him. When we spilled out of the car and started hitching again, the first car to pass picked us up. This guy was an IT worker for the Marines and a Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteer. He dropped us off at his favorite place to eat, the Burger Barn. I got a huge milkshake, soda, fries, and chicken tenders. This was the only place on trail where I felt overly full, which was quite an accomplishment.

We stayed at the Bridgeport Inn, did our town chores, and left the next day. Tinkle and Daisy sent away their bear cans. We walked to the edge of town to hitch. As we walked up, we saw another hiker trying to do the same. It was Colin! Since we’d last seen him, he’d earned the trail name Flower, for his extensive knowledge of the wildflowers. We had to split up into twos to hitch, so Colin and I left first and started trying to get up to the pass at the junction. Tinkle and Daisy Dukes caught up- they got a ride from a bartender at the Hard Rock Casino in South Lake Tahoe, our next stop! What a useful connection to make! They had resorted to gimmicks to get a ride: she would pretend to punch him and then stick her thumb out. They tried this a few times, with no luck. Tinkle and I tried a move where she jumped on my back and we both stuck our thumbs out. First try and we got a ride! Kevin was a guy who’d been fishing for a few days. We all joked that this was probably the first time that we hikers smelled better than our trail angel. Kevin got a good laugh out of that. He gave us plums when we parted. I put mine in my pocket and then immediately smashed it, putting my backpack on. Juicy.

Less than a mile from where we started, there was trail magic! We had steak burritos, beer, and brownies. While we were sitting, Husk and Queso showed up! It was really cool to see them. We dawdled a while longer and then set off. The landscape was really cool, a mix of volcanic and granitic rock. There was a descent into a green valley and a couple of climbs. We sang Take On Me, by A-Ha and then at dinner, our respective national anthems, simultaneously. This cacophony had equal entertainment and safety value. Any bear in the vicinity no doubt retreated in horror at the noise.