PCT Day 48

Bishop Zero Day

0 miles

Mile 788.5

Felt great to sleep in a bed for the first time in a couple weeks. We slept in past 8 am before hitting the continental breakfast for some coffee and grub.

After breakfast Mike, Spikes and I walked down the street pickup a 6 day resupply. On our way there we swung by a this badass bakery.

I grabbed some dark chocolate covered espresso beans and an iced coffee. Both were fantastic!

Next, we made our way to Smart & Final to grab our grub for the trail. This was the first time I’d visited this chain, but oh boy did I love it. Imagine if Costco and Safeway had a child…that’s this place. They sold coffee packets, protein bars, complete cookies, trail mix and pretty much everything else I needed in bulk at a crazy low price. I had waaaay too much fun in there. I got everything I needed other than summer sausage and Parmesan cheese, which I grabbed from the Vons next door.

Resupply completed, we headed towards the gear shops to grab a few things. On the way, Spikes and I swung by the bakery again to grab sandwiches for lunch. We took them to go, planning on eating them in our hotel room along with the salad ingredients Spikes grabbed from the grocery store.

From the bakery we hit up three different gear shops. The first was rather small and over priced, but I did grab some Cliff Energy Gummies. At the next store, I picked up an ice axe. It was more expensive than I’d liked, but the store offered a 10% discount to PCT hikers, so that was cool. I had originally planned on not carrying an ice axe, but after fearing for my life during the Mt Whitney and Forester ascent, I promised myself I’d get one. At the last gear shop I traded in an old pair of Darn Tough socks that had holes for a brand new pair for free! Darn Tough stands by their products for life, I highly recommend these guys!

Shopping done for the day, Spikes and I swung by the local brewery, Mountain Rambler Brewery, for a quick beer.

What was supposed to be a quick pit stop turned into a longer affair when the owner, Joe, started chatting us up. He was a super cool dude, having hiked the PCT in 2000 and the Arizona Trail in 2004, it was fun learning about his experiences. Plus, the beer he brewed was kick ass!

Next, a rad couple at the bar made for great conversation. They ended up buying Spikes and I a round, and giving us their hummus platter. Super cool people!

Finally, we closed out and made our way back to the hotel room. Spikes fixed us a fantastic salad, which we ate with the sandwiches from the bakery. So bomb!

Once the food coma faded, I forced myself to organize my resupply food. I bought way more food than normal. The Sierras have been melting the calories away, so I need to start eating more to maintain my weight.

This is 5 days of solid food, with wiggle room for 6…maybe 7 days. We should have no problem making the 90ish mile trek to Vermillion Valley Resort, where I sent a resupply box, in 5 to 6 days.

Last chore completed, dinner was on all our minds; Spikes, Mike and I headed over to the local bowling alley which houses a restaurant that Yelp raved about.

The joint didn’t disappoint! I ordered the salmon dish with mango salsa, asparagus, rice pilaf, a spinach side salad and an IPA.

It was on point! On the way back to the hotel Spikes and I swung by the brewery again for a round of beers and dessert. The chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream was delicious!

Exhausted from our day of glorious food, we retired to our room to catch some zzz’s.

Cheers!