The Famous Lake City Hiker Feed

August 25, 2024

Mile 340.2-356.1 (15.9 miles) (Lake City)

We were hoping to leave earlier but 8 am isn't a bad start for us. It's hard to leave the warmth of the quilt and Henry's arms until the sun touches us with its toasty arms.

The first 8 miles were difficult, lots of elevation gain. I listened to my audiobook and was relieved when we made it over the final step of uphill climbing. We thought the second 8 miles would be easier on the snow mesa but instead it was cold and blustery with huge gusts of wind strong enough to almost knock me off my feet, with a sprinkling of hail off and on. This was the windiest it's been and being buffeted around like a ragdoll and having my hat and hood yanked from my head no matter how tight I cinched them started to piss me off. My face and lips were becoming chapped from the wind and when it started hailing it felt like being shot with a bb gun as it stung my face. I ducked off the right side of the trail and disappeared over the edge to get a break from the wind and fight off a temper tantrum. Hunger was also definitely a contributing factor to my frustration.

When we finally descended off the mesa and down to the trailhead I was tired but relieved. My stomach growled but we were an hour early for the shuttle service that picks hikers up to take them into Lake City. We decided to hitch in the meantime to see if we could score an earlier ride and three other hikers at the road had the same idea. It wasn't long before a man in a Tacoma pulled over and told us he could squeeze in as many as we could fit. Say less.

Henry helped him lash packs to the roof rack, three hikers piled in the back seat, Henry sat in the passenger seat and I folded up like a pretzel on his lap for the half hour ride to town. I couldn't imagine the stench we must be emitting to this poor souls nostrils but he was funny and friendly. Halfway through the ride my legs lost all feeling as they were smashed under the dash but I didn't care. It was better than waiting an hour for a ride. We crawled out in a parking lot in town, thanking our driver profusely. I rubbed feeling back into my legs while fishing out my phone to turn off airplane mode and get some cell service. There was one single room left at the lodge and I quickly filled out my information and snagged it, jumping up and down with joy when the confirmation flashed across my screen.

We practically skipped down the road to the lodge, checked in and I hopped in the shower before lounging naked in the clean sheets until it was time to walk down to the hiker feed.

There's been word up and down the trail for the last 100 miles of the famous hiker feed the local Presbyterian church hosts for hikers once a week. We made it just in time for their final one of the season. It was even better than we possibly expected.

Two huge tables lined with so many different dishes of food and desserts and fresh fruits/veggies. The pastor encouraged all of the hikers to get in line first and asked that we please go back for seconds. The hiker center was filled to the brim with people and once we filled our plates we headed out back to a separate building with a dining area where we could find an empty table.

We stuffed ourselves, had so much fun talking with other hikers and made new friends Nate and Alex, a cool couple who runs their own gear company! We went back for seconds (me just for a plate full of dessert) and when we could not eat another bite we hobbled back to the room to digest. I texted the group chat catching my friends up on the latest trail news while lounging in the bath before bed.