39.31803,-120.35099
Woke to clear skies and made an early departure for my first resupply stop at Donner Pass.
A bit too early as it turned out. Occam, who shared my campsite but left later, reported seeing a handsome brown bear ambling down the trail just a mile from camp. It doesn’t always pay to be the first out of bed.
The trail continued mostly along ridgelines and I enjoyed fine views of this historic country, the gateway to California. There was a small exhibit at Roller Pass, where wagons were winched up the final pitch by teams of oxen pulling 400-foot long chains. 
Still smoky on the Tahoe side of the divide
I passed multitudes of dayhikers on my way down to the old highway and railroad tracks, chatted briefly with a Japanese PCT hiker trying to hitch to Truckee, then roadwalked a mile or so to the Clair Tappaan Lodge, run by the Sierra Club.
Built in 1934, it is a classic timber frame lodge with lots of old school ski lodge aesthetic.
Guests are expected to pitch in at dinner time and I got to see the very sink where, I was assured, Ansel Adams used to do the dishes. Good enough for me.
Where old Ansel used to scrub the dishes