Day 9: Suzie lake to Richardson lake

16.6 mi/ 81.6 total
Slept terrible. The wind was in full force and I slept cold and sporadically. If I wasn't hiking with Beacon and Bernadette, I'd never have gotten up at 5:30.
I force myself to eat my granola, because I know we're going for 16.6 mi today, which will be my longest day so far, and I know I'll need the energy.
We start the uphill climb to get to the base of Dick's Peak, and already my right shoulder is throbbing. It feels like a nerve is pinched, and the pain is shooting down my arm, tingling in my pinky. I can't make my pack more comfortable, no matter how I adjust it. I grit my teeth and continue on with them, pulling up the far rear. When we get to the peak it's switchback after switchback, increasing in 1000 vertical ft of elevation in about a mile. It would be quite so bad, except that the wind has picked up, and we estimate it's about 30-40mph, which just adds another level of fun. We crest the top at about 10am and congratulate ourselves, per, drink and snack. As soon as we start down the other side we see that it is fairly covered with snow, and we will have to periodically check our gps to stay on trail.  Bernadette, who has never owned a cellphone, is thrilled to be with us and our trail-finding electronics.
We make fairly good time, even though we are taking a break every 3-4 miles. We reach my usual 13 mi mark around 3pm, and still have more uphills to go--I'm starting to feel the pain. The only thing propelling me now, is my desire to stop. To set up camp. To eat. Two more miles. One more mile. At last we arrive. Beacon has it on good authority that there is a free Dierra Club hiker cabin close by, and he sets out to scout it, while Bernadette and I relax on some logs.
Beacon comes back shortly, beaming (no pun intended), telling us the cabin is amazing. We rally and drag ourselves back to our feet, put on our ever-increasingly heavy gear and follow. When we get there it IS amazing. It's not much--concrete floor, two wooden tables, a couch, and a loft space of wooden floorboards--but to us it means getting out of the cold wind, not having to set up camp, getting to spread out all our gear, and make good in the comfort of a "home".
Beacon takes the loft and Bernadette offers me the couch (YES!) and takes the top of one of the tBles (which she seems way too happy about). We talk and make food (I trade Beacon some chips for a snickers bar, and we both walk away feeling like we got the better deal), rest and look at maps, trying to figure out our respective plans for tomorrow. My choice is simple: 10 miles or 18 miles. There doesn't appear to be any water or a campsite  in between, so I have to decide. The decision doesn't end up being that tough, because I feel like I can barely walk right now, so I choose a 10 miles day tomorrow and two 13 mile days to get to Fonner Pass. By 7:45 we all retire to our resting places and settle in for a restful night.