TWENTY FOUR – THURSDAY MAY 20, 2021

After walking 38 miles I woke up feeling just fine.  The first few weeks of desert heat training and climbing over a few ranges whipped me into shape.  I got up and resumed my hunt for power.  After more unsuccessful searching another hiker explained all the power ran on a generator.  It would be another hour or so until the store opened and the power was on.  While killing some time I played fetch with one of the local Australian Shepherds which reminded me of home. At that point I decided I would have a slow morning to rest, recharge, resupply, shower, and even do laundry.  

Across the parking lot I saw a familiar face.  It was “Legend”! He had relocated from Campo to Kennedy to volunteer for a bit, following the hiking horde north.  Legend said he could hear me snooping around last night and laughed that I was looking for power in this generator-fed facility.  He drove a group of us down the road to Grumpy Bear’s for breakfast.  When I walked into the lodge it felt like a western movie.  This area in general had a frontier feel with lack of power, few roads, and not much traffic.  Inside Grumpy’s was packed with hikers.  There must have been over forty, all turning around and staring at what just walked in.  By this point we were all hardened outcasts, molded mentally and physically by the near month we had all spent on a primal expedition.  There was a side door leading to the porch that did not close by itself.  Each time someone walked outside the group would yell in unison “close the door!” to keep the cold breeze out.  I don’t know why but it felt so theatrical and scripted.  After sitting at the bar for almost an hour I asked if I could order some breakfast.  I was told I was supposed to order at the register and they just finished serving breakfast, all along thinking the bartender was just too busy.  At that point I looked at the leftover plate beside me and weighed my options. With desperation in my eyes the kitchen made one last round of pancakes just for me.

Next to Grumpy’s I browsed in Triple Crown Outfitters, a shipping container jam packed with all the gear you could want.  I knew I had a box waiting at the general store so I bypassed the snacks.  One piece of gear that I did deem worthy was a large charging block with two USB ports.  The extra external battery pack I picked up in Tehachapi was great but the small solar panel on it seemed just for looks and it still took time to charge all of my devices.  This was a game changer and absolutely worth the weight difference of a normal iPhone charging block.  Like most things in life there are tradeoffs.  The gear carried on a long trail usually has three metrics: price, durability, and weight.  Most of my gear was either discounted or a curated and thought out purchase, so money usually was not an issue.  There was definitely a sweet spot finding gear that was lightweight but not so light that it would fail.  I also frequently considered the weight to utility ratio.  The charging block was heavy but it was more productive than a lighter alternative.  A thick jacket is heavier but it provides more warmth than others.

A group of us hopped in an emptied out van for a ride back to the general store.  This might have been one of the most typical hiker trash hitches I had on trail with a dozen of us scattered on the floor.  By this time the store was opening up and I could start to get organized.  I tested out the new block and took a shower.  While my laundry was going I shook out my resupply and found some new pieces of gear: a fresh pair of shoes, microspikes, an ice axe, and my bear canister.  I say fresh but these shoes were broken in with over 100 miles, still much better than the over 700 mile high airflow model I would now retire.  For the next 240 miles I would be carrying this bear can.  There was a convenience and sense of security but gah this thing was awkwardly shaped.  I also found my Warner Springs package from 4-day-old PCT me.  Inside was my puffy and wool socks that would be crucial for the Sierra. There was also a motivational note from past me to future me that gave me a laugh.  Hopefully the microspikes and axe would not be so crucial.

By this point it was afternoon and I was (mostly) organized.  We all had lunch and some beers on the general store deck while watching other hikers come in from the trail.  Each time someone approached we would all stand up, clap, and holler.  This is a tradition at Kennedy Meadows, congratulating each other on finishing the desert section.  Unfortunately I did not receive an applause for my midnight arrival.  My batteries were almost charged and my bear can was strapped in.  I made another stop inside the store and was told there was a snow storm coming in the next day.  It may have been just fear mongering from the locals and I was already packed to go so I would push on.  There was no applause for the departure into the Sierra. 

It was still a sunny but breezy afternoon. The sun began to set and I felt the chill of night, though it wasn’t the same chill that I felt in the April desert.  I was ahead of pace from a big day yesterday but did not even make it 10 miles out of Kennedy Meadows.  This was one of those moments where I chose warmth over distance.  Right at sunset I stopped to set up my tent, rainfly included.  I was not used to going to sleep with the sun so I hung out for a while.  In my resupply box was a cookie that my mom threw in.  It was from my sister’s graduation, just two weeks earlier.  That was a nice treat to end the day.

TWENTY FIVE – FRIDAY MAY 21, 2021

The morning was a cold slow start.  I slept in past 8, waiting for the sun to come out.  The trail immediately began to climb and early afternoon leveled off for a bit in the Monache Meadow.  Just after crossing the Kern River it began to snow.  This was the storm I heard about in town.  I was bundled up in every layer except for my puffy which I kept in my pack in case I needed something warm and dry to wear in the tent.  At this point I was wishing I sent some leggings in my Kennedy box.  My nice warm and toasty wool base layer was in the gear pile at home but I forgot to pack it.  Hiking in a snow storm at over 10,000 feet elevation in a pair of shorts was pretty brutal.  All of the climbing and a decent pace were not enough to keep my body warm.

The snow eventually tapered off but it was still too cold for comfort.  I looked ahead on the map and the trail would start to drop in elevation.  I descended to Death Canyon Creek, just below 9,000 feet.  It does not sound like an inviting place to spend the night but I made it below snow line and could not have been happier.  When I pulled into the tentsite I also saw a familiar and welcoming sight.  Fire!  There was a group of about eight other hikers huddled around.  They happily shared the heat and I felt alive again.  My mind was still thawing and there were too many to meet but I think one of them was named “Pyro”.  Yes, he was the one who made the fire.  In exchange for warmth I tossed a couple of Rice Krispies around.  

TWENTY SIX – SATURDAY MAY 22, 2021

It was another cold and slow start, but I did get up before 8.  Waking up with no snow on the ground and mostly thawed water made for a nice morning. I did not enjoy it for long as the trail immediately climbed back above 10,000 feet within the first hour.  This climbing did keep me warm and it looked like the sun was even going to peek out of the clouds.  Nope I was wrong.  By mid afternoon the clouds had rolled back in and the snow storm resumed.  Today the snow was even heavier than yesterday and the flakes were thick.  Maybe even thick with two c’s.

This was my second full day in the Sierra and the second day hiking with my bear can. Since it was large, bulky, and a little heavy I wanted it lower in my pack.  In the morning I got out my food for the day and stuffed it in one of my side pouches like I normally would.  With all of the long climbs at elevation I was burning through the calories.  The cold weather also required my internal combustion to put off more heat.  Oxygen was lacking up there and I was consuming fuel almost twice as fast as I did in the desert.  I ate the last of my snacks in the side pouch and had to stop to get more food out of my bear can.  My body quickly cooled down and I realized how cold it was.  The liner running gloves I was wearing were not doing the trick.  My dexterity was fading away.  Just as I was struggling to open the can another hiker approached.  She told me to use something hard like a coin to push the tab on the bear can lid to get it opened.  Also feeling the cold, she had to keep moving to keep herself warm.  The trick worked and I was able to regain some confidence.

In the late afternoon I reached the trail junction of Cottonwood Pass.  This is a popular exit to Lone Pine, just a few miles to the trailhead.  I could escape the frozen tundra and hope for a hitch at the road.  Instead I pushed on and quickly climbed up to 11,000 feet.  The snow was still coming down and by this point I was starting to lose the trail.  I was not seeing many, if any, footprints ahead and I started to question my decision.  I reached the southern border of Sequoia National Park.  There is something reassuring and comforting about seeing a sign in the middle of the wilderness.  It is hard to describe but it makes you feel like you are not lost.  At least I wasn’t lost yet.  I stopped to take a picture of the sign and just as I started moving again I lost my footing and fell to the ground, slamming my shoulder on a rock.  The snow was over a foot deep at this point and I laid there in pain, shocked at what just happened.  After doing a systems check I realized everything was fine.  I would be bruised tomorrow but I had to get up and start moving.  Otherwise I would be buried in a blanket of snow.  This was the first moment I realized how quickly my situation could change for the worse.  

I wanted to go for a few more hours to make mileage but the sun was setting and the temperature was dropping.  My body was covered in a blanket of snow, not the type of blanket I needed at this point.  The next flat spot had my tent’s name on it.  I quickly set up and before diving inside the sun came out.  

TWENTY SEVEN – SUNDAY MAY 23, 2021

That was the coldest night I had on trail.  All of my layers were on and the sleeping bag was fully zipped and synced down, covered with a layer of ice.  I was glad the sun was out in the morning.  The snow storm had passed and I survived it in a pair of shorts and a 20 degree bag.  The worst was behind me and today was going to be a good day.  Whitney day!  At the top of my first climb for the day I could hear voices.  Three others were taking a break so I stopped to talk for a minute.  Typical trail banter is not much different than normal life some times.  We started talking about the weather.  I told them about my snow experience the night before.  They confirmed the temperature was in the teens where they camped at about 9,500 feet.  I was about a thousand feet higher, so it must have been somewhere in the single digits.  Never again!  Just after noon I reached Guyot Flat.  A brief moment not going up or down was a nice change of pace.  The name was familiar, after the Swiss geographer Arnold Guyot who is a national namesake with Mount Guyot (Great Smoky Mountains), Mount Guyot (New Hampshire), Mount Guyot (Rocky Mountains), and Guyot Glacier (Alaska) to name a few.

Soon after I reached Crabtree Meadows.  This was the turn for an eight mile spur on part of the John Muir Trail to the summit of Mount Whitney.  Do the math and this was sixteen extra miles on the day.  That was a lot but so worth it.  I passed a group that did an alpine start summit and they looked so happy.  They all said it was amazing and I was getting stoked.  Along the way I kept seeing a helicopter pass overhead.  It was buzzing back and forth, so I figured it was transporting materials but there was no cable hanging beneath.  Hmm…  After passing Timberline Lake I fittingly climbed above tree line to reach Guitar Lake.  Here I decided to drop my pack and slack up to the summit.  I threw some rocks on my pack to deter the marmots.  

Just after turning off the JMT onto the Whitney Trail I passed another group.  One of the hikers asked what I was doing up there and after explaining I was a PCT hiker I noticed her hat with a National Park seal.  The PCT permit covers the entire trail corridor and as a bonus includes a Whitney summit.  She explained the helicopter was conducting an active search and rescue mission.  That was frightening, after hearing he had been missing for a couple of days through that snow storm.  I had a quick flashback and realized it could have easily been me.  The Park Ranger took a picture for me and then I pushed on to the summit.  

From that point on I had the mountain to myself.  I was the only person at that moment to be standing at the highest point in the Lower 48.  I was higher up than every single person in the country.  It was an awesome feeling!  I enjoyed the moment, checked out the shelter, signed the log, took some photos, and then headed down with the sun.

By the time I reunited with my pack at Guitar Lake it was dark but the show must go on.  I hiked the JMT back to the PCT and decided to stop at that point.  The total for the day was about twenty eight miles which was my target, but only about twelve of those were PCT miles.  It was so worth it.

TWENTY EIGHT – MONDAY MAY 24, 2021

It was nice to wake up with no snow on the ground.  The temperature was much more bearable and I got moving before seven.  By mid morning I had climbed up to Bighorn Plateau.  More flatness!  The sun was shining, the trail was perfect, and I was cruising.

Flat and Sierra usually don’t go in the same sentence.  Just after Bighorn the trail started to climb to my first pass.  At 13,200 feet, Forester Pass is the highest point on the entire Pacific Crest Trail.   All downhill from here, right??  It also marks the northern border of Sequoia National Park and the southern border of Kings Canyon National Park.  Looking over into Kings Canyon it was completely covered in snow.  There was no view of a valley beyond this one. Surrounded by mountains, I was just in the thick of the Sierra. This was when I first experienced the north face.  With less sunlight, the north side of a pass always had more snow and ice than the south.  Whenever climbing up a pass I never knew what kind of conditions could be on the other side.

In late afternoon I reached the Bullfrog Lake Trail junction.  This was a seven mile spur up and over Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley where I could hitch to Independence.  With over forty miles to the next exit at Bishop Pass, I needed to stop here and refuel.  I made it almost ninety miles from Kennedy Meadows plus the bonus Whitney sixteen.  Not too shabby.  To save some weight, I set up my tent and left most of my gear inside.  

I ran this whole section and felt pretty good the whole time.  On the approach to Kearsarge I passed by Bullfrog Lake and Kearsarge Lake.  On the other side of the pass was Big Pothole Lake, Heart Lake, and Flower Lake.  Each one of these were beautiful and I was happy with my decision to resupply early.  At Onion Valley campground I luckily caught the last car going in to town that day.  A group of trail runners just finished a big mountain day and let me hop in their van.  

There was not much of a resupply in Independence.  I made due with what the Exxon had.  Lots of bars.  All of the bars.  Dinner consisted of a meat and cheese stick with potato chips and a beer.  Yum?  It was actually pretty good.  I then decided to look for a ride back to the trail.  There was absolutely zero traffic on the road and no ride sharing options in this tiny remote town.  I left messages with a few taxi services and finally was able to confirm one of them but not until the next morning.  At this point I realized I would have an unplanned town night.  Town nights were usually fun but this time I had almost nothing with me.  I just had my pack, water, gas station food, my phone, my wallet, and an iPhone cable without the block.  It would be a cold night and without my gear I could not cowboy camp comfortably.  Luckily the Courthouse Motel had a room for me to crash in.  I did not even have my contact case, so the cup of water trick would have to do.

TWENTY NINE – TUESDAY MAY 25, 2021

I woke up with a bit of time before the hiker shuttle would pick me up.  With my phone about to die, I placed my rechargeable battery on the porch in an attempt to capture energy from the morning sun.  Luckily the shuttle had a USB port for me to charge on the ride up.  Just as we were pulling in to Onion Valley I realized I left my extra (extra) solar battery at the motel.  Oh well.  The driver said he was going to do a short morning hike while he waited on his next appointment today and that he would not be charging me for the ride up.  The small low of last night’s failure and my loss of battery was immediately recovered by this random act of kindness.  Shout out to East Side Sierra Shuttle! 

A group of hikers passed me just before I reached Kearsarge Pass.  They were heading down to resupply in Independence and I told them to stop and get my battery if they wanted it.  Keep the karma flowing.  At the PCT junction I found my gear all intact.  After packing up I headed back on trail and quickly climbed to Glen Pass.  I saw a hiker taking a break at a water source and after talking for a bit, “Shepherd” whipped out his large bear can.  He was a past PCT hiker, I think Class of 2019.  His bear can was packed full of magic.  He tossed me a beer and said he was just out for the weekend pawning off some drinks to us and lightening his load.  That was the most remote and unexpected magic I had the whole trail!  On the north side I descended to Rae Lakes.  Yesterday those trail runners were telling me how spectacular it was and I absolutely agreed.  Here the trail crossed an island in the middle of the lakes.  Up the trail was another impressive crossing on a remote suspension bridge over Woods Creek.  I then climbed up the valley and passed the Woods Creek Waterslide.  This was one of the first of many waterslides and waterfalls of the Sierra.

Just as the sun was setting I approached Pinchot Pass.  With only a mile to the top but over 1,000 feet left to climb, I knew it would be dark at the top.  From my small amount of experience climbing Sierra passes, I was almost certain the north face would be covered with snow and ice.  I really wanted to go a few more hours but it was cold and I went with the smart decision.  It was not often that I stopped to watch the sunset.  Normally I would be making food or pushing into the darkness.  This one definitely topped the sunset going into Kennedy Meadows and the one at Paradise Valley.  So worth it.  

THIRTY – WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021

At about 11,500 feet this must have been my highest camp on trail.  It was rocky and exposed but everything held up and the morning view was great.  The north side of Pinchot Pass was more of the same, a quick descent back down to more creeks, rivers, and lakes.  The physical strain was tough but the scenery was more than rewarding. 

This was a low snow year, so the snow pack was not terrible and the river crossings manageable.  I do remember one of the crossings this morning was a bit more challenging.  I took off my pack and hurdled it across so I could make a running jump.  Two other guys were just downstream looking for their own approach and observing my strategy.  I saw them multiple times this day and eventually met “Roadkill” and “Randy”.  They hiked faster than me but took short breaks throughout the day.  I was slower but I usually did not stop.  We were leap frogging all over.

After going over Mather Pass I began to think about my next exit.  It was just a day earlier that I woke up in town, but the gourmet gas station nutrition was not sustainable for conquering multiple passes in a day.  Tomorrow night I was planning to meet my friends Grace and Dan in Mammoth, over eighty miles north of here.  That would mean hiking through the night and I did not have enough food or energy for that.  I was so desperate I did a full inventory of my pack and even considered the lemon lime flavored alka seltzer as nutrition.  After consulting with Roadkill and Randy they agreed that I should probably not try to push it.  I stopped just south of the Bishop Pass Trail junction and camped for the night, parting ways with my new friends / consultants.

THIRTY ONE – THURSDAY MAY 27, 2021

The morning routine was off today. I sat up and after putting on my socks I only found one gaiter.  I threw on my shoes and after searching the entire camp the gaiter was nowhere to be seen. I packed up my tent and grabbed my poles but noticed they were all chewed up.  A marmot stole my gaiter and chewed on my poles! He must have also run out of food. Survival of the fittest. 

Today would mostly be shot and I would only hike half a mile on the PCT.  Not a zero!  However, the Bishop Pass Trail was eleven miles, the longest side/bonus/fun trail so far.  Right at the junction was Le Conte Ranger Station, another familiar name from the Smokies that motivated me.  Another thing that I was learning about the Sierra is that these side trails are not an easy exit.  They often had their own pass.  Yes, a bonus/fun pass!

On the approach to the trailhead I began to see several day hikers.  This was always a good sign when looking for a hitch.  The parking lot was full so I started to ask around.  After being turned down a few times, I met “Art”.  He gladly told me to hop in and even gave me a beer.  Art was out hiking around, car camping, and pretty much just dirtbagging.  He drove me in to Bishop and dropped me at Erick Schat’s Bakery where I feasted on a sandwich and some baked goods.  I had a few hours until Grace and Dan would arrive so I devised my town chore gameplan.  I was sitting on the front porch next to the main highway through town.  At this moment I first realized I did not fit in here.  The hustle and bustle of traffic, people coming and going from the store, and talking loudly was causing my head to ring.  I could not imagine being in an actual city at that time.  Town days are meant to be relaxed, right?  The first order of business was to find a laundromat. Normally there was another Bishop laundromat that also had a hiker shower but it was still closed from the previous year. I made due with a sink shower. While my clothes washed I stopped by an outfitter for a new pair of gaiters and some sport nutrition.  The closest grocery store was too far to walk so I opted for another gas station resupply.  This time I went heavy fat with Snickers, nuts, and some high content protein bars.

I walked down the street to Mountain Rambler Brewery and across the parking lot I saw some familiar faces!  It was so good to see Grace and Dan and their dog Cyrus.  They were road tripping from Tennessee to move Grace to the Sacramento area.  We had dinner and then headed back up toward Bishop Pass to camp at one of the USFS campgrounds.  It was nice to be at lower elevation and we even had a fire.  It was still a luxury for me to have a fire and I enjoyed catching up and sharing stories with them.

THIRTY TWO – FRIDAY MAY 28, 2021

After a casual morning we drove the rest of the way to the trailhead.  Grace and Dan hiked up the trail with me, gave me some of their extra food, and I went on my way.  There were several more groups of day hikers out today.  I met “Ungerwhere”, a Triple Crowner who was just out for the day.  I think he is the first triple crowner I have ever met and we had an awesome quick conversation.

After climbing up and over Bishop Pass I was back on the PCT and continued through Le Conte Canyon.  The trail began to immediately climb and with a couple of hours of light left I reached Muir Pass.  On top was Muir Hut, all named after the famed John Muir.  I had not seen anyone for a while but inside was a guy cocooned in his sleeping bag.  “Walmart Two Socks” told me how cold he was from that day and had his boots drying in the window.  He looked too cozy to ask to take a picture of me so I rigged a self timer and took this one on the front porch.  This would have been a nice spot to stop for the night but I needed to make up miles from the past few days.  I pushed down into Evolution Basin and found a nice spot to stop below 10,000 feet.

THIRTY THREE – SATURDAY MAY 29, 2021

Continuing on along the creek I reached Evolution Meadow by mid day.  There was an alternate crossing route for early season when the water was high.  It was indeed early but the water was not high this year.  I forded the normal crossing and after a long shuffle it stayed pretty shallow the whole time.  

Soon after I passed the turn for Muir Trail Ranch.  This is a common resupply for JMT hikers, I think near the halfway point of the 211 mile trail.  For PCT hikers there was not much of an attraction.  I did not mail myself an expensive five gallon bucket and from what I heard the hiker box was hit or miss, mostly miss.  This must have been my lowest point in the Sierra at about 7,900 feet.  That meant it was time to climb again.  But don’t worry, to keep me cool it began to rain.  In over a month on trail this was the first time I was rained on.  The snow did not count and if you remember it rained the day before I started.  I must have been traveling between fronts this whole time.  It was mostly a sprinkle but I did see several groups pulled off, tented up, and waiting out the storm.  I pushed on and whipped out my jacket this time not for use as a windbreaker. 

At the top was Selden Pass.  I had enough light for a great view of the lakes on both sides but not enough for a good photo.  It was one of those moments where you take it all in.  Toward the end of the day I had covered some ground with no bonus/fun miles to slow me down.  I descended into the valley and found a nice spot for the night along Bear Creek and next to a cascade.  A Guthook comment said “sleep like baby”.  That I did.

THIRTY FOUR – SUNDAY MAY 30, 2021

I woke up to a small climb over Bear Ridge before descending to Mono Creek.  There was another exit here, for Vermilion Valley Resort.  I could push another day and make it to Mammoth Lakes or I could stop now and do a smaller resupply.  Of course it was always an easier decision to stop sooner rather than later.  I dropped my pack and emptied out all my gear except for my water. I even left my food here in the bear can. Normally there was a water taxi on Edison Lake not even a mile from the junction.  It shuttles hikers from the trail across to VVR.  A low snow year also meant low water levels.  The lake was so low the taxi could not operate.  The alternative was a six mile side trail. On the map it looked mostly flat so I decided I would try to run it and make up some time.  After a couple of miles I reached a burn area and lost the trail several times.  Luckily there were flags in the trees to follow but I definitely could not run. 

At the Resort there were mostly weekend campers and just a few hikers.  I recharged and made it in time for the lunch meal.  VVR also offers a free drink under $3.50 and they had great resupply options.  I remember one hiker particularly I think her name was “Dirt Princess”, wearing a tiara on the trail.  She was definitely a character and full of energy.  I pushed off and decided to walk along the lake on my way out.  I saw a few boats and was considering trying to hitch a ride as far as they could take me.  I approached one boat and then realized they were nude sun bathing.  As desperate as I was I didn’t want to bother and decided to just hike back.

Back at the junction I found my pile, everything intact.  I repacked and kept going.  There was just enough daylight left for me to make a huge climb over Silver Pass.  At this point I realized my Sierra budget should not have planned for more than one or two passes and not much more than twenty miles a day.  The climbs at altitude were taking so much energy and pushing it meant burning through my food.  That night I found a nice spot between some small lakes.

THIRTY FIVE – MONDAY MAY 31, 2021

There were no passes on the plan for today.  That meant it was time to crush some miles.  Sure, there was plenty of climbing but nothing extreme.  The morning trail rolled around the ridgeline and passed by a few lakes.  I hit 900 miles and just around that point I found some phone service!  This was the first spot on the actual trail that I had phone service in over 200 miles.  Other than hiking out to Independence and Bishop, I had not been on my phone much for this section.  I made a few phone calls and reassured friends and family that I was doing just fine.  It is hard to describe time spent in airplane mode.  You are off on your own.  The world could be ending around me and I would have no idea.  And I would be content.  It really puts things into perspective and makes you appreciate simple pleasures and human interactions.  In the days of hiking with no outside influence and few encounters, there was plenty of time for my mind to wander.  I had plenty of podcasts and some music downloaded but there is nothing quite like real time on demand information.  The stillness and simplicity of the environment around me encouraged wild thoughts and opened up unknown creative cavities of my cranium.  Ok I am done ranting.  Thanks for reading. 

After taking a phone break at the 900 mile creek I passed by a couple of turns for Mammoth Lakes.  I heard good things about Mammoth, complete with several stores, lodging, and a brewery.  At this point I was regretting my turn at VVR but there would be more towns ahead.  I pushed past Devil’s Postpile and found a nice spot south of Agnew Meadows.

THIRTY SIX – TUESDAY JUNE 1, 2021

With a decent day yesterday I woke up with just over thirty miles to make it to Tuolumne Meadows.  There I had a box and I was also going to ditch my microspikes, ice axe, and puffy.  That was a long ways away and I needed to focus on the task at hand.  Luckily there was only one big climb today.  However, there were two passes on this one climb.  Halfway up the climb approaching Island Pass I reached Thousand Island Lake.  The view was great but I was only thinking of the salad dressing.  My stomach was grumbling and provisions were running low.  I made the right decision to resupply at VVR and skip Mammoth but it was still a stretch.  In the desert I dialed in my food carries and was able to ration out to perfectly cruise in to town.  As I figured out quickly on my second day in the Sierra, the cold temperatures and climbs at high elevation were causing me to burn through my food.  After over a week up here I felt strong but it took fuel to build that muscle.

There was a small descent after Island Pass and the trail climbed back into the snow pack on the way up to Donohue Pass.  This area could also be called Thousand Island.  But there was no water (that I knew of).  There were large boulders peeking out, scattered along the incline to the top like small specs on the snow, igneous islands.  I quickly lost the trail and was trying to rock hop as much as I could, postholing between the boulders.  There were a few surprise creeks along the climb that I found after puncturing soft spots in the snow.  It was exhausting.  Halfway up I met “Happy Hour” and “Rugby”.  They were taking a break on top of one of these rocks.  I told them I planned to push another thirteen miles to Tuolumne tonight.  After a quick inventory I casually mentioned I only had two bars left, so they gave me two packs of oatmeal and a pasta side.  It did not feel like a yogi bear (begging for food) since they had plenty of left for a half day of hiking, but I felt dumb and dependent.  We were all out there to help each other and the trail once again provided.

At the top of the pass I ate one of my last two bars and after swallowing I read the label to realize it was expired.  Very expired.  I noticed it was a bit stale but it was all I had.  That is one things you have to be careful about when resupplying at general stores and raiding the hiker box.  Check the expiration date.  But back to the label.  Aside from listening to podcasts and some music, one of my sources of airplane mode information came from nutrition fact labels.  I nearly memorized all of the metrics of each type of bar I was eating.  I also was interested in reading where each was manufactured and distributed.  It was like a short novel that you could eat.  

On the other side of the pass I had a chilling knee deep crossing of Lyell Fork before descending into Lyell Canyon.  The steep descent had a good bit of snow and I ate my last bar after burning some more posthole energy.  The trail flattened out on the approach to Tuolumne Meadows so for the first time on trail since the LA Aqueduct I folded up my poles and stowed them away.  This would have been a nice section to run if I had more food and if I did not have my can and snow gear.  I cruised the next ten miles and my stomach grumbled.  I broke open the pasta side and began to eat it raw.  Surprisingly it was not gross.  The sodium seasoned crackers hit the spot.  Who needs to cold soak?

I reached Tuolumne just after 10 PM.  The backpacker campground was closed but I was able to find a hot outlet to plug in for the night.  Across the highway past the rocks and near the creek may or may not have been a good spot to stealth camp.  

THIRTY SEVEN – WEDNESDAY JUNE 2, 2021

I woke up in Yosemite National Park.  The third most visited park in the country and the most visited in the Sierra.  The beginning of the official end of the Sierra.  My battery was still taking a nap and I saw two other hikers hanging next to the general store.  “Eric” and “Bear” said they found a spot somewhere nearby last night and were grabbing food and resupply this morning once the store opened in a couple of hours.  I dropped my pack with them and wandered off. I decided to kill some time and walk down the road toward the visitor center.   The meadow opened up to views of domes in the distance.

The store was opening up and we each bought a similar combination of doughnuts, chips, meat, candy, and a beer.  Yes, it was 9 AM so we did not crack them for an hour or so.  The post office opened before noon and we waited for them to sort packages out. The grill opened and we all ordered burgers or hot dogs with fries and beers.  By this point we met “Icy Pot”, “Jellyfish”, “Ignition”, and a few others.  We were all hanging out together and conversing about trail stuff.  I was curious about Icy’s name and he explained it was I-C-P-O-T.  Ahh, an acronym.  He said he liked to rate vistas on trail whether “I Could Pee Off That” or not.  It was my turn for package pickup and I also sent back my ice axe, micro spikes, and puffy.  I found out this was the first day the post office opened this season.  If I was there even a day earlier I would have to wait.  I realized I was now on the correct schedule.  Sure, it would have been nice to take a zero in the Valley but this worked out. 

Rugby got in to town and was shocked to see me. He thought I would be long gone. Right as Bear and I were heading out Rugby passed a round of shots.  I needed a pep in my step.  We walked off with some trail beers in to a quick downpour.  It was so quick that it took until ten months later writing this to remember.  Bear stopped for a break and at the first creek crossing I pushed through with my shoes on, passing another hiker.  I was cruising until sunset when I had a sketchy crossing of McCabe Creek.  The climbing was about to resume and I was exhausted so I stopped on the other shore of the sound machine.

THIRTY EIGHT – THURSDAY JUNE 3, 2021

Yosemite was full of canyons and domes.  The terrain was much different than the rest of the Sierra.  The rock was less jagged and consisted of sheer granite faces and rounded slabs.   A few years ago I visited Yosemite Valley but was there in the winter so I did not experience the crowds you hear about.  This time it was early June, the beginning of the summer season.  To my surprise I did not see a single person all day.  This must have been my first day on trail without seeing anyone.  Not even another hiker.  Again, Yosemite is the third most visited national park in the country.  But don’t worry I was not alone.  The mosquitoes were out.  This by far topped my prior worst mosquito experience on Cumberland Island, Georgia.  At any given moment I could count on my skin a dozen “mozzies” and “skeeters” as the hikers called them.  Without a bug net or any sort of repellant I was out there exposed.  My sun hoody came in handy.  I was able to keep everything covered except for my face and legs all while staying cool.

In the middle of the day I climbed over Benson Pass and before sunset I crossed an easier one at Seavey Pass.  I made it another hour or so past the pass and for the second day in a row reached another major creek crossing at the end of the day.  I decided to play it safe instead of risking sleeping wet.  I found a nice sandy area next to Kerrick Creek to set up.  After inflating my pad I heard a rippling and crackling noise coming from the tent floor.  In a daze from the day I shook my head wondering if this was a hallucination.  I frantically shuffled my gear to investigate the noise.  I was then convinced a snake had slithered under my footprint.  I looked underneath to find nothing and then looked around to check if anyone was watching my meltdown.  Only the mozzies were laughing at me.  My sleeping pad had exploded.  The glue melted and a section of the bladder expanded to a bubble the size of my head.  If it were a bit higher up it would have made a nice pillow but right at my shoulder blade was not comfortable.  Fun stuff!

THIRTY NINE – FRIDAY JUNE 4, 2021

Most people in the real world start their day by taking a shower.  Today I would be immediately crossing a large creek and hopefully not taking a bath.  It was successful and off I went.  The morning was spent rolling the ridgelines, crossing canyons, and eventually meandering through meadows.  Of course there were also lakes.  The lakes were there to make sure the mosquitoes were happy.  After Dororty Lake I reached the largest milestone thus far.  1,000 miles!  Of course I did not have phone service but to the exhausted hallucinating hiker’s ear you would have thought Vanessa Carlton was performing.  Yes, I did listen to the song the next time I found service and it was glorious.

I stopped somewhere in Walker Meadows to refill water.  When I was vulnerable and least expecting it, a bear approached also looking for water.  I was not worried because it was just Bear.  After two days it was nice to see someone and we hiked into the sunset together.  Bear stopped in a group of trees in Kennedy Canyon.  I flashed my torch at him and said I was going to push up and over.  I am not sure the name of this ridgeline but it was the last big climb up to Leavitt Peak before the descent to Sonora Pass.  I was breaking my rule of climbing a pass at night. With less than a day from what some would call the end of the Sierra, I figured I made it this far.  Half way up the climb I hit the snow pack.  Technically I was on the east side climbing to the west instead of the Sierra standard south to north.  This meant I would have some snow on the climb up and on the other side. I lost the trail and did not see any footholds.  I turned diagonally and began to scale a steep sandy slope.  The grade was generous but I was not making quick progress.  The top was mostly clear of snow but the exposed windy tent site did not appeal to me.  I started along the ridge and found a decently flat spot in some brush cover.

FORTY – SATURDAY JUNE 5, 2021

I woke up to an amazing view.  This site was up there on the Campsite Collection highlight reel.  Another shoutout to Matthew. If it weren’t for him I would not have almost ninety less photos. When I posted this one he agreed this was one of the goodies.  It was an early wakeup to make it to the road at Sonora Pass in hopes of catching a shuttle to Kennedy Meadows North.  Yes there was another Kennedy.  The one in the south is commonly referred to as “Kennedy Meadows” and this one specified as “Kennedy Meadows North”.  I traversed the rocky ridgeline with a few sections of footholds through the snow pack. 

I met two guys that were out for a weekend trip, loaded down with ice gear and climbing rope.  I missed all of the Yosemite Valley rock climbers so it was cool to talk to them about their plans.  Once down near the tree line I began to see some early morning day hikers coming up.  It was a Saturday so the weekenders were out.  At the pass there were a few cars, probably all belonging to the day hikers I just passed.  I think his name was “Reptar” said he had been waiting over an hour for a hitch.  We were a couple of hours ahead of the shuttle so I contributed another thumb to the cause.  We strategically positioned ourselves on opposite ends of the pass on each side of the road.  I kid you not, within five minutes a pickup truck stopped for us.  Reptar thought I just showcased a super power.

We were dropped at the highway entrance and walked a half mile through the campground to get to the general store.   The remoteness and respect hikers have for Kennedy Meadows is grand but the convenience and amenities of Kennedy North were unmatched through the entire Sierra.  There was power available, private showers, shaded picnic tables, and a large laundry room.  Oh and not to mention there was a store with great resupply and a restaurant.  Here I sent my bear can north to Chester and immediately felt some relief.  I caught up on some phone stuff and ordered a replacement sleeping pad to ship to South Lake Tahoe which I would reach in a few days.  Bear arrived and we joined another hiker for a meal to regain some of that weight.  It was time to leave Kennedy heaven so I rode the shuttle back to trail.  Bear stayed behind to meet up with his family.

Before hitting the dirt I took a short break at the picnic area.  I enjoyed a drink and a few snacks that I packed out.  This was a pro tip I learned after being out here for over a month.  Always leave town with a full belly.  Especially when you know there is a trash can at the trailhead you should eat something there to get some last minute calories without having to carry the weight.  Even a short thirty minute ride from town was enough for me to work up an appetite.  Back on the trail I was passed by a runner and her dog.  Just like the morning it reminded me today was Saturday and it still felt unusual to see regular people after not seeing a sole for the past couple of days.  It also was wild to realize it was the same day.  I got some good morning miles in, plenty of town rest, and was able to get another twelve miles before dark.

FORTY ONE – SUNDAY JUNE 6, 2021

This was the easiest day I had since the desert.  Other than the approach to Tuolumne the Sierra had been pass after pass.  With just one shallow saddle to climb over I was able to easily get some miles in.  There were more canyons and ridgeline traverses but not many lakes.  Another rare occurrence was a road crossing, and not one that I would be hitching from.  Just after dark I crossed Highway 4 at Ebbetts Pass.  There was no traffic and it would be a long hitch so I went a couple more hours.  Another thing I had to plan for was timing out a hitch attempt.  If it is dark out my chances of getting a ride drastically decreased.  The options are to sleep at a crossing and wait for morning light or push on into the night.

FORTY TWO – MONDAY JUNE 7, 2021

Within a couple of hours I had a great view of Pleasant Valley.  The trail stayed on top of the ridge in the middle of the day with the strongest wind.  This wind was definitely the hardest I had since the Mojave, maybe even harder.

So yesterday I only had a saddle to climb but the passes were back.  I climbed over Carson Pass but it was nothing to worry about.  The trail descended to the road version of Carson Pass where I reached another crossing.  There was an information center with the first trail mile marker sign I had seen in a while.  It was good to visually confirm that I was approaching the halfway mark.  Across the road I saw a couple of hikers taking a break at a picnic table.  It was Randy and Roadkill!  After almost two weeks I finally caught back up to them.  It felt like an eternity, like old friends you haven’t seen in years.  We swapped stories from the last 250 miles and then hiked out together.  With over 1,000 miles under our belts, we were all beginning to settle in our packs and find people with similar paces.  Anyone else that was this far north must have been booking it on trail.  Even if you started at Mexico before March, most waited until May to enter the Sierra.

Randy and Roadkill stopped for the night and were going to do a nero (near zero miles) in to South Lake Tahoe tomorrow.  I knew I could stretch a thirty five mile day for a night in town.  It had been over three weeks and 600 miles since I intentionally slept in a bed, the accidental exception being Independence.  Without the bear can and snow gear, I was light again and ran the last five miles to Echo Summit.  In the last mile I found phone service and ordered an Uber while on the phone with a Tahoe pizza shop.  Once at the road I was out of service again and was not sure if the ride was on the way.  My prediction was correct that there was almost no traffic and it would have taken a while to hitch a ride in the dark.  After a few minutes I was picked up and rode into town just in time for my very large pizza.  I booked a motel room and enjoyed a night in paradise.

FORTY THREE – TUESDAY JUNE 8, 2021

While my shower laundry dried I ran some town errands.  It was just two or three days to the next town so I did a small resupply.  Since I was in a large town there was even a grocery store!  I was amazed by all of the options. I grabbed the standard resupply items and added some other things like a tube of cake icing.  It seemed like a good, fatter, cheaper alternative to a running gel.  They say never go to the grocery store hungry.  Definitely do not go to the store with hiker hunger.  I picked up some new shoes / fresh meatz at the sports store next door.  My second pair did not make it quite as far as the first but I would not have another good opportunity to start my third pair until at least Oregon. 

I also stopped by the post office to find out my replacement sleeping pad was delayed and would not arrive for a couple of days.  I did not have time to “sleep on it” so the very accommodating postal worker said he would bounce it north to Belden.  I would not be in Belden for almost a week so this seemed like a safe plan.

I made it back up to the trail at Echo Lake.  I stopped in the Chalet for some last minute trailhead treats before heading out.  This was a very unique lake.  There were backcountry but elegant houses scattered along the shoreline, with access only by boat or by trail.  Up a few more miles was Lake Aloha.  The vibes were not tropical.  It was extremely windy at Echo and the chill had only picked up.  I did enjoy the view of Pyramid Peak off in the distance but needed to find some tree cover quickly to warm up. 

I stopped at Heather Lake and set up camp.  There was still an hour of light left and I only covered ten miles today but it was cold and I threw in the towel.   Two other hikers showed up and asked if they could camp with me.  One of them was Ignition, who I met about a week earlier in Tuolumne.  I then met “Crossword”, who was hiking with.  We did not hang outside for long.  It was one of those eat din din in the tent tent nights.  

FORTY FOUR – WEDNESDAY JUNE 9, 2021

For this entire day I was traveling on two trails.  The Tahoe Rim Trail is about a 170 mile circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe with about fifty of those miles overlapping the PCT.  It was neat to share some miles with another trail, like I did with John Muir back in the high Sierra.  I was on the west rim, which does not travel as close to the coast but there were still a few good lake views along the way.  The lack of lake vistas were easily substituted by the trees.  These trees had the most neon green colored moss I had ever seen.  It felt like another planet.

In the late afternoon I reached Barker Pass.  The clouds were dark and thick and the wind was howling.  The sky even started to spit some small snow flurries.  I was surprised to see this kind of weather in June.  At the pass there was a dirt road crossing and a pit toilet, which was always a welcoming sight.  I took a good break in there, mostly for the warmth.  About a mile past Barker I had my best view of Lake Tahoe.   It would have been a great picture if the sun was out but you can still see how large the lake is.  I pushed into the dark and up to the ridge line where the temperature continued to drop.  I hit the snowpack and found a clear spot to set up.

FORTY FIVE – THURSDAY JUNE 10, 2021

The sun was out bright and early today.  The last cold snap may have passed and it felt like summer again.  Ironically, I spent the first half of the day hiking past ski areas.  First I passed Alpine Meadows and then Olympic Valley.  Around this area I crossed an intersection with the Tevis Cup Trail. This is where the Western States Endurance Run 100 mile race is run!  It was very cool to cross this path where so many world famous runners have been.  In the afternoon I passed Tinker Knob and for the next couple of hours I cruised along a high exposed ridge.  In honor of Western States I decided to run these last eight miles.

I had one more steep climb before the descent to Donner.  I suddenly hit a large snowpack that looked intimidating.  The slight footholds traced a cross slopped frozen face above a rocky ledge.  I would have kept my ice axe and microspikes just for this section.  Throughout the entire Sierra I did not feel a need to use my ice axe but this section had me uneasy, so I opted for an alternate over the ski slopes and down the service roads.  It was a smart decision.  Now some hikers would mark Kennedy North as the end of the Sierra and some call South Lake Tahoe the end.  I consider Donner as my end to the Sierra.  With several points over 9,000 feet and nearing 9,500 feet I think of it as high elevation, especially considering the latitude and likeliness for snow pack later in the season.

I reached the Donner Ski Ranch and had some vibes similar to Kennedy Meadows.  There was a group of people drinking and hollering on a porch but instead of hikers they were the local ski bums.  I went inside to claim my free forty ounce malt beer.  They require you show your PCT permit to redeem a beer and I happily obliged.  It made me realize this was only the second time I was asked for my permit.  The only other time was on my second day when I met two Crest Runners.  The food menu was immaculate so I ordered wings and a large pizza.  The next town was about forty miles away so I packed out half of the leftovers.  I had a few bars left for the next day or so but I needed a little more.  Most hikers hitch from the pass down to Truckee but I had just made a major town stop and wanted to keep moving.  To make due I bought a handful of candy bars and some chips that they were selling behind the counter.  Back on the trail I was not making much progress from a full tum tum so I found the next spot to stop.