Day 66 - Turning Point

Day 66 - Saturday, June 30
Boulder Creek (1,032.4) to Eagle Creek (1,055)
Miles today - 22.6

Macho Taco and I left camp around 6:45 am and hiked together the entire day. I enjoyed the company and the miles flew by. The scenery was nice too.



The landscape seemed to change around every corner and for the first time in a while I didn't feel as if I was only hiking to reach a destination.



In the morning we passed a woman going the other direction who told us there was trail magic about 15 miles ahead, so we were looking forward to it all day. When we got there it didn't disappoint. They started us off with a huge plate of fruit - a peach, berries, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Then that was followed up with a burger and baked beans. And of course there were cold drinks. After a second plate of fruit I was so full I had to turn down a hot dog.



It was hard to get up and leave, but five minutes down the trail was more trail magic! We only stopped briefly at this one, but the brownie and chocolate milk were delicious.

I'm camped with Macho Taco, Bronco, Houdini, and Fairway in a cool spot near a lot of interesting rock formations. Today was one of the better days I've had on the trail and makes me think I should keep going, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.

Day 65 - Going Through the Motions

Day 65 - Friday, June 29
Sonora Pass (1,018.5) to Boulder Creek (1,032.4)
Miles today - 13.9

Houdini, Fairway, and I got a ride back to the trail around 9 am. Even with the perfect weather, no mosquitoes, and pretty scenery, the hiking felt tedious and I just wanted the day to end. The miles went by slowly.



Around 3 pm I caught up to Bronco as he was setting up camp. Houdini and I decided to call it an early day as well. Even after a short day we're all pretty tired. Fairway charged onward as he usually does. A couple hours later Macho Taco showed up. We've been trying to meet up again ever since Lone Pine a couple weeks ago. We're definitely going to hike together to Tahoe.



Above: Macho Taco, Houdini, and Bronco.

I told the guys I'm probably ending my hike there in a few days. Apparently this is the point where a lot of thruhikers get worn out mentally and physically and drop out every year. I know there are going to be good days and bad days. I knew from the beginning that this would be a huge challenge. Maybe if I find a way to keep going things will get better and I'll start having fun again. I don't know what to do!

Day 64 - Bounce Back

Day 64 - Thursday, June 28
Jack Main Canyon (996) to Sonora Pass (1,018.5)
Miles today - 22.5

Tomorrow is a new day. That's what I have to keep telling myself whenever I have a horrific day like yesterday. Today was definitely a lot better, and it actually turned out to be one of my favorite days on the trail so far.



I passed the 1,000 mile mark in the morning. There was no time to stop and celebrate though because the mosquitoes got all over me in seconds, so I just took a picture and kept moving.



Soon after leaving Yosemite the landscape changed dramatically. The trail climbed high up onto a ridge and the mosquitoes were gone for the rest of the day! The hike along the ridge was some of the best hiking yet.



After descending down to the road at Sonora Pass Houdini and I got a ride to Kennedy Meadows Resort from a family with three young kids in a minivan. They're on a road trip and are on their way back home to Oregon. They were really fascinated with our hike and even took a picture of us when they dropped us off.



We met up with Fairway and Bronco at Kennedy Meadows. It's been nearly two weeks since I've seen Bronco. Obviously this is a different Kennedy Meadows than the place I was at a few weeks ago. This place is awesome! I picked up a resupply box that I had sent here. Then I got a bed in the dorm and a shower and laundry for just $20. Dinner tonight was a turkey special: soup, salad, turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, and stuffing with a pumpkin crisp for dessert. An early Thanksgiving! It was so good that Bronco ordered a second dinner.

After dinner we went over to the bar where we met a cop from Modesto, CA who was having his bachelor party here. He bought us beers faster than we could drink them and he went on a rant about politics. As I was leaving he gave me a $20 bill to help support my hike. I told him I couldn't take his money, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. This has been quite a night and it's experiences like these that I'd miss most if I leave the trail.

Day 63 - Low Point

Day 63 - Wednesday, June 27
Smedberg Lake (969) to Jack Main Canyon (996)
Miles today - 27

Today was my low point on the trail. I was alone the entire day and didn't enjoy the hiking at all. It was one steep, rocky climb and descent after another.



Everything looked about the same with no great views. And the mosquitoes were everywhere. One valley had so many blowdowns that it was impossible to even see the trail. There was a creek that I forded in my bare feet to keep my shoes dry, but then shortly after that there was another creek that I tried to cross on a small, unstable log. I lost my balance and my left foot went right in the water. Later, my right foot stepped into a mud hole. After dinner I had to hike a couple more hours just to find a descent place to camp. It was a miserable six miles through a mosquito infested swampy meadow. Finally I found a dry, flat spot, and Houdini is here too. I quickly set up my tent and crawled inside to take refuge from the swarms.



I decided pretty early on today that I'm probably going to end my hike in Tahoe next week. I just haven't been having fun the past couple weeks and the walking feels boring and tedious. I don't know how many more days like today I can take. Maybe I'll change my mind before Tahoe, but I doubt it.

Day 62 - Moving Forward

Day 62 - Tuesday, June 26
Tuolumne Meadows (942.5) to Smedberg Lake (969)
Miles today - 26.5

It was really cold this morning and my fingers went numb as I tried to pack up. The only way to get warm was to get moving. I left camp with Fairway, but he hikes fast and doesn't take many breaks, so I was alone for most of the day. I'm still hiking through Yosemite and will be for at least another day.



This is a beautiful area of the park that not many people get to see.



A lot of the trail was on bare rock and my knees are feeling pretty sore.



I'm camped alone at a lake. Everyone else went on a bit further, probably because of the mosquitoes here, but they didn't bother me now that I have bug spray.



I just noticed a clump of brown fur right outside my tent. I have a bad feeling it's from a bear. I wish I had seen it before I set up here.

Day 61 - Tourist for a Day

Day 61 - Monday, June 25
Tuolumne Meadows (942.5)
Miles today - 0

Desert Fox liked my idea to hitch into Yosemite Valley and decided to join me. It took about 30 minutes before we finally got picked up by a guy heading to the valley to film a documentary. It was about a 60 mile ride and took an hour and a half to get there, but it was a beautiful drive. Desert Fox wanted to stay there for a night or two so he went to find a place to camp while I set off to explore the park on my own.



I found a view of Half Dome and then did a short five minute "hike" to see Yosemite Falls.



The sign said to allow for a 30 minute hike on a paved trail that may not be wheelchair accessible due to a 14% grade. It felt more like an amusement park than a wilderness park and I regretted making the trip down there. Just too built up and too many people.



After finding a pizza place for lunch I was ready to leave. It too two hitches to get back to Tuolumne. I only had to wait about 15 minutes to get picked up both times. The first guy was a climber and he drove me about 20 miles to a junction where he was turning the other direction. Then a couple from LA took me the rest of the way. They said they picked me up because of my sign that says I'm a PCT hiker.

There were a lot of thruhikers hanging out at Tuolumne when I got back, including Fairway and Houdini. I bought some groceries at the small store and I'm ready to head back out on the trail tomorrow.

Day 60 - Tuolumne

Day 60 - Sunday, June 24
Badger Lakes (921.5) to Tuolumne Meadows (942.5)
Miles today - 21

I hiked alone all day again and it's still cold and windy. Feels a lot more like fall than summer.



I went over Donohue Pass, the last point above 11,000' the rest of the trail, and crossed into Yosemite National Park.



There were a ton of JMTers on the trail. I passed Monkey the 8 year old and Mama Bear, the first familiar faces I've seen in nearly two days. I've been running into them occasionally. The last nine miles of the day were almost completely flat and is probably the easiest stretch of trail yet.



I made it to Tuolumne (pronounced too-Ah-luh-me) Meadows just before the grill closed and got a double cheeseburger for dinner. I spent the rest of the night hanging out in the backpackers campground with the other PCTers. Kanji, Desert Fox, Steamer, the bearded four (Beardoh, Qball, Jeremiah Johnson, and Wolfpack) and a couple others.



Above: Kanji, Desert Fox, and Steamer.

Fairway and Houdini didn't show up, so I assume they stayed in Mammoth another night. Tomorrow I'll try to get down to the valley to see the main part of the park.

Day 59 - All Alone

Day 59 - Saturday, June 23
Mammoth Lakes (904) to Badger Lakes (921.5)
Miles today - 17.5 PCT + 3.5 side trail = 21

I woke up late this morning and had just enough time to pack and go out for a hot breakfast before the shuttle picked me up at 8:20 to take me to the trailhead. Fairway and Houdini wanted to stay until the afternoon, so I'm on my own for now. The plan is to meet back up at Tuolumne tomorrow evening.

As I was hiking the side trail over Mammoth Pass back to the PCT I was surprised to see Yankee Son and Hallmark on their way into town. We exchanged hugs and spent some time catching up. They think Just Retired is a day behind them. Today is Hallmark's birthday, so I wished her a happy one and then hiked on.



Above: Hiking through a burn area.

I saw very few hikers and no familiar faces the rest of the day. I did run into some trail crews working on clearing some of the downed trees. This section would have been a nightmare without their hard work.



Above: This is what 150 mph winds will do.

Below: Cleared trail.


It's been cool and windy all day. The wind seems to have gotten stronger throughout the day.



I found a place to camp in the trees where it's sheltered from the wind, but I still hear it howling. I hope it doesn't keep me up all night. That and worrying about bears.

Day 58 - Zero in Mammoth

Day 58 - Friday, June 22
Mammoth Lakes (904)
Miles today - 0

It was a productive yet relaxing zero day in Mammoth. I had eggs, bacon, pancakes, and potatoes for breakfast. Then I got my grocery shopping done in time to watch the soccer match between Germany and Greece in the European Championship quarterfinals. I'm kind of bummed that I'll have to miss the rest of the tournament.

For lunch I got a Thai chicken pizza and then I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on my blog. I mailed a couple things before the post office closed. Fairway, Houdini, and I went out for dinner and there was a happy hour special of burger and beer for $8. After dinner I forgot that I still needed to get some bug spray. Luckily the outfitter was still open.

Mammoth has been a good town stop, but it wasn't quite what I thought it would be. As far as ski towns go I enjoyed Breckenridge on the CT a lot more.

Day 57 - Summer in Mammoth

Day 57 - Thursday, June 21
S of Duck Pass Tr. (895) to Mammoth Lakes (904)
Miles today - 9 PCT + 3.5 side trail = 12.5

Fairway, Houdini, and I had a short hike into the town of Mammoth Lakes this morning.



Most years you can take a shuttle or hitch into town from Reds Meadow a few miles further up the trail, but this year the road is closed because of a huge storm in November that blew down thousands of trees. These blowdowns not only blocked the road, but also the trail. Trail crew have been working hard to clear the trail, but for the past few days there have been areas where we needed to climb over, duck under, or scramble around downed trees. Yesterday as Fairway was climbing over a tree he took a branch to the face, breaking his sunglasses and leaving a big gash under an eye. This morning his eye was swollen shut.

We took a side trail over Mammoth Pass to a trailhead where we immediately got a ride into town from Sleeping Bear, who was also trail angeling at the campground in Independence last week.

Mammoth is an upscale ski resort town. We were pretty excited to come here, but it's a lot more spread out than we expected. The three of us are sharing a room at Motel 6 for $20 each. It's the third Motel 6 we've stayed at already.

I had a gigantic plate of nachos for lunch, which I couldn't come close to finishing. I was just talking about wanting nachos yesterday.



Then I had some pesto chicken pasta for dinner. And a free pint of Mammoth Epic IPA after the waiter forgot my order!

Today is the first day of summer, but it still feels like spring to me. It's as if time has stood still ever since I started and I'm still stuck in April.

Day 56 - Silver Pass

Day 56 - Wednesday, June 20
N of Bear Creek (873.6) to S of Duck Pass Tr. (895)
Miles today - 21.4

I started hiking early this morning thinking I would find Fairway camped somewhere up the trail. After a couple hours I still hadn't seen him. Either he was up early as well, or he ended up hiking really far last night. I asked a few people going the other direction if they had seen anyone in front of me, but I was the first person they'd seen. Weird. I was pretty sure he couldn't be behind me. I kept seeing shoe prints that I thought were his.

On my way up Silver Pass there was a bit of a sketchy creek crossing. The only way across I could find without getting my feet wet involved a 3-4 foot leap between two large, wet, sloped boulders over some rapids. Luckily my shoes found some traction and I made it safely.



At the top of the pass I sat down for a lunch break and ten minutes later I heard some people coming up. It was Fairway and Houdini, aka Matt, who we've hiked with occasionally for the last 500 miles. Apparently Fairway was camped just a few minutes below me last night and I hiked on by without seeing him.



We took a long break at Lake Virginia where the mosquitoes were surprisingly not bad. If I was sitting on the porch at home I'd say the bugs are terrible and go inside, but here it was a welcome break from the swarms. Anyway, we saw a bald eagle soaring around, which was perhaps the highlight of the day.



Fairway asked me if I'd rather be hiking in the Sierra with the mosquitoes, or be back in the desert. I told him it was one of the dumbest questions ever.



I will say this though; one of the things I miss about the desert is laying in my tent and being able to look out and see all the stars at night. Here in the Sierra I'm usually camped in the trees, blocking my view of the night sky. Although tonight I'm out of the trees.

Day 55 - Fording Creeks

Day 55 - Tuesday, June 19
Evolution Creek (850.2) to N of Bear Creek (873.6)
Miles today - 23.4

We crossed Evolution Creek this morning, our first real ford where we had to get our feet wet. Up until then we had been able to get across every creek by using rocks and logs, some of them requiring a little creativity and balance. The water in Evolution was ice cold but not too deep, maybe a little below the knees.



We're lucky this is a really low snow year. Most years it can be up to waist deep and is notorious for being one of the most dangerous fords on the trail. No difficulty today, just wet shoes and numb toes.






Above: Leaving Kings Canyon National Park and entering the Muir Wilderness.

We climbed up to Selden Pass, just under 11,000'. It wasn't nearly as spectacular as the other passes we've done, and it was almost boring. Not that it wasn't beautiful. I think I'm just starting to take the scenery for granted. I would have killed for all these trees, lakes, streams, and mountains in SoCal. Now I have them in abundance all day every day.



Something else in abundance are the mosquitoes. From the top of the pass to the end of the day they've been in swarms everywhere. I have so many bites that I don't really even itch anymore, but they're still infuriating. I may break down and buy some bug spray. I was hoping to go the whole trail without using any. I don't care to put poison on myself.

We had another ford this afternoon to get across Bear Creek. This is another one that's usually problematic most years, but less than knee deep for us again.



Above: Fairway fording Bear Creek.

I stopped to cook dinner after the crossing to let my shoes dry out a bit while Fairway decided to keep moving. I never did catch back up to him. He wasn't where we planned on camping, probably because of the mosquitoes there. I'm sure he's just a mile or two up the trail and I'll try to catch him in the morning. This is the first time in a really long time that I'm not camped with other PCT hikers, but there are a couple John Muir Trail hikers here. They're in awe of what the other PCTers and I are doing and they asked a lot of questions.

Day 54 - Muir Pass

Day 54 - Monday, June 18
Palisade Creek (824.7) to Evolution Creek (850.2)
Miles today - 25.5

The climb up Muir Pass was grueling. 10 miles and 4,000' of elevation gain, with most of the climbing on the last five or six miles.



Once above treeline I was constantly having to rock hop across streams, climb over boulders, and cross a few snowfields.



After five hours I finally reached the top, nearly 12,000' above sea level.



The descent was a lot more fun. 12 miles of gradual downhill, probably the easiest walking I've had in a while.



The scenery here is just stunning. Sometimes it feels like a dream.



Fairway and I only saw a few other PCT hikers today. We're starting to run into a lot of John Muir Trail hikers. The JMT goes from Mt Whitney to Yosemite Valley and mostly coincides with the PCT for 200 some miles.

I wonder how the rest of the Usual Suspects are doing. It's weird not having them around anymore after seeing them every day for so long.

I'm halfway done California!

Day 53 - Pinchot and Mather

Day 53 - Sunday, June 17
Woods Creek (799.7) to Palisade Creek (824.7)
Miles today - 25

Today we went over two 12,000' passes. First was Pinchot Pass, which was long and steep.



Above: Suspension bridge that swayed all over the place.

It was a 3,500' climb that started right from camp and went on for over seven miles.






From there the trail dropped 2,000' into a valley, where Bronco decided to call it a day. Fairway and I were feeling up for more, so we climbed Mather Pass, which was much more gradual. Mather is one of my favorite passes so far. Several 14,000' peaks were in view from the top.






The descent was incredible with lakes and waterfalls, but it was long and rocky and my feet are feeling the miles. It was a really hard day with no easy miles. Everything was either uphill or downhill with rocky trail. We got to camp late and had just enough time to cook and eat before dark.

Day 52 - Glen Pass

Day 52 - Saturday, June 16
Line Pine (788.9) to Woods Creek (799.7)
Miles today - 7.3 side trail + 10.8 PCT = 18.1

Fairway and I went to McDonald's for breakfast. Macho Taco and his girlfriend, Gretchen, met us there and gave us a ride back to the trailhead. On our way through Independence we saw Bronco sitting outside Subway trying to find a ride, so we picked him up. Macho Taco is staying in town until tomorrow, but will try to catch up to us.

It was 7.3 miles back up and over Kearsarge Pass to get back to the PCT.



And from there the trail started climbing immediately up to Glen Pass (12,000').



It was a steep, rocky climb and descent and I can see how it would be really scary if there was more snow like most years, but there were only a few small patches.



We passed several beautiful lakes that were almost turquoise in color.






We got to our planned campsite at Arrowhead Lake and there were swarms of mosquitoes. I've never seen so many before. After being miserable for an hour Fairway and I couldn't take it anymore and we decided to hike another five miles and take our chances at the next camping area. Bronco stayed at the lake. It isn't nearly as bad here at Woods Creek, so we made a good choice. The only problem is that it throws off our schedule. Either we do a really short day tomorrow (11-12 miles) to keep our original plan, or we do a really big day (20-25 miles) with two big passes. There's not really any option in between.