Category: Walking

Day 66: June 7th
Mile 813.3 to Mile 827.4

Mather Pass (12,100 feet) looked easy when we viewed it from below. Not much snow was visible to our eyes. But the Sierra is deceptive and left snow laying in snow piles at the base which we discovered after rounding the top of some low hills. We followed the trail up ignoring the snow left by previous hikers seemingly going straight up. At the summit, we found the north side covered in some treacherous snow and quickly donned our crampons for the descent. We continue to underestimate our times to go up and over these passes: they are more difficult than they look. Deb is also not amused with all the water crossings getting our feet wet within 30 minutes of beginning our day.

Photo: Looking north from Mather Pass.

Mileage: 14.1 miles

Day 65: June 6th

Mile 801.5 to 813.3

Today’s Sierra pass was 12,100 foot Pinchot Pass and last nights campsite set us up poorly for this pass today. We were camped 5.6 miles south of Pinchot but 3,000 feet below it, so it was a bit more of a climb than ideal. This combined with an unusual phenomenon that Pinchot had more snow south of the pass than to the north made it difficult hiking. Ideally we should have been closer and higher. But we made it over the pass and everything worked out OK.

This time of year snow in the Sierra freezes hard overnight and then softens as it’s warmed by the sun during the day. By mid-day the snow can get pretty soft and you will often sink knee deep or more into the soft snow making walking very difficult. If you start early on the hard snow you can make pretty good time.

This part of the Sierra has 12,000 foot passes every 12 or 15 miles. We try and position ourselves to be only a few miles below a pass in the morning. Our mileage is low because we don’t want to cross two passes a day since the second pass would be on soft afternoon snow (not to mention it’s a bit of work to climb 3,000 – 4,000 feet up each pass).

South and west faces of mountains usually have less snow because they receive more sunlight. Since we are hiking from south to north this usually means the south side of the passes that we ascend will have less snow than the north side that we descend.

Photo: Deb crosses a stream after Pinchot Pass.

Mileage 11.3

Day 64: June 5th
Mile 788.9 to Mile 801.5

After climbing Kearsarge Pass the previous day to return to the Pacific Crest Trail, we camped low at Charlotte Lake to re-adjust to the elevation. In the morning we began the 2 mile climb to Glen Pass, which peaked for us at 11,950 feet. The climb up was through a beautiful canyon and snow covered the trail little until we neared the switchbacks at the top. We didn’t need our crampons until we climbed over the top and saw the steep downhill slope completely covered in snow. We were down and out of the snow in less than a mile, but still Deb postholed half a dozen times. The warmer temps today are melting the snow quickly.

In the afternoon we leisurely strolled down through Rae Lakes and Dollar Lake down, down, down to Woods Bridge. Once again we marveled at the picturesque scenery: snow-covered mountains, alpine lakes with golden trout, and roaring streams of water everywhere.

Tonight we are camped up another canyon with a river roaring besides us. We will climb Pinchot Pass in the morning.

Photo: Deb coming down the snowy north side of Glen Pass.

Mileage: 12.6

We had a restful and relaxing zero day in Independence, CA. We shipped a box of supplies and added a few items from the gas station mini-mart. We also shipped back our ice axes, but kept our crampons for the high passes ahead.

In the small world department: we met the brother and nephews of our friend San Diego trail angel Girl Scout on the top of Kearsarge Pass.

Photo: Deb hiking over Kearsarge Pass on the way to Independence, CA

Photo: Snow covers the Pacific Crest Trail north of Forester Pass

Day 61: Pacific Crest Trail to Independence, CA via Kearsarge Pass

Today we hiked 7.5 miles down a side trail over Kearsarge Pass to a place called Onion Valley. Then we got a ride 13 miles down the road to Independence, CA. It really is amazing how a short 7.5 mile (return) hike from a paved road can put you right in the middle of the Sierra (although you do have to climb 2,700 over Kearsarge Pass to get there).

We are staying in the Courthouse Motel, which is a small hiker-friendly establishment. Not much to this town actually — the motel, two gas stations, post office, and two restaurants. It is the county seat of Inyo County, so there is a big courthouse across the street. 

We plan on taking a rest day here tomorrow and start the next leg of our hike to Vermillion Valley Resort on  Wednesday. 

Mileage: 6/10 mile on PCT, then 7.5 off trail  

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Day 60: Mile 778.2 to Bullfrog Lake trail junction

It was a chilly morning as we made breakfast and gathered up our cold weather gear (waterproof socks, tall gaiters, snow baskets for our trekking poles). We were camping as close as we could to the base of Forester Pass because the snow would be hard in the morning but become soft and slushy in the warmth of the afternoon. 

There was quite a lot of snow at the base of Forester Pass but we were able to find the trail and the switchbacks. The climb did not require the use of our crampons and ice axes; we were able to keep traction with just our hiking shoes and poles.

But once on top of Forester, we could see that our downhill trail to the north was buried under snow for at least a mile. We followed snow prints made by other hikers down to the actual Pacific Crest Trail. We wanted to glissade part of the way but no path was clear of exposed boulders.

Part of the rest of the day we traveled on wet muddy trail, since all the snowmelt is following the same trail down until the trail dropped to about 10,000 feet in elevation. Then the trail followed the lovely Bubbs Creek through a wonderful forest and Vidette Meadow. We can see the snow covered mountains that we just walked through in the distance and they are very beautiful. 

Mileage: 10.3

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Day 59: Crabtree Meadow to Mile 778.2

We are camped tonight below Forester Pass at 12,200 feet. Tomorrow morning we will hike over the pass which is the highest point on the Pacific Crest Trail. We encountered our first real snow about 1.5 miles south of here, but it was easy to cross. Nearby lakes are still frozen.
 
Overall we had a relaxing day (! Deb says lots of climbing still !!) with a long stop this afternoon at Tyndall Creek, the third water crossing getting our feet wet today. Deb is finding it difficult to stop carrying more than one liter of water at a  time despite the plentiful water here, a carryover from our dry hiking days of only a week ago.

Mileage: 11.2

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Day 58: Mile 747.2 to Crabtree Meadow

This morning was cold since we were cowboy-camped above 10,000 feet. This does not deter Lon from setting the alarm for 5:10 a.m. Brrrrr. Deb has to hike chasing the sun in the mornings nowadays.

Once we reached Chicken Spring Lake, we were in the Sierra we both admire and remember fondly: expansive views of surrounding mountains and meadows, granite cliffs, big steps made of boulders and tree stumps/branches, bigger and bigger climbs, rocky trails, and numerous streams to step over. It was fun to finally be above treeline at times. We climbed above 11,300 feet, we think more than once.

We are now cowboy-camped at Crabtree Meadow, tired after 19 miles today. No snow encountered on the Pacific Crest Trail yet but we see small patches infrequently. We are watching the deer in the meadow and guarding our food from the marmots.

Mileage: 19.1

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Day 57: Death Canyon to Mile 747.2

The Pacific Crest Trail keeps climbing and gaining elevation as we hike northward. Our day was full of ups, small downs, and even higher uphills – it challenges us both physically and mentally. The trail likes to cling to the mountainsides at this point, giving us only brief glimpses through the trees of the green valley below.

We are camped tonight at 10,800 feet. We are expecting a chilly night. Tomorrow morning we will cross 11,000 foot Cottonwood Pass. 

Mileage: 16.4

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Day 56: Mile 719.2 to Death Canyon

We have been gaining elevation and it was chilly last night. We stayed warm in our sleeping bags, but Deb was slow to wake up. 

The hike today reached almost 10,500 feet, the highest elevation so far for this hike. We are feeling the effects of the elevation and decided to make this a short day to adjust to the altitude. Death Canyon, where we are camping, is actually pretty nice despite the name. 

We’ve been treated to spectacular scenery and we know this is just the beginning for the climbs to come. Interestingly, we have also been treated to low-flying military fighter jets whizzing by in these canyons – their supersonic sounds echo loudly overhead.

Mileage: 11.6

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Day 55: Kennedy Meadows to Mile 719.2

We left Kennedy Meadows powered by our new breakfast choice: hot and creamy polenta – yep, we are eating this wonder food for this entire week! This is also the first week that we stop sharing dinners. As a result, our packs are heavier with food. Still we managed to keep our mileage respectable today. The first part of the day had us walking the high desert; sadly, some of it another burn area. Next we climbed into beautiful pine forest and then dropped into a huge meadow and eventually down to the South Kern River where we soaked our tired feet and then made dinner. We hiked on for another 2.7 miles to cowboy camp in the pines at 8200 feet – brrrr, a little chilly tonight.

Mileage: 17 miles

It was just a short eight mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail to Kennedy Meadows which soon will become the center of the hiking universe for the next month or so.

We both had sent resupply packages to the Kennedy Meadows General Store and spent a zero day organizing gear and supplies. We will be entering the Sierra in a few days and will hike up Mount Whitney and shortly after that hike over Forrester Pass, the highest point on the PCT.

We each sent new shoes in our resupply boxes to replace worn out ones. Bear proof canisters are required for our food in this section, so we have added those to our gear. We may encounter snow, so we will be carrying ice axes and crampons.

We also fattened up on the lunches and dinners offered by the general store and enjoyed catching up with new and old hiking acquaintances we have encountered over the last 7 weeks.

Photo: Deb organizes gear and supplies in Kennedy Meadows.

Trail Date: May 25-26th

Mileage: 8.7 miles