Tag: PCT

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

Shortly after we departed our campsite this morning, we had the thrill of the day – a solo bear strolling on the same Pacific Crest Trail right in front of us, maybe 20 yards ahead! We stopped and watched him for half a minute before he caught wind of us and galloped away. Deb has hiked the John Muir Trail twice since 2009 and was disappointed by no bear sightings so she is beyond happy today.

Trail Date: Saturday, May 24th

Mileage: 17.4 miles

A small monument created by a hiker at mile 665 reminded us today that we are one quarter of the way to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail.

That’s one quarter by distance, but about one third of our expected time on the PCT has passed. The reason for the difference is we expect to hike faster the more days we hike.

We created a “schedule” before we started that was heavily influenced by this document.

We are currently about a day ahead of the schedule, but we don’t refer to it often as we are in no hurry to reach Canada. We only use the schedule to help figure out resupplies and to reassure ourselves that we are on track as we watch the younger faster hikers zip by.

The schedule has us finishing on September 12th for a total of 162 days hiking on the PCT. We have no idea if this will be accurate and there is nothing special about September 12th. If we finish earlier or later that’s OK, although Northern Washington can have bad weather in late September.

Meanwhile, this section G has surprised us with its unexpected bountiful panoramas and big mountains. We have been perched on the upper sides of mountains for miles and miles – we are at the mercy of the trail to spit us down the mountains to water occasionally, but pay for the water privileges with another climb right back up.

Photo: A monument at mile 665 marks the first quarter of the trail.

Trail Date: Friday, May 23rd

Mileage: 20.1 miles