PCT Days 55-67

Day 55 started with a tough climb out of Walker Pass, though the views were incredible. As we made our way around the upper lip of a massive valley, the heat was fairly intense compared to recent weather, and I was covered in sweat. We eventually descended into another valley as a storm formed overhead. We decided to call it a day at a creek in the valley, 17 or so miles hiked. Our goal had been 4 miles further, but this site was much higher in elevation, and it wasn’t a good idea to climb in the storm. Of course, it stopped raining and the storm passed, which was when bees, flies and mosquitoes chose to come out and play. I retired to my tent early to avoid the insects. Later that night, shortly after sunset, a young guy rolled into camp, with little more than a bookbag on his back. His name was Kids Menu, a 15 year old solo hiking the trail. He had hiked the Appalachian Trail as a 13 year old with his mother, and this year was solo. He also makes his own gear, and has his own company that sells gear. Funny enough, trail celebrity Second Chance was also at the campsite — a YouTube sensation, Second Chance started the trail in late January, 200 pounds overweight, and he’s still trucking.

Because of our shorter day the day prior, we had 24.8 miles to hike on day 56 to make it to water. The day started much like the last, with a tough, hot climb. We went around the rim of another valley before crossing a pass and descending into a different valley. Another long climb made up the early afternoon, before slowly dropping down into a meadow, where we camped near a creek. The view in this meadow was great, with the southern Sierra showing off its beauty.

We awoke on day 57 with just 8 miles to hike into Kennedy Meadows, the last stop before entering the true Sierra. These were 8 gorgeous miles, as the trail made its way through meadows, desert scrub, pine forests, and for awhile followed the Kern River. I passed the 700 mile mark. Eventually the trail opened up to a grand meadow with massive mountains bordering it — I finally had made it to Kennedy Meadows. This is a huge milestone for PCT hikers, and everyone who walks up to the general store gets a round of applause from the other hikers already there. The general store sells sundries and beer, and also has a nice grill. Hikers are free to camp behind it, and showers and laundry are available. There’s another place in the area, Grumpy Bear’s Retreat, that’s a bar and grill. Along with the outfitter next door, they too provide camping, showers, laundry and charging for hikers. We decided to spend the first night here, and enjoyed good food and a lot of beer.

We took a zero day on day 58 in Kennedy Meadows to prepare for the upcoming section. I have not written much about the Sierra Nevada, as I was not sure until recently if I was going through it. There was a very high snow year this winter, and currently there’s about 300% of normal snow levels for this time of year in the high Sierra. However, I have decided to at least see conditions for myself, to make the final call whether to push into the mountains, or turn back and make alternate plans. While there are risks, I have good gear for the conditions, and a good group of hikers I trust with me. After enjoying a nice breakfast at Grumpy’s, we went back to the general store and set up camp there. It’s closer to the trail, and we wanted to get started at a decent time the following day. We relaxed and had a fairly boring day, spending far too much money at the general store on overpriced beer and snacks. They showed a movie on a small outdoor theater screen — The Great Outdoors — and I made it most of the way through before calling it a night.

We entered the Sierra on day 59, June 9. There was to be no snow the first day, as we headed up to our destination of Cow Canyon. After a couple miles through the meadow, we came to a campground, where a Ranger was checking permits and food storage. Hard shelled bear canisters are required in the Sierra. After receiving her blessing to continue, we began the ascent. The blend of desert scrub and sub-alpine forest was beautiful, with massive boulders dotting the landscape. Granite peaks rose all around, and after a few more miles, we walked into a large, beautiful meadow, snow-capped mountains in the distance. I saw two rattlesnakes on this day, which amused me greatly, as I had seen only one rattlesnake in the entire 700 mile stretch of desert. Once through the meadow, we ascended through pine forest until reaching our campsite near Cow Creek, at mile 719.2. We camped at about 8300 feet elevation, as it was said the trail above 10,000 feet was completely snow-covered, and the trail climbs quickly in Cow Canyon. We planned to wake up at 4 AM, and start hiking by 5, to avoid the snow once it gets slushy around 10 AM.

We were hiking just after 5 AM on day 60. The trail climbed sharply from our campsite, and around 10,000 feet we hit snow. After a little while, we crested over the mountain, and had a spectacular view of the snowy Sierra. After taking a break, we continued on over snow for several more miles, descending into a dry valley surrounded by sharp granite boulder piles. We climbed again for miles, though thankfully the trail was dry. We made camp at 10,500 feet, just before another snowy stretch. The elevation made the day difficult. We planned on hiking the 7.5 miles to the Trail Pass junction the next day, from which we would take the 2.5 mile side trail down to Horseshoe Meadows, from where we could get a ride.

Most of the first few miles on day 61 were snow-covered. The snow was fairly hard in the early morning though, which made travel relatively easy. After following a ridge with fantastic views through the trees, we climbed up to the Trail Pass junction. The entire way down was mostly snow, and at this point — 9:30 AM — the snow was getting soft and slushy. I decided not to use my microspikes, and instead “skied” down much of the descent, putting one foot as the main ski and the other behind it to help steer a bit. Using my poles for balance, I was able to easily descend to Horseshoe Meadows. There was a creek we had to cross at the bottom, about 10 feet wide and waist deep, moving fairly swiftly. Thankfully, a broken log that was holding place served as a convenient if sketchy bridge, and we stayed dry. We got a ride from a trail angel down to Lone Pine around 11, got some lunch in town and prepared for the next little adventure: a trip to Las Vegas. I rented a minivan in Bishop, as there weren’t any cars in Lone Pine. After getting an hour long shuttle to Bishop, I got the van, and stopped back in Lone Pine to pick up everyone else. Joren, Benjamin, Joker, Redman, Cpt Jack and I made our way to Vegas that afternoon, driving through Death Valley on the way, which was gorgeous. We got to Vegas shortly after 8, ran a few errands, and got to The Plaza around 10.

Days 62 and 63 were spent having a typical Vegas time. We spent another night on Fremont St before heading to The Linq for our last night. There’s not much to say about Vegas: it was a blast, but what happens there, typically isn’t that interesting to hear about second-hand.

We headed back to Bishop on day 64 to return the minivan. We got beds at The Hostel California, a very hip hostel in town. There was a bit of a melancholy air that night, partially burnt out from a few days of Vegas debauchery, but mostly because our trail family was splitting up. Joker and Redman decided not to continue through the Sierra in the current conditions. While the 45 miles we did were not that bad, conditions are much worse beyond the junction from which we left. We spoke with many hikers at the hostel who had done the next section, and there were several common opinions: difficult, a slog, and most commonly, “the scariest thing I’ve ever done”. Despite my earlier confidence about going through the Sierra just a few days earlier, this all confirmed something I had been thinking about for weeks. I didn’t come out to the PCT to necessarily challenge myself or grow as a person or anything like that. I came to the PCT to have fun. Having to hike 12 hours to cover 14 miles doesn’t sound fun. Waking up at 2 AM to hike while the snow is hard doesn’t sound like fun. Dying in an avalanche, a river, or down the side of an ice wall doesn’t sound like fun. So, I’ve decided to flip. I’m going to be heading up to the Canadian border in a few days, and hiking south from there. My terminus will essentially be Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous US. This way, I will enjoy the two crown jewels of the PCT, the Sierra and Washington, in nice conditions.

Benjamin, Joren and Jackson took another zero on day 65, and left the following afternoon. They are continuing through the Sierra. Joker and Redman stayed another night, but caught the bus to Reno this morning, on day 67. They’re heading to Chester, CA to continue north. I’m now without any of my trail family as I await my new tent in Bishop. Once it arrives, I’ll head to Seattle and somehow get to Hart’s Pass from there. Hart’s Pass is 30 miles from the border, so a southbound hiker needs to hike north for 30 miles, tag the border, then hike those same 30 miles back to begin their journey, as there’s no road anywhere near the northern terminus. Conditions are looking very good in northern Washington, as they had a below average snow year, and have had a warm spring. I’ll still see some snow, so I’ll keep my snow gear for the time being, but nothing like what the Sierra looks like right now.

So, the hike is on a temporary hiatus as I wait in Bishop for my new tent. I’m staying at The Hostel California, doing work for stay the last two days, where I do two hours of work (cleaning) in lieu of payment for a bed each day. It’s a fair trade and saves me some money. Once the tent gets here, I’ll try to hitch to Reno or just take the bus, and from there I’ll rent a car and drive to Seattle. Hoping to be back on trail within a week.