Day 88: 1000-1016

I got great sleep last night. I didn’t set my alarm and I was still up by 6am. Ten Gallon took off before me, so I told him I would just catch him at Kennedy Meadows North. I hauled ass up a snowfield and peak to what I believe to be Sonora Pass but its unmarked.  Its completely covered in snow and fully treeless, again lol. The wind was strong and had crusted the snow. I cut a foot path along a steep mile-long bowl to the summit. No one is in front or behind me. Its the first time Ive climbed a pass solo. It is majestic and beautiful up here at 10,577 ft.

On the other side the trail snakes along a dirt and rocky ridge. This is the first time the trail foes along a mountain ridge. Behind me to the south are the beautiful Yosemite ranges that kicked my ass. To the north of me, the ranges start to flatten out and somewhere out there is South Lake Tahoe.  I rolled a cigarette and watched all the butterflies and bees fly around me. So many bugs that dont bite are up here and I like it a lot. They’re pretty too. I got a little bit of service so I checked in with key loved ones and kept going.

From the peak you can see the trail follow along a ridge line for miles.  I started booking it to try and get to the highway.  Another hiker named Two Taps was right behind me.  I thought he was Ten Gallon from far away, but as he got closer I could see it was someone else I had never met. He’s from Wisconsin and he has been crushing miles.  He was shocked when I told him I had been in the Sierra for a month. I guess I truly am a Lazy Fuck. As I made my way along the ridge the wind was blowing hard. It was howling. Every once in a while the trail dips into snow bowls. I could finally see the road and it made me just hike faster, like really fast. My achy knees weren’t going to slow me down from getting to the road. Im out of food and in dire need of a cheeseburger. A mile and a half away from the highway my rushed attitude almost cost me dearly.

Approaching Sonora Pass

I entered a snow chute without my ice axe and crampons thinking I could easily manage because of what I had already been through the past month. I started traversing on the snowfield and thought to myself “wow, this is fucking steep. I should get my axe out.” Right then, I slipped and started cascading down an 80 degree slope. I screamed expletives and yelled “please stop, please stop!” I finally caught myself with my shoes. I was stuck in a bad spot and for a quick second I completely panicked seeing the rocky cliff below. I couldn’t take my pack off because it was too steep. I was afraid to move for fear of sliding further down. Laziness screwed me. “Now what do I do?”, I thought to myself. Across the cirque I see Two Taps glissading down with ease. He looked over at me and yelled “cut a well int the snow and take off your pack!” I did as instructed. I got my axe out and climbed back up the slope to retrieve my trekking pole that stuck in the ice when I ate it, de-packed of course. That was a bad position to be in. I started to panic again. I finally got my head straight and put on my crampons, put back on my pack and started cutting a traverse path out of the steep area. The rocks below surely would injure me if I fall again.

This was the first ridge line walk on the trail since many hundreds of miles ago  

The split between Sierra and Arizona landscapes was swift  

30 minutes later I made a path across. Hungry, exhausted, dehydrated and scared, I got to a glissade path. Two Taps waited for me. I glissaded down and treated a sigh of relief. The trail almost rook me out 1.5 miles from the damn highway. We got down the mountain and caught a hitch with a nice young couple from Berkeley. They drove us to Kennedy Meadows.

Our hitch was nice couple. They made us sit in the trunk...far away from them  

I got a room in the hostel, a shower, and did  laundry. After chores were complete, the rest of the crew showed up and we got chili cheese burgers for dinner with some beer. Today was such nice hiking, and it need with a totally avoidable close call. I feel like a fool for putting myself in that moment. WTF.

Kennedy Meadows North is loaded with weekenders and its also a horse pack station so there are a ton of cowboys. I feel like Im in Trumpville. Its not terribly hiker-friendly.Its almost like the cowboys are threatened by the fact that PCT hikers are actual badasses who just survived 300 miles of the Sierra in a record snow year.

Kennedy Meadows North: loaded with bible-clutching, gun-slingin' cowboys

😂 

Day 87: 979-1000

Righteous and Big Daddy were outside my tent at 5am this morning messing with me.  I was in the middle of a dream and was confused by their voices.  They threatened to take my food and I mumbled nondescript responses to them. They took off and crossed Kerrick Creek via a downed log we located upstream last night. A couple hours later me and GoPro went to the log crossing and slowly inched across it, waters raging under it. Crossing logs is not one of my strong suits.  I don’t have the most amazing balance. But I managed to do it with only my feet getting wet.  The water was cold. After getting through that obstacle we climbed up and over two separate ranges. The terrain continued to be rugged, and included a creek/trail crossing that had a waterfall flooding the trail.

breathing treatment  

A couple hours later we had to ford two deep creek crossings. Overall it was a cold way to start the day. This section of trail is laborious and brutal. By lunch I had arrived at Wide Creek, which is part of the Wilma Lake inlet. When I got to it, I saw the Lazy Fucks hanging out on the other side of the crossing sun bathing on a rock. They instructed me where to cross.  I got over the strong but calm current and parked it for lunch. Based on the time of the day and the miles we have left, this is probably going to end up being a long day.  Many thru-hikers I meet sort of chuckle at me when I tell them my pace.  They are much faster than me, but Im hiking my own hike. Ive never done this amount of back country exploration and I am still hyper-careful about re-injuring myself. Towards the end of my lunch break, Steele and Cora showed up and Ten Gallon and I shared our observations on safe crossing locations.  Steele has to carry Cora across most of these rivers and this one’s current makes it more sketchy for him than if he was just by himself. When he crossed he was pulled under but we luckily grabbed him and Cora before thy went too far.

After lunch we started climbing up Dorothy Pass and it kicked all of our asses. Today ended up being one of the most physically exhausting days on the PCT, and most definitely my least favorite.

5.5 miles felt like 15. Going up and down through more snowbanks, plus all the swampy mud holes (assholes) on the trail became frustrating. It was also a long stretch through deep forest so it was harder to see how far you were actually traveling.  Green tunnels tend to make you feel like you haven’t gotten anywhere.  Much different than in the High Sierra, where you can see the pass you will ascend, and you can see the fall you will drop into. The change in scenery was limited.

By the time I got up to the summit it was 6:30pm and my feet had been wet for 12 uninterrupted hours. Up on top of the pass, I found a lonesome Earwig rolling a joint. Shortly after I arrived, Ten Gallon showed up, and then eventually the rest of the crew. I had my mind set on getting down the other side of the pass to camp in a dry spot. As we hastily descended down the pass around a lake we realize we had followed the wrong footpath. By this point I was mentally and physically done hiking. And I was definitely done with Yosemite National Park. Its beautiful, but it is literally a meat grinder. It’s tough hiking in this wilderness. Everyone was in sort of a crappy mood and was ready to be done with the Sierra all together. The crew decided to stop and camp right there, but I wasn’t.

the lake below Dorothy Pass

Ten Gallon and I kept hiking down the wrong side of the lake and eventually found the PCT through some minor bushwhacking. While we were at it, we pushed a couple more miles to pass mile 1000. Although I haven’t hiked 1000 miles yet, it sure felt like it. Remember, I skipped 400 miles of desert after my injury to stay on schedule. So no matter how hard I hike, Im always behind.

oh yay we aren't even halfway done with the trail

We found a nice spot on a cliff and caught the sunset for dinner. I congratulated Ten Gallon on his thousandth mile and shared my mash potatoes with him.  He hikes stoneless so he doesn’t ever get a hot meal at the end of the day. Just a gallon zip lock of M&M’s. We are going to push for Kennedy Meadows North tomorrow and get real food and beer. The rest of the team will catch up, Im sure.

What a long damn day.  It’s got to mean something that a month ago today we started the Sierra from mile 702 and now we are at mile 1000.

Day 86: 964-979

I slept in this morning and it felt amazing.  I got 9 hours of sleep. Wilson creek dropped 3 feet overnight because of the freeze.  Now it is safe to cross. The Lazy Fucks finally rolled up and I started hiking with them. We ascended Benson pass, a pretty steep climb. Im sort of dragging ass and not feeling super talkative. The views on top of Benson are pretty, but nothing close to what we’ve been through and seen.

Coming down the pass was brutal, steep, rugged terrain. This area might be more difficult than the rest of the Sierra, or maybe its just because i want to get the hell out of the mountains.  Less snow means more water.  Benson lake was large and gorgeous.  We stopped for a break after crossing Piute creek, which was basically a big flooded mess. It was a wet, jagged and mangled forest crossing.  The winter did a lot of damage to the trial. My knees hurt and my legs itch like hell.

crossing a log on piute

We started climbing up Seavey Pass.  I wasn’t super stoked about the climb, but one we started ascending I realized what a beautiful trail it is. Most of it seemed to be dynamited out and then the stones were carefully placed to create a stairway most of the trek up. I passed up Earwig and Cowboy, assuming I would see them at the bottom of the other side. Ten Gallon, GoPro, Steele (and his dog Cora), and Scotty were ahead of me. This whole valley is granite, with very little sediment.  It is still in Yosemite National Park and you can tell by the style of the peaks. They were forged by millions of years of glaciers moving and cutting them like stone masons. It’s spectacular. Up top, there was a beautiful little lake perched on the peak of the pass.  It has no name.

Down the backside, it was incredibly steep, covered in snow, and sketchy AF. I zoomed down, skiing the snow banks with my feet. I caught up with GoPro and Steele. The trail is non-existent. Kerrick Creek cuts this steep and dangerous valley. The trail runs along one side of the creek for 3 miles, under feet of snow that has melted into steep spine shaped banks. One slip and you’re in the water. We had to find a way through massive snowbanks. These banks sit above the water tat is flowing 8-10 mph, maybe more. It’s hard to say. Another hiker from London named Picky was too nervous to go. I volunteered to cut a path above the river because I have crampons and I’m slightly less nervous about trying it out for some reason.

I didn't come here to ski, but I like to ski.  

GoPro followed behind my path, behind him was Picky, and behind him was Steele (and Cora). I cut the path and mentally shit my pants. I tried not to seem fearful. I just focused on cutting steps. The creek water was right under me. We finally got across and cruised the trail along the river for 3 miles until we reached the crossing.

the "spine"  

It’s too high and too dark to cross. So we made camp. No sign of anyone behind us yet. Considering all the sketchy crossings, I am a little concerned about their safety. But they are a capable bunch! A few hours into the campfire, Ten Gallon and Scotty showed up. They said the rest pulled over for the night just a few miles back and would be here in the morning.