June: Highs and Lows

It's hard to believe that June is already over. It has been such an eventful month finishing Southern California and hiking through the Sierras which has been the best backpacking I've done in my life. I am resting out in Tuolumne Meadows in the north end of Yosemite being a tourist for a few days instead of a hiker and recharging after the Sierras before I head off to finish the rest of California in July. I have now hiked 942.5 miles from the Mexican border which puts me past a third of the trip, but there is still a lot of trail ahead of me (by the way, that is about the distance from Toledo to Jacksonville, Florida, or the distance between New York City and Saint Louis, Missouri). Anyway, it has been an awesome June with some minor snags, and I thought I'd share some of the best moments, and the hard times as well.

High: Trail Angels in the Desert (Mile 454 and 478)

In June, I got to visit two of the PCT landmarks; the Saufley's Hiker Haven and Anderson's Casa de Luna. Both of the Trail Angels are located smack dab in the middle of the rough desert section, and without their kindess and generocity, I'm sure a lot fewer hikers would finish Southern California. The Saufley's was such a wonderful place to get off your feet and take care of long overdue chores. They did my laundry for me, had internet access, even helped me mail out my resupply to Kennedy Meadows, and offered bikes to ride to the grocery store. We also had a great campfire where I got to meet many new hikers and hear their stories from the trail and from their lives while sharing some well deserved drinks. Then, just 24 miles down the trail, I got to experience hippy day care at Casa de Luna. Originally, Mark (the hiker I was traveling with at the time) and I were just going to stop by for an afternoon break but the power of the Hawaiian shirts (which everyone must wear) and the great people kept us there for the night. Right when I put on that Hawaiian shirt, I decided I needed a 6-pack and some milkshakes and took it easy the rest of the day. They had a painting station where we could help paint the Class of 2012 rock garden and offered us an amazing taco salad for dinner as well as pancakes for breakfast. I also got to camp in their Manzanita Grove which was one of the most peaceful night's sleep I've had on the trip. The generocity of these trail angels was unforgetable and certainly helped me through this rough stretch.

High: Night Hiking in the Fog (Mile 456-462)

Between the Trail Angel compounds, I had one of the most amazing night hikes. Mark and I set off in the late afternoon into a stretch that is usually hot and dry, but that is not at all what we experienced. I am usually not a big fan of night hiking because I don't like to use my headlamp, and it's hard to see the rocks and roots in the moonlight. We were lucky though because it was a full moon which lit up everything. As we went up, we started to get into a thick fog, and after a while, everything began to look just like a giant watercolor painting where we could make out only the shapes as there were no distinct lines or edges even with the high grasses surrounding us. The mountain kept changing ecosystems as well, and all of a sudden, we'd be in a grove of trees or then bare rock. Mark was saying how part of it felt like we were walking on the bottom of the ocean. It was neat that we also kept running into other hikers who we had met at the Saufley's who we couldn't actually see until they were 3 feet in front of us. Even though we got lost on top of the mountain for a bit, it was one of the most memorable experiences on the trail.

Low: The Desert Strikes Back (Mile 624-631)

Just as a I was a couple of days outside of Kennedy Meadows thinking I had passed the worst of Southern California, the desert came back with one final sucker punch. I had just finished a beautiful section full of pine trees, streams, and meadows thinking the rest of Southern California would be like this only to look out to see a moonscape of trail ahead of me, dropping back into the desert with no shade except for a couple of Joshua Trees. Even worse, there was no water to be found for 20 miles in this scorching heat except for 2 water caches replenished by one of the best trail angels. Hikers really rely on these caches to help them through, and I usually don't like to depend on caches but really needed these. I had also dropped all my rules to help me through the desery and was blindly pushing 30-mile days to get to Kennedy Meadows (that means I was hiking through the heat of the day right under the hot sun. I came to the second water cache which was harder to resupply, and it only had one gallon left. I was out of water and felt guilty for taking 2 liters but I needed water so badly. It gets to be a dog-eat-dog world, and while we do like to help each other out, we all need water. Finishing that hot miserable stretch was great, but it was not fun making it through that final blow from the Southern California desert.

High: Arriving at Kennedy Meadows (Mile 702)

After 700 miles of hot, dirty Southern California desert, it was amazing to finally reach the huge valley full of water and trees, and I knew were were now in Central Califonia. Swimming in the south fork of the Kern River was fantastic and so refreshing after not having any water for so long. I then got to have my first zero hanging out at the Kennedy Meadows General Store; it was like Christmas in June: getting my 7 packages and opening them up to find food, new dhoes, more food, a fleece, and even more food. I even got a surprise vist from my friend Emma who was out in California for her sister's graduation and decided to make a visit. I had an excellent day off just relaxing, hanging out by the creek, and eating lots of food. There were also so many new faces I got to meet and so much energy from everyone anxious to get to the Sierras. Even though my hammock had broken the first night I was there, hanging out at Kennedy Meadows was such an epic part of the PCT. Never again would I be going through long waterless stretches of Southern California (now just those of Northern California and Oregon), and I had finally reached the area all hikers dream of: the High Sierras.

Low: Breaking in the New Shoes (Mile 702 onwards)

I think one of my biggest bist of advice I can give future PCT hikers is to be careful about switching shoes midtrip, especially when you are about to hike 240 miles of trail without crossing a single road. Find a pair that works and stick with them. My shoes were working great but then I wore the soles down so badly I could bend them in half, and they were an older model therefore harder to replace. I heard great things about the Montrail Sabinas, and they did work great for me on the trail for my left foot. Unfortunately, my right foot had not developed any sort of ankle callus so these new shoes started to rub them raw. Within a day, I was already starting to develop a blister the size of a yoyo. By the next day, the skin had peeled off from the duct tape I had used to cover it and had now exposed raw flesh. Then I had to climb Mount Whitney and all the passes on this badly blistered foot which was not too fun. However, once I got going, I stopped feeling the pain. Still today, there is a good amount of the blister even though a lot has callused over, and I cannot wait until it heals completely and goes away.

High: High Sierra Trail Magic (Mile 750 and 859)

I have already mentioned some of the trail magic that has occurred when kind strangers leave water caches or coolers of goodies out by the trail heads or roads the PCT crosses for hikers, but it also turns out that this magic happens in the High Sierras. The first time, Shepard and I ran into a crowd of weekend hikers heading down through Cottonwood Pass who proceeded to give their remaining tuna rice mix, pistachios, bars, and sunflower seeds to us, which gave me a much-needed extra days ration of food for my long stretch without a resupply.
 
A second High Sierra Trail Magic occured when I went to Muir Trail Ranch and ran into a similar situation. Earlier that day, I also got the treat of reuniting with Birdy who I hadn't seen since the Saufley's Camp some hundred miles back. Both of us could have used some extra food before we got into Mammoth so we stopped by to check out the Ranch's hiker box where people leave extra food from their resupplies. We got a few good treats, but the true magic came from 3 generous hikers leaving for a different trail that day. The first started to give us a bar or two then the food kept coming until both Birdy and I had enough to feast for the next 2 days to get us to Mammoth. I cannot thank those hikers enough, and the trail magic really helped make the High Sierras even better.

High: Summiting the Highest Peak in the Lower 48 (Mile 766)

One of the highlights of the PCT is that the trail comes within 8.5 miles of the summit of Mount Whitney; the tallest mountain in the continental United States towering at 4,505 feet, of which I only had to climb 4,000 feet of as I was starting at Crabtree Meadowes (one of
my favorite spots in the High Sierras). I climbed through some beautiful alpine lakes and then enter a giant basin with just a wall of rock towering around you. At first, I questioned how the trail would ever get me up but eventually I reached a long set of switchbacks to get to the top. As I climbed, I slowly got to see more peaks around me. I hit a junction with about 2 more miles to the top, and I was getting so anxious to get to the top and got to climb around some of the tips of the rocky cliffs I had seen from below. Eventually, I reached the snow-free top, and I just ate up the view. I could certainly feel the altitude at the end of the climb, and it was crazy to think how I may never again be higher than where I am now. I could see more of other High Sierra peaks 360 degrees around me; it was incredible. Sadly, the winds got to me even with my jacket and gloves, so I had to head down but it was such an unforgettable hike that really wasn't too strenuous or difficult. Plus, the herds of day-hikers who also summited with me confirmed that.

Low: Sierra Skinniness (throughout the Sierras)

As I had mentioned a few times, the one downfall to my plan of getting straight through the High Sierras without having to go into town to resupply was that I had to carry 11 days worth of food. This lead to me rationing food when I was burning so many calories climbing
the passes each day. I remember one day on my way up to Pinchet Pass I was cooling off in a streat around lunch, and I took my shirt off to clean it and was shocked at how thin and bony I had become. I'm afraid to get on a scale because I don't want to see myself weighing under 200 pounds. I guess I will just have to hit the gym to build back my upper body once I am done with this trip.

High: Climbing my Hero's Pass (Mile 827-838)

Maybe it was becase it's named after my all-time favorite person, but Muir Pass may have been my favorite of the High Sierra passes. I started heading up this pass in the evening and saw some of the best sunsets in the low lying meadows. These sunsets started at 5 and went until 8 in the evening due to the towering peaks surrounding the valley. Also, that night, I had a friendly 4 point buck strolling around my campsite who came within 10 feet of my bed. The next morning, I would climb up alongside beautiful waterfalls to see minor rock strabbles which were also fun. Eventually, I reached the giant basin at the top that still had some snow left. Even though I first started heading to the wrong pass and had to work my way across snowfields to get to Muir Pass, I still ahd the best time climbing this pass. The cherry on top was this awesome stone that the Sierra Club had built over 75 years ago for protection from the cold and storms. I loved hiking Muir Pass and will someday have to come back and see what it's like to live with more snow cover. Hopefully next time, I'll head for the right pass the whole time.
 
As most every hiker knows with large amounts of fresh water come mosquitos. These little buggers can be enough to drive any thru-hiker crazy at times. My first really bad night was just after Crabtree Meadow when I set up camp and they swarmed me like crazy through the night only stopping from midnight to sunrise when it was cooler. Between putting on my mosquito suit which prevents me from exposing my skin and getting bitten and my 100% DEET, I have been able to keep them at bay, but it would have been nice to have a night where I could stretch, eat my dinner, and sleep in peace. One of my worst encounters
was along Bear Creek where I swear the bugs would strategically wait in swarms at the most challenging creek crossings (where they know us hikers are most vulnerable, slowing down, stopping, planning our cross, and trying to keep our balance while swat them away). I hope I will learn how to chose the most mosquito-free campsites, and I recently armed myself with a new headnet but also know they are supposed to get worse on the way to Tahoe. I hope I can keep these bugs from continuing to chip away at my morale but have managed so far and hope it doesn't get too much worse.

High: Recharging at Mammoth (Mile 907)

After 11 days of hiking through some of the highest passes of the trail and seeing so many amazing sites day after day, I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed. My last day I was actually looking forward to just lying in a hotel bed all afternoon long and getting off my feet. I got super lucky too because I managed to get a hitch on a road that had been closed due to all of the downed trees in the Sierras which saved me from hiking an extra 4 miles uphill.


Mammoth was a cool town with plenty of stores, gear, shops, and even a free trolly to get around town. I just grabbed a bunch of food, including an entire chocolate cake and ate it all in my hotel room which felt great. I also got to sample beers from the Mammoth Brewery which were so good especially their 395 IPA which was infused with Juniper Berries, and I normally don't like IPAs. I've found that while the trail is great, you need to clean up and recharge from time to time which is just what I needed. To top it off, the next evening I hiked the 4 miles back to Reds Meadow where I left the trail and met some really fun JMT Hikers and PCT Hikers. We all went over to hit up some nearby hot springs and then camped out together which was another great time to meet fun new people. The next day when I was back on the trail, I could appreciate everything even more which was such a great feeling, and I can't wait to see what this next month has in store for me.