Exploration

Stats

Start: Kearsarge Lakes – Mile 788.9
End: Bishop – Mile 788.9
Elevation Max: 11,751
Elevation Min: 9,205
Elevation Change: 863 up & 1,870 down
Average Heart Rate: 107
Walking Time: 1 hrs 24 minutes
Date: 5/22/2022

The Walk

I woke up feeling fresh around 6:30. We had a short hike up Kearsarge pass and down to the trailhead. Then an hour long hitch into Bishop. I’m excited to only have a mile of climbing, and less than 1k feet.

I finished packing up and Grahm and Jack rabbit started packing up too. I went down to the lake and was surprised by the mountains reflection on the water.

We all headed up the climb. As we ascended, we could see the trail and lakes below. I didn’t realize how big the second frozen lake was! This truly is an amazing place. The morning was cool and perfect for hiking. I had shorts and leggings on, which felt great since they were clean.

At the top of the pass we could see the whole view and the Kearsarge section below.

We kept walking and enjoying the views. On this side we started to run into day hikers, which was a good sign. Maybe we could get a hitch from one of them.

We had an hour or two of relaxing down hill hiking and soaking in the views. The highlight was a shimmering lake. Beautiful and crystal clear. We saw a few groups of people walking up with fishing poles.

As we finished the hike, we went to the parking lot and planned for our hitch. Speaker was down there and had been waiting for 10 minutes already. I was nervous a pile of hikers would show up and hitching im would be hard.

A car pulled in and dropped off a group of hikers. Woah! This could be our chance! We waited for 5 minutes as they said goodbyes and chatted. Then as the guy was turning to get back in his car, he said hey do y’all need a ride? Yes!

This was coconut from LA. He was in Bishop for the weekend and had planned to do trail magic at walker pass on his way to LA. He went an hour out of his way back to bishop for us.

He had hiked the PCT in 2016 and shared stories with us on the hour ride. He was a nurse and using his off day to drive hikers around. What an amazing guy!

We got to our hostel, the California hostel and enjoyed a relaxing night. Tomorrow we will have a zero day and stay here again. So I wasn’t worried about finishing many chores. I got laundry done and got snacks for the day. Plenty!

Tomorrow I’ll do everything else I need to and relax before another day on trail.

Stats

Start: Tyndall Creek – Mile 774.7
End: Kearsarge Lakes – Mile 788.9
Elevation Max: 13,110
Elevation Min: 9,566
Elevation Change: 3,738 up & 2,903 down
Average Heart Rate: 131
Walking Time: 4 hrs 32 minutes
Date: 5/21/2022

The Walk

Sleeping in felt amazing. I slept like a rock. At 7 I started to pack up. I planned to take it easy and head out around 8. I had breakfast with Quest then Grahm and Jack rabbit came walking up. They had camped a few miles back.

It was nice to see them, we figured to run into them at some point today. They headed out and I left about 10 minutes after. Quest was still packing up and eating breakfast.

Less than a quarter mile into the hike I heard a loud rushing. A stream was just ahead. It had a row of rocks in front that looked like a passable trail to stay dry. I stepped on the first rock and everything seemed okay.

But the second rock sent me flying. I didn’t notice the layer of ice of the rock. I caught myself but one shoe went in. I tried again and made it 2/3 of the way before I slipped again. Now both feet were wet. But oh well, today would be snowy with wet feet anyways.

We camped right at the base of a 2k climb into forester pass, the highest point on the PCT. I was happy to have done Whitney yesterday because I had already been higher than that elevation. The altitude didn’t bother me on Whitney, so I figured I’d be okay.

I climbed up the first 1.4K feet fairly easily and enjoyed the beautiful views. Mountains were towering above as I approached the pass. It was beautiful. They were jagged, not rounded like the desert mountains we were used to.

The trail turned to snow and wound through a meadow. I followed foot steps and had to find use my app to find the trail a few times. Eventually I got to the base of the pass, which was the final climb.

I saw Jack rabbit and grahm just ahead and finished the climb with them. As we went up the views behind kept getting better. We saw 3 lakes in the meadow, framed by mountains.

The top of the pass opened into a whole new world. We were over 14k feet and a steep, snowy descent was in front of us. But the view opened up into a long valley framed by mountains. It was beautiful.

We climbed down through the snow for a few hours and found an amazing spot to break for lunch. We had a stream flowing right by us.

The rest of the day we marveled at the beauty around us. I heard a stream below 3 feet of snow and could even see the river through a small hole. But I couldn’t reach in with my hand.

As we walked the views got better and everything was perfect. The forest thickened as we descended and life returned. So many plants and animals thrive when the snow melts. The snow melt fuels raging rivers and lakes.

The trail opened into a beautiful meadow with a wide river flow. Framed by a beautiful forested mountain range. We all stopped and sat for 20 minutes in silence, taking in the beauty.

We walked through the rest of the day and finished with a climb off the PCT and partially through Kearsarge pass. Around 1.5k feet in total. We were all wiped at the end, but grateful to be at Kearsarge lake.

It was a beautiful camp site with one alpine lake flowing into another iced over alpine lake. I set up a tent and ate dinner . Quest showed up and had dinner, he had taken an hour detour on accident. But we were glad he was back and made it.

Stats

Start: Whitney Creek – Mile 766.3
End: Tyndall Creek – Mile 774.7
Elevation Max: 14,505
Elevation Min: 10,498
Elevation Change: 6,263 up & 6,269 down
Average Heart Rate: 128
Walking Time: 7 hrs 54 minutes
Date: 5/20/2022

The Walk

Woke up at 12:40. 2.5 hours of sleep. My bag was packed up from the day before. So I threw the rest of my gear into Water Baby’s tent and headed out. It was a chilly morning. Everyone else left 10 minutes earlier. So Jack rabbit and I started the hike.

It was 8 miles with 3k-ish elevation gain. A lot of climbing. I looked up and saw a beautiful night sky. Adrenaline fuels the morning when I wake up this early and start walking. It’s new and fresh since I don’t often walk at night.

We hiked by headlamp for a few miles of mild elevation gain. The miles went by quick. It was pitch black. I had no idea what was around. We were headed for sunrise, so we couldn’t see any views on the way.

As we climbed the breeze got stronger and colder. The wind advisory was getting real. It was tiring, but I kept plugging away. We heard running water and got some freezing cold water at a lake. Then kept moving. We made it to the switchbacks. That’s where the trail starts to climb up the mountain and gets steep.

About halfway up the rocky switchbacks we caught up to water baby and grahm. Grahm and I kept climbing while Jack rabbit and water baby took a short break.

The climb was rocky and we were hoping around. The energy was high even as the morning got more fridges. Apparently the wind advisory was no joke. A gap in the mountain must have been 30-40 mph winds ripping though. My fingers were frozen from snapping pictures.

Every few minutes I’d look up at the starts or take a moment to appreciate what we were doing. Climbing the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states! Wild!

About 4am we made it to the top! As the reality set in I realized how freezing it was. Wind was blowing strong enough to knock you off balance. But we made it! There was a litttle hut that we ran behind. It blocked the wind pretty well. Alaska was already there! I was the second person on top of the Mountain and was excited to see her.

I took off my shoes and got into my sleeping bag as fast as possible. We huddled up close and warmed up. Jack rabbit and the rest of the crew came up and piled in. Eventually we had 7-8 hikers piled up for warmth.

We could see the morning glow. The brightness befor me the sunrise. The sunrise was at 5:22 and 10 minutes before water baby went out to the summit. To hide behind a rock and check out the view.

I was finally warm, but decided to try the same. I got up with no shoes and hopped over. The wind caught my sleeping bag and almost pulled it away from me. I had to be careful! I squeezed it into a ball and kept moving.

A few hikers were huddled behind a rock with a pretty good view. But I wanted a better view. I hopped over rocks to the edge of the mountain and saw a rock shelf seat. I called over and water baby joined. We were on the edge of the mountain! It was cold but not too windy. It was the best spot!

We watched the sunrise for 20 minutes. I snapped a few more photos and ran back to the pile of hikers.

I stayed up there for a few hours until the sun came up and warmed a few degrees. But it was still flipping windy. I grabbed a summit photo and headed down the mountains.

The view was beautiful. I hadn’t seen anything on the way up because it was night. So many mountain peaks and views with lakes. I marveled as I passed through the mountain gaps and walked down the switchbacks.

As I descended, the wind died down and I warmed up. At the bottom I passed a small lake and decided to jump in. I jumped in and this one didn’t quite take my breath away. But hey, 3 alpine lake plunged in 3 days. Why not?

After that I laid in the soft grass and warmed up with a few other hikers. A few hours later I walked back to the campsite for lunch and rest. We hung out until 3 trying to nap. Then I decided to head out and keep walking.

I didn’t get any rest and I knew if I got farther today I could sleep in. Tomorrow was a big day. Forester pass, the highest point on the PCT. We had 11ish miles to go. Quest and I decided to do 7 miles so we’d be close for the climb in the morning.

We headed out and walked and chatted the whole hike. It was a beautiful, relaxing walk through the Sierra mountains. I was tired, but the hike wasn’t too taxing. 5 miles in we stopped for lunch and a deer casually ate next to us. It wasn’t bothered at all by us. It ate and crept closer for the next 20 minutes.

Then we headed out for the last two miles of the day. We walked past a beautiful mountaintop filed with rocks. A lot of marmots lived here and I saw a few. It was a landscape I hadn’t seen all trip! And was also framed by towering, jagged mountains. Snow capped and beautiful.

We made it to camp and saw water baby. Set up and had a dinner then passed out. Tomorrow would be the first major pass and the highest point in the PCT. We planned for one more big day of hiking then an easy day into town. I’m excited for what’s ahead. And so tired that I’ll fall asleep in 2 minutes.

Stats

Start: Chicken Spring Lake – Mile 750.8
End: Whitney Creek – Mile 766.3
Elevation Max: 11,514
Elevation Min: 9,744
Elevation Change: 2,837 up & 2,520 down
Average Heart Rate: 103
Walking Time: 5 hrs 1 minutes
Date: 5/19/2022

The Walk

The sun woke me up, but I want in a hurry to get moving. Quest and Trunkle came in late last night and we were gathering the crew for the next phase of the trip.

I eventually up and packed up around 8. I walked to the lake to filter some water and saw everyone circled up. They were chilling and eating breakfast.

I caught up to them. We chilled for another hour eating snacks. Quest packed out a box of cheese it’s and a big tub of Nutella from lone pine. Then headed out for the day. We planned to take a side trail. Rock Creek Trail to Soldier Lakes.

It was only 2ish extra miles from the PCT and had a lake and a creek to follow. The morning hike was beautiful through tall pines. The trees were getting bigger. It was another perfect day for hiking.

At the rock creek trail I left the PCT. It was nice to be off on a side trail, exploring the Sierras. The trail was smaller and harder to follow than the pct. It felt like a hike out in the woods. I had taken a picture of Zoe’s map. Just in case I got turned around.

I felt confident finding my way to the lake! I was the first one there and saw a beautiful lake framed by mountains. I walked all around and didn’t see anyone else. But I did find some bugs. Lots of flys near the water. Luckily they weren’t biting.

Then I put my backpack on a tall rock away from the bugs and soaked my feet. The water was cold! Makes sense for a lake filled with snow melt.

I heard everyone else roll in and we all relaxed for a few hours and had lunch. Then I jumped in! 2 alpine lakes in 2 days… why not?? The water didn’t take my breath away. Which was a nice change. I stayed in for a minute before drying off and warming up in the sun.

I relaxed for a few more hours and started hiking around 3. We had 16ish miles to go. The hike as beautiful. We were hiking around 11k feet all day and you could see mountain tops just above.

Running water abounded and animals were everywhere. Coyote, deer, marmots, chipmunks. We saw them all, eventually we got to the ranger station around 7:30. There were tons of tents around.

I set up, had dinner, and prepped my backpack to climb Mount Whitney. I am ditching a lot of gear and food, basically doing a day hike. Tomorrow I’ll be on the highest point in tbe 48 states! And I’ll be there for sunrise. We’re starting at 1am to make sure to get there by sunrise. Can’t wait!

Stats

Start: Tentsite – Mile 733
End: Chicken Spring Lake – Mile 750.8
Elevation Max: 11,213
Elevation Min: 9,657
Elevation Change: 3,202 up & 1,759 down
Average Heart Rate: 127
Walking Time: 5 hrs 27 minutes
Date: 5/18/2022

The Walk

I woke up early and packed up. I wanted to get to Chicken Lake early enough to jump in. I broke camp at 6:30. Time to hit the trail.

After a few morning miles Zoe and I met up with Spilly Billy. He had gone a few miles further the night before.

Then we all hiked to the water. The sierras were beautiful. All morning high Mountain tops peaked through the trees. And we were at elevation! Over 10k feet for most of the day. The trees were gorgeous as well. What a day to be alive.

After water we scooted along to the next water then to Chicken lake. The day ended at about 17 miles and we broke it up with quite a few breaks. It was a beautiful day for hiking.

I got to the cold clear alpine lake. It was frozen only a few weeks ago. I jumped in. Or slowly walked in and dunked my head. When I went underwater I couldn’t take a full breath and I started shivering! It was cold. And I quickly moved to the rock for the sun to warm me up. It was a great day.

Then set up camp and dinner. Tomorrrow will be another relaxing day. About 16 miles to the base of Whitney. We’ll camp there and leave early in the morning, maybe 1am, to climb to the top!

Stats

Start: Monache Meadow – Mile 716.5
End: Tentsite – Mile 733
Elevation Max: 10,388
Elevation Min: 7,816
Elevation Change: 3,118 up & 1,754 down
Average Heart Rate: 121
Walking Time: 4 hrs 53 minutes
Date: 5/17/2022

The Walk

My sleeping bag was frozen. Quest (formerly CJ), Grahm, and my last conversation was how wet the night was going to be. The condensation off the running river, and the tall grass was going to be thick.

But I didn’t care. I wanted to look at the starry sky, listen to the rushing water, and feel the brisk air across my face. It’s my first night in the Sierras!

I was up with the sun around 5, and out of my sleeping bag at 5:30. I quickly packed up them relaxed and got some breakfast and water. Around 6:20 Spilly Billy was flying out of camp and I started just behind him.

We had a pretty relaxing day. Two big climbs were broken up throughout the day, but it didn’t feel too hard. The weather was perfect for hiking and the trail was well graded. The PCT is made for horses, so it isn’t that steep.

I turned a corner and saw huge snow capped mountains in the distance. That’s where we are headed! Only a few more days and we will be up there.

We got to a water source and relaxed, waiting around for friends. I dried out my tent and sleeping bag. Then after lunch laid them out and napped in the shade. It was a beautiful day.

A few military planes flew over quickly, which was a mix of cool and lame for taking me out of the wild. They don’t belong here!

I hiked with Zoe for the last two miles and found a good spot to camp along the mountain. There is so much flat and open space here. Way different than the unlevel areas we’ve walked through.

We had dinner and watched an epic sunset over the mountains. The mountains in the sierras are so much more rugged than before. And I’m excited to see what comes next.

Stats

Start: Kennedy Meadows – Mile 702.2
End: Monache Meadow – Mile 716.5
Elevation Max: 8,314
Elevation Min: 6,048
Elevation Change: 2,840 up & 1,398 down
Average Heart Rate: 130
Walking Time: 4 hrs 53 minutes
Date: 5/16/2022

The Walk

Another morning to relax. It was 5:30 and I was leaving for the Sierras around noon.

I packed my gear and did one last shakedown. A lot of people carried between 7-8 days of food, but that seemed excessive. I planned for 6. And that was more food than my bear can could hold. I can stretch the food to 7 or 8 days if needed.

After breakfast I mailed forward my old food sack. Since I have the bear can I don’t need it. It saves me carrying half a pound for 400 miles.

Around noon we headed out for the day. I planned on 15 miles and was hiking with Spilly and Zoe. The first few miles were desert, but they had a different feel. The trees and mountains were looming in the distance. Zoe heard a rattlesnake in a bush right next to trail, so she sped past. Spilly and I took a detour far from the bush.

Then the landscape changed. Everything felt different. We were walking through meadows and I could see long winding rivers. Such a beautiful change.

No need to worry about water in this section. Every 2-3 miles was another small stream.

The campsite was next to a calm creek. A long bridge spanned the creek and hundreds of birds lived under the bridge. 10 —15 other hikers were at the site.

We had dinner and decided to camp right by the stream. All the other hikers camped on a sandy beach or the forested hill above.

I’m cowboy camping so I might get swamped with condensation tonight. Oh well, the water sounds nice.

Stats

Start: Kennedy Meadows – Mile 702.2
End: Kennedy Meadows – Mile 702.2
Elevation Max: 6,149
Elevation Min: 6,149
Elevation Change: 0 up & 0 down
Average Heart Rate: n/a
Walking Time: 0 hrs 0 minutes
Date: 5/15/2022

The Walk

Zero day!

Kennedy Meadows Haiku

Hello Sierras
Resupply and hiker trash
Geared up and ready!

I resupplied and did all the good stuff. And I fixed my trekking poles.

I chatted with a lot of hikers I’ve met on trail. A lot of friends will be hiking out tomorrow.

Stats

Start: Tentsite – Mile 696.9
End: Kennedy Meadows – Mile 702.2
Elevation Max: 6,218
Elevation Min: 5,829
Elevation Change: 961 up & 732 down
Average Heart Rate: 118
Walking Time: 1 hrs 53 minutes
Date: 5/14/2022

The Walk

I woke up with a chilly river on my mind. Smurf, Cacoon and I planned to jump in the river this morning. It must have been in the high 40s. I was laying my bag, wishing the sun would rise faster.

But I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. It was 6:00. So I started packing up my gear. At 6:45 we headed out and started the hike. The landscape felt like desert as we walked the morning mile to the river.

When the river came into view there wasn’t a good spot to get in. I though we might dodge the cold water. I planned to do it if we found a spot. But I wasn’t looking too hard.

We rounded a corner and a campsite next to a 20 foot river came into view. Smurf was leading the charge to the water. As soon as we got there, I jumped in, it took my breath away!

I got up and doggy paddled my way back to shore. Keeping my arms close to stay warm. I popped out and was surprised how warm it was. Maybe because the air was warmer than the water and there was no wind?

We quickly dried off then headed on. What a beautiful day. As we passed mile 700, the desert began a transformation. More pine trees, thicker trees, more green, less prickly things and more water.

Kennedy Meadows came into view. I felt like a scene out of lord of the rings. This epic 700 mile journey ended in walking to this little alley with a small cottage and smoke billowing up.

Kennedy meadows is a little community, largely supported by hikers. A town of 200 people. Where things are run on generators instead of electricity.

No cell service.

We hiked into the market and saw 20 hikers eating breakfast. Then we ordered all you can eat breakfast for 12 bucks. It was delicious.

We got some snacks and headed to grumpy bears. I met Quest and watched the end of the FA cup. Another 20 hikers were at Grumpy’s. These are the two main spots in Kennedy Meadows.

And they had a gear store. I bought new shoes. And new tips for my trekking poles. I felt ready for the sierras.

Tomorrow I need to do resupply, laundry and shower. But I will have all day. Today was a nice break.

Stats

Start: Spanish Needle Creek – Mile 668.7
End: Tentsite – Mile 696.9
Elevation Max: 7,965
Elevation Min: 5,904
Elevation Change: 5,192 up & 4,414 down
Average Heart Rate: 132
Walking Time: 8 hrs 27 minutes
Date: 5/13/2022

The Walk

The morning weather was cool, but not so cold you don’t want it leave the tent. It was perfect. I had a great night sleep. Maybe waking up once when a hiker was leaving. I got moving at 6:30 and was out by 7:00.

A creek crossed the trail just past where I camped. I was still waking up and almost slipped in! Luckily I caught myself and jumped forward. It was an exciting start to the day. And I was glad to have dry feet.

The morning started with a 2k foot climb and flew by. It was a wake up call for my legs. I caught up with Water Baby and we climbed to the top of the peak.

Then we moved on. We were still in the desert, but new mountains filled the horizon. I could feel the change coming closer. We were almost to Kennedy Meadows. Almost done with the desert!

I took a break for lunch and hung out with some hikers that I met at Pancakes house. I enjoyed a long 1.5 hour break. I had already hiked 14 miles and had another 14 to go. I wasn’t in a rush. The shaded spot with a cool breeze was nice, I laid on the ground and relaxed.

I noticed I had a snack I forgot about! Some red vines. I pulled them out and took a bite. They tasted weird. They were sugar free, what a waste of weight. Ha.

Hikers came and left so I eventually packed up and started hiking. I put in some music and the day went by pretty quickly.

I met up with Copter, Smurf, and Cacoon taking a break and we walked through the last 8 windy miles out of the mountains. We could see Kennedy Meadows coming into view, and we even got a peak of the sierras and Mount Whitney!

I’m so excited for the next section. Some people will fly through the Sierras. But I think I’ll slow down and enjoy my time there.