The Sierras Part III

So after Mammoth, Casey scored a ride all the way to San Franscisco to go home for a few days (lucky duck)! And I wallowed in my sorrows of her departure for another day before getting back to the trail. 

I headed back to Red's Meadow on the 23rd, and camped nearby so that I could get an early start the following morning to  get to Yosemite in 2 days. So on the 24th, it was back at it with an 18-mile day. First, however, I got to check out Devil's Postpile (the reason most people, it seems, find themselves at Red's Meadow). From here it felt like it was just up and up and up and up. After lunch was to tackle Island Pass, which was admittedly the least impressive pass yet, but it still somehow left me feeling knackered. I made my way down only a mile and a half before calling it a day. 

 

The next morning I got going around 9:00 (my typical Sierra start time I learned) and had a hot and sweaty climb up to Donohue Pass. Before the real snow of this pass came round, we stopped for a snack break and watched the most adorable marmot family playing. There are oodles of marmots out here, and some of them will allow you to come quite close, it's so cute. At the summit of this pass, we met the brother of another PCT thru-hiker who was out doing the John Muir Trail (southbound). Brother Andrew shared in his snow cone with us while we all relaxed at the top a bit. Making our way down, we only stopped for a brief lunch break, as the propsect of getting to Tuolumne Meadows (a.k.a Yosemite) was luring us ahead. The walk into Yosemite was most pleasant, in a very welcomed flat meadow for most of the way. After arriving to Tuolumne just after the cafe closed, we stocked up on snacks and posted up at a picnic bench with the other hoards of hikers while mulling over what to do. Before we knew it, a bus headed down to town showed up, and we thought to go for it and see where we wound up. A $3 bus ride later and we found ourselves in Lee Vining, eating barbecue and being so pleased with this spontaneous decision, as real food is always better then snacks, naturally. 

Sunday morning found us realizing that there were no buses left going back to Yosemite that day (we missed the 9:00am bus), so we took that as a sign to take an unplanned zero. This day was also my hiking buddy's birthday, so it seemed fitting to have the day off anyways. Being lazy, eating, and playing pool consumed our whole day. 

Monday we woke up bright and early, knowing we had a journey ahead of us to get back on the trail. After filling up on espresso we found ourselves catching a ride with a forest service employee, who joked with us about how it's seemingly impossible to get a lift with anyone in a camper van (as they never seem to pick people up despite the ample space). Next thing we know, after our ride with the forest service guy, we got a ride with a lovely German family in their camper van as they were headed right through Tuolumne Meadows. Post office shenanigans, organizing our packs, and second breakfast later, and we were finally off for the last bit of trail before Lake Tahoe. Our motivation was to get to Tahoe before the Fourth of July so that we could celebrate with the other masses of hikers also with this goal, and to more than anything just see the fireworks. Anyways, the highlight of this day was only a few miles after Tuolumne Meadows was Tuolumne Falls, where lots of other hikers had the same idea to stop and go for a swim. From here we did some more miles to round out our 18 mile day, and we posted up at Miller Lake, mosquito laden, but they all are. 

Tuesday we got going with Benson Pass lying in front of us. This pass had great views, naturally, but the most interesting part of the morning was maybe passing a park ranger out checking for permits and bear canisters. We then went down two miles to reach Smedberg Lake, which was gorgeous and warranted stopping for a swim and lunch break. Feeling very tired and unmotivated, we decided to flip a coin to decide if we'd hike all the way to Tahoe, or if we'd treat ourselves and get off at Sonora Pass. As fate would have it, the coin gods told us we only had to hike as far as Sonora Pass, so we were allowed to stop at the lake for the day, rounding out an impressive nine-mile day. We used our extra hours to catch up on chores and sleep loads. 

Wednesday morning we had a nice downhill, where in the valley we saw a trail junction that would take you out to the road. Feeling unbelievably tired (still), it was hard to say no, but being responsible we carried on up Seavey Pass. Another beautiful alpine lake greeted us here, and we had lunch before a long afternoon descent to Kerrick Creek. The moral of this day is complete physical exhaustion really started to set in at this moment, and every mile became a real battle 😑

Thursday morning we woke up knowing we needed to pick up our miles, and we got going at 7:30! Dorothy Lake Pass was the name of the game this day, but first was a big creek crossing in the morning (don't worry I haven't loss anything else in the rivers). Making our way through the pass, we found ourselves leaving Yosemite. When Dorothy Lake finally came in to view, just after the pass, we knew we had to stop here for a final swim in the Sierras, as the next day we'd already be out. After enjoying the lake for an hour, we finally got back on the trail, so motivated to reach the 1,000 mile marker! We got to this milestone and I got SO excited! A real sense of accomplishment swept over me, and I had a little extra pep in my step (though it was hard to snap a photo amid all the swarming mosquitos). I ate dinner in my tent this evening as the mosquitos truly became that bad, but neremind as the prospect of getting to town the next day kept my spirits up. 

Friday morning I woke up very motivated by getting to town and getting out of the Sierras. The day began with a climb up Sonora Pass, and at first it was fine(ish), but then it hit like a brick wall. A vertical, snowy climb was first, followed by a long steep (still snowy) hike up to a false summit. We stopped at this fake summit and chatted with another hiker about how tired we all were. From here was some more ups and downs along a ridge line. I tried to appreciate the final snow of the Sierras I was seeing, and the gorgeous lakes below, but I was just so ready to get out! Then came the final 2.5 miles before the road, but the snow came back with a vengeance. The snow was beginning to melt, but was so thick in other areas you couldn't properly make out the thinner bits, making the descent kind of sketchy in parts. We finally slid down the last chunk, making it to the road only to be greeted by a day hiker who was excited to see us and immediately gave us some sodas! From here we went to both Kennedy Meadows North and then to Bridgeport ultimately, as Kennedy Meadows was already booked up, being a holiday weekend and all. But we made it out, and that's what matters!!

This last week of the Sierras was insanely hard, both with Casey not being there for it, but also my body hit a breaking point. I can't do justice to the kind of physical exhaustion I felt, which then exacerbates any mental exhaustion leaving you feeling very emotional (read: moody). I feel ashamed not finishing those final miles to Carson Pass (Tahoe), and it was a hard call to make, but my exhaustion coupled with my desire to not miss Fourth of July made the decision for me. I would have had to bust my ass to make it to Tahoe in time, only to show up cranky and knackered. Anywho, I realize this explanation is only to make myself feel better as I know none of you are judging that decision, but alas there's my rationalization. 

From Bridgeport began the 10 days of rest I alluded to in the previous post. This was also a hard decision to make, as I knew it'd set us back from our original timeline, but again the exhaustion I was feeling really warranted such a break or I knew I would eventually snap. I will get a post up about our time off here soon! In the meantime, and as always, thanks for all the continued love and support!!!!