PCT - June 2016
June 1, 2016 - VVR
Distance: 2 miles
We were so happy to not have condensation in our tents this morning. We packed up and headed for the VVR boat landing. Our navigation app showed two spots and when we arrived at the first sign, it didn't look right so we continued on. The trail started going uphill so that didn't look right so back to the first sign. I had ATT service so I simply called VVR and asked for directions for pickup. It was a good thing I called as it is still considered early season and only pickup when hikers call. Finally found the cairns that showed the way down to the lake and waited for pickup. Jeff from VVR arrived about 30 minutes later and announced that we were the first guests of the season for the ferry service. We had a lovely ride across Edison Lake to the Vermilion Valley Resort. We checked in, got a room, and went straight to the restaurant where they were still open for breakfast. Drank cups of coffee and had a great breakfast. Ran into Burning Man who had been there for three days waiting for his resupply package to arrive. We also met Unka from Germany and had a great visit with her. At the room we unpacked our gear, washed clothes, settled in, and then headed back to the restaurant for lunch. The rest of the afternoon went quickly and we were back in the restaurant for dinner. There aren't many people or hikers here yet, but the word is out that "the herd" is a week out and business will be very busy then. Our resupply package has not arrived yet. Someone from the resort is making the four hour round trip to UPS to see if more packages are ready for pickup. We are hoping our package is there. We will find out tomorrow.
June 2, 2016 - VVR Zero Day
Distance: 0
Yay, our resupply box arrived late last night. We spent much of the day eating, resupplying, resting, and visiting with incoming hikers. One hiker, trailname Cheese, had a horrible time with Bear Creek. He is tall and the water came up to his chest. He started across the creek and immediately lost his trekking poles. He went back to shore and found a sturdy stick to help him across the creek. He said he was terrified. We were so lucky that we crossed the day before. I decided to post my Postholer journals so I made the 1.5 mile hike to the dam to get ATT cell and data service. I did not spend the time adding photos so I will add them later. I also talked to my hubby who had visited the ranger station in Mammoth Lakes and found out that a warm front is moving in and will dramatically warm up the Sierra and cause big melt outs. That kind of concerned us as we still had a few creeks and one big waterfall to deal.with before we went over Silver Pass. We discussed leaving this afternoon but it was already after 2pm and the wind had come up over the lake causing poor conditions to take the ferry back over. We decided to stay our 2nd night and try to leave around 8am in the morning.
June 3, 2016 - Heading to Silver Pass
Distance: 6.1 miles
We had a lovely breakfast before catching the boat back to the trail. There were six of us who were ready to continue north over Silver Pass. Two of the hikers were quick and zoomed away quickly. We don't move that fast. The other two hikers are our age and were planning on hiking to Tuolumne Meadows for their next resupply. But Bev wanted to swing in to Mammoth Lakes and see a chiropractor about a sciatic nerve issue in her backside. We started upward and ran into Mono Creek which was running swiftly. We successfully made it over and waited for Bev and Todd to show up. They also made it through. Upward we went and came across the North Fork Mott Creek. This is another swift flowing creek and was worse than any of the other creeks we had to cross. We looked upstream for a better crossing and it looked worse. We went downstream and found that the creek split in several places and that there was a log that was over most of the way of the first split. Took us over an hour, but we finally made it across the creek. Now we were getting into the staircase part of the trail. Up, up, we went, and then lo and behold, here was a gigantic waterfall (named Silver Creek) and we had to cross just under it in fast flowing freezing water. I went first, almost turned around 3/4 ways across. I didn't like how the water was moving so fast and there was an indentation where one did not want to step into or over you go down the next set of waterfall. I forced myself to move one step at a time, finally made it, and was completely drenched from the spray. I never want to do that again. SS started through, moving carefully and slowly. She learned from watching me go through and made it successfully too. We continued up the staircase trail and finally came to a semi flat area where we had lunch and dried out some of our clothing. Hours had gone by and we had only done 3.5 miles. Continued upwards again and the snowpack started being very consistent so we put on our spikes. They helped alot to stop the sliding on the little hills. Bev and Todd caught up with us and they too never want to do that waterfall section again. We were getting closer to Silver Pass but by 5pm we were too pooped to make it to the top and go do the other side. Only did 6.1 miles today. Found a treewell that had melted out that was big enough to pitch two tents. Tomorrow we will go over Silver Pass and get down to some dry dirt trail.
June 4, 2016 - Virginia Lake and Purple Lake
Distance: 10.3 miles
This morning we finished the uphill to Silver Pass using spikes. On the downhill side of the pass we decided to use our ice axes as the snow was starting to soften and the slope looked a tad steep. There were a few footprints going every which way so we continually watched the navigation as we made our way downhill. Once we dropped below the last lake, any snow against the rocks had melted out. A friendly marmot came within six feet of us looking for a handout. We took off the spikes and enjoyed a snow free trail for awhile. We came upon the Fish Creek steel and wood bridge and I tell you, I was so happy to have a bridge to cross a creek that I gave it a big hug. After lunch we hiked parallel to Fish Creek and then continued up the south facing switchbacks on dry trail until we reached the top. At that point snow was back in full force. We decided to put the spikes back on. Seasoned Strider started forward, her foot slid out, and down she went on her already slightly swollen left knee. She laid there for a bit with me hovering over her asking if she was okay. She rolled over on her right side and was able to slowly stand up, shaken that it could have been worse. We carefully stepped our way to Virginia Lake where the ice on the lake was starting to break up. There was so much snow and ice melting that we didn't dare try to make the crossing between the big lake and little lake. We decided to head for and climb the rocks and go around the north end of the little lake on the snow. We were halfway around when I wasn't paying attention to foot placement when my right foot stepped too close to a rock and suddenly fell through to my hip, scraping the skin and making a bloody mess. It looked like a bear claw had gotten me. I immediately grabbed some snow and placed it on my thigh to slow the bleeding. There wasn't much else I could do so kept scooping snow as we moved and placed it on my thigh. It finally stopped bleeding after a bit. We navigated our way back to the trail and started our downhill trek to Purple Lake. As we were again navigating our way there, lo and behold here comes a southbound section hiker who stops for a quick visit. As we were talking, he pulls out two $ 2 bills and hands one to each if us. He's been handing them out to all thru hikers he has run across. Says to buy something special for ourselves. Then he says to simply follow his footprints down to Purple Lake, which we did and saved us a bunch of time navigating thru the trees and switchbacks. He was a true angel!
June 5, 2016 - Duck Pass
Distance: ?? Off Guthooks app
So, does mileage count if we take a side trail to get resupplied? We needed to get to Mammoth Lakes to get our next resupply and everybody we talked to, including the owner of VVR said to take the Duck Pass junction and exit out to Mammoth. We woke to 34 degrees at Purple Lake and made our way up the hill towards the Duck Pass junction. Bev and Todd had caught up with us last night and also camped at Purple Lake. They were going to continue to Reds Meadow even though they were not open yet. As soon as the trail bent northward the snow appeared again and on went the spikes. The side slope was fairly steep. After side stepping down a short steep portion we could see the run out where people had slipped and slid down to the flat part, skipping some switchbacks. So down we went. When we arrived at the flat spot we decided to check the navigation just to make sure we were still on track. Okay, big mistake following those tracks as we overshot the trail junction by a tenth of a mile. Back up the steep slope until we found the junction to turn right towards Duck Lake. We found some small sections of dirt trail but it was mostly snow. We arrived at the outlet of the lake and was able to cross it on rocks. We could see dry trail winding its way up on the south slope so thought we had an easy time ahead of us to the pass. Wrong again. The higher we went, the more snow laid in the trail track. We came around a corner and I stopped cold, refusing to go any further. The slope was steep and the snow mashed potatoes and I didn't want to cross it. Seasoned Strider looked up at the rocks above us hoping to snake her way thru to the other side. I went partially up but turned around and returned to the "trail". SS also made her way back to me. We discussed what to do and decided to get the ice axes out and take the trail one step at a time. SS lead the way because she is much more conservative and wary and keeps me in check. With our hearts in our throats we took our time moving across the slope praying the snow would support us and not send us flying down the hill and into the semi frozen lake far below. At the end of it we were exhausted from the stress of it and could not wait to find the pass. It took more time to navigate to the proper saddle, postholing our way, until we stood looking down at a lake that wasn't frozen! At this point we could see many old feet impressions that were quickly melting away but there was one fresh set that we used to get us down the other side. SS had to go really slow because of her knee so I took the lead and made my way down on those valuable fresh footsteps. I reached dirt trail and waited for SS to make her way down. At this point it looked like it was going to be snow free the rest of the way down, but noooo, it was not to be. It was snowpack most of the way down. We ran into overnight backpackers camped on dirt ground and said hello. We followed the main boot slush pack most of the way, passing numerous lakes. A mile from the Coldcreek campground where Dave was picking us up, my hiking pole came forward at the same time my foot did, I stepped on it and, CRACK, I now had a broken carbon fiber pole. Wow, what a day. We were exhausted and we both practically fell into Dave's arms so happy to be down and out of the snow. We arrived back at the motorhome, we started unpacking while Dave zipped out to pick up a pizza for dinner. We were so tired that we couldn't even take showers until we had consumed that pizza. Now we had a decision to make - resupply and attempt to continue our trek in the Sierra, or figure out an alternate plan and find a place to restart the trail?
June 18, 2016 - Back to the trail next week
Distance: 0
It's time for an update! Seasoned Strider and I ended up coming home temporarily with my hubby Dave. We decided that we wanted let the Sierra melt out a bit more rather than struggling up and over passes in mushy snow, and scaring the life out of us going through high and fast water crossings. At first we considered jumping back on the trail at Timberline Lodge and going southbound, but then found out about the immense amount of downed trees there are, plus there is still a lot of snow around the Sisters section. We decided to simply fly back to Mammoth Lakes next Wednesday (June 22nd) and continue hiking north. Dave will be supporting me from home sending me resupply boxes when needed. Meanwhile, we kept busy with equipment repair, sleeping, and eating A LOT of food. I also revamped resupply boxes with more food (sigh, more weight).
I have been reading reports of another big heat wave coming through starting this weekend which will melt out a ton more snow, so we may end up crossing overflowing creeks once again. Apparently some thru hikers who are now north of South Lake Tahoe have been strongly recommending keeping ice axes and spikes for some sketchy sections at Sonora Pass and in the Desolation Wilderness. I was really hoping to drop those two items, darn it.
In my past section hikes when I had internet service, I would read Postholer journals to keep up with conditions on the trail. This year has been quite different. Facebook has been the place to be to find out conditions and where people are. It has been super helpful in joining different groups to keep abreast of snow, water and weather conditions. What's also great is the constant flow of current pictures depicting what's happening behind and ahead of us. I still check and post (when I have internet service) to Postholer frequently as it is an extremely useful tool to document our adventures.
Although we came off the trail at Duck Pass, we are returning to the trail at Reds Meadow. Reds Meadow opened today just in time so we can take the shuttle in rather than walking many miles to our starting point. We haven't decided if we are going to take the PCT or jump over to the JMT. Decisions, decisions....
June 20, 2016 - Getting antsy
Distance: 0
I'm getting antsy to get back on the trail and am looking forward to Wednesday morning when we fly south to Mammoth Lakes, with a stop in Los Angeles. There are no direct flights into Mammoth Lakes so this will create an all day event for us.
As some of you may remember, I broke one of my hiking poles a mile from the parking lot when we came off Duck Pass into Mammoth Lakes. Since the poles are made for REI by Komperdell, I found Komperdell's U.S. office and sent an email to see if I could get a replacement part. I was a month shy under the three year replacement policy but I was hoping to get that broken part replaced. It's pretty tough to set up my tent without both hiking poles. I received a phone call quickly and after finding out that I was mid-stream on the Pacific Crest Trail, Jayme from Komperdell said she would have the part mailed out the very next day. A few days later, a box arrived and I was puzzled on the size of it. Opening it up, I discovered a brand new pair of Komperdell poles!! I was flabbergasted! What customer service! Of course I emailed her and thanked her profusely for her generous support of my thru hike! I am now one very happy hiker!! Thank you again, Jayme from Komperdell, you rock!
June 23, 2016 - Back on the trail again
Distance: 0
Our flight on June 22nd went from Portland, OR to Los Angeles and then on to Mammoth Lakes. The Alaska Airlines attendants were delightful and made our trip enjoyable. It was so fun to fly over the Sierra. We tried to see if we could see the PCT, but of course nada. We landed and found a taxi to Motel 6, checked in and then went to find dinner. Back at the motel we dug into our boxes and were happy to see everything arrived in perfect condition.
We found out that the trolly doesn't start running until 9am so we finished packing our packs and then went out to breakfast at place called the Breakfast Club. Place was plastered with cows decorations. They only take cash too. Back at the motel we finalized our packs and headed out to the bus stop. One of the Reds Meadows bus drivers pulled up and asked if we wanted a ride to the top. We said sure! Wow, we saved about an hour of waiting and switching buses at the Village. We bought our tickets and rode the bus down to Reds Meadow. Seasoned Strider really wanted another cup of coffee so she bought one at the Reds Meadow Cafe. There were a gaggle of hikers outside the store but they just didn't have that feel of thru hikers, and sure enough, the leader gathered them together and led them behind the Cafe. We finally hit the trail - there is a new trail connecting to the Devils Postpile so we took it and then oohed and awed over the interesting shapes. There were quite a few people checking the Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls out. We continued on the JMT trail upwards towards Shadow Lake. It was uphill all the way with almost. 2,000 ft elevation gain. There were quite a few JMT hikers going southbound. We stopped at Rosalie Lake to soak the feet and catch our breath. It was very tempting to stop there for the night but we continued on to Shadow Lake. Beautiful scenery. Tomorrow we hope to far enough to set up for the next morning to go over Donahue Pass. The southbound JMT hikers recommended we tackle it in the morning as the north side is quite icy. Good thing we have our spikes!
Taking time off from the trail has really affected our ability to put big mileage in and our endurance. We feel like we are almost starting over again. I hope by the time we reach Tuolumne we will have regained our momentum again.
June 24, 2016 - Prepping for Donahue
Distance: 10.2 miles
Woke up to a gorgeous morning and started the uphill to Thousand Lakes where we stopped for lunch. The rivers are flowing strongly and we were so happy we didn't have to ford them. There were log bridges over most of the creeks, yippee! First, we arrived at Garnett Lake and it was incredibly beautiful with the granite mountains, snow and blue skies. There were patches of snow we walked over and we were very happy that there wasn't miles of it like there was a few weeks ago. We were passed by many JMT hikers going southbound plus small groups out for just a few days. At Thousand Lakes, we stopped for about an hour for lunch. The wind was blowing pretty strongly so we hid behind some boulders. We weren't in a big hurry to put a lot of miles in as we were going to hold short of Donahue Pass and cross it in the morning. We had a short climb to Island Pass and it was so beautiful with ponds dotting the area surrounded by melting snow. The views were out of this world. I'm so glad we took our time today to really absorb all this beauty. Coming down from Island Pass, we arrived at the valley floor and then we had quite an uphill to stage ourselves for tomorrow's hike up Donahue. There was a lot of snow still but easily passable, and a ton of water everywhere. The mosquitoes are definitely out - some hikers are wearing their head nets in addition to their long legged pants and long sleeved shirts. We just stayed in our shorts and short sleeves and slathered Deet on top of sun screen. The weather is just about perfect at the 10,000 foot level. We heard through the grapevine that it is blazing hot at the lower elevations. We can also see smoke from the eastside of us and it seems to be growing. The wind today definitely didn't help either.
June 25, 2016 - Tuolumne Meadows
Distance: 17 miles
Woke up to 28 degrees and frozen condensation in the tent, on the quilt, and on my backpack. I had left the awning open so I could watch the sunset, the moon rise, and the sunrise this morning. Got an 8am start in order to let things dry out. We only had a couple of miles before Donahue Pass and there the patches of snow got bigger and bigger. It was still easy to hike to the top. Although other hikers were simply skidding down the north side, we decided to don our spikes and make our way down a little slower. I was happy to see that a lot of snow had melted. Of course this brings out the mosquitoes. Still tons of JMT hikers hiking southbound. Once we reached the valley floor we decided to go for Tuolumne Meadows as the hiking was so easy. The gentle downhill followed the slow moving river and the colors were gorgeous. Saw numerous small fish darting to and fro. We leapfrogged with a boy scout troop, one scout had a blue toilet seat with foldable legs tied onto the back of his pack. The boys take turns carrying it. I guess it is a popular item for their troop in the backcountry. We arrived at the backpackers campground and it was already pretty full of hikers staying overnight. A big group of thru hikers arrived and started up a cussing and swearing discussion. I just don't get why these hikers do this. Loud and obnoxious. I'm embarrassed to be associated as a thru hiker with them.
My buddy Dean from back home left a text message on my phone saying he was arriving at the backpackers campground at 7:30pm. What a delight to see someone from back home! Dean is planning a short backpack week hiking around Yosemite and coincidentally arrived the same time we did. By this time the hikers were pouring in looking for spots to pitch tents or cowboy camp. I put the earplugs in and went to sleep.
June 26, 2016 - Glen Aulin
Distance: 6 miles
Resupply days are always slow. Although it was Sunday, we were able to fetch our resupply boxes from the general store which is in the same building as the post office. It took a bit of time to sort out what we really wanted to keep and eat and what we could throw away. Dean picked up his hiking permit and off he went on his hike. Seasoned Strider and I finished our resupply and we were hungry again so we bought and ate our second breakfast from the Tuolumne Meadows Grill. We zipped back to the backpackers campground and finished packing our packs. The cell phone service was pretty poor at the store and much better reception up a little higher. Very little data service though, only 2G. Was able to call Sonora Pass Resupply and confirm our resupply pick up date. We shooting for July 3rd. Finally hit the trail at noon. It was turning out to be a warm day and tons of visitors were all over the place. The views continue to be gorgeous, especially Tuolumne Falls and the interesting cobbled stones as footpaths. We made it a short day and decided to leave the uphill out of Glen Aulin for tomorrow. Once we saw a water faucet (potable), solar powered compost pit toilets, and bear vaults, we were sold to stay the night.
June 27, 2016 - Beautiful Meadow and Deer
Distance: 15 miles
We got an earlier start in order to tackle the first long uphill. We met a fellow named Bear Dog who had flipped north to avoid the snow and was now heading southbound to finish out at Kennedy Meadows. It was great to get a heads up on what the snow and water crossing conditions were going to be ahead of us. We stopped at Miller Lake for lunch and also waited out the hot afternoon. There were weird water bugs moving about in the water but they left our feet and legs alone when we soaked our lower extremities. There were still big patches of snow around. We also had four more water crossings, which meant our feet were pretty much wet the entire day. By early evening we were ready to make camp and positioned ourselves just below the big uphill to Smedberg Lake. The mosquitoes were horrible here. But we had our own personal two deer grazing nearby in the green meadow.
June 28, 2016 - Seaver Pass - Kerrick Canyon
Distance: 13.5 miles
A few thru hikers passed us early in the morning as we made coffee. We never seem to be able to break camp until around 7:30am. Started the big uphill and had to cross Wilson Creek multiple times. One thru hiker helped us jump across one flow so we didn't get our feet wet. It was all for naught as the next three crossings we had to ford the stream. Arrived at Smedberg Lake and the melted snow runoff swelled the lake enough that part of the trail was underwater. The next little section from Smedberg Lake to Benson Lake was tough - uphill battling the snow, then crossing the flat part with snow and water everywhere, and then the steep downhill down to Benson Lake. Just before the lake we had to cross another overflowing stream. I took the long log and made it without getting my feet wet. Seasoned Strider doesn't like logs so she forded thru the water. At one point the water was up to her waist and she almost fell in against the current. It was a close call. On top of it all, Seasoned Strider was not feeling well so she was struggling all day to keep up. We finally arrived at Benson Lake and was dismayed to see how high the water level was. The mosquitoes were awful too. We talked to another gal who was cleaning up and she was planning on tackling the next uphill toward Kerrick Canyon. After weighing all the pros and cons, we also decided to leave the lake and continue on. Up another big hill, we were stopped by a Yosemite Park Ranger who was checking permits and bear canisters. We met a couple of backpacker groups who were doing week trips and seemed amazed that we were thru hikers. We finally arrived at the top of Seavers Pass, oohed and aahed, and started down the other side into Kerrick Canyon. Lots of snow on the trail and we had to use navigation to find the trail. The trail was nasty that paralleled the river with steep snow against big rocks. Finally got to the first campsite and called it good for the day.
June 29, 2016 - Jack Main Canyon
Distance: 13.4 miles
We deliberately stopped before Kerrick Creek the night before because we have read that it can be a dangerous swift ford, and to attempt it in the morning when the flow is lower. We arrived at the creek about 8am and could immediately tell that crossing it at the PCT path was going to be deep and strong. We scouted upriver and downriver and there wasn't a better entry/crossing so we analyzed the best way to cross over. I chose a path about 30 feet downstream where I could hide my feet next to rocks. The water still reached crotch height and my legs were quite cold and red when I finally arrived at the other side. Seasoned Striker took the deeper path but attempted to step on rocks to stay out of the current. A little dicier I thought, as it could have been a disaster if she slipped. But she also made it across in one piece. We congratulated each other for another fine water crossing! Sorry, no pics on this one as we were too busy crossing at the same time. We had more water crossings, between thigh and knee deep, but the rest weren't running so fast and strong. One stream overshot its banks and gushed right on down the trail, about ankle deep but running strong. We stopped at a lake for a break and decided to take a dip to rinse off accumulated dirt on hair and bod. The water was so refreshing and gave us a few minutes away from the mosquitoes. This lake was also very full and we could see grass under our feet. After snacks, we crossed another wide stream and made our way up Jack Main Canyon and found a campsite amid the mosquitoes near Falls Creek. One fascinating thing about this canyon is a 1945 license plate embedded into a tree high above our heads. It was sheer luck that I spotted it as we picked our way through the boulders. (Note: The canyon is named for a 1870's sheepherder in the area named Jack Means. His name is misspelled on maps.)
June 30, 2016 - Setting up for Sonora Pass
Distance: 16 miles
Mosquitoes were horrible today. I slathered exposed body parts with Deet and wore my headnet most of the morning. After we broke camp, we entered a green, marshy section that we hiked as fast as we could to get away from the mosquitoes and biting black flies. We arrived at beautiful Dorothy Lake, took pics, and then climbed the rest of the way over the little pass. This marked the northern end of the Yosemite National Park boundary and another completed goal for me. On the other side of the pass we were surprised by a thick snowfield that we slipped and slid our way down. Seasoned Strider was so surprised, her feet went out from under her and plop, down she went. On the north side of the pass, we wound our way past sparkling lakes and snow patches, waded through a couple more creeks and flowing water over the trail, and finally found dry trail at the lower elevation. Such a gorgeous section. We found the 1,000 mile marker that was smack dab in the middle of the trail and stopped to take pics. We continued through park-like settings, got to cross over on a real bridge, and made our way to Kennedy Canyon where other thru hikers were setting up camp, staged to tackle the big uphill and over Sonora Pass tomorrow.