My target for today is to get over Pinchot Pass. Perhaps a good time to give you some information about the passes which comes directly from the Guthook application I am using for PCT Navigation.

1) Forester Pass: mile:779 elevation:13098 At 13200 feet in elevation, Forester Pass is the highest point on the PCT, and the first of the major passes that a northbound hiker must cross. The pass is named in honor of a group Forest Service personnel who found the pass in 1929.

2) Glen Pass: mile 791 elevation:11968 The second major mountain pass of the Sierra Nevada Range on the PCT, Glen Pass isn’t the hardest pass, but it is far from easy. Heading north, however, a spectacular landscape of lakes awaits you. The pass was named in 1905 for Glen H. Crow, a Forest service ranger.

3) Pinchot Pass: mile 807: elevation 12104 The third major pass in the Sierra Nevada Range, Pinchot Pass is no less scenic than the previous two. The final climb to the pass is less steep than some of the others, but its higher elevation makes the ascent just as rewarding. Pinchot Pass is named after Gifford Pinchot, appointed by Theodore Roosevelt as the first director of the U.S. Forest Service in 1905. He later became a two-term governor of Pennsylvania.

4) Mather Pass: mile 817 elevation:12047 While not the tallest pass on the Sierra section of the PCT, Mather Pass often ranks as one of the most fear-inducing due to the steep headwall that the trail climbs on the south side of the pass. Use caution when climbing, but remember to take a look around. Mather Pass is named for Stephen Mather, a retired industrialist millionaire wo was appointed as first director of the National Park Service in 1917.

5) Muir Pass: mile:838 elevation:11978 Muir Pass is a long and gradual ascent to almost 12000 feet, and is often cited as one of the most difficult passes on the PCT due to the miles of snow fields you must cross in either direction to reach the summit. The John Mir Shelter marks the top of the pass. The John Muir Shelter atop Muir Pass was erected in 1931 by the Sierra Club and U.S. Forest Service in honor of John Muir. It can be an emergency shelter for hikers. Muir Pass is named after the famous conservationist and writer, John Muir.

6) Selden Pass: mile:865 elevation:10877 The first of the mjaor PCT passes below 11000 feet in elevation, Selden Pass is not significantly easier or less snowy than the higher passes, so don’t let the numbers fool you. As with previous passes, the views from Selden are glorious. The pass is named for Selden Stuart Hooper, a topographer with the US Geological Survey in the 1890s.

7) Silver Pass: mile:885 elevation:10781 Another high point on the trail through the Sierra Nevada Ranger, Silver Pass sits high above several alpine lakes and makes for a beautiful view. There is something of a false summit to this pass, so once you get to the obvious top of the pass, you still have to climb some more.

8) Island Pass mile:924 elevation:10224 While not quite as dramatic as the other major passes in the Sierra Nevada Range, Island Pass can be difficult to navigate due to the more open terrain and lack of pronounced landmarks. The pass is named for nearby Thousand Island Lake.

9) Donohue Pass mile:929 elevation:11031 Another dramatic pass. Donohue has plenty of wide, open space at the top for relaxing in good weather after a tough climb. In heavy snow, it may be a long slog to get to the top. The pass and nearby Donohue Peak were named for Sergeant Donohue of Troop K, Fourth Cavalry, in 1895 after he ascended the peak.

I did not sleep that great last night, perhaps worried about the rain, but woke up to a glorious morning and almost immediately was treated to a view of deer in the meadow by the lake. A great way to start the day.

There were also some beautiful morning scenes of the sun coming up and reflections of the mountains in the lakes.

The trail was pretty gentle early on and here is a nice picture of the few places on the trail where you could just walk without worrying about where your feet were landing.

You keep on coming into new types of habitat along the trail. Below we have a little stream that is feeding into a marshy area. First time I have seen this type of habitat in the Sierra’s.

The next two pictures show a nice meadow I am hiking thru and then 5 minutes later out in the rocks looking at the next section of trees. Love to be hiking towards trees as that is the only hope of getting a softer trail to walk on.

About 30 minutes later I feel I have been transported to a rain forest.

About an hour later I reach the suspension bridge over Woods Creek. There is a good camping spot here and I stop to have lunch. The sign on the bridge says only 1 person at a time. Looks pretty stable but once I start walking over it, it starts to sway and I’m trying to hold on pretty tight to the sides with one hand with my trekking poles in the other.

Its about noon and I have apparently hiked 6.1 miles and have at least 7.7 miles to go. Not bad. However those 6.1 miles were down and the next 7.7 miles are going to be up.

Always a rushing stream around somewhere and you can always hear a waterfall before you can see it. For some reason for me it always at first sounds like the wind is picking up in the trees but then it clearly becomes the sound of water.

Once at elevation the terrain going to Pinchot is the same as the terrain heading into Forester Pass. Lots of little lakes and streams flowing between them and grassy tundra areas. Very pretty. However with Pinchot the trail goes above rather than right thru the tundra.

Once again while heading to Pinchot Pass the clouds move in and it starts to rain. Some thunder and lightning and again wondering if I should continue or wait for the storm to pass. I decide to continue and the rain the noise don’t last very long.

The always present beautiful wild flowers especially when you get above the tree line.

Finally reach the top of Pinchot Pass at about 6:30. Looking down I can see Lake Marjorie which is where I will camp. It is about 1.5 miles down from the pass.

But on the way down I pass another wild flower that I just have to stop and take a picture of. Seen and posted these little guys before I think….

There have been a lot of JMT hikers going the other direction but no PCT hikers. I’m expecting “The Crew” to catch up to me as I think they started at Kearsarge Pass the same day as I did but just later in the day. But so far the trail has been empty of anyone doing the PCT.

Lenora’s Note:
The Lenora routine seems to demand that I drive one day and rest the next. That is one reason I will be staying close to Don’s position from here on. At least I have enough energy to stitch and I have finished the first piece I was working on during my time following the PCT.

Time to get back on the trail and the next section of my journey. In order to do so, I have to go back up over Kearsarge Pass to get back to the PCT. Not really looking forward to that as I have to go from 9200 feet at Onion Valley over the pass as 11370 feet and then work my way back to the PCT. A 7 mile trek. Some pictures I took along the way up to Kearsarge Pass. Perhaps some better views of some of the pictures I took on the way down.

Finally make it to the top of Kearsarge Pass and now I get to go down about 1000 feet so that I can rejoin the PCT trail only to go back up to go over Glenn Pass. The clouds are moving in and it is going to rain. When I reach the PCT, I stop for a rest and rearrange my pack so that rain things are easy to get to. While I am doing that, it does start to rain. So I get dressed up in my finest rain gear and head for Glenn Pass. On the opposite side is Rae Lakes that I have heard a lot about. How beautiful they are. Glenn Pass is relatively close but I thought it was a very hard ascend. It is raining and there is thunder and I’m wondering if going to the top is wise.

By the time I reach Glenn Pass the weather is a bit better. No thunder and no lighting so I take some time to take a few pictures of the lakes.

The Rae Lakes drain into each other and I came down on the West side of upper Rae Lake and take a land mass right along the lake and cross to the east side. In the middle of the land mass is an outlet where upper drains into the middle. It was a fantastic walk. I camped at Middle Rae Lake for the night. I felt pretty good about the day. It rained a little but not much.

Lenora’s Note:
We set out early for the drop off so I could get an early start on the long drive back to Escondido. This section of the hike with a goal of Mammoth Mountain is going to be the longest without a break for Don and I will be at home dealing with accumulated mail, pool demolition and preparations for the closets and office installation that happens later this month. We both have a lot on our minds but I remember his travel blessings and head for home. The journey was easy and so I had time to regret not staying behind later so we could ferry “The Crew” back up to the trail. Focused on my own concerns I just wanted to be home to tackle the upcoming week. After the elevation sickness incident the cats now seem to throw up on every car ride and I arrive home with a car sadly in need of a good hosing out. I unpack quickly and fill the downstairs with bundles of bags and boxes that will need to be reassembled before I head out again on Tuesday.
I have become so accustomed to the routine that I check Don’s progress 5 or 6 times a day rather than that many times an hour. Forward progress = good hiking and I no longer panic that he is injured if he stops to rest for an hour or two in the heat of the day. Life off the trail is developing its own rhythm. I am reminded frequently of Don’s habit of praying as he walks and I try to guess what his current prayer is so I can join mine to his as we both go about the routine of our day.

Not a great nights sleep. Really wanted to make it yesterday but we start at 6 am so that we can do the 1200 foot climb ahead of us while it is cool. Here are some pictures of the sun coming up just before we start hiking.

Nice thing about the scenery is that you just have to stop while you are climbing to take pictures. It is not that you are tired. It is not that you can’t catch your breath. Rather, it is that you want to take a picture. Here are some of the Kearsarge Lakes.

We took the Bullfrog Lake Trail and here is where it joins the Kearsarge Pass Trail.

Kearsarge Pass is right up there somewhere

We get to the pass and now we have 4 miles to descend to Onion Valley where Lenora is going to pick us up.

We are descending into the desert but there is no lack of beauty on the west side of the High Sierra’s. Here are some pictures on the way down.

I do not get up as early as I wanted but early enough and start the hike up towards Forrester Pass at about 6:15 or so in the morning. Cool but not cold. Perfect. Tyndall Creek was at 10900 feet and the first part of the hike today gently takes me to 12000 feet and then a someone less gentle (ok way less gentle) ascent to Forester Pass at 13200 feet.

I am not sure words, or at least my words, can do this justice. The hike to 12000 feet was filled with views that took my breath away. Each time I turned my head, I had a picture worth taking. I think I will just let the pictures give you a flavor for this experience. Of course, the pictures, taken with an IPhone do not do it justice either. Here are the pictures on the way to 12000 feet.

The trail is becoming more and more rocky and frequently you have steps carved into the trail. These would become more frequent and higher. I am 6 feet tall and sometimes the step up was difficult for me to make. I can’t image how people with shorter legs manage the task. They all do.

Around 12000 feet it levels off and you have a tundra environment. There are small lakes with streams leading to larger lakes that drain into still larger lakes. I thought I had a picture from on top of the progression but I guess I do not. However here are some pictures of this environment. My Home Owners Association would be happy if I had grass that looked this good in my yard.

Here I am getting closer to the final ascent to 13200 feet. My destination is the little notch middle which is called Forester’s Chute. I will have a close up of it later. The picture does not do it justice. When standing where I was and looking up you can’t even imagine how it is possible to get to that point

The trail from 12000 the 13200 is pretty steep with looks of big step ups. BUT, not as bad as I had imagined. I took my time and rested often and pretty soon I find myself at the chute. Here is a picture.

So why was I worried about this point you might ask. Please go here or here and watch a U-tube video of people crossing this point when snow is present. I was very happy to find out there was no snow for me.

Here is part of the trail leading to the chute. The video above gives a better image.

I reach the high point. Pause for about 10 minutes with a bunch of others, including Paul and Sam. It is only 10:15 and so there is still a lot of day left and so we continue on down into Kings Canyon where the majesty just gets better.

Starting down we continue with lakes and with streams and with tundra and with flowers and with a little bit of snow on this north side and I am going to descend way down to 9500 feet into Kings Canyon. At this point going down to 9500 feet only means you get to go up again but the lower I get the more beautiful it gets.

All the little run offs and streams I am passing are feeding into a river that goes right along the trail for a long ways. Never have to cross this river as the PCT bends up and the other way.

There are mountains on either side as I continue down Kings Canyon.

Eventually the trail heads up and it heads up very steeply. Everyone I talked to found this section that leads to Kearsarge trail and Kearsarge pass more difficult than the trail leading to Forester Pass. Get to the Bullfrog Lake trail and in .5 miles see Bullfrog Lake and a dear browsing.

More of Bullfrog Lake. We camp about .5 miles from this point. Beyond Bullfrog Lake and just before Kearsarge Lakes. What a day!! Over the highest point on the PCT. Picture moments everywhere I looked. Paul, Sam, and I hoped to make it to Onion Valley to be picked up by Lenora but there was no way. We still had 6 miles left with a 1000 foot climb and we were beat.

The “crew” is going to ascend Mt. Whitney and a couple of them are feeling a little under the weather. I am not going to ascend Mt. Whitney and feeling fine and so I get up early in the morning to start my hike towards my big apprehension point: Foresters Pass. Have no plans to ascend Foresters today but will hike to the point where the real ascent starts.

A big part of the PCT in the High Sierra’s in addition to the passes are the stream crossings which can be very dangerous. You are advised to try and forge all streams early in the morning before the run off from the snow melt starts. Here is my first stream crossing. I managed it without issue.

There is a minor ascent up to 11000+ feet and then back down

If I had not made the decision at Mt. Whitney, I would have to make it about now. This is looking from a Meadow towards Mt. Whitney and this is about where the trail forks. I took the path less taken (at least today) and did not go to Mt. Whitney. I will do that in another year with Lenora. However right here I ran into a surprise. Paul and Sam where camping in this meadow and had done Mt. Whitney yesterday. They were now heading towards Forester Pass with me. They also are going to camp at Tyndall Creek (my destination for today) and will ascend tomorrow. It is nice to see them again and to find out that Sam is ok. Last saw them at Kennedy Meadows where I was worried Sam had overheated.

As you can tell from the pictures we now indeed have water everywhere. There are many times where small run off streams are crossing the PCT and all of them have clear cold water. Starting a bit of a climb again above the tree line and just down from the PCT is another lake.

These cute little Marmot guys are everywhere.

Down from the lake I reach my next camping spot at Tyndall Creek. The biggest stream so far. I did not get a picture of the fording point but it was much like the others. The rocks I had to jump from and to where pretty close together and for the most part above water. I again managed not to slip into the water. I am a little shocked at this. I have never been very well balanced 🙂

It was a nice place to camp. The water rushing down the stream could be clearly heard and it put me right to sleep. Tomorrow would be the big day to ascend Forester Pass, the highest point on the PCT.

Lenora’s Note:
Laundry, cleaning up from the cats trip to high elevation, stitching and watching now and again. The big question is; “Will Don attempt Mt. Whitney?” No way to ask so I have to watch his progress until it is clear he is giving it a pass. I would learn later he saved this part to do with me and I find myself full of anticipation and determination.

Had a great extended weekend with Lenora in Lone Pine and now back on the trail for 4 or 5 days. I have Foresters Pass, the highest point on the PCT looming ahead of me and really not at all sure what it is going to take to get up and over the pass. Lenora took me back to Horseshoe Meadows which is at 10000 feet and I start the 3.5 mile trail back up to the PCT and Cottonwood Pass at around 11320 feet. I am not taking the same trail back up that I took down from the PCT and the result is that I actually miss 4 miles of the actual PCT trail. It is a really nice 3.5 mile hike back up to the PCT through trees and green areas. Here are some pictures of the way…

After getting back to Cottonwood Pass and the PCT there is a lake about 1 mile further down the trail. This is the first lake along the way and many at this point finally feel as if they have entered the High Sierra’s. There were a number of people camping at the lake (Chicken Spring Lake) but it is far enough way I can’t tell who is there and since I don’t need water I don’t actually go to the Lake. Turns out some of the people are the “Crew” (Just Keep Walking, Night Walker, SingleMalt, and Stubbs). They will catch me later on in the day. I also meet to other hikers just going to the lake for breakfast and they are “Doc” and “The Dude”. Older guys, not as old as me, but older that most of the PCT hikers.

Continuing on down from Cottonwood Pass there are some great views of meadows below. At 11000 feet we are right at the tree line and sometimes venture above the tree line.

After about 4 miles, I enter into the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It is going to get every more breathtakingly beautiful.

In the early afternoon, I run into SingleMalt and a little later here comes “Just Keep Walking”, “Night Walker”, and Stubby and we all more less walk together to Rock Creek where we camp for the night. Little later Doc and “The Dude” join us. The stream (which I can’t believe I did not take a picture of) is big enough to have trout and “Just Keep Walking” and SingleMalt fish for awhile and get one trout for the effort. By that time, I am in my tent and starting to sleep but the rest shared in the catch. In later days they would be more successful and would be eating trout on most evenings.

Lenora’s Note:
Weekends are about getting clean, doing laundry, restocking, talking, sharing, catching up, going to mass and resting. This weekend had a lot of golf and a fair amount of wine. But, on Monday the Adventure resumes and so I find myself dropping Don at the trail and watching him move away. I head out of the parking lot and spy a young hiker, full pack looking hopefully at me as I slow. Are you going to Lone Pine ‘Karma Forward’ asks and I welcome him aboard. If I concentrate and the strip of road ahead instead of the wide expanse of sky around me with no visible ground I drive with more comfort. I’m getting the hang of this mountain thing.
Today we move from Lone Pine to Bishop and I have 50 miles to go and 3 hours before I can get my room in Bishop so I follow the lure of an intriguing sign that promises an “Ancient Bristlecone Forest” about 24 miles from Hwy. 395. Off we go, the cats and I, to see the ancient trees.

By the time we reach 9,000 feet the first cat is throwing up but the scenery is unbelievable so I keep driving. Did his breakfast not agree with him I wonder.

By 10,000 feet we seem to be at the plateau but now the other cat is throwing up and I begin to think it might not all be food related as I recall my experience of the first drive up to Horseshoe Meadows and the effect of elevation on me. The symptoms seem familiar.

Down the mountain we find our room is ready and we move into our home away from home in Bishop. I check and find Don has survived Forrester’s and is still moving so I can relax and unpack and arrange things. Happy face.

Another beautiful night. The weather has been magnificent without a cloud in the sky during the day or night. Even at 10000 feet when in the sun, it was hot enough to seek and enjoy the shade. Got up early and started walked about 5:10 in the morning. Again the day begins with a climb and I am much faster ascending in the morning. I have always been a morning person and that continues while hiking. It feels like I ascend at about half the speed in the afternoon than I do in the mornings and the mornings in the High Sierra’s are perfect for hiking. If you stand still you might want a jacket on but when hiking it is just perfect. After about 1 hour I pass 2 other hikers that are just getting up and one tells me that if I have AT&T there is a small area where you can get service. He shows me where it is. Stand right here he says and point your phone down into the desert below. What a view!!

By the way the next water after 730 was going to be at 741. For me that is a stretch for 3 liters especially when I leave the water source and camp. I tend to drink about a liter of water during the evening meal and during the night. So that leaves me with 2 liters for 11 miles and that is a stretch. That is another good reason for walking early in the morning before it gets hot.

Here are some more early morning views as I am hiking along.

When I get to Diaz Creek at mile 741 there is “Tent Talker” filling up on water as well. She did make her 18 miles but slept later and so our paths cross again but probably for the last time. She is heading over Cottonwood Pass and beyond and I am going down to Horseshoe Meadows to be picked up by Lenora for the weekend. Here is the Diaz Creek water source.

Lenora has been following my progress and gets to Horseshoe Meadows about 30 minutes after I do and she has brought up 4 other hikers with her. “Clark Kent” and “Rock City” are two of them and we have a good reunion. We just sit around and talk for about 40 minutes or so. They are heading back to Cottonwood Pass and are going to climb Mt. Whitney as a PCT diversion. I have not decided if I am going to summit Mt. Whitney or not. That will be a game day decision. Lenora has magic in the car and we feed everyone with oranges and snickers and juice drinks. As we are talking more and more hikers are being brought up by other angels and there are probably 12 or so hikers just sitting in the shade waiting for the heat to die down before they ascend up to Cottonwood Pass. Lenora and I head down into Lone Pine.

Lenora’s Note:
When we started this section and I dropped Don we both remembered the challenge of the training hike last year and we gave him a generous time to reach Cottonwood Pass and Horseshoe Meadow. I expected to be meeting him late Saturday but Friday close to noon I checked on his progress and found he was already on the cut off trail to the campground so I bundled the treats into the car and headed up the mountain road. It is less scary to drive the twisty trail than to be a passenger and I arrive at the campground to find my wandering husband sitting on the ground out of the sun. I brought “magic” so he hauls the cooler out and as hikers arrive several of them enjoy juice drinks, candy bars and the few oranges we have left. It seems to be a really poor citrus year as I shop for oranges everywhere I stop and often cannot find more than a dozen in a store. I love being the “magic” delivery person and this is how I was able to enjoy the ride up the mountain with the company. “Rock City” had actually recognized me from a previous magic delivery at Bird Pass and asked if I was heading up the mountain and if they could get a ride. Their conversation helped distract me from the curves and steep drop-offs on the road. I am reminded how present God is in our everyday lives as we go about our business rarely thinking of how much we are blessed. These hikers were walking up the sidewalk at the very moment I was closing the tailgate to drive up the mountain they needed to get to. A few minutes either way and we would have missed each other.

It was a beautiful clear night and the stars were amazing. I did not have my rain flap on the tent and so I could just look up at the sky. A couple times during the night when I would wake up, I would put on my glasses and just stare at the sky filled with stars and it would remind me how incredibly blessed I am to be able to do this.

I got up early in the morning to start walking because I knew I was about to start a rather serious climb. The next mile, mile 720, is where I quit during my training walk. I do declare that mile 720 is the longest mile on the PCT. It is the mile that never ends!! I remember during the training walk, I would get to some place of interest or just have to stop to catch my breath and each time I looked I would still be on mile 720!! Here are some pictures along the way

And here is the very spot where I turned around on my training walk. Could not get over the tree or under the tree or around the tree with backpack on. Mile 720.99!!! This year someone had cut a way around the tree on one side and I took a picture from the other side of tree and mile 721. Finally I had made it past mile 720 🙂

By the way there was water at two spots before the 14 mile sure thing. One of those spots was up in the meadow shown in the picture below. A beautiful pool in a very small flowing stream going right down the middle of the meadow and which the PCT crossed.

Here are some pictures as I continue to hike toward the next water at mile 730.

2 miles before the sure water at 730, the PCT crosses a little stream with water. Someone has gone to the trouble to dig out a little pool and to arrange large leaves so the water is channeled and then drips off the end of the leaves into the pool. It takes awhile because there is not much water but I stop and fill my liter water bottle. While I am doing this, “Tent Talker” and another hiker come by and the other hiker says “you know there is really good water just 2 miles ahead”. I decide to tell him the story of Queen Elizabeth that when asked how she was able to attend so many formal gathering and greeting lines in a day responded that she never passed up an opportunity to sit down or an opportunity to go to the bathroom. I said in a similar way that I do not pass up real water right in front of me for theoretical water that I have not seen. He did not seem impressed. He shrugged and walked on. Tent Talker got some water.

When I go to mile 730 there was another hiker whose name is “2 pack”. He carries two packs. One on his back and one on his front with a 40% of weight in the front pack and 60% in the back pack. He says this is the only way to go and he had fashioned his own packs for this purpose. I told him I had seen other hikers that were using the two pack system and that some manufacturer was creating this very configuration. Anyway the really interesting thing about “2 pack” is that he started out carrying 140 pounds with 40 days of food!!! 140 pounds!! He said that it was probably only about 120 pounds currently. He said he only walked early in the morning and walked from water source to water source and took frequent breaks. All his gear and clothing was camouflage and I’m guessing he was ex special forces. He told me he was the one who fashioned the pool and leaves at the previous water spot and he had done something similar at this one. “Where exactly is the water?”, I asked. He told me to go about 1/8 of a mile up a trail and I would see the water coming out of the rock. Coming out of the rock?? Had Moses been here I wondered. Did he tap the rock once or twice. Anyway, I walk up the trail and sure enough it does appear the water is coming out of the bottom of the rock. “2 pack” had dug out a hole and you could just put a cup under the rock and it would fill almost immediately. So I filled up my 3 liters and went back and talked with “2 pack” for awhile and slept for about an hour and then decided to hike on for a bit. Got to mile 733 and found a beautiful place to camp. Here are some pictures from that spot.

By the way, “Tent Talker” had a very aggressive goal of doing 18 miles a day in the High Sierra’s. So she left the water hole earlier than I and I did not expect to see her again as she would have hiked to mile 738 where there was suppose to be a good camping site.

Lenora’s Note:
We are staying at an interesting motel in Lone Pine. Named the Portal Motel it is clearly one of the older buildings in the town but the only motel that would take the cats and let me stay a week or more, the rest are so busy they could only give us one or two days at a time. The funny part is the housekeeper will not enter the room with the cats here and so we have clean towels when we ask for them but no contact with hotel staff for most of the stay. By now the room needs to be vacuumed and mopped and so I tell the manager/owner that I will take the cats for a ride if she will just get the maid to clean the room. She agrees and we head out to explore the Alabama Hills. Why Alabama I wonder. From Highway 395 the Alabamas look like big red hills between the highway and the “real” mountains but the Alabama Hills bakery and cafe has photos and paintings of the unusual formations of the hills so I decide we need to check it out.

We need to be gone at least an hour so with litter box, water, treats, toys and a drink for me we make the short drive to the hills. What we find is amazing. Behind the red hills are a rock climbers dream. Big and smooth and clunky they form amazing shapes and are bundled and jumbled in mountain high piles. We take one of the dirt roads called Movie Road and drive for over an hour turning this way and that until I fear we will not ever see Lone Pine again. I find myself wondering at the power of God who chose to create on this earth a landscape so wild and unreal that it has graced the backdrops of numerous western and sci-fi movies over the years and on film is still a mere shadow of the wonders of creation. I have always contended that God must have a special affection for the southwest since this part of America he did not feel a need to fancy up with green growing things or bright colors, except for the wonderful dirt 🙂 and He left this land just as he created her, wild and scary and beautiful in her own way.
Don is hiking the mountains and I continue to track his progress daily but I have grown much more confident of his trail skills and I no longer look at the computer every 30 minutes or so to reassure myself he is still moving forward. I do check however and so I noted his long rest this day and asked him how it is going. We are getting into a routine and I will be glad to see him tomorrow or Saturday.

So the rest of this week I was planning to go from Kennedy Meadows at mile 702 to Cottonwood Pass at mile 750 and then side trail to Horseshoe Meadows where Lenora could pick me up. This was exactly a repeat of one of my training walks but if you remember that training walk did not turn out so good. On the training walk I only make 9 miles the first day and then 11 miles the second day and then turned around when I realized I did not have enough time to get to Cottonwood Pass. I was a little concerned if I was going to repeat that effort and not be able to make it to Horseshoe Meadows by Sunday (4 full days of hiking). That concern was dispelled today as I basically hiked as far today and I had in 2 days during the training walk. I’m guessing I can attribute this to 3 things…. 1) There are about 35 pounds less of me this time. 2) I have had 702 miles of getting ready for this. and 3) especially the miles from 650 to 702 which were steep, high, and hot prepared me for the elevation change.

Here is a sign at the start of what is considered the start of the High Sierra’s.

At mile 706 the trail crosses the South Fork of the Kern River for the first time. There is a nice bridge across the river and here is a picture of the bridge and a picture of the stream below where I did stop and get water. I had reduced the amount of water that I could carry to 3 liters because at this point I still believed the HYPE that there is water everywhere.

The next water was suppose to be at the second crossing of the Kern River at mile 716 but I was able to get water at the same spot I did in my training walk. The spot hidden down from the trail that the birds led me to during my training hike at about mile 711. All during the day a new hiker “Tent Talker” and I had been crossing paths. On different rest schedules we would pass each other while the other was resting. She said she was going slower than normal because she had 12 days worth of food. I on the other hand had only 5 days worth of food and my pack was actually lighter than it had been at any time during the trail. I did not see how anyone could get 12 days of food in a bear canister as mine was full with just 5 days. She admitted that not all her food was in a bear canister but would be by the time she got to where the bear canister was actually necessary. So anyway, the reason why we kept seeing each other is that she was weighted down more than normal and I was lighter :). When I got to the second crossing of the Kern River there were 5 other hikers there that looked like they were settled in. They were going to camp right there by the water because the next sure water was 14 miles away. Everyone really believed that the water worries were over at Kennedy Meadows and so had scaled back on the water containers they carried. Everyone was a little upset that it just was not true that there was water everywhere. Apparently the “water everywhere” does not happen until you pass over Cottonwood Pass. We could have figured this out with a little effort. One clue is that the PCT water reports continue until Cottonwood Pass and then stop. No need for a water report when there is water everywhere!! So in another 30 miles things will be as expected with respect to water. I decide to move on and hike another 3 miles before setting up camp. A little later “Tent Talker” comes by and decides to camp in the same general area. I listen for awhile but never hear her talking to her tent.. Later I find out that she got her name because she would frequently get into her tent and then start a conversation with someone outside the tent.

Lenora’s Note:
After dropping Don at Kennedy Meadows I head down the mountain. It is a long drive back to Lone Pine but I realize that we are running out of days in this area and I’ve been working on my stitching projects to the exclusion of any other pleasures so I decide that this is the day to explore the lava flow waterfall. I do not know if there will be water but the lava rock is beautiful from the road and last year I feared it was too hot to leave the cats in the car while I went for a little hike. Today with no cats I am free to explore. The real name of this area is Fossil Falls and there are no longer any falls, in fact the river bed is totally dry and has been for a very long time. What is fascinating is what the water was able to do to the tough lava rock when the river still ran and the falls crashed toward the river bed below. The photos do not do the area justice, as is often the case, and I rediscovered some of my rock climbing abilities as I clambered over the rocks looking for a better angle. I never did find the famed “fossils” of Fossil Falls but I saw some beautiful lava formations and the best were the ones carved by the water of the long gone river. This is truly a spot too good to visit by yourself as I kept wanting to call out to someone, “Come here and see this! Do you think we could climb all the way to the bottom?” But discretion prevailed and I prudently if reluctantly made my way over to view the campground before heading back to the car. The signs at the falls seem to promise some “rock art” in the form of petroglyphs but I never saw any of those either. It is now about noon and very hot and I suddenly feel the call of an uncompleted stitching project and so head back to the hotel.

Really want to get the 21 miles in today and make it to Kennedy Meadows so that Lenora and I can spent Sunday in Lone Pine. So I get up at 4 and start walking around 5 I think. After about 2 miles of walking I am surprised to catch up with Paul and Sam. They also want to make it to Kennedy Meadows and so go up and started earlier that I did. I did not notice they had left already. We pretty much hike together all day. The climb to 8000 feet actually ended up being the easiest part of the day. The slope was gentle and the early morning temperature was perfect. All the time I figured it was going to be a grueling climb to 8000 feet and then a gentle slide into Kennedy Meadows which is at about 6000 feet. Just the opposite happened. The ascent was easy and the descent was difficult. The ascent was done in trees and shade. The descent was totally open and it was hot. About half way down there was a spot with 3 lone pine trees and finally a little shade. Paul, Sam, and I each rested under 1 of the trees which provided just enough shade to cover one person. It was a relief and also about this same time some clouds started moving in. Once we got to the bottom there was a water source and some shade and we again rested. There were only 8 miles to go to Kennedy Meadows and I was sure I would make it but the blisters and hip from the previous 2 days were starting to slow me down. Took a long time to do those last 8 miles. I am not sure if Paul and Sam made it because Sam was showing signs of heat exhaustion. Even with the cloud cover she was just terribly hot and was slowing down. About 3 miles from Kennedy Meadows they apparently stopped. I did not notice at the time but they were no longer behind me when I stopped to look around. I slowed down and waited but could never see them. I probably should have walked back. I wish I would have now. Lenora had been making her way from Escondido, to Lone Pine, to the motel, and then back to Kennedy Meadows. I arrived at the road at mile 702 and Lenora was not there but I knew she was on her way and close. I started to walk up the road towards the Kennedy Meadows grocery store and diner and about .25 miles into it, I see Lenora coming over the hill. She picks me up at almost exactly the same spot she found me on my training walk the previous year. I find that totally and completely amazing.

Lenora’s note: It is a relief and a surprise when I actually find Don at the pick up point. I have been so focused on the parish directory that I push my leaving time to the last minute and then worry that he will have to wait too long. Somehow we have been blessed to find each other at each meeting time.