01 Jun Day 40 – Microspike and GPS day.

At mile 1140.8. Hiked 15.1 miles.

Click on this to view YouTube Video of Day 40

I should have known what kind of day it would be when I had to wander the snow frozen woods straight out of my tent site to follow what my Guthook GPS said there was the PCT somewhere nearby under the towering frozen mounds of ice. After the first few steps, I had to stop to put on my microspikes.

Once in the clear, there were beautiful views, but the trail quickly hit a steep frozen slope and wandered around the steep frozen slopes of an equally frozen valley. 

Jump forward to Alpine Meadows. The snow was not a challenge, instead I had to walk exposed rocky slopes with a stiff cold wind. Finally dropping out of that cold wind into a wooded area, I was again in the snow and off trail. I saw a set of footprints that used dead reckoning to descend the most direct route. I followed and at times losing the track, but always checking Guthook. 

The end of the day was an endless hike through deep snow. There was no trail. I tried to follow the turns shown on Guthook. Sometimes I would break through the snow up to my groin, my foot plunged into an icy stream flowing under the snow pack. Woods and meadows were covered in feet upon feet of snow. 

I began to be worried about my external battery supply and phone battery. Without these I help navigate , I’d be in trouble. If that happened, I guess I’d hunker down until some other hiker came along.

Morning view from camp

Here is a sample of Granite Chief Wilderness. 

Nice ridge walk in Granite Chief Wilderness

Here is view looking back at snow area that I hiked.

Here is a PCT sign post.

I ran into a lot of snow.

Here I pose in front of a snow bank