Uphillhike

Category: PCT North California

Posts for PCT thru-hike from Kennedy Meadows North to California – Oregon border.

  • Day 41 – Donner Pass

    Day 41 – Donner Pass

    At mile 1157.4. Hiked 16.6 miles today.

    More of the same with snow. My thought was to get to Donner Pass where I would eat lunch at the Ski Restaurant. Every time I thought I was out of major snow, I encountered more and had to stop to put on Microspikes. 

    The scenery was incredible, but as I am now writing this It seems hard to remember. I guess I see so much that one memory replaces another. At one point I was feeling great. In the zone, laughing hysterically over the beauty and my solitude. 

    I reached The backside of Sugar Bowl Ski resort and began a climb with a wicked steep avalanche chute o my right. The trail looked like it went straight up steeply  to the top of Disney mountain where there were ski lifts. When I reached the top, seeing no trail, I checked GPS. The trail had crossed under snow at the avalanche chute near the bottom. I figured out that I could  easily descend the other side of Disney and rejoin the trail past the avalanche chute. Although a calf busting steep unnecessary climb, it was a good thing since I avoided a dangerous spot. Descending, I noticed tracks of the 2 hikers I had been following. They had also chosen to bypass this dangerous spot, but I think their decision was intentional because I knew they had good trail tracking skills.

    More snow walking across this ski resort. I was navigating through snow covered woods by GPS and looked up to see a man on a log. As I climbed across snow he told me that I was on the trail. His name was Rich. He had started a hike to Yosemite only 2 miles ago at Donner Pass. I told him what I knew about the conditions in the direction he was traveling. I told him about how it was okay with Microspikes and GPS and described wandering around in the snow trying to find or follow the trail. It turned out that he had neither GPS nor Microspikes. A little while later I saw Rich going my direction back to Donner Pass. He had changed his mind about this 300 plus mile hike after only 2 miles. Feeling bad, I said that I hoped I hadn’t been discouraging. He said, “No, after the snow he had already seen he was having second thoughts.” 

    Here is where I was breaking down my campsite on the coldest morning yet. A frozen boot morning.

    Here are views from that campsite. I was on an island in a sea of snow in the middle of Squaw Valley Ski resort.

    I crossed a creek at my campsite with snow bridge.

    Here is a view of snow I crossed on climb to Tinker peak. It turned out that I didn’t need to cross since trail switch backed under snow.

    I had some some ridge walks after getting through snow. 

    I climbed to Tinker Peak.

    I came across these cornices that had large crevasses which looked ready to break off in an avalanche.  

    I had to cross a wide steep  slope of snow. Steeper than photo makes it appear.

    Here is a distant view of this same snow slope I crossed.

    I walked  more ridge withbeautiful rock formations and views.

    I reached Donner Pass where I had an early supper at the Ski Ranch. I had the pulled pork sandwich special and took quesadillas to go for a 2nd supper a time my camp about 4 miles further up the trail near the I-80 rest stop.

    This is Donner Peak after leaving Ski Ranch.

    I had to walk through 2 spillways in order to cross under Interstate 80. The first had 2-3 inches of running water. Wet feet right before camp. 

    Here is a photo of the 2nd spillway. I had to wade through thigh deep water in the dark tunnel. Soaked feet and legs. 

  • Day 40 – Microspike and GPS day.

    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

     

  • Day 39 – Solitary Man

    Day 39 – Solitary Man

    At mile 1125.7. Hiked 21.6 miles. 

    I’m happy with the number of miles I put in today considering that I had a lot of snow to cross in the morning that required trail finding. I had to stop regularly to use Guthook GPS to locate the trail. A lot of my hiking in the morning was off trail meaning that besides snow, I had to make my way across terrain that was overgrown or steep or with boulders and ledges. You can’t move in a straight line. Eventually the trail reached a long stretch that was snow free and with a gentle grade. This is where I made up for the slow miles. Late in the day I had to cross a number of areas of snow, but they were small enough so I didn’t lose the trail. Another new challenge was stream crossings. I crossed at least 3 good size streams above knee deep. Only one stream crossing was a little tricky., I crossed this one by finding à wider spot downstream. Even so, it pushed hard enough against one leg to make it hard to keep balance. 

    I didn’t see another person the entire day. Nobody! This was a first for me on the PCT.

    View looking back south from Dicks Pass

    Snow on Dicks Pass

    Here I am in the snow up on Dicks Pass

    Here is a view of Dicks Lake from Dicks Pass.

    Other views of Dicks Lake and mountains.

    First trail with no snow along far end of Fontanelle Lake. I still had a long walk of missing snow covered trail on ridge below the lake, but at least there were a set of foot prints so I didn’t spend much time checking GPS.

    Near Fontanelle Lake

    Here is one of many lakes and ponds.

    My tent site. See pile of snow in background. It is taller than me. There are many places where I have to walk across large piles of snow.

    Lake Tahoe view from my tent site

  • Day 38 – I’m Back!

    Day 38 – I’m Back!

    At mile 1104.1. Hiked 11.8 PCT miles today.

    After 26 days off the trail, I’m back and restarting my hike at the Echo Lake Spillway at mile 1092.3. I’ve hopped forward about 440 miles, bypassing the Sierras for now. After reaching Canada, I’ll come back to Echo Lake and hike 440 miles south to Walker Pass. 

    The morning started off with a long walk up Pioneer Road as I hitchhiked. Finally, I was piled up by Simon who happened to be on his way to Echo Lake. Simon is a very cool guy from New Zealand and a back country skier. His dog, Tickles is also very cool.

    Even though I was up at 6 AM and out the Mellow Mountain Hostel door very quickly, with hitchhiking, I wasn’t on the trail until 9:15 AM. I didn’t see any PCT thru hikers all day. There were a number of hikers that had were doing an overnighted at Aloha Lake. 

    There was a long hike through deep snow mostly through a wooded area just south of Aloha lake. The snow, rocky trail, and heavily food loaded backpack slowed me down. I was also worried about how snow conditions would be north off Dicks Pass so I decided to stop early and camp before reaching the pass. I hope to make more miles tomorrow, but it doesn’t hurt to ease back into this. One good thing… an abundance of water. When I wasn’t walking through snow, I was walking through water.

    Here is the view looking back at Echo Lakes.

    Here is an example of snow I had to walk through. I had to check my course frequently and make corrections. Otherwise, I followed footprints as long as I saw them.

    Here is Aloha Lake and mountains.

    Here are other lakes beyond Aloha Lake.

    Here is my tent site. 

  • Getting my PCT fix while off the trail

    I’m beginning to get excited about my anticipated return to the PCT. Preparations are coming along fine. I’ve just logged into Amazon to exchange a too small size 11 Altra Olympus shoe for a size 11.5. Same for a pair of gloves that were X-Small which should have been Medium. Hiking pole parts were ordered and poles repaired long ago. Even resupply boxes are nearly ready. I still need to mend my hiking shorts. With little remaining preparation, I’m getting my fix of the PCT by following Instagram posts and YouTube Video Blogs of the class of PCT2018 hiking. I started so early and moved so fast that nearly everything I’ve seen so far is of the portions of the trail I just hiked.

    Here is a great YouTube video that I’d like to share with you. This covers a day that this PCT’er was hiking from Whitewater Reserve to the campsite after the last crossing of Mission Creek. Even though I never met this person and I hiked this section nearly a couple of months before she hiked it, our experiences were much the same. She ended the day at the same tent site at which I stayed. Both of us had at least a dozen people crammed into this 2 tent site spread out cowboy style. We both got “lost” at the same spot. In my case I prefer calling it “getting off the trail momentarily”. We both literally found the trail in the same exact spot and had to climb up the same embankment. In many more ways, this video was like deja-vu.

    Here is the link to the video. ENJOY!

    PCT 2018 – Day 20 – The day I got lost

  • Tehachapi – PCT Trail Town Review and Guide

    Tehachapi – PCT Trail Town Review and Guide

    Tehachapi owes it’s lively and attractive presence to an event back in 1876.  That year signaled the completion of the Tehachapi Loop of the Southern Pacific Railroad bringing the railroad to Tehachapi. This vital railroad link between the productive Central Valley and much of the rest of the nation was later double tracked to accommodate high demand for transportation needs. Northbound PCT hikers walk across this double track shortly before reaching Highway 58 at the Cameron exit.

    Here is where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the “double track”. View is toward Tehachapi.

    As important as the railroad was to Tehachapi, trains would only stop only as long as needed to load and offload goods. Few people boarded or disembarked. Much like PCT Thru-hikers, the train was only passing through. In the end, it was up to the citizens of Tehachapi to make something special of this remote town. Today, visitors have a variety of restaurants, accommodations, museums, art, theater, and other entertainment to choose from. Tehachapi hosts a seasonal farmers market and is a center for fruit and seed growers.

    From Tehachapi’s Railroad Museum in the Depot, a photo of the famous loop that enables rails to climb at “grade” up the Tehachapi pass.

     

    In May, on my PCT thru-hike, I overnighted in Tehachapi. At trail crossings near both Highway 58 and Willow Springs Road (8 miles apart), Tehachapi residents cache water and post lists of local trail angels and town information. These two crossings present 2 opportunities to lure hikers into town, perhaps twice for some hikers.

    Hikers have a number of options for staying over in Tehachapi that include trail angel houses, camping and showers at the airport, and several hotel options. I stayed at the Santa Fe Motel ($59) conveniently located in the center of town directly across the street from Kohnen’s Country Bakery, a popular pastry and coffee spot with hikers. For much nicer accommodations, I would recommend sharing a room between several hikers at the Fairfield Inn & Suites ($110) where the rooms and linens are at a much higher standard and there is a hot tub and pool to soak tired muscles. The hot tub alone makes this an easy choice. The Baymont ($94), located a little further from the town center also has a jacuzzi.

    The Santa Fe Motel where I stayed.

     

    Besides a place to shower or soak tired muscles, PCT thru-hikers are craving plenty of good town food. I chose an almond cheese danish and a sausage and egg roll at Kohnen’s Country Bakery. It was hard to choose between a variety of large fresh flakey and gooey sweet baked goods. I also caffeinated up on plenty of hot coffee. For dinner the night before, I had a fried chicken plate at the Village Grill Family Diner. It came with a bread choice (huge slice of cornbread for me) and the daily vegetable which were green beans. I also chose macaroni and cheese as my side. For lunch, the following day, I had a pork BBQ plate at the Redhouse BBQ, next door to the Village Grill.

    The Village Grill Family Restaurant.

    Other hikers I knew were looking forward to Sushi and were planning a visit to Midori Sushi. This group also found a good entertainment option when they hit upon “Line Dancing” night at Big Papa’s Steakhouse.

    Tehachapi is very walkable with many options and nearly everything a hiker might want within easy walking distance. A hiker depot of sorts called “Witts End” has been opened up in a house to allow hikers a place to crash in between eating, sleeping, and having fun. At Witts End, hikers can get assistance from trail angels and arrange for transportation back to the trail.  The post office is on the outskirts of town and only open on weekdays. Witts End stepped in and solved this problem by accepting hiker mail resupply packages.

    A railroad “park” with signals and signs. Adjacent to the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum.

    Like the train, PCT hikers may only be passing through, but Tehachapi is the trail town that doesn’t mind. With heavy demand, the railroad was “double tracked” so perhaps more PCT thru-hikers will choose to “double zero” at this attractive stop.  (Double Zero is the term for hikers taking 2 full days off.)