At mile 857.7. Hiked 18.9 miles today plus 1.5 miles to Muir Ranch. At Muir Trail Ranch there were 5-gallon buckets labeled with categories for each type of food and other non-food items. Amazed at the abundance and variety of free food and supplies, I went down the line selecting the food I needed. I grabbed several Mountain House scrambled egg dinners. It was pleasing to think that I would have a break from the daily morning oatmeal over the next several days. I provisioned with enough food to...

At mile 838.8. Hiked 23.2 miles today. Today I climbed both Mather Pass and Muir Pass. The valley that the PCT follows up to Muir Pass is my favorite spot on the PCT. The Middle Fork Kings River spills through this valley and there are quiet groves of trees at each level of the valley. The valley finally ends at a series of high mountain lakes.  While taking a dinner break on the Mather Pass climb, I met several young girls with day packs. They said that they were on...

At mile 815.6. Hiked 21.3 miles today. I climbed over 3500 vertical feet from the swinging bridge to Pinchot Pass. I climbed again to a point just below the final climb of Mather Pass.  Here is a rock formation that looks like a giant thumb. Last night I camped close to this dome. This view is looking back after hiking beyond camp for a short while. Here are some of the many mountains I have been seeing. Only one person at a time is allowed on this swinging bridge over the King...

At mile 794.3. Hiked 5.4 PCT miles today. Returned to PCT via Kearsage Pass Trail by hiking additional 7.2 miles. I bought 2  breakfast burritos at the Shell Station in Independence to carry with me for lunch. The person working in the store seemed strange. When I asked how much my food cost he seemed to just make up an obviously inflated price. Then he quickly reduced it by a dollar. Observing this pricing system, I asked how much the Cliff Bars were. Again, he threw out a price,...

At mile 788.5. Here is a view of Mt Whitney from a booth at McDonald's in Lone Pine. Whitney is the peak just to the left of the lamppost. Because it is set back, it isn’t prominent on the skyline above Lone Pine. I stayed at the Dolly Villa again and the big excitement of the day was a purchase of a new Montbell down parka. The post office lost my bounce box with my warm clothing and the nights are getting colder.  (Note: Months later I received my bounce box...

At mile 788.5. Hiked 15.8 PCT miles plus 7 miles on Kearsage Pass Trail to Onion Valley parking lot. Today I climbed 2 passes including Forester Pass at over 13,000 feet, the highest point on the PCT. I came across many families of Marmots. This is an adult. The babies are cuter.  Here is the climb up Forester Pass. You can see the notch that is the pass. Here is the view looking back (south) from Forester Pass. A lake after the initial descent from Forester Pass. Just one of the countless views, all...