Month: October 2023

Start: 1871.5

Stop: 1887 (+0.5 on side trail for Whitney)

Today’s miles: 15.5 (16 total)

Total PCT miles: 1739.2

Today was another phenomenal day! Although I spent it primarily alone, I’m currently not feeling lonely. I have a feeling the miles coming up will end up getting that way.. with most of the flippers finishing and all the SOBOs being so spread out.. my friends on either side of me.

Anywho-when my watch vibrated at 5:30am, I reached up and touched my tent wall to see if there was condensation.. there was: AND IT WAS FROZEN! I sat up, realized just how cold it was outside of my quilt cocoon, and I pushed snooze and snuggled back in. Shorter miles have to be good for something, right?!

When my watch vibrated at 6, I peaked across the way and saw that Miles’ tent was still up. I took out an earplug-didnt hear him moving, put my earplug back in and set an alarm for 6:45. I just could not move in that cold! I did finally start packing at 6:45 and left by 7:15, only a couple minutes after Miles. That couple of minutes difference means besides seeing his shape on switchbacks above, I didn’t see him again all day!
It was cold going, in the shade of the mountain.

The trail was still kind, even with the switchbacks.. they were graded and gentle, no huge rock steps except for every once in awhile. I filtered water within the first mile, but not from camp.. I needed to warm up a tad, get my heartbeat going, before touching ice cold water.

The views as I got higher were unbelievable. It was a rock covered fortress of mountain walls with snow and lakes all around. There was a small patch of snow I had to walk across, but someone on horseback had recently come through and covered the snow with dirt, making each step very stable. Then it was switchbacks up and around, up and around some more. There was a huge patch of snow on a ridgeline, but someone had made a trail to follow down below it, allowing me to completely avoid it. It was perfect, and spit me back out on a switchback.

The switchbacks up ahead had tons of snow along one side, so there were rock scrambles to get around them, and one section of rock and snow to get over, maybe 5-6 steps total on snow.. although it was more like ice. I made it to the top by 9:40, which, I was assuming it would take me until 10am-knowing I’d go slow because of the elevation. Forester Pass is the highest pass on the PCT, coming in at 13,120 feet.

I took some pictures at the top and had another hiker take a picture of me with the sign. I passed into my 7th national park at the top of this pass! I’m now in Sequoia National Park.. hard to believe I’ve made it so far! It feels so very surreal!

I started heading down the pass pretty soon after the other hiker left, simply because the air felt really thin and the best remedy to that was to get down! The switchbacks along the descent were steep until hitting the “floor” about 3/4 of a mile down. After that? The trail was GLORIOUS. Easy, smooth path twisting and turning around lakes and through trees and across water.. but never anything difficult. It went by so quick!

I had to take my shoes off for a creek crossing, so on the other side I ate lunch and left my shoes off and laid out my tent to dry that now soaking wet condensation. I sat around for 45 minutes or so, then packed up and kept moving. The afternoon held some climbs and descents, but nothing difficult and nothing that took my breath away.

I talked to a ranger with about a mile to go to get to camp. He said the weather should be good tomorrow, but that it changes very quickly. We chatted a few minutes about my hike and my plans, then went our separate ways. I hiked down the side trail half a mile before setting up camp. That leaves 15.2 miles total to go up Mount Whitney and back here tomorrow.

The odd thing is-I’m the only one camped here! I’ve seen several other people pass, but they’re all wanting to make tomorrow shorter, to where I’m more concerned about making the following day shorter-when I leave here and hike to Cottonwood Pass to get into town. Oh well. It’s a little unsettling here, I can hear a lot of creature movement outside.. but it is what it is and I hope I sleep well because I’m sleeping here tomorrow too!

In the morning, probably 6 ish, I’ll make sure to put everything in my pack liner and set it on top of my sleeping pad-scoot it all to the middle of my tent and pop up my umbrella over the bag-then when I take out my trekking poles and my tent collapses, I’ll tuck it and place rocks on the edges-in case it rains while I’m hiking.. hopefully that will keep everything inside safe and dry. Since I’m hiking up and back, I’m taking only my pack, water bottles and filter, snack foods, and clothes.. like rain gear. Anything I might need while on a mountainside.. but not my tent, pad, quilt, bear can, jet boil.. you get the drift..

Ok. Time to pop in my earplugs! Pray for good weather! Sweet dreams!

It’s almost 5pm and I’m in my tent, in my quilt, and can barely hold this phone to type this up. Holy cow, I’m spent! But.. I SUMMITED MOUNT WHITNEY! (For the second time lol) The tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, coming in at a whopping 14,481 feet!

I slept really well and got up at 6 to get ready. I had already decided I didn’t want to do a sunrise hike, simply because it’s been so dang cold! So, at 6am I got up. I had to take the essentials with me: pack, rain gear, microspikes, TP, wallet, headlamp just in case, food, water and water filter. Everything else I shoved into my pack liner bag and set it on top of my sleeping pad, scootched it all to the center of my tent, then finally propped my umbrella up to cover it.

It sounds excessive, but I knew I’d be gone all day, and I wanted my stuff protected from anything that could happen while I was gone. I then took out my trekking poles while keeping everything else staked tight, tucked the ends and put a rock on each side-hopefully to protect everything inside from rain, wind, critters.. I was nervous leaving it all, that’s for sure.

I was hiking by 6:30 and the first 3 miles weren’t terrible. They were up and down and around water sources, creeks and snowmelt streams.. many flooding the trail. I sat and filtered water at Guitar Lake inlet stream, the last official water source listed, although there was plenty more for the next mile. It was cold, the trail was shaded from the sun because of Mount Whitney looming overhead, AND those little streams all over trail were half frozen and so very slick.

I fell once, on my right hip and jammed my left hand. It hurt at the time but I honestly forgot about it until just now. I was actually quite happy to reach the dreaded rock switchbacks everyone hates-simply because that meant the meadow of mushy and icy streams were over. I trudged along, taking my sweet time, sucking in air like an asthmatic. At one point I thought I could hear myself wheezing. Good stuff. Just. Keep. Moving.

I passed some trail maintenance workers, I will forever be impressed with any trail maintenance crew-but these guys were moving boulders, digging out rocks to make the trail even, all kinds of stuff, but they were doing it at like 13,000 feet! My goodness it was astonishing. Here I was barely able to breathe and take a step and they’re BUILDING actual steps like it’s nothing. Whew.

About half a mile from the junction to the Whitney Portal (where people can come in on a day hike or JMT hikers can leave out of), I saw the couple from Canada I met the other night with Miles. They did sunrise and were already heading back down! They were going to take a nap and consider hiking out this afternoon.

From the junction, the summit is 2 miles more. Now that I was on the trail with day hikers, I was actually passing folks left and right. Some of them worried me, looking like they were seconds from keeling over. Somewhere in the middle of that 2 mile section, I crossed paths with CliffJumper! He was coming down, but somehow we summited on the same day! I was happy to see him, we hugged and talked a bit.. then I sadly had to keep climbing.

The last chunk of trail had snow on it, so people had made rock cairns marking an easier way to rock scramble to the top around the snow. I purposefully didn’t touch even the tiniest bit of that white stuff. When I finally made it to the top, it was only a few minutes before noon. I was pooped! But honestly, I was also proud. I knew it would take me awhile, especially with the altitude getting to me more than it usually does, but 5.5 hours was better than I thought I’d do!

I took pictures and signed the log book. I tried to get service to call mom.. and it said I had service, but nothing was coming in or going out. I probably needed to just give it some more time, but I could see smoke and clouds rolling in and that scared me. I didn’t not want to get caught up here in bad weather. Plus, my head was starting to hurt, which isn’t a great sign at high altitudes. So, I started heading back down.

I checked in with mom on the garmin, so she wouldn’t be waiting for the phone to ring. I had so been wanting to hear her voice. I also checked in with Andrea, because as I was coming down the switchbacks, the smoke was coming in thick and it was getting hard to breathe. I had to use my headband to cover my nose and mouth. She was able to find out that it’s from a contained fire in the Sequoia National Park (the one I’m in) and she even called the wilderness office to verify that I’d be safe camping tonight. God I love her so much.

As I came down I stopped and talked with any and everyone I passed. Many hikers were headed to Guitar Lake to camp and then summit Whitney tomorrow. One lady, Pat, gave me her number and said to let her know if I ever need any help getting to and from trail.. she lives in LA and would be happy to help me, even if it’s somewhere to stay overnight or something! The crazy thing is, I’m flying in and out of LA for my sister’s wedding! Talk about the trail providing!

I eventually filtered more water and got back to my tent. I got my poles in and retightened it all down. I unpacked and I’m laying here, in and out of the sun (I wish it would just stay right on my tent and warm me up like an oven). I’m so tired I think I might cook and eat dinner now just so I can go to bed.. otherwise I won’t eat. Tomorrow, I’m going to try to get up early and be on trail by 6, so I can get to Lone Pine as early as possible tomorrow afternoon. I have 20 miles but I’m praying they won’t feel like the last few days since the elevation gain and loss is much lower.

Ok, that’s all for today. Goodnight y’all.

Start: 1887

Stop: 1903.8

Today’s miles: 16.8 (+3.8 side trail)

Total PCT miles: 1756

The way my day started was drastically different from the way my day ended. When I woke up freezing at 5:30, I snoozed til 6, then 6:20. Y’all. I like my sleep, especially when I’m bundled up warm and it’s cold as hell outside!

I started packing and was leaving camp by 6:50. The temperature according to my garmin Inreach was 28 degrees. No amount of movement was warming me up. And then, within 2 miles of hiking, I had to cross a stream that didn’t have stable rocks or logs to go over on. The water came up to my knees and it was FREEZING! Literally, little pieces of ice were floating by. Jesus.

After the crossing, I had tiny rocks in my shoes, but my hands were so cold I couldn’t untie my laces, so I just kept walking, praying my numb feet weren’t getting mutilated in my shoes. The trail started to climb, switchbacks through sand and rock and few sporadic trees. The sun was off somewhere far far away from me. I was I cold and miserable and questioning absolutely everything.

At the top of the climb I had to sit and take my shoes off. It was such a struggle.. the laces were now frozen. Once my shoes were rock free, I continued hiking, the sun finally touching me off and on after 9:20 or so. Sometimes I’d just stop and bask in the sunlight, hoping my fingers and toes would regain more feeling soon.

As the day went on, it warmed up some (into the 40s) and my mood shifted. I became focused solely on getting to Cottonwood Pass trailhead, getting a hitch into town and getting a Big Mac. Why a Big Mac? Who knows? But I’ve been dreaming of one! So, I took no breaks, I ate my few bars and my one Poptart all while walking. I filtered water once. I spoke to people I saw on trail but I kept it short and hardly slowed to catch my own breath.

I made it to the junction for the side trail. I had service so I talked to mom for a minute or two before I lost service, and I posted about summiting Mount Whitney.. then all but ran down the switchbacks to the parking lot. It was close to 4 miles on that side trail and I was there by 4:15! I used the pit toilet and then walked to the stop sign for the parking lot so that way any car leaving would have to make eye contact with me.

I was having zero luck. Not one single car was coming or going although the parking lot was slap full. Where were all these people?? Then, some trail maintenance guys came down and one came to tell me they had a camp they were staying at for the week, so no one was going into town tonight. He apologized and wished me luck.

At 4:45 a man drove by and said he was going to drop off his hiker and he’d be back to take me down. Cool! Come to find out, he’s a shuttle driver.. he charges EIGHTY-FIVE dollars to bring a hiker to this trailhead from town! I immediately asked how much he was wanting to charge me because I might have to just wait-and he said nothing since the other guy paid him already. Ha. Wow. Glad I’m not that guy.

The ride down was long and winding and absolutely stunning. Paul, my driver, gave me all kinds of cool information, about the road and Owens Lake, the paragliding in the area, all the movies made in the Alabama Hills-these crazy rock formations that literally look like they’re from another planet. He was cute and chatty and I enjoyed our ride to town. He dropped me off at McDonald’s and I made a mad dash to the kiosk to order my food! I sat and ate my Big Mac meal-faster than I should ever admit, drank my coke, and then walked across the street to the motel I wanted to stay at.

I got myself a room, although it’s a shared bathroom kind of place, and the girl gave me my package Andrea shipped here for me: my new shoes!! Hell yeah. I talked to mom while getting somewhat organized and then I showered while the bathroom was available. Across the street was a laundromat, so once I was clean I washed my clothes and posted some blog posts while they were washing and drying.

I walked down the street to the grocery store, intending to get some drinks for tonight, Gatorade and whatnot, and saw that the Mexican restaurant across the street was open!! No way! I thought it closed at 7pm and here it was 8pm and they were open! I was their only customer.. and I got all the things. Chips, salsa, queso with jalapeños, enchiladas with rice and beans, plus a glass of wine. I worked on the blog and danced while I ate. The waitress got quite a kick out of me.

When I finished up and paid, I went to the grocery store and got my Gatorade, then made my way back to my motel room. This bed is cushy and comfortable and the room is cute. Normally I’d watch TV or something, but I’m too tired to go grab the remote, so I think I’ll just head to bed now. This little town of Lone Pine has totally renewed me. I feel so much more positive now than I was this morning or even the last few days. Yay for that! Goodnight y’all.