Day 66
Start: Cottonwood Pass Trailhead .6+ 2.2 to mile 746.5
End: 759.2 Total: 15.5
Nick and I woke up in his car at the trailhead where we would reenter the PCT. He only had two weeks off work and wanted to see the most of the Sierras as possible so I skipped the 40 miles from Kennedy Meadows to here. The plan is that he will shuttle me back for those miles after our hiking is done.
We got our gear sorted and organized. Had some coffee and breakfast and started the .6 miles to get to the trailhead since the gate was closed to the campground. We got there around 5:30 and began the 2.2 mile journey to rejoin the PCT.
It was snow free as we started and entered the meadow but the snow soon began. It was pretty patchy all the way up. Once we got back to the PCT there was a big stretch of snow. It was early in the morning so it was still pretty solid and easy to walk on.
We stopped at a stream and got some water. We met a older hiker named Squirrel who has also hiked the AT. we leap frogged with him for a while and struggled with navigation. We could sometimes follow footsteps in the snow but then they might disappear or the snow would end or it wasn’t clear which way they were going. I spent a lot of time on my phone to make sure we were on track and going the right way. I learned early on to not always trust the footprints as they would sometimes lead you astray.
Around 11 am we took a small detour to chicken lake which was still very much frozen. We took a small break before pushing on. The snow was beginning to get very slushy and hard to walk on. We did 2 more miles to a lunch spot. I looked at my map and the footsteps we were following took us a bit off trail and into the middle of a melting March. I could hear water rushing below the snow and I could see it through a melted crack in the snow but it would’ve been treacherous to try to get. I found a small safer area to collect some water and we had a nice lunch break.
After lunch we took a direct shortcut to get back to the trail but it turned out to be super inefficient. The snow had become so slushy and nearly every step was a post hole to at least the knee. We tried to rock hop as much as possible but the snow is always weakest near rocks so it was a minefield up hill in deep snow. At last we made it back to the trail where the snow was a bit more packed down and at times snow free.
It started to get cloudy, windy and snowy as we climbed higher. We moved very slow and it was mentally and physically exhausting breaking through the snow so much. Eventually the snow and skies cleared and yo and the sun came out & our spirits lifted a bit.
We wanted to camp by water so we kept pushing and eventually found a nice spot with a snow melt stream nearby and we set up camp. Nick bought a backpacking hammock set up and I had my tent but we found a spot to set up right by each other. He is still getting used to it so it took him a while to get it set up but then we had dinner, filtered some water and went to bed!
It felt so nice to be back on trail despite how exhausting the hiking was. I was super excited to finally be entering into the Sierras and have Nick by my side. It was already so beautiful.
Day 67
Start: 759.2 End: 775.3 Total: 16.1
I missed my alarm in the morning but woke up around 4:45. We got going around 5:30 and a mile or two later we had our first river crossing but were able to cross on a log and not have to take our shoes off or get wet. After 4 miles we stopped and had a coffee and breakfast break.
After our break we had some snow free miles. There is still tons of snow but it’s melting fast and leaving the trail very patchy. We did another 5/6 miles and had our first bigger climb and more beautiful views. We were entering deeper and deeper into the heart of the Sierras.
We passed the turn off for Mt. Whitney which we wouldn’t be doing due to Nicks limited time. I will still be trying to do it after our hiking time together is done but if not some time in the future for sure. I was a bit bummed to not be able to do it while passing by on the PCT but wanted to prioritize Nicks experience and time out here. It’s still very early in the season, people are doing it but conditions can be a bit sketchy still.
Due to Nicks way of walking with his trekking poles in the snow and his vibrant green coat, I offered him the trail name “Mantis”. Nick once had a pet praying mantis and loves those little guys so was very excited about this name and accepted.
We stopped at a small stream for lunch and took a long break. We saw a group of five hikers go by in the distance. After lunch we caught up to one, a girl named Hummingbird. They had woken up at midnight that day and summited Mt. Whitney. Quite a long day for them and they were shooting for the same site Mantis and I were shooting for.
We messed around a bit after lunch and got some footage for a video idea that Mantis had. After lunch we caught up to another couple that was part of the group of five. I stopped to look at my phone for the map and it appeared that the trail switchbacked down this steep slope but no one had actually walked the switchback. Everyone was descending straight down this very steep snow filled cliff. The couple was getting out their ice axes so we stopped to do the same.
The safest way down something like this was on your butt using your ice axe to control your slide. It’s called “glissading”. It was a bit scary but also quite fun and it was great practice for self arresting and getting used to using the ice axe.
After that we had a couple river crossings. I was wearing trail runners and they were already soaked from the snow so I just walked across the streams while Mantis took off his boots and put on his crocs to cross.
There was a lot of snow and postholing that afternoon as we got into the meat of the Sierras. Gigantic, epic snow covered peaks surrounded us. It was absolutely astonishing to be in an environment like that and it was breathtaking every way you looked.
We had the first and biggest pass the following day, Forrester Pass. We needed to be up and down that thing before the snow really started to become slush so it was essential we got as close to the base as possible. That required us to push a bit more than we would have liked.
The last 2 miles were super tough and slow going but the beauty of the area took the edge off a bit. I passed by a couple tents and called out to them and said hello. Mantis was a bit behind me. The other hiker asked my name and I told him Lioness.
Lioness! He called back, it’s Fox! We didn’t recognize each other from afar but I had met Fox back at Hikertown. Having taken three weeks off it was so nice to see a familiar face. The other hiker he was with was Eskimo. We camped there with them that night. It was about 7 pm when we arrive so it was a much later night that we would’ve like. We set up camp, got water, had dinner and went to bed. It would be another early morning to do Forresters Pass while the snow was still solid.
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