October 31

A whole day of no hiking feels great. I was able to get my town chores done and relax all day. My packages arrived around noon and the manager of the hotel brought them to me when they arrived. Ryan and Marie left early in the morning and hiked out as the sun was rising. Vogue left to find other hikers to bring trail magic to in the afternoon. Then Louis left because he could make lower mileage with the heat and climbs and I would be able to catch up. Forest left in the evening just so he could get away from town and not get sucked in for another night. Nat, Jane and myself were pretty lazy the rest of the evening as we waited for Ben Newkirk "Smooth". All four us are spending the night and hiking out in the morning. 

October 30

Happy Birthday to me! The 15 miles to Cajon Pass went really fast. There was an official looking sign that read pointing north "Guffy Campground 21.1 miles" and pointing south "McDonald's 0.4". It was a welcome sign for hungry and thirsty thru-hikers for sure. We had an almost unbelievable surprise when Remy Levin "Vogue" showed up at Cajon Pass giving out trail magic to fellow southbound. He finished his sobo hike on the 25th and decided to work his way north giving out trail magic to all of us. He has joined us at the Best Western for the night before he heads north to catch other southbound hikers. I have a full stomach and bed for the night in a temperature controlled environment. It will set me up for a relaxing zero tomorrow. 

October 29

The hike this morning was beautiful. The trees were frozen in place post-storm, and a fresh layer of snow covered everything. The sun was out and made the morning hike enjoyable. We took the 0.14 mile trail to the top of Mt. Baden Powell at 9399 ft., and reached the summit around 10 am. After the peak, we dropped slightly lower and into the clouds where we met "Shadowfax" a hiker I met in Oregon. After chatting with him for a while, we hiked on shaded from the sun. It was a cold afternoon with no sun and high humidity. Nothing we had could be dried out, and we decided to hike until we lost enough elevation for it to be warm. I had to give up at 27 miles for the day and am camped 15 miles from Cajon Pass. I'm excited for the zero on Thursday and a rest for my weary bones before the final stretch. It will be my first zero in California and first since Klamath Falls, OR

October 27

It was too warm last night to seal myself up in my sleeping bag in order to hide from the mosquito that was hanging around. It's a little hard to believe that the little monsters are still around considering it is almost November in the desert. Once we started hiking today, however, we realized how insignificant a few mosquito bites are compared to the threat of Poodle Dog Bush. The plant was everywhere on the trail and we all spent the day dodging the nasty stuff. I started calling our dance moves the "Poodle Dog Shuffle". I Watched the other hikers do amazing things to avoid the bush. We did advance through a section that was completely overgrown with the plant and totally unavoidable. There were bushes between 6 and 8 feet tall and all bowed over the trail. These were easier to avoid than the little ankle high plants thriving in the shade below, and I am sure I contacted the plant a few times with my skin. Fortunately a fire station was only 6 miles down the trail from that section and we all took turns scrubbing down with soap and water, and even rinsing the clothes we wore through the poison. It generally takes two weeks for the rash to manifest so we will see if that washing was effective or not. We met up with Bobcat at the fire station and Nat, Jane and I hiked with him for the rest of the day. We four are camped at a site, all with tents erect in anticipation of forecasted weather. It sounds like we might get to hike through snow again after all with Mt. Baden Powell in the schedule for the day after tomorrow at 9,400 ft., and snow forecasted for that day. 

October 28

This morning the four of us woke up to fast moving clouds and wind. Bobcat left early in order to stay warm by hiking and Nat, Jane and I left not long after for the same reason. The wind picked up as dawn broke and we all knew we were in for a day of rough weather. We climbed in elevation all day and, as expected, the weather didn't improve much. It would be hard to complain about the weather at this point given what we've been through and how soon we will be back to low elevation. Nevertheless, it is an annoyance even though it cuts way down on water consumption and the amount we have to carry in these high desert dry stretches. 

Today went without a hitch except for one little oops. Bobcat had gone ahead because that's what ultralight hikers do when they are trying to stay warm, and really just in general they hike quick. Jane was ahead of me and Nat behind, when she took a trail that started getting really steep with gnarly switchbacks. I couldn't remember seeing tight switchbacks when I glanced at the map Nat had just an hour before, so I got out the GPS app on my phone to check. We were 400 ft. off trail and climbing hard. Luckily, Jane was within verbal yelling distance even though hidden by the fog. We turned around and headed down on the PCT, grateful we didn't go too far. At the parking lot by the road, Ryan and Marie were taking shelter from the wind in one of the privies. They were supposed to be over Mt. Baden Powell and in Wrightwood so it was a shock to see them. Apparently, they did the same thing Jane did, but kept going and got lost on the other side. They ended up doing over 3 hours of bonus mile hiking to get back and were getting a ride from Marie's mom to Wrightwood from their current location. Bobcat, Nat and Jane all decided to take the ride into town and I hiked on into the storm. Two miles in, I am at a campsite with a spring nearby and ready to weather the snow that is starting to fall. I was surprised again when Louis "Sugar Side Down" and Forest "Tittycakes" showed up just as the light of day was fading away. We shared our stories and laughed about the craziness and are currently being snowed on as we turn in for the night. 

October 26

Every hiker left the Saufley's at a different time. Early in the morning, Ryan Marie and Bobcat made it out. The rest of us took our time waiting for laundry to come back and enjoying having Internet and computer access. Nat and Jane were the next to leave for town to eat a late breakfast at the local bakery. Then Tom left with his quick military stride. After lunch, I left to get a little solo hiking in and catch the crew at the North Fork Ranger Station. I made it up to the summit and ranger station around 9 pm. It was nice to night hike for a while and I had my headlamp on low beam red light to enjoy the stars and the dark, but the light pollution from Los Angeles to my southeast hindered my view of the night sky. I also noticed Poodle Dog Bush along the trail and immediately switched to bright light and spent most of my hike up here dodging that nasty poisonous weed. I am camped with Nat, Jane and Tom tonight and it sounds like everyone is of the same mindset to get up early and avoid hiking in the heat. 

October 25

We were able to leave Casa de Luna around 10 am. We were up early this morning to make a trip to the store and grab some pre-breakfast necessities like coffee and donuts. I had 1500 calories before pancakes this morning. We all took a picture in front of the 2013 PCT class banner and were taken to the trailhead. It was a warm day, but the terrain wasn't too challenging and my pack was almost completely devoid of food and really light. Terrie went ahead of us and replenished the water caches, something we are all grateful for at this point. We made it to Agua Dulce and headed straight for the local pizza place. After getting our fix on food we headed to the Saufley's "Hiker Haven" where we are spending the night. This place is run in a regular organized and orderly fashion. It has everything we need and everything a hiker would want. The SoCal trail angels are the best!

October 24

I picked my spot last night specifically with the sunrise in mind, and was not disappointed this morning. The sun came up over the desert below and from my ridge top site I watched the morning sky turn into day. We all hiked separately south toward the Anderson's "Casa de Luna". There was a large burned section of the trail that we hiked through. We were ankle deep in sand with blackened trees all around that were burned down to the stump. One of the most remarkable things was a spring bubbling across the trail in the middle of the burned section. After seeing nothing but burned trees for a few miles, everything seems gray scale and seeing the green growth around the spring seemed extra vivid.

After the spring it was about a mile down to the first road before our exit for Casa de Luna. There, Terrie Anderson met us with cold Coke and we put our packs in her van and slack packed the 7 miles to their road. I decided to trail run because apparently, I haven't had enough exercise lately. I don't know why I thought it was such a good idea, but once I started running I couldn't stop for all of the 7.3 miles. I ran it in 80 minutes which isn't bad considering the elevation gain. I recorded it on my GPS watch and will upload it when I get a chance and post the stats. We made it to Casa de Luna and have been hanging out with our huge sobo crowd for the afternoon. We picked up another sobo that was staying with the Anderson's, and will now have "Tittycakes" in our group. We got trail magic from "Muk Muk" a nobo that has finished the trail and happened to be in the area giving talks about her experience on the trail. She had an encounter with a mountain lion, and you can read about the experience and her hike at mexicotocanada2013.com. 

October 23

This morning we got a ride to get a real breakfast. We were hooked up with huge breakfast burritos and some French Toast and numerous gas station items for extra calories. It took us two hours to eat and fill ourselves before we finally left to hit the trail. We all hiked pretty slow at first, letting everything settle and being that it was 10 am before we started it was already quite warm. The desert sun was just as intense as ever and we had two decent climbs before things smoothed out. The water sources haven't been too far apart and mostly reliable, although I did spend 30 minutes searching for a spring. I did eventually find it, but the water was too shallow to get any and overgrown with stinging nettle that I left without water and hiked the 3 miles to the next source dry. Some of us managed a 21 mile day and decided to camp. Bobcat, Nat and Jane went a couple miles farther to get to the Anderson's a little sooner tomorrow. The Anderson's are trail angels that have an incredibly reputation on the trail as being hosts of Casa de Luna. It sounds like a vortex and a place that might suck us in for longer than we have planned for. 

October 22

We have a southbound caravan for the first time on the trail. It consists of 8 hikers and we are getting an idea of what the northbound "pack" must be like. All are committed and driven hikers and the energy of the group is incredible. Bobcat, who has already finished the trail, pointed out Poodle Dog Bush right by our campsite this morning. It can be harmful and has sent hikers to the hospital in some extreme cases. It's good to know what the plant looks like in its late stage because all of the pictures I have are from it in full bloom earlier in the season.

We hiked down from the elevation and into the Mojave Desert this morning. I found out quickly just how fast an ultralight hiker walks right away after hiking a few miles with Bobcat. The rest of our group consists of Nat and Jane from Alaska Ryan and Marie from Hawaii, Tom "Special Ops" from New Zealand, Louis "Sugar Side Down" from France, Joshua Stacy "Bobcat" from San Francisco Bay Area, and myself "Puppeteer". We all hiked the flat desert along the aqueduct together and pulled a 31 mile day to "Hiker Town". This is an interesting stop, and I have heard the words "eccentric", "crazy", "unique" etc. to describe it. There are old and new campers and trailers for us to stay in and they have been really generous about trying to get us anything we need. I'm crashing on a couch that feels like the most comfortable thing I have ever slept on, and I'm sure that the 31 miles of hiking has something to so with that. 

October 21

We were up before the sun and ready to hike to the road to hitch into Mojave. The town day had us motivated and we went to stand by the road. It took about ten minutes for an early commuter to stop and take us to town. Our breakfast was excellent, especially as walking in we noticed Monday's special was McGriddles 2 for $4. My appetite nowadays goes beyond what I can fit in my stomach, but I do what I can for it. Around 10 we left to find the post office and stopped in to where two sobos Nat and Jane were having breakfast. There we met Bobcat, who was the first sobo to finish and is now back out hiking for a while as he has time in his work schedule. At the post office, Tom "Special Ops" showed up and we all worked out our resupply packages and tried to lighten our packs to allow for more water weight. We split into two groups and finished our town day by 2:30 pm. We all met up and packed 6 hikers and 6 packs into Bobcat's Toyota Camry and drove to the trailhead. Louis and I started out ahead as we had finished the 8 miles between the two highways and headed up the climb out of town.

The main thing I notice when first leaving town is how silent the wilderness is. Every store has music playing and even when it's quiet there is still noise, no matter where you are in an urban setting. Once we were clear of the wind turbines, the desert silence came to my ears. It is always more noticeable upon first leaving town and is a welcome home for me. 

October 20

We got up and started hiking this morning following Tom's tracks to town. We both were surprised to see two sets of footprints on top of Tom's prints. Two people were between us and him, who we had just been hiking with 12 hours before. We just met them and they turned out to be flip flop hikers that were up in Washington that were sick of the snow and cold so they came to hike SoCal. 

Our hike was hot and dry, but the water source that was listed as dry was flowing quite nicely this morning. It was great luck to have some bonus water on this waterless section and we both downed a liter or more. My feet were sore by midday as I am walking on foam at this point and no longer on any rubber sole. It all is worn off and I think I can say that I got every last dime out of these shoes. They are completely destroyed from the snow in the high country and the mileage they have done. At lunch, we visited with some hunters that were impressed at the mileage we were doing as they saw us go by in the morning. We weren't able to yogi any food from them, but are so close to town that it doesn't really matter. We hiked a road tonight to get closer for our hitch into Mojave and are currently camped in some farmer's cow pasture. I'm tucked in some sage brush cowboy camping inconspicuously to get out of the wind and avoid awkward conversations about why I'm here. Louis is not far away and we plan to be up and hiking by 6:30 so I can get my McDonald's breakfast I have been craving. 

October 19

This desert hiking is the dirtiest hiking of the trail. I have a solid layer of grit covering all exposed skin at this point. Chances for a shower in Mojave on Monday doesn't sound great, but at least laundry should be able to be done. We are planning to be in town in the morning, hopefully in time for breakfast. I have had visions of a McGriddle breakfast in my head for a couple days now and need to make it a reality. Tom took off for town tonight saying he was going to hike all night and hitch in tomorrow morning. Louis and myself are sticking to the original plan of showing up Monday morning, although I considered going in early with Tom until he mentioned hiking all night tonight. We are in the middle of a huge waterless stretch that could be made smaller if the one water source turns out to be drinkable tomorrow. If not, then we are relying on a water cache at the highway about 20 miles from here. I left our last water source with 3.5 liters, more than each of the other three, and still had the lightest pack of all even though I was complaining about how heavy it was. My feet have been complaining quite a bit lately because the soles of my shoes are completely worn out. I should have shoes waiting in Mojave, and that is just one more motivator for me to get there. 

October 18

The three of us left camp this morning and started our 28 mile day across the dry, sandy high desert. The vegetation is all Joshua Trees and other spiky plants at this point. Thankfully, water caches are being maintained by local trail angels and we don't have to carry more than a couple liters at a time. It is also helpful that the wind blows steadily during the day, bringing relief from the intense sun. The extra weight of water is still worth it for the warmth we get from being out of the high elevation. For the first time in a long time, I am cowboy camping. Tom and I opted for the no tent strategy because with the mild night temperature there is no need for a tent to trap the heat. Louis is loving being warm so much that he still set up his tent and there is a full moon that might make sleeping without a tent difficult. It's a beautiful cloudless night and we have a full water cache to provide us with water for breakfast in the morning.  

October 17

Today was another beautiful day in the high desert. The temperature is such that it doesn't get too hot during the day and is still comfortable at night. Louis and I hiked 3 miles to a spring, tanked up on water and started our waterless hike. We were going to be next to a highway for lunch and thought we would have good cell service and make phone calls, but unfortunately did not have reception and weren't able to find out information about the sobos behind us. We just started our afternoon hike, when we met up with Tom "Special Ops" Roy, the southbound kiwi from southern New Zealand. The three of us have hiked and camped together today, and the mix of accents and culture is interesting. Our group of three will hike together to Mojave to resupply, where it sounds like Tom will go in early and Louis and I will stay the night on trail where it's free then hitch in and meet up with Tom in the morning. Tom had a crazy experience climb Mt. Whitney in the snowstorm and it was fun hearing his side of that adventure. 

October 16

I could get used to the weather in SoCal. I still am trying to comprehend how fast the scenery and climate changed. It is a beautiful night, with a clear sky and I'm still wearing my shorts two hours after the sun has set. We traded snow and freezing nights for a warm, dry high desert. I don't mind having to carry extra water because I know I won't freeze in my sleeping bag tonight. 

We started this morning having to hike 9 miles to water, each of us had 1/4 liter to start the day. We had leftover noodles and sauce for breakfast which had enough water in it to be sufficient for our hydration needs. It wasn't much and we arrived at the spring thirsty. Fortunately, the spring was flowing with clear water even though it was quite slow. Louis and I took an hour rehydrating and snacking before we left with about a liter each to hike to lunch, then the next water source 15 miles further. We hiked a few miles after sunset to shorten the distance to our next water source and have camped on the ridge top. It is again, a beautiful night with moon in full and stars everywhere. I'm sleeping without my extra layers for the first time and excited about being able to cowboy camp very soon. 

October 15

For the first night in a long time I was warm. Louis mentioned he even slept without socks and stayed warm all night. Our tents were both dry with no frost as the sun rose in the morning, something that has not happened since we were near Donner Summit and were showered with snow. Once in town, all the locals were talking about how unusually cold it was last night, and both Louis and I were happy to hear this which means are freezing nights are mostly to an end. We still have elevation as high as 9,000 ft., but right now are loving the desert's temperature. Loving it so much, in fact, that we didn't look at the water report and just hiked out in good spirits to our current campsite which turned out to be a dry creek. It was listed as dry upon looking at the report, and now have a 9 mile hike in the morning before we see water. This still isn't too troubling since we were just in town and should be able to do the hike without an issue. I'm personally just glad to have decent weather again. We night hiked for two full hours and didn't have to put on gloves or a hat to keep our extremities from going numb. 

We had a successful town day too for a couple of reasons. We got showers and laundry done, and even had a complete breakfast with bacon and eggs at the local trail angel's house. We managed to not get sucked into the black hole vortex of town and hiked out before it was ridiculously late. The only downside was the limited selection at the store and we did not get any cheese, milk or a burger while in town. It's great to be on trail again, however, and we did cook up some pasta and sauce that we packed in for a first night away from town dinner. 

October 14

It was brutally cold again last night. Perhaps it is the last night on this hike that it will get that cold. We are officially out of the High Sierras and currently camped at the Kennedy Meadows campground. It's a 2 mile road walk to the store in the morning which is good because the water out of the river is nasty and we are both out of food. Louis said he may not eat breakfast before we go and all I have is a Snickers bar and half a spoonful of peanut butter left for my morning breakfast. Our hike out of the high country was amazing, however. It was shocking to go from a mountainous region with the trees and foliage to high desert with almost nothing but sagebrush within a distance of a few miles. We are heading for the desert and it is obvious with how quickly the scenery is changing. Just last night we had our last ridge top view of a wide panorama, and now we have sand and sagebrush ahead as far as one can see. I am so glad to be camped this low, at 6,146 ft. it is warm and cozy compared to the high elevation and freezing temperatures. I might not even have frost inside my tent and have to dry it out at lunch as has been the case for a couple weeks now.  

October 13

The High Sierras have been incredibly scenic, but the freezing night time temperatures have me ready for the low elevation desert. It didn't warm up much during the day today with a chilly wind that blew all day. I can't complain too much, however, there was no precipitation and the worst of the weather was a long distance away. Our sleeping bags and tents were both wet from frost, and during our lunch break Louis and I spread everything out to dry. The sun did the best it could between clouds as they moved slowly across the sky and everything is dry at our campsite tonight. We are camped at a canyon site with the charming name "Death Canyon Creek" and have found the spring that sources this creek with crystal clear water. For the first time in a long time I am comfortable as I lay down to sleep as we are camped below 9,000 ft. Our site is, in fact, at 8,948 ft. and it feels like summer time compared to where we have been. 

October 12

The morning was brutal with how far below freezing the temperature dropped in the night. My shoes were soaking wet from hiking in the snow yesterday and putting them on this morning caused excruciating pain. It's like putting your feet in blocks of ice, then trying to walk around with them as shoes. I had to leave and start hiking to try to thaw them out while Louis struggled to get his boots on. After 20 minutes of pain my shoes started to soften even with hiking through snow, and after an hour they were warm and just wet. I had to wait for a half hour for Louis to catch up as he had to actually hold his boots over his cooking stove before they were flexible enough to put on. Then, it took 2 full hours of hiking before he said they were less like blocks of ice and more like wet boots.

I had waited for Louis about 7 miles from our campsite at a point where the trail was finally mostly clear of snow. Our progress the rest of the day has been back to normal hiking speed. We did pass the trail that would take us to the summit of Mt. Whitney, but there was no temptation to even attempt the climb after yesterday's battle at 13,200 ft. There is little snow at 10,000 ft. but we can see the higher elevations are still covered. It seems like we cover ground in a flash now that the snow is minimal, and we both agree there is the possibility of a 25 mile day tomorrow.

October 11

Today my PCT hike continues. Louis and I left our comfy campsite and made our way slowly to Forester Pass. Every step was an effort as we pushed through snow that had settled at a depth that was past our ankles. In some areas the snow would be drifted as deep as our knees as we made the ascent to the highest point on the Pacific Crest Trail. As we climbed, the snow got deeper and the drifts did as well. Near the top, I was blazing the trail through mid-thigh deep snow drifts and constantly plowing through knee deep snow. I reached the top at 13,200 ft. and was looking for the trail and almost fell down a chasm! I realized this as I was walking on a cornice that started to give away. I found the trail, and had to wade through a snow drift that was higher than my waist with that same chasm to my left. I waited for Louis to catch up and he went first on the descent. The south side of Forester Pass is carved into a granite face where there is no room for error. On the southern descent we had multiple snow drifts well above our waist and were in constant contact with the granite wall farthest from the abyss. In retrospect Louis mentioned and I have to agree that this pass was more intense physically and emotionally than our battle with Firecreek Pass in the North Cascades of Washington. 

It was only 4 miles to the first campsite after Forester Pass, but it took us two full hours and then some to get here. The snow is still hiding the trail from view and we often had to spread out and guess the general direction. The snow is finally showing signs of yielding at this low altitude of 10,977 ft. There is a couple patches of ground available for camping, and we have settled down after a physically exhausting 13.5 mile day. We will be able to hike to Kennedy Meadows on time, but climbing to the summit of Mt. Whitney is out of the question. 

October 10

The snow stopped falling much to my relief around 9:30 last night. If it continued at the rate it was falling all night there would be little hope for us to make it the 90 miles to Kennedy Meadows. It is only 9 miles over Kearsarge Pass to a possible ride to town from where we are so even if there was too much snow to go forward we always had the option to go back. As it is, the snow has accumulated to around 24 inches. Louis and I got up early and breakfast inside our respective tents, each of which, was straining under the weight of the snow creeping up the sloping sides. Around 11:00 am we both got out and decided it would be best not to hike, but to wait the day in our campsite and let some of the snow melt. We dug out our tents and freed them from the burden of the snow, and occupied our time trying to do anything other than eat all of the food and snacks we have for the next few days. I sewed the seams in my rain gear that were starting to tear, and tried my best to dry any wet gear while the sun showed itself to our campsite. It was sunny all day long, but we only had a couple hours as our campsite is well protected from the elements. In the afternoon I sewed up a pair of homemade gaiters out of the forearm half of my sleeves from one of my long sleeve shirts. We are going to be hiking in snow for at least the next couple days and these are going to be wonderful if they work. Yesterday, my ankles were freezing up with snow packing itself in under my rain pants and turning to ice. The gaiters will prevent this buildup from happening and I'll have a t-shirt for the desert. We are going to try to get over Forester Pass tomorrow and worse case scenario we end up back here tomorrow night. I'm feeling much more optimistic about the hike continuing at this point and it sounds like a nice day was forecasted for tomorrow. 

October 9

I am almost certain my Pacific Crest Trail hike is over. Before I get into why I will describe the events of the day that have led to this end. This morning the three of us, my dad me and Louis woke up to an overcast sky and the appearance of precipitation in the higher elevation. This was expected of course, the forecast called for an accumulation of snow of up to 1-3 inches. Nothing daunted, we went through our pre planned routine and went to have breakfast with the two section hiker ladies my dad had picked up on his way back from dropping off the other sobo thru-hikers. After a huge breakfast Louis and I were driven by my dad to the Kearsarge Pass trailhead at 9,200 ft. There were snowflakes in the air by 8,000 ft., and accumulation at 9,000 ft. Louis and I began the climb to 11,700 ft. with snow still flying. We met two hikers on their way out as we headed in and both seemed glad to be going out, but didn't discourage us from going in. We reached the summit by 2:30 pm and the accumulated snow was about 6 inches and still going strong. We reached our campsite from the other day, and decided familiar ground was a good idea since snow was still falling and the ground had about 8 inches now. We both cleared snow for our respective tents and set up what we both understand could be our homes for the next couple days. I am wishing now that I had a tent rather than my tarp, but spread out my emergency space blanket as a ground cover to offer some insulation from the frozen tundra of the High Sierras. All of my clothes are clean and dry thanks to a day in town so after a little bit of shivering I am now warm and in my sleeping bag ready for the night. It looks like the snow is close to 18 inches accumulation at this point and there are still flakes falling steadily. The forecast did say this weather would taper off by tomorrow midday, but I don't see enough melting to make it possible to continue this hike. At this point, and in these conditions, it has become more about survival and less about hiking through. 

October 8

We hiked from our campsite to the top of Kearsarge Pass in the morning sun with a cool breeze. Once on top, I had reception for the first time in a week and received 13 text messages. Quite a few were from my dad who drove 1,100 miles hoping I would make the rendezvous we set up a week ago. We agreed on Tuesday at noon and I walked into the parking lot at 11:00 am. He did hike up a little way ad met Louis and me with cookies and fresh water. He had been trail angeling for PCT hikers for a day and a half and we met a few sobo hikers for the first time. Independence was a fantastic town stop, and one of the best in a long time thanks to my old man's effort in driving us to Bishop for resupply and driving hikers other than us around. 

We had dinner at a French restaurants with authentic food and atmosphere. We have a roof over our heads and showers for the night. It is really nice to spend a day out after the cold nights. I've heard the weather might turn a little tomorrow, but we will see when that comes. 

October 7

It is cold up in the high country, and again Louis and I woke up to water freezing in our bottles. I've been sleeping with my electronics in my bag to keep them protected and it seems to work. We hiked under some clouds that had a possibly threatening look to them and a steady breeze for most of the morning. We finished off Pinchot Pass in the early hours and dropped into the canyon on the other side to hike next to a river with beautiful fall colors and cascades. I left my hat at a stop and noticed a mile later, and did some quick trail running without my pack to retrieve it. We crossed over a really cool suspension bridge and hiked up to our lunch spot for the afternoon. It was definitely too cold for a swim today, but taking the shoes off and sitting for a minute was welcome. 

The clouds were completely dissipated by 4:00 pm and we made our way to Glen Pass, another 11,946 ft. monster to climb. We reached the summit just at dusk and had sunset views all around. We then night hiked the sketchy descent and were giddy with the accomplishment afterwards. So much so, in fact, that we forgot to get water at the lake at the bottom. This was an issue because we wanted to camp at, or near, the Kearsarge Pass spur trail. We ended up having to hike a mile further to camp near water and have that mile to trek back to take the pass over for our resupply. Again, I am so excited for a night off trail to get a shower, laundry etc. The cold nights have been demoralizing and one night to recuperate is going to make a big difference. 

October 6

It was really nice to have warm weather for a night. It almost felt like we were back at lower elevation. It definitely helped us with getting out of bed in the morning rather than hiding for as long as possible from the cold. We had a big day as is the case in this part of the trail. We dropped a little more than a thousand feet just to gain it all back and go over Mather Pass at 12,096 ft. then come back down and are camped at 10,207 ft.  It is cold already and just at dusk we saw the wispy high altitude clouds move in that are indicative of changing weather conditions. We will be resupplying in a day and a half in town and will be able to check the weather. If good weather is projected we may be able to summit Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the continental United States on Friday. I'm looking forward to having my dad come to help with the resupply at Kearsarge Pass it's such a relief to have that lined up. Without it, we would be relying on finding a ride with a day hiker since the only road leads to a trailhead and not to a specific town so there is no through traffic. 

October 5

This morning was difficult for me to hike. The muscles in my lets were so tired from the big day yesterday that hiking seemed like it wasn't going to happen. I doubled my intake of snacks all day to try to recoup some of the calorie deficit and see if that would help. It seems to have worked to some degree, but we had a full day of almost all uphill to reach the top of Muir Pass at 11,973 ft. I was feeling gross all day too after not having a shower while in town for my last resupply. It was unusually warm today which was really nice because our lakeside lunch included a swim in the frigid mountain water. I laid in the sun for a half hour after my swim and ate as much food as I could spare. All if this combined made a difference for the afternoon hike. I felt stronger and less fatigued and was able to hike strong to the top of the pass. On the way up, we saw four mule deer bucks and one of exceptional size with a spread of antlers well past his ears. They didn't let us get close enough for a real inspection, but it was enough to electrify my redneck side. 

We spent a few minutes checking out the shelter on the top of Muir Pass built by the Sierra Club to offer protection from adverse weather conditions, then headed down to the valley to find a campsite and warmer temperatures. We had to night hike a little, but have a site that is so warm it's hard to believe we are at 9,600 ft. 

October 4

It was freezing cold again last night. Part of that is due to the elevation I chose to sleep at. On the bright side, my protein shake partially froze making it a perfect milkshake for the morning. I think I passed the couple sobo thru-hikers between Louis and myself this morning because their tracks disappeared from sight. I got word around 2:00 pm that Louis was a mile ahead of me, but was so hungry that I had to stop for lunch. It took me 45 minutes to eat my fill and feel ready to hike again. Once I did, I was able to catch Louis around 6:00 and we finished the day together. He had a campsite picked out that would put us up over Muir Pass and hopefully far enough down the other side tomorrow with an easy 23 mile day. We made it to the campsite late and I'm exhausted after a 31 mile day. My day included Silver Pass, Selden Pass and one more unnamed pass that requires recognition as it was a 1,800 ft. pull on its own. It was good to solo hike for a bit, but great to have company again. I'm also well ahead of schedule for my Tuesday noon resupply at Kearsarge Pass which means some easy, low 20 mile days ahead. 

October 3

For whatever reason, hiking today seemed unusually easy. In the morning I managed to lose the trail almost immediately. I had to turn around after hiking north for half a mile wondering why the trail didn't switchback south. I found a trail labeled "Reds Meadow" and since I knew the PCT and JMT went right by there I took it figuring it would get me close. It did just that, and with some simple bush whacking and a short scramble I made my way back to the PCT. I stopped by the Reds Meadow store to find it closed, although I did not get my hopes up beforehand knowing it was a long shot. It was a 0.6 mile detour and worth checking out, plus I got a bottle of water from a couple who drove up there also to find it closed. After that, I had a long and gradual pass to climb over and stopped near the top to enjoy the sun and have lunch. I had already travelled 16 miles by lunch and only planned to do 25 total today. However, I got to my intended riverside campsite tonight at 6:15 and the river was so loud plus it was so cold down in the valley that I decided to do a couple more and get 700 feet of climbing out of the way for tomorrow morning. I have the rest of a huge pass to deal with in the morning, and today I had a slight shin splint pain in my right leg, but I am hoping rest will take care of that. 

October 2

It was cold in the valley again this morning. It's a sink with tall passes all around and a river nearby that makes for a perfect place for the frigid air to just hang around. Once hiking, I met a northbound JMT hiker (John Muir Trail). He gave me the news on hikers ahead of me and said "the European" (referring to Louis) "looked chill, and was cruisin'. This is good news as he hiked out with shin splints and was uncertain as to maybe this being the end of his hike. I still haven't heard from him, but did see his tracks on the trail. The pace he was walking was actually quite slow and I don't know yet if that is because of the relatively low mileage or the pain from shin splints. 

My hike today was fantastic. I went over a huge pass at the end of the valley. I remember looking up at the walls of granite and saying aloud to the forest "there is no fun way out of here." The wind on top was ripping through me as I was down to shorts and one layer on top from climbing all morning. It chilled me quite a bit until I got lower and out of the wind where I had my lunch. I went over a little 500 ft. pass after lunch, and have made it to a trailhead with adequate camping arrangements, a bear box for my extra food and a pit toilet for the morning. 

October 1

I woke up later than usual because I didn't plan on hiking and wanted to give my body a rest. I did have some oatmeal and just enough fuel for that and hot coffee for breakfast. My day always goes better when I have enough fuel for hot coffee. I left Louis at the campground as he was hiking south and I was hitching to town. An hour later I had a ride to Yosemite Valley and great conversation the whole way. As usual, I ate an obnoxious amount of food and most of it was dairy in some form or another. I got my packages and still have cookies left over to take on the trail since Louis wasn't there to help me eat them. 

Almost all of Yosemite Village was closed due to the government shutdown, but the important places like the grocery store and post office were open. I charged my devices as much as possible on an open outlet I found near a pay phone, and watched a ranger give three tv interviews in succession. Just before leaving I bought a pint of Haagen Das (sp?) and then started hitching at about 3:45 pm. It took three separate hitches but I made it back to the same campsite I shared with Louis last night by 7:00 and am ready to eat a little meal and call it a night. 

September 30

I had a beautiful sunrise over my lakeside campsite this morning. It was great to eat breakfast and watch the colors change in the sky over my head. I hiked hard for Tuolumne Meadows, it was 27 miles away and I was hoping to get to the store before it closed in order to get some real food and my packages. I bounced the rest of grandma's cookies down here to have a big snack before going through the high country. The weather remained cool and made for great hiking. Of course, I had my solar panel out which meant it would remain cloudy all day. The sun showed itself a couple times, but would not remain for any length of time. I didn't see a soul on the trail until I was 2 miles from the first campground and only 8 miles from my destination. Three backpackers were headed out and sounded like they were trying to get to Sonora Pass. 

My day was relatively good until reaching the Tuolumne Meadows area. I found the campground, store and outfitters all of which were closed. This means my packages are all in Yosemite Valley, 56 miles away. I immediately started trying to get a ride and the second car stopped, only to inform me that I was hitching the wrong way. I laughed at myself and started trying to find a ride the other way. I made my way to the closed campground to see if I could find Louis who had left a message saying he would be trying to get a ride up to the meadows. I was just going to search for him when I heard him yell behind me. He had just been dropped off and was going to stay at the campground. We talked for a bit, and I realized it was 6:00 pm and still needed to find a ride. So back to the road I went, but have had no luck and am camped at the campground to try again in the morning. Since its closed there is no water and we can't use the restrooms, but it is free!

September 29

This morning I woke up to mean looking clouds gathering north of me. More clouds were moving in the general northern direction, but I could see blue sky to the south. Needless to say, I was a very motivated southbound hiker today. It was a chilly morning with the sun hidden, and I decided to put my solar panel away in my pack so the sun would come out. Which is what I did and exactly what happened. It was a perfect hiking day after that, with sun to warm the clothes and a steady breeze to keep cool. 

The terrain was crazy, however. Instead of the slow, gradual ups and downs there were vertical quad burners all day long. I would drop into a valley or canyon with nothing but granite walls surrounding me, then have to climb back out. It's absolutely beautiful country out here. I managed a 32 mile day despite the terrain and am exhausted. I had to get within 30 of Tuolumne Meadows so I could reach the store before it closes tomorrow, and am currently within 27 meaning I should reach it around 6:30 pm. 

September 28

The climb over Sonora Pass was every bit as difficult as expected and I even had to lug water up the last 1,000 ft. as the ridge top was waterless for the next 10 miles. I did make it 16 miles before 2:00 pm which made for an easy 11 mile afternoon to get to the 1,000 mile mark. On the way, I met a few hunters and heard one shot close by but didn't get to see any of the action. I met a few nice day hikers and chatted about the hike I am doing and about my chances of getting through the high country before it snows this year. For the first time on this trip I had a ranger check my permit, and during the check he cautioned about not making fires, etc. It sounds like I won't run into a complete fire ban and should be able to cook with my stove, although I will check with the Yosemite rangers when I get to Tuolumne Meadows. 

The vibe from most people is pretty negative on me being able to get through to Kennedy Meadows and into the Mojave Desert before it snows up here, and I understand their rationale. They, for one, don't realize the kind of mileage I can do in a day. Second, there is snow still around from last week's storm and precipitation forecasted for tomorrow. Right now, I would estimate my chances at 37% given what I have to go off of. These are not great odds, but I've enjoyed this trail so far and have no intention of coming off unless the weather forces me to. 

September 27

There was no sign of Louis at the Eagle Creek campsite, at least from my vantage point when I woke up this morning. It froze hard again last night but I was wrapped up in my rain gear over my sleeping clothes and wasn't cold at all. On the way to Highway 4 there was some sand that I left a message in writing for Louis to text me. I met some northbound hikers out on a short trip who were asking if I needed food, supplies or equipment and I told them to direct their attention to the hiker behind me with shin splints when they see him. I didn't have the trail completely to myself and met two more people headed north on separate occasions. Overall, it was a cool day but I did have the chance to air out my tent and sleeping bag from the frost and condensation from last night. I met two guys going south from Tahoe to Yosemite and we are camped near each other in separate campsites. 

Tomorrow I have the enormous Sonora Pass to climb over and will be over 11,000 ft. by the time the climbing is done for today. I need an early start as I want to get to mile 1,000 for my campsite tomorrow and am 28 miles away with a huge climb ahead of me. 

September 26

Back on the PCT and another brutally cold night. So cold, in fact, I had trouble sleeping even inside a shelter and out of the wind. I wrapped up in my rain jacket and my core stayed warm but kept waking up with freezing legs. I chose not to put on my rain pants as it would require getting out of my sleeping bag and being exposed to the frosty air. We got going at a reasonable time and hiked about 3 miles to highway 88 where there were trash cans and pit toilets waiting for us. Around 10:00 I noticed Louis limping and asked him about it. He is having trouble with shin splints again, and is thinking about having to take more time off the trail. He had an incredibly frustrated look on his face when I left him, and mentioned that he thought he could still make it to our intended campsite at Eagle Creek, 27 miles from our shelter last night. I walked right by Eagle Creek because it was completely dry and I mistook it for a seasonal dry run. I am stealth camped in a nice sheltered spot about a mile past the Eagle Creek campsite. I am above the site and with a little effort can see it so if he is there in the morning I will wait for him to come up the hill and find out more about his ability to hike further. 

That being said, the freezing cold temperatures are discouraging. I have passes higher than where I am now and the cold is already almost unbearable. It took until 3:00 pm for my water to thaw completely today and snow fell in the night. Snow is falling again tonight, as I type this I can hear it hit my tent. 

September 25

This morning we went to breakfast at the casino across the street after each of us enjoyed one last hot shower. We then crossed back into California to catch the bus around South Lake Tahoe. We did all of the regular town stuff including library, laundry resupply and food before leaving for the trail. We found a hitch back to the trail within 30 minutes, and were glad to be out hiking again. Our experience at South Lake Tahoe has been great, due mostly to the people that helped us out. We has three hitches to get in and out of town by three different people who all went out of their way to give us a ride to where we needed to be. 

We hiked the 11 miles to a small cabin, that is unfortunately locked. Apparently it is seen as more useful as something to look at than something to shelter hikers from the elements. It was frustrating to come out here and find it locked especially with the temperatures we are currently exposed to. It is well below freezing and we have found a way into the barn next to the cabin have a little protection. We both packed Taco Bell burritos in for tonight and Louis even brought a cheeseburger. After a delicious dinner it's time for sleep even if it still is freezing inside.