September 9, 2016

Wolf Creek (mile 1039.3) to bushcamp (mile 1066.8)

Miles: 27.5 (Andy walked 28.5)

Our total miles: 2425.4

When we woke up the cows were still asleep. We packed up in silence under the light of the LuminAID that Joanna graciously gave us. 

We are using our headlamps more now than ever before on this hike. It gets dark around 7:50 pm and light around 6:30 am. On a regular day this means we are packing, cooking and eating in the dark. 

We want to save our extra batteries for the SPOT so although a few extra onces, the luminAID is quite handy. Plus, it provides a nice ambience for dinner rather than blinding one another with our headlights.

The resupply boxes for this section were the first ones we put together (in March). Apparently we forgot to include colloidal silver. Talk about missing something when it’s gone! Using our filters with our SmartWater bottles is cumbersome so we just boil water for 5 minutes.

We were up and moving by 6:30am. We climbed up toward Asa Lake in the cool morning air. Climbing hills in the early morning is our favorite. Our bodies feel fresh and we sweat less.

We stopped for water at the Asa Lake outlet and saw our first mosquito after returning to the trail. The clear blue skies, lack of mosquitoes and easy stream crossings have reinforced that our “jump” was a good thing. 

Although we did not experience a “pure” northbound thru hike, we were fortunate to experience cooler temps and wildflowers in Northern California and amazing weather in Washington.

Maybe someday we will return and do a southbound PCT hike or another northbound hike. Only time will tell. Andy doesn’t worry about these things though. Everyone has their ideas of what they want their hike to be, and for Andy, enjoying it and hiking together is more important than anything else. 

We crested a saddle and dropped down toward Noble Lake. We admired the beauty of the yellow meadows and lake. 

We appreciate that we have had the opportunity to walk through the seasons. We witnessed the spring blooms in the dessert and now the yellowing and death of plants in the fall. 

We continued to descend, past strange volcanic rock formations and weathered yet beautiful trees. 

We look forward to learning more about the geology of this region in the future. It has intrigued us both. 

Eventually we popped out on Highway 4, very close to Ebbets Pass. Together we have been here before, but both times on bicycles. 

We walked 5 minutes up the road and took a picture at the sign to replicate the one we have holding up our road bikes.

It was fun to be in a familiar area but walking on unfamiliar trails. Andy has purposefully avoided hiking any part of the PCT to allow for this thru hike to be 90% new (except for his JMT hike in 2012 and a hike up Mt. Baden Powell when he lived in L.A.). 

Laurie, however, has hiked a lot in the Desolation Wilderness but never here. She has biked many of these roads but never hiked these trails.

Boy were we in for a surprise!

We hiked about a mile before we ran into a group of 5 older women. They were from Arnold, a nearby town, and they mentioned they come here often to hike. 

They were all very curious about our hike and our experience. One woman mentioned she wished she had done something like this in her youth.

It was a nice reminder to appreciate this opportunity and treasure what time is left. With less than 2 weeks left on the trail we have found our minds frequently wandering to thoughts about jobs, apartments, family and other obligations. 

We have to consciously bring ourselves back to the present moment.

Conversations like the one we had with these women help ground us in the now. We walked away truly present, attempting to soak in every sight, smell and sensation.

Perhaps this is good practice for two weeks from now, when we return to city life!

We continued on through open grassy meadows, past volcanic rock spires, past glistening blue lakes and small cool creeks – all so pretty.

We stopped for a late lunch by a creek. Laurie washed her legs and feet while Andy gathered water. Together we demolished a log of salami and half a bag of crackers.

Again, the food we were eating was from some of our initial boxes. At the time we packed them we were more focused on calories than weight. The bags of trail mix and salami are calorically dense but heavy.

We ate it all, deciding it was better to carry salami in our bellies than on Andy’s back. 

Around 6:15 we got to a dry creek bed. We had mixed up our water sources, thinking the reliable outlet to Tamarack Lake was after the seasonal stream. Turns out the puddles of water we had seen half a mile prior was the outlet. 

Rats!

It was getting late but we didn’t have enough water to cook dinner. After a moment of frustration we took off our packs and Andy ran back the half mile to gather water from the puddles.

In the meantime Laurie sat near the trail and worked on the blog. The sun was getting closer to the horizon and the wind whistled through the trees and plants. 

It was quiet and peaceful but Laurie couldn’t help but wonder what animals were around. We had heard stories about cougars stalking hikers and here she was sitting as prey.

After 20 minutes Laurie heard a familiar whistle. This is how we communicate when apart – by whistling (although neither of us are good whistlers and often make noise by sucking in rather than blowing out). She was relieved, ready to get to camp and make home.

With an hour until dark we hurriedly hiked uphill. The air was warm and the trail traveled in and out of trees. We lingered on granite slabs and watched as the sky turned colors.

We got to camp around 7:30 and cooked dinner. Andy laid his hiking shirt on branches to dry it as it was drenched in sweat. We enjoyed looking at the stars while eating.

Laurie was asleep before 9pm while Andy stayed up working on the blog and pictures. The temperature was dropping and he didn’t want to get out of the tent, but alas, he got up, brushed his teeth and hung the Ursacks in a tree. 

He drifted off to sleep to the hoo-ing of owls. 

Tonight we are grateful for sub alpine hiking and warm nights.

September 8, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 1018.2) to Wolf Creek (mile 1039.2)

Miles: 21

Our total miles: 2397.9

We enjoyed a leisurely morning. We didn’t set an alarm and let our bodies wake up naturally. It was a surprisingly warm night and all 4 of us were cozy, if not hot at times. 

After enjoying hot chocolate and tea, we packed up and hit the trail. 

Joanna and Daniel hiked about 2 miles with us to a high point. It was a beautiful, cloudless morning. The brown rocks contrasted with the yellow dying plants and few remaining wildflowers. 

The trail did what it does best – wind around. This winding offered beautiful sweeping views of the valley to the west of Sonora Pass.

Daniel was curious about our packs and took a turn carrying each of them for at least 15 minutes. We noted how we felt significantly lighter but naked without our packs, they have become part of us. 

Around 10 am we parted ways. We really enjoyed our 24 hours together and it felt extra special to spend a night on the trail together. 

We traversed and then dropped down in a valley. A granite mountain stood tall on our right. The rest of the day the trail felt like a roller coaster. We climbed steeply and then descended, only to do it again. And it was hot and dusty too. 

It was pretty but neither of us felt particularly excited. We slogged on, hoping to make it to Wolf Creek by nightfall.

We passed some beautiful creeks with clear cool water, stopping to splash water on our faces at each of them. But soon after, another layer of dust and sweat covered our skin.

We turned a corner after passing a small creek, ascended a near vertical 30 foot wall and literally almost walked into So Far and So Good. 

They are a couple from Oakland whom we first met walking southbound near Chester. They had flipped up north and were walking south to Truckee. 

From there they hiked north and we crossed paths at least 4 more times. We hugged, exchanged info and recommendations of what was to come and made plans to reconnect once settled back in the Bay Area.

We continued to hike some short but steep up and downs. It was hot and dry and we did not feel very motivated. But, we kept walking.
The mountains glowed as the sun began to sink toward the horizon. The hills around us were golden brown, exaggerated by the setting sun.

Around 7:00 we got to Wolf Creek. We hadn’t decided on where to camp but decided that this was far enough. We were tired.

We set up our tent and went to clean off our filthy feet and legs in the puddles of water that comprised the creek. All the while listening to the clang of cow bells nearby. Surprisingly we didn’t see a cow all day.

Laurie was convinced the creek smelled like cow poop but water was water. We were happy we had collected cooking water at an earlier stream. Plus, in the desert we would have been thrilled to have come across even this little water. It’s all relative.

We ate dinner while scheming how far we would need to hike to arrive at Highway 50 two days later.

With a loose plan and a long day ahead we fell asleep to the jingle of bells.

Tonight we are grateful for lazy mornings on the trail and seeing old mountains with new eyes.

September 7, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 1006.9) to bushcamp (mile 1018.2)

Miles: 11.3

Our total mile: 2376.9

We both slept well and were walking by 7 am. The brown hills surrounding us were golden. We walked past a family of deer as we made our way up to the ridge above. 

We could see the trail zig zagging up the mountainside. There was an option to veer off of the old jeep road and walk more directly but steeply up to the ridge, but we chose the longer but more mellow route. 

On the last switchback we ventured off the road and joined the hiker trail. The rocks were loose and the sand deep. It was much harder walking and we were glad we had chosen the route we had.

Once on the ridge we wound our way up and down more ridges, all providing incredible panoramic views of the beautiful landscape surrounding us. 

We kept expecting to turn the corner and see Highway 108 but that was not the case. We climbed up to the top of a ridge and dropped into a bowl and then climbed up again.

The terrain was arid. We walked amongst dark brown rocks below towering dark brown mountains. There were a few bushes and flowers but all in all the hills felt desolate.

Finally we turned a corner and saw Highway 108 below. Here again we circled our way down. It felt like we were circling a drain – traversing across the hillside each time before dropping down 30 feet in elevation. No option to glissade this time of year.

We got to Sonora Pass just before noon, crossed the highway and walked 0.1 mile to the trailhead parking area looking for Joanna (Laurie’s godmother) and Daniel (Laurie’s cousin).

They arrived 15 minutes later.

We sat in the shade on a picnic table and enjoyed a delicious lunch that Joanna had prepared – chicken apple sausage, nectarines, bok choy, roasted potatoes and sandwiches. It felt like heaven, sitting in the shade surrounded by food and family.

We talked, sorted through our resupply boxes and drove partway down Highway 108 to charge our phones and get service so Daniel could send off a work email.

Around 4 pm we all put on our packs and walked 1.1 miles up the trail to a tentsite. Daniel and Andy led the way with Joanna and Laurie bringing up the rear. Lacey, Joanna’s dog, ran back and forth between us, trying to keep track of everyone.

We set up our tent and the 2 person tent that Joanna, Daniel and Lacey were going to share. Lacey is a 10 year old border collie who has never been backpacking. It was very cute watching her sniff everything and just sit and stare at the trees for long periods of time.

The 4 of us ate a Thai dinner sitting in the 2 person tent. It was cozy but doable – 4 adults and 1 dog in the REI Quarter Dome 2 person tent. Go REI for making awesome tents! And thank you Joanna for bringing us Thai food yet again!

We watched as the sun set and the sky darkened. Eventually it was dark enough to see the Milky Way, Saturn, Mars and many many stars. We all took turns on Daniel’s stargazing app to correctly identify constellations.

It felt very special to share this moment together. Living in a city it is rare to see this many stars. They were truly remarkable.

Around 8:45 we all started yawning and went to our respective tents. We had put on the flies anticipating a cold night but it never seemed to drop below 40 degrees.

Tonight we are grateful for clear night skies and family backpacking excursions.