Month: May 2018

PCT 2018 Day 36, May 28, Monday.

Start town of Independence, hitch 11 miles to Onion Valley Traihead, walk 7.6 mile Kearsarge Trail back to PCT mile 788.9

End mile 798 near creek

Miles walked: 16.7

Groundhog arranged for us to get a ride back to the trailhead, but the earliest we could get was 10AM. I went out to Onion Valley Road and caught a ride up, to start the trail at 8AM. On the hike back up to Kearsarge Pass I met Karlie and Charlie, tent neighbors at Kennedy Meadows Grumpy Bear, and gave them info on Independence. Back to the PCT and then close to the approach to Glen Pass, I had to decide whether to climb tho pass later in the day, or wait until tomorrow. A lot of hikers are trying to climb passes very early in the morning for firm snow and to avoid post-holing on the way down. Looking at the pass, little snow remained on the trail-south side, so I decided to climb. Over the pass, more snow but mostly firm, not breaking through the crust. Following footprints, previous hikers climbed straight down the snow instead of following the switchbacks of the trail. This was tricky to follow, requiring care not to fall. Further down, post-holing happened more frequently, but soon I was past the snow. The trail goes the rest of the day along a series of lakes, with many creek crossings. I try to get close to Pinchot Pass for the next day, but run out of energy and must camp several miles short.

PCT 2018 Day 35, May 27, Sunday.

Start town of Independence

End Independence

Miles walked: ZERO

While taking a rest day, I do the routine preparations like purchasing and preparing hiking meals using the two convenience stores in town ($$), eating lots of town food, and researching the trail ahead. And the Eastern California Museum a couple of blocks away had good exhibits, particularly the Manzanar internment camp of USA citizens of Japanese background.

A Native American basket exhibit was also worth seeing.

And details of the Owens Valley project to bring water all the way to Los Angeles, part of the plot of the movie Chinatown, should be seen.

Outdoor mechanical artifacts, including some used on the water project, are out back.

Later I took a self-guided walking tour of town. Some giant Sequoias grow here. This one is decorated with lights for the holiday season.

A row of sycamores gives shade to the road back to the trailhead,

Rows of trees along the road are so pleasant, don’t you think?

PCT 2018 Day 34, May 26, Saturday.

Start mile 778.7, near campsites, less than one mile from Forester Pass, elevation 12.3k.

End mile 788.5, then take the Bullfrog Lake Trail and Kearsarge Trail 7.6 miles to Onion Valley Trailhead and hitch 11 miles to Independence

Miles walked: 17.4

Several people started up Forester Pass before me in the morning, even though I camped closest. One couple, camped 5 miles away, got up at 3:30AM to get to the pass while the snow was still hard. I was glad to follow some fresh footprints.

Going down Kings Canyon was several miles of snow, and post-holing started relatively early in some spots, even as early as 9AM, though breaking through the snow crust was rare, it did happen. Kings Canyon offered terrific views on descending.

Further down the canyon, past the snow, the need for food resupply required that I exit the PCT, and climb Kearsarge Trail from 10.8k elevation up to Kearsarge Pass at 11.8k.

Then an infinite set of switchbacks brings me down to Onion Valley Trailhead at 9.2k.

The trail was very popular with day-hikers. On the way down I met Groundhog and MouseTrap, and we decided to stay at bunkhouse at Courthouse Motel. I had called on the way down, and they had space for hikers on this busy Memorial Day weekend.

I got a ride down with Skidmark and Chief, with their parents, who had left the trail temporarily to stash food in a bear box at the trailhead, and then would return hiking at Kennedy Meadows. They quizzed me on trail conditions at each pass, all the way down to the town of Independence.

Finished audiobook The Girl On the Boat, by P G Wodehouse