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.