Month: June 2017

*this post contains foul language, you’ve been warned We spent nearly half a day trying to get back to the trail to return to the PCT. We finally got up to the trailhead in the afternoon, and started the ascent …

The Hostel California in Bishop is a great place to stay. The owner is laid back and friendly and gives you a beer on check in. There are plenty of bathrooms, a large kitchen and living area, and huge back …

We started our day with a pep in our step, knowing we just had to cross over Kearsarge Pass to the east and head back to civilization. We’d been told that the trail to the pass was mostly clear, and …

None of us slept very well last night, worried about being behind schedule, about the creek crossing ahead and getting over the pass, the highest point on the PCT. We’re hiking with another hiker named Frederik, as it is very …

Day 43: Today has been long and tiring. We started the day with a creek crossing. The creek was raging, so we crossed farther upstream, where it was branched off into several smaller crossings. After some climbing we ran into …

Today was a monstrous day. From our campsite at 10,000 feet, we enjoyed a leisurely first few miles of the day as the trail very gradually gained elevation. We climbed over Mulkey Pass and continued climbing over Cottonwood Pass. At …

We did a lot of climbing today. From camp at 8,000 feet, we climbed up over 10,000, back down to 9,000, then back up over 10,000 again. The elevation and the weight of our packs made for slow going today …

Before leaving Kennedy Meadows, we made sure to stop at Grumpy Bear’s for breakfast: bacon, eggs, potatoes, and the biggest pancake I’ve ever had. Packing up with the bear canisters and extra gear was a challenge, but we made it …

Today has been all about getting ready for the Sierra. From Kennedy Meadows the trail ascends to over 10,000 feet fairly quickly, and the landscape will be mostly covered in snow. We are carrying ice axes and microspikes for the …

Our original plan for the day today was to hike 23 miles and camp 3 miles outside of Kennedy Meadows. We slept in a little bit this morning as it was cold and windy, but the hiking was easy and …

We cowboy camped last night (no tent) so packing up was easy this morning. The wind was still blowing hard and it was a bit chilly as we headed up the mountain and into the clouds. We picked up a …

We seem to have left the land of the wind turbines, but not the land of the wind. It blew hard and loud all night last night, and continued through the day today. It has cooled off quite a bit …

We broke camp a little after 5 this morning, carrying 4 liters of water each to get us through the day, optimistic that the water cache in 15 miles would be stocked, prepared to go 30 miles to water if …

We started our morning today 14 miles from water. We were a bit slow out of bed, and didn’t get hiking until about 20 after 6. It was another warm day in the 80s, with less of a breeze than …

We took full advantage of our bed this morning, not leaving town until about 9 am. Today was still warm, but in the mid 80s rather than 90s, much better than the last few days. We had 17 miles to …