Day 57 – I can’t bear it anymore…
Originally published on Mason Hikes the PCT 2017.
Mileage: 22
I woke up in my super awesome camp spot and was very excited to get on the road. I was going into “town” today! Kennedy Meadows North, the promised land 2.0.
Since I was camped at 10,500 feet, obviously my first course of action for the day was to go up even higher. The trail meandered through some beautiful snow-filled bowls and up over some impressive saddle points, and at one point, I even had cell service! I FaceTimed my mother (again), but needed to focus on getting down safely so I could get to my awaiting package.
It was only a few miles of real trail down to the highway and Sonora Pass, but I accidentally made it even shorter by getting overzealous with my boot skiing and essentially going straight down. There was a sketchy section where it was probably a black diamond into rocks, and you could tell that you needed to be a hardcore boot skier to even try it because there were the remains of a snapped trekking pole about halfway down. I skied down to retrieve the trash and went on my merry way, all the way down. This may have bypassed a little bit of trail (😱), but I can’t turn down some good old fashioned boot skiing when I get the chance.
I got down to the highway and saw skiers with REAL skis getting ready to hike up and do what I just did, so I wished them luck and started trying to find a ride. I didn’t have much luck at first because there weren’t many cars, but eventually my hitching hoedown succeeded and Chris, a software developer from the bay area, picked me up! We then proceeded to stop on the way down to take beautiful mountain selfies.
Cool car, Chris!
Upon arriving at Kennedy Meadows North, the first order of business was breakfast, or rather TWO breakfasts. A lovely table of older folks offered to buy me ANOTHER breakfast once they learned I was on trail, but I had already scarfed down so much food I felt like I was going to burst. Maybe next time and thanks for the offer!
I picked up my package ($15), bought some extra food and ice cream ($11), and sent home my bear canister filled with things I don’t need, like crampons, a bathing suit, my buff, my extra gloves, etc ($30 😞). Without that unBEARable (GET IT!!??) canister weighing me down, my pack felt both lighter and more pliable. I think I can get used to this again!
Sitting on the back porch with the other hikers, we shared war stories and thoughts from the trail from this last section while we relaxed, ate, and rehydrated. Everyone was sketched out by the ice climbing down by the river, lots of people went straight up to the ridgeline to experience the majestic views, and everyone was tired of the snow and water.
Everyone was pretty reasonable except one guy who kept talking about himself in the third person and describing his heroic achievements on trail, so once I had enough of hearing him talk about himself and I had finished eating my thousands of calories over four hours, I packed up my things and started the process of getting back to trail. I walked about a mile back to the highway with a guy named Bun, who told me he tried to leave a few days ago, hiked a little, and then hurt his ankle, so he’s trying again.
We set up a tag team hitching strategy where he covered the cars coming out of Kennedy Meadows and I covered the cars on the highway. No one seemed to be going up and over Sonora, so we kept striking out. Our kick finally changed when I managed to flag down some girls who were going back to Tahoe from a backpacking trip. Michelle, Katie, and their dog Tyson were quite accommodating and fit both Bun and I in the back with Tyson for some cuddle time before the afternoon hike. They also had leftover Mountain House meals (aka gourmet feasts), which they gave to me before I left. Thanks guys, all three of you are awesome!
Bun and I started hiking, and we quickly came upon the spot where he had hurt himself. He told me not to go on the snow, but I did it anyway because I’m more comfortable on the snow than the rocks. I soon discovered what he twas alking about though, as the snow chute got incredibly steep and borderline impassable. Instead of turning around, I just went over the top and slipped under the snow sheet, basically tunneling through instead of risking going down the snow. It was pretty awesome, but on the other side, Bun pointed out where he had slipped and fallen down the chute into the rocks. 😬 Glad he’s okay!
Pictured: the reason that Bun’s ankle hurt
Once we had both survived his previous trouble spot, I set off ahead, climbing up to some pretty sweet views.
I kept hiking for a while until I found a nice stopping point at the top of a hill, then I pitched my tent and enjoyed the views. While I didn’t walk particularly far today, I feel so refreshed from being in town and my pack is so much lighter now, so today was a good day. Add to that my newly-acquired Miuntain House meals, and I’m a happy camper. 😊