PCT 2022 # 3 Southern California/ Sierra Nevadas

On this particular day the trail is level for several miles and meanders through the desert brush.

7:30 The wind has picked up a lot and we are ascending to a pass of around 6400′. Sunny except for this striking cloud!

1:00 we arrive at a trailhead where there is a water cache of bottled water that a generous local keeps stocked. THANK YOU!  We make up our dinner soup and have a protein shake as we dry out our socks and rest for 2 hours. There are hikers huddled under available shade trees all waiting out the heat of the day. This is the first time we take such a rest for the following reasons: midday heat, big climb, no water source for 20 miles. So we cook now to avoid carrying the water and plan on cold snacks for dinner and breakfast.    

3:00 we begin to climb up 1700′ from Bird Spring Pass to about 7000′. This involves a dry mountain path with continuous switchbacks swaying us back and forth in the hot day sun. No shade. Mule like we sweat and climb.

6:30 – 7:00 pm cozied up in our tent and lying down. Reading a few, very few, pages on our ebooks, asleep by 7:30-8:30. Another fine day! We are so fortunate!!

Kennedy Meadows General Store is situated in the town of KM population of 200. The town is off the grid and must make it’s own electricity but does get postal and internet service so most hikers send resupply packages here and stay a few days. Camping is free and since all hikers are hungry and thirsty the store makes its money from the cold beer, juice and canteen meals it offers. They have a beautiful tradition of clapping enthusiastic congratulations to all hikers as they first come onto the grounds. Everyone who is on the porch and patio all join into the group clap. So fun! The energy and sense of community again reminds us of tree planting camps. This has a downside and can become a trap for the more social and beer minded hikers who find it hard to leave!

We, on the other hand, like hiking because it removes us from people so we can settle and chill in nature. We have had to come up with strategies to cope with the never ending line of hikers on this so popular trail. We play 2 games. One is called ” Spot The Hiker”. This involves Jobie and his binoculars. Since there are so few mammals to spy on, we look to see if we recognize hikers on the trail (almost creepy but really just entertaining). The other game is called ” Hideaway” which is a concerted effort to camp away from where most hikers will camp. We like to wake up to bird chirps instead of zippers at 4 in the morning. Most hikers are solo hikers and there is a tendency to look for companionship so when they see a tent set up they are magnets to it. Our strategy is to stay away and find a campsite off the trail. This has led to some gorgeous, peaceful campsites. We have become committed to this game for our own sanity despite the effort it takes.

Giant sequoias can only grow along a narrow, 260-mile strip on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. Their bark can be up to 3′ thick which protects them from fire damage. They are known for their massive widths and are considered giants due to the sheer volume of wood. I LOVE these trees! Their bark is a rust coloured fur and I am compelled to pet them as I pass by! Although weathered and misshapen, I sense their friendliness and feel them calling out to me the odd times we see one.

As John Muir (instrumental person in the formation of Yosemite and several other National Parks in 1890. He co-founded the Sierra Club with the goal of furthering preservation) writes, ” The inviting openness of the Sierra woods is one of their most distinguishing characteristics. The trees of all the species stand more or less apart enabling one to find a way nearly everywhere…a smooth parklike surface.”

What I saw in this southern area of the Sierras was strange and very like what John Muir described but I would add that it was a photographer ‘s canvas. Dead standing and fallen trees are as beautiful as the live ones. The sandy ground void of groundcover creates a park like setting. Only 3 elements in this landscape; trees (live and dead), sand, random rock.

We are now in some of the highest elevation we have ever hiked outside of Tibet. Although we are in better shape than when we climbed Mt Baden Powell (9,000′) a few weeks ago, at 12,000′ you can feel the effects of altitude acutely. You just don’t have enough oxygen. So you have to stop frequently and breathe and breathe until your body adjusts before you proceed. Our hiking speed slows down by half and finding a steady cadence of poles, steps, and breath is essential to prevent stress. Yes, we are in our sixties and I am forced to accept the reality of aging!

The trail to Forester Pass is steep, full of switchbacks and must have involved alot of blasting in its creation. A monumental piece of trail work!

But I get emotional just thinking about this part of that day…A fellow hiker, a young woman in her twenties collapsed and died on the trail a few hours before. Helicopter rescue was in process as we mounted the top of the pass. We were waved on by the paramedic to step around the body bag and continue to the top where her fellow trail family ( hikers that hike together like a family) were seated in somber silence. We joined them to witness the chopper successfully collect and move the body. We do not know if she had an undiagnosed condition or suffered from altitude. We do know that her trail family performed CPR on her for 2 hours. We had met up with this group several times previously on the trail. A tight bunch made up of Europeans and Americans. She was not alone.

We descend into the town of Lone Pine with heavy hearts from the loss of a hiker’s life. We need to collect ourselves, answer some WHY questions and return to the trail after a few ZERO days.