This week was long and wet. The Bob Marshall wilderness is HUGE! Like, Fuccillo-sized. 1.1 million acres!
Day 9: (July 8th)
I stayed at the Summit Campground at Marias Pass, and met Harpo & Groucho, also SOBOs (and PCT 2015 sobos, Wrong-Way gang).
Day 10: (July 9th)
Day 11: (July 10th)
I met a group of SOBOs where I camped last night. There are 5 of them! It must be the SoBo bubble..
Day 12: (July 11th)
Day 13: (July 12th)
Day 14: (July 13th)
We hiked into Benchmark ranch, got our food boxes, and met some very nice folks who invited us to stay at their cabin. There was a campfire, warm food, and some tasty beverages. Montana people are so friendly!
Next week…leaving the Bob Marshall wilderness and visiting Missoula and Helena!
The first week of the CDT was full of changes, adjustments, and meeting people. Glacier NP is full of people. Unfortunately not as many glaciers, bears or other wildlife. Its such an amazing place though, and a must-do for anyone who is a hiker (or just likes the wild outdoors).
My permit was issued for an alternate route, as the “high route” was still snow-covered, and the NPS hadn’t yet cleared a path thru the Ahern drift.
Day 1: (June 30th)
Walking over the border to Canada to catch my shuttleI saw the sign…Waterton Lake from the CDTThe monument that marks the northern terminus of the trail!What does a standard hiker weigh?
Day 2: (July 1st)
I camped at Goat Haunt shelters, a very nice spot. Bathrooms with electricity & running water! Only one other hiker was camped here, Coyote. She was starting the PNT, and we talked about the usual hiker stuff. Plus her singing skills put mine to shame…good thing I’ll have thousands of miles to practice!
Don’t slip! It’s a deep, cold glacial lake
View coming down the west side of Stoney Indian Pass!Lots of alpine flowers. I need a book to know all the names
Day 3: (July 2nd)
View from my campsite on Glenns LakeWho doesn’t love a nice Bergschrund?A flock of bighorn sheep, on my way up Redgap PassSo many switchbacks!
Day 4: (July 3rd)
Cow Parsnip! Its everywhere. And it makes me itchy. And grizzlies love to eat it.A nice lake on my into Many GlacierAn Emu burger! And it was yummyLook who I found on the trail in Many Glacier! Stummy & Masshole!
Day 5: (July 4th)
Cool meadows on the way up Piegan PassMarmots are everywhere! I love marmotsA sign on the Going-to-the-sun road. Very sad and disturbing. Visit the park before climate change claims all the glaciers!!
Day 6: (July 5th)
A nice swimA moose at our campsite!
Day 7: (July 6th)
My cairn poseComing up Triple Divide Pass. It separates the 3 drainages (Atlantic, Pacific, Hudson)
Day 8: (July 7th)
Another moose! At No-Name Lake campsite.
Leaving Glacier NP… 🙁In East Glacier, MT. The mexican restaurant was excellent.
I spent the nightt in East Glacier at a hostel, and showered/laundry. Headed into the Bob Marshall Wilderness next week!
(6/30/16)
After driving to Denver with my friend Katie, I took a day off in Boulder before continuing my drive:
The drive from Boulder to East Glacier MT was very scenic (and not boring like the drive thru Iowa & Nebraska).
After arriving in East Glacier on the 30th, I picked up my camping permit, the rangers were a little jealous of my trip. 🙂 The view from the ranger station:
Then I dropped off the rental car, the clerk seemed surprised I had put 1000mi on it in 24 hours! Then a nice breakfast at Two Medicine Grill, and an entertaining crowd…the young waitress described herself as “a cougar in training”!
The shuttle bus ride was relaxing, lots of scenery!
Now its time to explore Glacier for a week! Weeeee!
-Recon
We ended up driving back up to Bishop today, as Bonus Miles needed to buy some shoes. Her shoes from REI were delivered to the wrong address (again!), so we went to the outdoor store in Bishop. Afterwards, we had second breakfast/early lunch, and it was great! We ordered a whole pie as an appetizer, because….I’m not sure.
It took some effort to eat all the pie AND the meal that was served a few minutes later. I’ve never had so much trouble finishing a plate of french toast, eggs, and bacon.
Errands and meals complete, we drove back down to Lone Pine, picking up a couple other PCT Sobo hikers along the way. Mantis and Nut were hitching to Independence, to get back to the trail at Kearsarge Pass. It was quite a crowded car!
PC: BonusMiles
After dropping them off, I continued south to Lone Pine and the three of us made a quick visit to Alabama Hills. I always love seeing the “happy rock”!
We continued the drive up the hill to Horseshoe Meadows trailhead, arriving at 1pm. I said goodbye to Cheshire Cat and Bonus Miles, and gave them a hug (and that metal spoon! ha!).
Bonus Miles has a PCT blog, you can follow along here.
So, with hiking season in the High Sierra effectively over, I starting making my way north to spend some time in the frontcountry visiting friends. The JMT was a beautiful trail, and I was glad to be introduced to it this summer while hiking the PCT. I’m doubly glad I had the opportunity to hike it in late September, when there were few other people and no bugs. This trail was never on my bucket list, but it seemed like a fun thing to do while I was here in California, and in physical shape to hike it. And I got to make some new friends (Cheshire Cat & Tiger) and get to know Bonus Miles better.
Also, the universe works in mysterious ways! The PCT introduced me to the JMT, which introduced me to Tiger, who loved explaining his High Sierra traverse. Maybe in a few years I will do the 200-mile Sierra High Route? I think my bucket list just got longer….
I decided that life would be easier with a car, and the only place to rent one was Bishop, about 60 miles north of Lone Pine. So, we hitched to Bishop, and I picked up an Enterprise car. Bishop is a bigger town, so we took advantage of the amenities.
We made a trip to the big grocery store, a couple of the outdoor stores, and we went to the movie theater to see “Everest”. I bought down wash and tennis balls to clean my sleeping bag, and a special tent wash too. Back at the hostel, we took turns washing our gear. That poor bathtub will never be the same!
Tuesday October 6, 0mi/0km
It was a nice day of rest, eating, and more eating. I realized I was down to 125lb/57kg, so I kept getting milkshakes and pies. Life is good! I dropped off three other PCT hikers at the Cottonwood Pass trailhead that we departed two days ago. Tiger, Mr. E, and Pluto were fun to talk to, and I enjoyed re-paying the trail favors I had received this year. It was a little snowy at the trailhead, but not too bad.
There was maybe only 4 inches/10cm of snow, and it was melting fast in the strong sunlight.
On the way back downhill, I stopped at a scenic overlook. The plaque says “Walts Point” and it’s a popular hanggliding launch point, since it lies 5000ft/1500m above the valley floor.
It was a relaxing couple of days, but tomorrow I will drop off my friends at the trail, and start making my way home.
Rock Creek Camp (760.6/9537ft) to Cottonwood Pass (750.3/11,132ft) + 3.8mi side trail to trailhead (CA)
It was another cold night, though I think the loss of insulation in my sleeping bag (and my body) is also affecting my perception of the temperature. We packed up quickly, and had a brisk pace all morning. Our packs were light, and we were motivated by the predicted 4-12 inches (10-30cm) of snow that was predicted! The first 4 miles went by quickly, but by 9am we could see the storm coming towards us.
An hour later, we were enveloped in clouds and blowing snow.
We tried to keep a good pace, but got stuck behind some slow pack mules, and the guy didn’t let us pass for a long time. To make matters worse, the animals were destroying the trail surface, and it was like walking through loose beach sand. Yuck. Finally after 2 miles, he let us pass by, and we were flying through the blizzard!
As we approached the trailhead, we started to see a few other hikers, which was a relief. It can be difficult to hitch a ride from this remote trailhead, and especially so in bad weather.
We arrived to the trailhead parking just before 1pm, and there were very few cars there. So, we were very proactive in getting a ride, and directly asked several people for a hitch. A nice Columbian couple, who had just dropped OFF their son to hike into the storm, agreed to take the three of us down into town. Excellent!
Except, their snow-driving skills were non-existent, and I had the most terrifying ride of my life. A winding mountain road, with no railings and a two thousand foot cliff, is no place to learn those skills. Once we skidded off the road, but thankfully into the uphill side and into a small pullout. I repeatedly offered to drive, but that was probably lost in translation. Eventually, we made it down into Lone Pine. It was fun to watch the storm rage from the warmth of a car interior.
We got a room at the hostel in Lone Pine, took nice warm showers, and got dinner. After looking at the weather, Bonus Miles and Cheshire Cat decided they wanted to have a double-zero (two rest days) to wait for the snow to melt. I was done with my JMT hike, but I decided to stick around for a couple days and spend time with my friends.
Tyndall Creek campsite (774.9/10974ft) to Rock Creek Camp (760.6/9537ft) + 16.3mi side trail to Mt. Whitney (CA)
It was so cold last night! My little zipper thermometer showed 25F/-4C this morning at camp. I was feeling a little sore and tired after two consecutive days of hiking two passes per day. But, onward to Mt. Whitney! We left camp just after 7am, and the sunlight was already intense.
PC: CheshireCat
We kept a steady pace all morning, and pretty quickly we arrived to the junction with the side trail to Mt. Whitney. It isn’t on the PCT, but most PCT hikers will take the 16-mile detour to climb the highest peak in the continental US (14,505ft/4421m). It’s also the southern terminus of the JMT. The side trail to Mt. Whitney is out-and-back, so we setup our tents at this junction, as we planned on camping here tonight. The rest of our stuff we stored in a bear box, and then headed up the trail. We passed a ranger along the way, and he checked our permits – this is the first time that’s happened to me. He also mentioned a possible winter storm arriving tomorrow afternoon, or perhaps the next day. After a few miles, we were up above the valley, and had an amazing view of the Hitchcock Lakes far below.
Looking west, Mt. Hitchcock is behind the lakes.
The last 2 miles of the trail to the summit is carved into the side of the mountain.
The trail traveled along the west side of the ridge, and every one in awhile, there would be a view to the east, down into the Owens Valley and beyond to Death Valley.
We made it to the summit pretty quickly at 3pm, and spent awhile on top talking to other hikers. Considering the elevation, it was really warm, about 60F/16C.
The summit has a stone shelter, which is good protection from the wind and intense sun. But it would be a terrible place in a lightning storm!
There were probably 20 other hikers on the summit on this beautiful day.
The summit shelter building also had a hiker register, I could see that most people up here are California locals, and dayhikers that had summited from the east side.
We departed the summit at 3:30pm, and returned the way we came. Bonus Miles and I were both able to get a phone signal, and confirmed that the snowstorm was arriving tomorrow morning. We arrived back to our planned campsite at 6:30pm and made dinner while we discussed our options. We had 16 more miles on the PCT to get to our exit point from the mountains, and the snow was expected to start at 11am or noon tomorrow. We decided to hike further tonight, to hopefully be done hiking by noon tomorrow. So, we packed up camp, drank some caffeinated beverages, switched on our headlamps, and headed out into the night. Everyone was really energetic, I think from both the caffeine and the accomplishments of the last two days. We hiked another 6 miles, stopping after 10pm at an established campsite. With a bear box, of course. Tomorrow we will have “only” 10 miles/4 hours of hiking to do, so hopefully we are out before the storm!
Woods Creek Swingbridge (799.9/8547ft) to Tyndall Creek campsite (774.9/10974ft) (CA)
The big day! Today is another two-pass day, as we will hike over both Glen Pass (11,950ft) and Forester Pass (13,200ft), which is also the highest point on the PCT. Cheshire Cat and I left camp at 6:45am, just before sunrise. The tops of the mountains were alpenglow pink!
Bonus Miles had left camp probably an hour before we did, but we could still see her handprints on the frosty fridge. Bridge pushups leave behind evidence, haha!
The Rae Lakes are always a spectacular scene.
Looking down on one of the Rae Lakes, with Glen Pass in the right background.
The camera didn’t quite capture the intensity of the blue color in this small tarn.
I caught Bonus Miles just before the top of Glen Pass, and we hiked it to the top and waited for our third. Cheshire Cat showed up and we had a small feast of junk food, as several JMT hikers watched us devour thousands of calories in less than 10 minutes. They were fun to talk to, but we had many miles to go!
PC: Cheshire Cat
The 11 miles from Glen Pass to Forester Pass are fairly easy, and we walked and talked together in the warm day. The little thermometer on my backpack said it was 70F/21C. The trail followed Bubbs Creek upstream, and by early afternoon a swim sounded like a wonderful idea. The water was extremely “refreshing” though, so it only lasted a couple of minutes.
Bonus Miles didn’t stop to swim, so we made it a game to try and catch her before the top of Forester Pass. We came close, just one switchback ahead!
The top of Forester Pass (13,200ft), and the highest point on the PCT!
I was shocked to see no snow on the other side of Forester Pass. When I came through here in June, this entire hillside was white!
Someone did a ton of work blasting this trail into the side of the mountain. It was easy walking, but we were still careful to avoid the edge.
From the pass it was only 5 downhill miles to camp, and we had a relaxed hike into the Tyndall Creek valley. There were plenty of rock fields along the way, so I kept on the lookout for marmots, and I actually saw one!
It’s hard to see, but the marmot is in the exact center of this photo.
We hiked until sunset, which is about 6:30pm nowadays. We setup camp at an established spot with a bear box, after a 25 mile day! We’ve managed to camp at bear box campsites the last three nights, I think with some better planning it would be possible to hit one every day, eliminating the need for a bear canister. Tomorrow, Mt. Whitney!
Campsite next to Palisade Creek (823.1/9029ft) to Woods Creek Swingbridge (799.9/8547ft) (CA)
The first day of October! I left camp with Cheshire Cat shortly after 7am, and Bonus Miles was long gone. We had planned a big day today, covering over 23 miles and climbing over two 12,000ft passes! So she was smart to get an early start. We hiked by the Palisade Lakes, which are were strangely calm on this windless morning.
Near the second Palisade Lake, I suddenly caught Bonus Miles, who was helping Tiger look for his lost Garmin device. We all helped him search the trail for where he might have dropped it. Eventually, he found it inside it’s stuff sack near some rocks, whew!
Shortly after, we crested Mather Pass, 12,093ft. What a view!
PC: CheshireCat
We descended the south side of the pass, and about 30 minutes later, the sky turned very dark and cloudy. Uhoh.
It snowed on us! Just a litte bit, but enough for Bonus Miles to use her umbrella. I’m totally buying one of those for my next hike. The wintry weather lasted only 30 minutes, and then became warm-ish and sunny, and we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to stop and eat lunch. Or gummy bears, defining meals is tricky.
After a nice relaxed lunch, we packed up our now-dried gear, and started up towards Pinchot Pass. The weather was acting very undecided, so we moved pretty quickly.
At least it was warm again, perhaps even short sleeve weather…
Just before the top of Pinchot Pass, the clouds decided to snow again. This time, the snow was sticking to the ground a bit. This photo doesn’t come close to capturing the joy at getting to the top of the pass. Or perhaps, it was celebrating the most summit pushups we’ve done so far.
Amazingly, a section hiker came by, hiking north. We hadn’t seen anyone else going north in days! He took our group photo, and then each group ran down their respective side of the pass, as the snow was coming back.
A panoramic photo is more fun with people! It also really captures the low-hanging clouds moving our way.
It started snowing harder, and we were literally alternating between a fast walk and a run down the switchbacks.
PC: CheshireCat
The trail stayed high for awhile, but after an hour, we had descended far enough to be free of the clouds. And then the blue sky came back, this weather was so strange!
We hiked until 6pm, and camped at an established campsite with a bear box, near a suspension bridge over Woods Creek. We didn’t see any other hikers, so I got to bed earlier tonight, and rested up for another two-pass day tomorrow!
Campsite next to Evolution Creek (847.5/9724ft) to Campsite next to Palisade Creek (823.1/9029ft) (CA)
Today was the last day of September, and it’s definitely getting colder at night, and sleeping bag isn’t as warm after almost 3000 miles of use. We eventually left our camp by 8am, and I quickly got warm on the uphill hike.
I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for marmots, since there were so many here in June. I didn’t see any marmots today, but plenty of deer ambling around on the rocks!
We passed by so many lakes in the morning – Evolution Lake, Sapphire Lake, Wanda Lake, and tiny Lake McDermand. This was surprising to me, since I didn’t remember seeing that many when I passed thru here in June. After looking back at my journal, I realized I had hiked thru here in a dense fog, and cold rainy weather, so I was only paying attention to the trail under my feet.
Muir hut was a beautiful old stone building, atop 11,900ft Muir Pass. We took an early lunch inside to escape the incessant winds that sweep thru this area.
The interior had a cool circular ceiling, the stonework was impressive.
PC: CheshireCat
We ate lunch in the cold, damp (but windless!) building, and I finished my 2nd block of cheese. Tomorrow I’ll start on my last block. We hiked downhill for a couple of hours, and the sun came out and it was much warmer. I even zipped my pants into shorts!
Of course, we had to get photos of the classic “rock monster”. It’s a large boulder with strategically placed small stones to resemble eyes and teeth.
For some reason, I neglected to take any more photos all afternoon. We followed the valley along the Middle Fork Kings River, and it was quite beautiful with many small waterfalls sliding down over polished granite. The last part of the day we slowly climbed up the Palisade Creek valley, it was quite an easy climb of only 1000ft in 4 miles. We setup camp before sunset, which I thought was pretty impressive given our 24+ mile day.
As we were making dinner in the fading sunlight, Bonus Miles saw a headlamp on the mountain ridge to the east. I didn’t see it at first, but as it came closer, we all could see the headlamp coming toward us down the hill. It wasn’t a bear, but a Tiger! A SOBO hiker named Tiger, who is “thru-climbing” the PCT, hitting many high peaks along the trail in Washington, Oregon, and here in the Sierras. We fed him dinner, and then he kept hiking into the night, since he needs to get to the post office in town tomorrow. With the late night in camp tonight, and tomorrow’s planned mileage/elevation, I’m guessing I will be very tired tomorrow night!
