Trail Day 70: Highway 108 (mile 1016.9) to tentsite by Carson River (mile 1024.6)

7.7 PCT miles

I had a really hard time getting going this morning. I was nervous about getting back on trail for some reason and was having anxiety dreams where I woke up hot and sweating.  Because I wasn't getting a lot of sleep, I decided to get up a little later than I wanted to.

When I finally did get up, I still had to eat breakfast, finish a few blog posts,  and get my bag organized. By the time this was done, it was almost midday and we really needed to head to the trail as it was a couple hours  away from Modesto.

On the way to the trail we made a stop at Bass Pro Shops to see if they had microspikes.  We had got some at REI yesterday,  but they were too small to fit over the big boots I am wearing in this section and REI was too far out of the way to exchange them. It turns out Bass Pro Shops sells them online, but they were not in store.

Microspikes would be nice to have, but are not critical. I have walked quite a few snowfields and traverses without extra traction on my feet, but they would have been nice to have in case I felt like I needed them, especially since I have shed the ice axe. Traditionally, hikers get rid of their bear can, ice axe and microspikes at Sonora Pass. Since this is a high snow year, some people are holding onto their microspikes.  I had brought crampons with me, but they were overkill, so I left those with my Trail Angel.

We headed to Sonora Pass, stopping at Kennedy Meadows Resort for some last snacks. When we hit the trailhead we faked out some other hikers who thought we had pulled over to give them a ride to Bridgeport. The poor guys had already been waiting for an hour. You could tell the were ready to get off the trail and were pretty traumatized by that last snow chute glissade.

I said goodbye to my Trail Angel and started hiking. It felt weird not being in a group. The group I had been travelling was taking an extra zero day in Sonora, and I needed to be back on trail today. Partly, this was because I have taken a lot more time off than I expected and I am way behind schedule,  and partly this was because my Trail Angel  (and my ride) needed to catch a flight.

The first part of the trail was steep, but beautiful. The skies were blue with puffy white clouds, and I was surrounded by green hills with white snow patches.

Back on the trail.

Wildflowers and snow patches. 

The snow patches covered parts of the trail too, which waa more annoying thn beautiful. People had stepped a nice trail-ledge into them, but this must have started before the trail was exposed because the snow path was offset from the trail at almost every snow patch. This meant you had to take the effort to kick in your own steps through the snow, or scramble down the loose rocks to take the path, then scramble back up to the trail. I chose the rocks/snow path for most of them and it took a long time to get through those areas.

Snow crossing offset from the trail.

Finally, I made it to the top of the climb and started going down the other side, the north side. North facing slopes tend to have more snow since they get less sunlight. The snow patches started to get larger until it became an actual snow field and traverse. Welcome back to the trail, Snapper.

This is where I really missed the group, especially the guys. There were footprints already in the snow, but the guys would make sure they were really well stomped out for the rest of us. Now I was on my own, and it was admittedly a little scary. I knew if I stayed calm and took it slow it would be all right.

Ugh, I thought I was done with these. 

The sun was getting to be at an angle, since it was late in the day, but I figured once I finished the traverse and got to the switchbacks, the snow would dissappear as I went down in elevation. This was not the case.  I got to the part that goes down into the valley and it was completely covered in snow. The footprints showed that everybody passing by lately had just gone straight down in the snow, so I did as well.

Looking back at the descent.

At the bottom of the switchback section was a stream. The stream area and the right side if the valley were green and snow free.  The left side was still bound with snow. The PCT went left at the bottom of the switchbacks, because of course it did. I saw mud footprints  following the river which is the route I took as well, hoping to join up with the trail when it emerged from the snow.

The valley.  The trail goes to the left side.

I had to follow the muddy river bank for quite a while before the trail emerged. I was really excited to not have to bushwhack anymore. Unfortunately, the trail regularly crossed streams that were too wide to hop over, making you wade through them getting your shoes, socks, and pants soaked. Looks like I will be pulling on cold, wet boots again tomorrow.  Welcome back to the trail, Snapper.

Dry trail!

I walked until the light started getting dim and found a campsite by the Carson River. I made myself dinner all my anxieties and fears about the trail went away and the world felt right again.