I'm currently in Sierra City, spending 4th of July here! It's been a couple really nice days with lovely elevation, but there's a heatwave coming that's gonna suck quite a bit. I'm glad to spend today in the shade with lots of ice water! Day 79: miles 943.7-952.3 We got up around 7 this morning and headed over to Yosemite Village, where we resupplied in the massive grocery store there that was better stocked than most other small towns we've been in. Then we had lunch, then worked on getting a hitch back to the trail. It was quite a bit harder going this direction, since most cars were tourists and totally packed. After almost two hours though we managed to get a hitch from a local who was a hiking and bird watching guide for the park. She dropped us off right at the trailhead and we headed off around 5. This is one of two short sections that I've actually been on before - my dad and I did a trip from White Wolf to Glen Aulin a couple years ago, and the last four miles or so were on the PCT! It was tons of fun to see it again and get some great views of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. We hiked about eight miles and got to camp around 8:30, setting up camp and having a quick dinner before heading to bed. Day 80: miles 952.3-969.7 Today started with some incredibly lovely miles through flat meadows and a bit of boggy marsh areas. A lot of these meadows are very fragile ecosystems, with lodgepole pines slowly encroaching on all sides as they get drier over the years. We had a solid uphill in the morning to get to Miller Lake, where we saw some concerning smoke on the horizon (later determined to be from the Aero Fire in Calaveras County), then a nice downhill before lunch. I was ahead and took a little too long to stop for lunch, so Shade and Cheers stopped a couple miles beforehand and then caught up after and we all continued on. After lunch we went up to Benson Pass, which was quite a grind to get up. Then a nice downhill and a couple ups and downs before we stopped to camp at Smedburg Lake. We were the first there but the campsite slowly filled up with other hikers. Despite the people around, a curious deer walked right through the tensite! We relaxed and had dinner outside as the mosquitoes weren't too bad, then headed to bed. Day 81: miles 969.7-988.6 Started the day with a couple ups and a major downhill, enjoying the views across the canyon. Then we crossed Piute Creek which was in a boggy marshland absolutely filled to the brim with mosquitoes. I took a footpath that led to several logs to cross the many tributaries of the river, and was doing ok until the last branch of the river, where there were no more logs and I got wet up to my thighs. Then I had to backtrack to the trail, bushwhacking through blowdowns and getting bit by hundreds of mosquitoes :(( plus I slipped in some mud and got my butt all dirty :(( The only upside was I walked right through a big patch of green onions, so I grabbed some for dinner at least. Genuinely probably one of the worst river crossings - no actual danger but the mosquitoes and mud made up for it. We passed a ranger on our way out of the bog, who checked our permits and sent us on. Then we had a big climb up to Seavey Pass which was slow but graded very nicely. Then some nice ups and downs, going past lots of lakes and muddy areas. The mosquitoes were the worst I'd seen yet - there were sections where I had to cover my mouth to keep from breathing them in, and I had a big stain on each shoulder from where I'd smacked them as they landed on me. I got to camp first and set up maybe the fastest yet - I had my rain gear and headnet on, but the buzzing was incessant. Shade and Cheers came through and we said an early goodnight as we retired to our tents to relax, make dinner, and head to bed. As I drifted off, I saw probably at least a hundred mosquitoes waiting patiently on the mesh of my tent. Day 82: miles 988.6-1007.1 A lot fewer mosquitoes this morning, luckily! We headed out nice and early and enjoyed some nice flat meadows and a very gradual ascent up to Dorothy Lakes Pass. Lots of muddy trail though - I've accepted that these shoes are never going to be clean again haha. Around lunchtime we passed the 1000 mile marker which feels very surreal. It's been almost 3 months, and we've celebrated every 100 marker, but it really doesn't actually feel like I've walked 1000 miles. We had lunch right at the stone marker before continuing on. The views were really gorgeous, and we started on the uphill to Sonora Pass before finding our campsite for the night. The mosquitoes weren't quite as bad but we still ate in our tents. There was a brief thunderstorm in the evening, but we only got a couple minutes of actual rain, and it cooled things off nicely. Day 83: miles 1007.1-1018.1 Sonora Pass today! It's the last real pass of the Sierra and we were very excited to get over it. The climb was brutal, with the trail bypassing some of the snow-covered switchbacks, and there were a couple sections where I was very happy to have my microspikes. The rock has quickly shifted from granite to a more rusty, volcanic rock, and the scree makes parts of the trail feel just as hazardous as the snow. There were lots of ups and downs, and about five false summits, but the views were really gorgeous. We finally got to the peak and I celebrated with my last snickers. Then we started down, which had an equal number of sketchy snow sections. I decided to glissade down for some of them, and was pleased to use my ice axe for possibly the last time. As we were going down, we were passed by a couple on skis and snowboard - not something you see everyday! We chatted at the bottom, they come out here hiking a couple times a week, and said if you knew where to go, you could find decent snow all the way until August! We continued on and reach the Hwy 108 around 12:30, immediately getting a hitch before we even held out our thumbs! He dropped us off right at Kennedy Meadows North, where we got a dorm bed and I picked up my first package! It was filled with lots of food and some extra goodies from my mom. I cooked some pasta for lunch and we relaxed on the porch, then our beds. Kennedy Meadows is a cattle ranch and pack station, with lots of horses and cows out in the meadow up the hill. As such the only veggie option on their large menu was a veggie burger haha, but it was pretty good so I couldn't complain too much! We took our six-minute showers, got laundry done, and I mended some rips in my pants before we relaxed again and took advantage of the wifi before the generator turned off for the night.

Still enjoying my zero at South Lake Tahoe, and using this time to catch up a bit on the blog! Day 73: miles 865-881.8 We started the morning with Selden Pass, which was only snow covered for about two miles leading up, though there was snow for quite a ways on the descent, making it slow going. We used our microspikes for a good section of the descent, even though the snow was slushy for most of it - it's no longer getting down to freezing every night, so the snow quality is rapidly deteriorating. Continuing on, we had some nice downhill but lots of river crossings, one of which I stepped on a slippery rock and got soaked up to my chest. Luckily it was very slow moving so there was no danger, but it was very cold. The crossing after that was Bear Creek, which was our scariest crossing yet - it was waist-deep, with whitewater and slippery rocks I couldn't see. Each step had to be incredibly careful, and it was hard to position our poles without feeling like they'd get swept away. We took our time crossing, positioning each foot as carefully as we did on the icy passes days before. We stopped for lunch a little ways after, managing to find a breezy rock outcropping that wasn't too mosquito-filled. I was glad for the chance to let my pants dry a little - the wet fabric was giving me some chafing issues. We soon continued on, going up Bear Ridge and then all the way down. This section was very green, with lots of aspen and ribes, plus copious wildflowers like the shooting stars and columbines. We passed the turnoff to Vermillion Valley Resort, which is 8 miles off-trail, but we were good on food and didn't want to hike off-trail that far. After another tense river crossing, we headed uphill, passing the trail to Mono Pass and then getting to our campsite. Despite being at a decently high elevation, away from water and vegetation, and with a cold night, the mosquitoes were absolutely rampant. We donned our headnets and rain gear just to set up camp, and said gooodnight early as we cooked dinner from within the safety of our tents. I'm really hoping it won't be this bad every night - there's a cold snap coming that will hopefully kill off some of them. Day 74: miles 881.8-897.3 Slept in a bit before heading off around 8 to get over Silver Pass! The ascent was long and tiring but not too steep, and there was only continuous snow for about a mile before the summit and a couple miles after, and we never felt the need for spikes. The snow was nice and slushy, making the downhill a little wet and wild as we slipped and postholed all over. The grade was nice so it never felt dangerous, and in a couple cases it was actually kind of fun to boot-ski down a couple feet. The trail finally emerged from the snow, though it was very flooded with quite a few blowdowns, but the downhill was overall really nice. But as noon came and went and I didn't see Cheers waiting on the side for lunch, I started to get a little frustrated. At 12:40 I decided I was ready for lunch regardless, so set up at the next nice clearing. But lo and behold, ten minutes later up strolls Shade and Cheers, who unbeknownst to me had gotten behind me on the descent! I was glad I stopped when I did, instead of carrying on for who knows how much longer! After lunch we had a couple more serious ascents - up to Purple Lake and down, then a huge climb up to Virginia Lake and another short down, then finally back up to Duck Lake where we were camping. Our campsite was right by the river and it was really gorgeous. The mosquitoes were out and about but not quite as bad as the day before, so we did dinner outside our tents before heading to bed. Day 75: miles 897.3-908 + 0.7 off-PCT We had nine miles this morning into Red's Meadow Resort - a small mountain cabin resort and campsite in the middle of nowhere. There's typically a shuttle that goes into Mammoth Lakes from here, but it's not running on weekdays due to road construction, and none of us needed much food so we decided to resupply from the general store there. We also got some great food, a shower, and laundry before setting up at the campsite there. There was also a hot springs which was very hot and felt so good on the muscles and mosquito bites! Day 76: miles 908-924.1 We got up a bit earlier this morning to have time to explore the Devil's Postpile, which was about a mile from Red's Meadow. It was such a fascinating structure, with incredibly even columns emerging from the mountain face. The columnar joints were formed in the basalt from volcanic cooling about 100,000 years ago, and then the whole structure was revealed scraped smooth by glaciers moving through. After taking our time at the monument, we carried on for a 3 mile road walk to get around yet another bridge that was destroyed last year in the high snow. Then we had some lovely flat walking before a big climb up to Agnew Meadow. The climb offered gorgeous views of Shadow Lake and the JMT on the other side of the canyon, with the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin roaring in the valley below. We had some lovely downhill, then a couple more ups. Near one of the rivers, I found quite the prize - green onions!! They're pretty common in the Sierra but so far most of them have been deep under snow, so it was a treat to get a handful to add to my pasta dinner! We camped next to Thousand Island Lakes, which was absolutely breathtaking. We were looking forward to the possibility of a swim, but with half the lake still frozen, the most I could do was soak my feet for a couple minutes. To find our campsite, we had to go about a half mile off-PCT, since the area near the trail was closed for restoration, and campsites must be 200 ft from water in this section. We ended up finding a great site apparently very close to a marmot den, and the marmot made its displeasure known by running back and forth for a while. Sorry buddy, but sometimes you gotta have neighbors! Day 77: miles 924.1-937.3 It was a very windy night last night, and one of my guylines to a stake broke, so I woke around 10 to my tent collapsing :( I quickly fixed it up but found it hard to fall back asleep, as each loud gust of wind had me tensing up. But fall asleep I did, and we left around 8, ready to do Donahue Pass. But first we had Island Pass to go up and then down, with lots of snow, before getting to the base of Donahue. I ended up in the front, and enjoyed a podcast on the slow ascent, descent, then ascent again. I passed a few JMT hikers going southbound - we've been seeing a couple, but it's still pretty early season for most of them. The ascent up Donahue wasn't bad, just lots of route finding and river crossings. Cheers and Shade caught up when I was right at the summit, and we entered into the Yosemite Wilderness together, heading downhill and having a quick lunch on the rocks below the pass. Then we continued down, on a very steep, boulder-y path, where I slipped a couple times. But we finally emerged in a gorgeous, flat meadow, with the Toulomne River meandering next to us. It was truly idyllic with the lush grass, flat trail, and occasional deer grazing nearby. We got to our campsite near the Vogelsang junction and enjoyed a dip in the river. We aren't permitted to camp any closer to Toulomne than here, so we'll just have a sweet six miles into town tomorrow. I was originally planning to resupply at the Toulomne store, but it's still closed for the season - Tioga road only opened a few days previous. Instead, we're going to go down into Yosemite Valley, where I've actually never been before! I'm super excited to see the sights and be a tourist for a day! Day 78: miles 937.3-943.7 Town day! We set out early, since its a long hitch down into the valley (about an hour and a half), and got to Tioga Road around 9. We managed to snag a hitch almost immediately, from a sweet local who was just coming down on a day trip. She pointed out the sights as we drove down into the valley, and dropped us at Camp 4, the climbing campsite. We then talked to the ranger and was told that though nearly every campsite was full, there's a special Backpacking campground, not marked on any maps, that's first-come first-serve and only $8 (as opposed to the $36 of any other site). We can only stay one night, and our PCT permit is only valid there while the post office at Tuolomne is closed, which she said will only be true for a couple more days. So we really timed it perfectly in the short period where Tioga Road is open but Tuolumne isn't - otherwise we'd have to get a wilderness permit, which might not be too hard early in the season but is hell to get in the height of summer. We set up our tents, then went to Curry Village for some lunch before coming back and swimming in the Merced River, which was so incredibly refreshing! Then we took the bus to see El Capitan, which was absolutely breathtaking. It's really hard to describe the scale of these rock faces - they rise up on every side and are just massive. We stood at the base of El Cap for a while, watching a pair of climbers slowly make their way up - apparently it takes an average of 5 days to climb El Cap (depending on method and route of course). At the base of the peak, it looked like they were maybe a third of the way up, but as we walked farther from it, it became clear they were probably only 1/6 of the way up - it's crazy how distorted your perspective becomes! We took the bus to Yosemite Village for dinner, and then back to the campsite. We'll resupply and see a couple more things in the morning, then head back to the trail! I'm really glad we made the side-trip to come down here! There's so many tourists and cars, it's quite overwhelming after being on trail, but the views are spectacular and it's been such a special way to see this area!

I'm currently at Kennedy Meadows North, what's considered the end of the Sierra (either here or at Echo Lake, right before Lake Tahoe). We came over Sonora Pass yesterday, the last major pass of the Sierra, which feels very good!! No more major elevation days! We also passed mile 1000 two days ago, which is so surreal to think that my feet have walked that many miles. Anyways, I'm still playing catch-up on this blog and probably will be for another couple weeks, but back to my time in the Sierra! Edit: lol I was just a couple seconds too slow to upload this on the shuttle back to the trail and lost wifi so now I'm at South Lake Tahoe! Day 64: miles 803.8-816.8 Today is the day of Pinchot Pass! We camped about 6 miles from the pass itself, so I left camp around 5, wanting to leave a little more time since Glen got slushy so fast. The uphill to the pass was quite a slog, with some intense elevation gain, which then opened up into a big snow field that made navigation slow. I was in front of the group of me, Axeman, Arthur, and Stache, but Arthur caught up about a mile from the top of the pass. We passed another couple before the main ascent, and the four of us carried on up together. The final switchbacks were slow but graded well, and the drop off wasn't too serious, so it never felt dangerous. My spikes were invaluable but I never felt like I needed my ice axe, and I was up and over in no time! Arthur decided to hang around at the pass to wait for Stache and Axeman, but I was eager to get on before the snow got too slushy. And I'm glad I did - the downhill of Pinchot wasn't bad at all, but the snow cover never really went away. I kept waiting to get down low enough in the valley for the snow to peter off, but it was just slush the whole day. There were occasional patches of mud and dirt, which wasn't all that more enjoyable. I put on a podcast and carried on, going as fast as I could and not wanting to stop for fear of the snow getting even worse. Luckily the terrain was pretty flat, but with big snow fields, the navigation was difficult and every couple steps my feet would sink in to the ankle or calf. Plus there were quite a few river crossings with some sketchy snow bridges that looked like they were on their way out, so I had to do some backtracking and alternates to find more secure places to cross. It was slow going, and I didn't stop for lunch, just kept trudging onwards. I also never saw any other hikers the whole while, though I kept expecting someone to catch up to me. At least the views were truly gorgeous, and in addition to hiker footprints, I saw tracks of marmots, ground squirrels, and coyotes. Around 2, I got to the campsite for the night - right at the base of Mather Pass. This was the first time I could actually see the pass from where I camped, and it was stunning to look up at it. There was another group there who left extra early, the first people I'd seen since Pinchot summit - Roadrunner, Bossbae, Boujee, and Birdcall. I said hi and set up my tent, hoping it would be a calm night since it was completely exposed up here. It was still early, so I relaxed a bit, chatting with the other hikers and planning a route up the pass. The others, Axeman, Arthur, and Stache, never showed up, so I talked to the other group and planned to go up with them. I made an early dinner and settled down for the night, since we would be heading out at 5. Day 65: miles 816.8-832.2 + 1.5 off-PCT We got up early and made the short walk up to the ascent of Mather. Mather isn't the highest pass, but it has an incredibly steep south face which is especially fear-inducing. Added to that is that an avalanche swept debris onto the switchbacks last year, so in addition to them being covered in snow, they're full of rocks. Because of that, most people are choosing to skip the switchbacks altogether and either just go directly up the face or rock scramble to the side of the snow face. We planned to start on the snow and transition over to the rocks if the snow started feeling sketchy. We started out with our spikes and ice axes, going up in a line and calling out directions. As we headed up, we could see figures coming to the bottom of the slope - Axeman, Arthur, and Stache had arrived and would be going up a bit after us. The snow wasn't the best quality, with a hard layer on top that would crack when you put weight on it, and was much softer underneath. So we had to take extra time to make sure our spikes had caught the snow and our ice axes were securely in before each step. We'd also heard someone had fallen on Mather a couple days ago, and could see a big glissade trail going down the side. This became a problem when the tracks started to cross the glissade track - the snow was smooth there and really difficult to get secure traction. Birdcall, out in front, called out for a rest and said he could feel his spikes slipping in the snow as he continued. We paused for a bit and decided to head over to the right to the rocks, where we could reasses and take the rock scramble if we wanted. Going over to the side was quite fear inducing - you don't have the same stability as when you're completely facing the slope, and the boot prints here weren't well established. I took some deep breaths, focusing only on each step in front of me - you can't afford to think of anything else when you're climbing up. Once on the rocks, Birdcall, Bossbae, and I decided to take the scramble, and Roadrunner and Boujee went back out on the snow, having mapped a way up. I feel about as good on a rock scramble as I do on the slope, but it's a bit more comforting to have places to put your hands, and it doesn't take every ounce of concentration like doing the slope does. It was equally slow going, but we got to the final switchback at the same time as Boujee and Roadrunner. Mather has a big cornice at the top, which looks very spooky from down below, but there was a good boot-track going through it, so we continued on. The relief I felt at cresting the top and seeing the flat summit was immeasurable - we had done the last steep, scary pass!! We celebrated on top for a few minutes, then headed down. There were a few glissades that we took, using our ice axes as breaks on the slippery, frozen snow, and then carefully making our way the rest of the way down. Some more route-finding and rock scrambling later and we were on the trail again - a gorgeous trail that was mostly snow free. We got down from the snow and into a lovely pine and douglas fir forest, and greatly enjoyed the flattish, pine-duff covered path, actually moving at a decent speed! We breaked for lunch, having done 12 miles by 12 for the first time in abouy a week, then continued on. We then headed off the PCT and onto Bishop Pass Trail, where we stopped 1.5 miles up and camped, overlooking this gorgeous valley. We have to get off the trail here not only to go resupply in Bishop, but because the bridge is out over the North Fork of the San Joaquin River. It got completely ruined last year due to the high snow, flooding, and avalanches. Some hikers were (recklessly, imo) trying to go over the twisted, destroyed bridge, but the park removed it earlier this year. The river itself is not at all safe to ford - it's over chest deep and raging. One group went across but said it was a very close call and they lost gear while crossing, so I wouldn't dare attempt it. There is a proposed off-trail alternate that climbs up and over some cliffs, but the topo map looks nasty in that area and I wouldn't want to attempt it without seeing photos or having the gpx route. So, the solution is to go off trail at Bishop Pass Trail and return via Piute Pass Trail, skipping a 25 mile section. But the two exit trails together are 29 miles, so I don't feel too bad about skipping it. It's a shame to miss Muir Pass and Evolution Valley, but we add on Bishop and Piute Pass, and some really gorgeous scenery as well. Day 66: 10.2 off-PCT We woke up ridiculously early to get this pass done before it got too slushy, meaning leaving at 3 am. We started with an immediate river crossing, where a hiker we met yesterday lost both a shoe and trekking pole, so we took our time in the thigh-deep water even though it was freezing cold. Then we started up the copious switchbacks, headlamps bouncing in the pitch dark. During a quick break, we all turned off our lights and gazed up at the Milky Way which rose up out of the mountain range around us - truly spectacular. We crossed the same river a second time but this time there was a bridge, though it was badly damaged and sat with a 45 deg angle in the center where some beams had broken. The river was dangerously fast and over slick rock at this crossing, so we went across the bridge slowly, one at a time, and it felt decently stable. Then onwards and upwards to some larger snow fields before the actual pass. We donned our microspikes and headed up; it was slow going with the steep pass and snow, but we also saw a gorgeous sunrise behind us as the sky turned colors and the sun tipped the mountains in gold. We got to the pass at 6, took a short break to eat some snacks, then headed down. Most of the switchbacks were covered in snow, but the boot-track going down on the right side didn't look well established, with an incredibly steep drop off, so we decided to do a rock scramble down the sides of the half-covered switchbacks. In retrospect, that was probably more sketchy than just taking the snow route, but we managed to get down without too much fuss, though it felt pretty treacherous at points. Once down the pass, it was lots more snow and icy patches before the trail emerged again. Then it was a couple more miles down to the parking lot, which we got to at 9. Someone had commented that there were pastries for pct hikers in a bear box there, and indeed there were!! We each got a cinnamon bun which was a little stale but still fantastic. Roadrunner's group was continuing on to do about 8 miles of the 12 mile road walk between Bishop and Piute Pass to get a completely continuous footpath, but personally that doesn't matter much to me since this is the official PCTA reroute, meaning it's the official 'continuous' path for this year, so I was going to head straight to town. However, this was a tiny trailhead in the morning, and everyone there had just headed up on their walks, so I didn't expect a hitch anytime soon. I said goodbye to Roadrunner's group and we made plans for them to maybe stop by my hotel for a shower if they weren't spending the night (they'd already been to Bishop out of Kearsarge Pass a few days earlier, so weren't in such dire need for a town stop as I was). Then I started down the road, mostly expecting to have to get all the way down to the highway before landing a hitch to town. But lo and behold, about fifteen minutes later, the first car to pass me in the right direction pulled over! They were a lovely couple staying in some nearby cabins and went out of their way to bring me all the way to Bishop, dropping me off in front of their favorite cafe in town. I went in and got a great breakfast burrito, plus lots of conversation with locals who'd seen my backpack and wanted to know what the trail was like. Then I headed over to the local park to hang out and call home, then back into town to get a hotel. It was very hot down in the valley, and I was extra glad for a long, long shower once I got to the hotel, washing off 11 days of grime and sweat. This is definitely by far the dirtiest I've been on trail! I got some snacks at the grocery store, did laundry, and relaxed in my hotel, before Roadrunner, Bossbae, Birdcall, and Boujee came by around 4 to take showers before heading back to trail. It was nice to see them again - they're a super fun group and it was great to hike with them! I should mention that they all do some YouTube videos - Roadrunner is quite popular on her channel HikingDancer, Boujee is at LifeisBoujee, and Birdcall and Bossbae are at Travel Write Hike. If you wanna check it out, I'm in a couple shots of Roadrunner's Day 63 and Day 64 videos :) Day 67-70: zero days! I got to take a couple zero days in Bishop which was so lovely! Cheers and Shade were two days behind me so I got to chill while waiting for them to come to town, then we got to catch up on everything we'd done while separated! It's good to have the gang together again! They had an equally fun time through this section, but were with a lot more people in their cohort - they showed me some pictures of a whole conga line of hikers going up each pass. Also, Cheers broke his phone AGAIN by dropping it on the top of Whitney, so he had to run extra errands while in town. Bishop is a really cute town with lots of character - it's got three amazing gear stores, a worldwide annual mule celebration, and a huge artist community. I took one day to take the bus down to Lone Pine, a town about an hour and a half south, known for the Alabama Hills where hundreds of cowboy films were shot. There's a really cool film museum there that's got lots of old props and a neat documentary about the area. I really enjoyed spending time in Bishop, and especially being at a hostel that has a kitchen I could use - it felt great to cook some real meals!! But after a few days I was feeling antsy to get back on trail, and Cheers and Shade were equally eager, so back to the trail we headed! Day 71: 9.2 miles off-PCT We headed back to the trail around 11, catching a hitch within thirty minutes or so from a lovely couple who were taking a day hike in that area. We're going back to the PCT by the Piute Pass Trail, a 17 mile trail that drops us back right after the destroyed bridge. We started off, with an immediate uphill that we all felt very slow on after our couple days off. The pass itself was about 5 miles in and wasn't bad at all, with minimal snow and an easy grade. After the pass, the trail went down but it was still slow going with some snow, lots of boulders, and copious river crossings - there must have been at least thirty crossings in the span of a few miles. Some were easy rock hops, but others went up to our thighs with rushing white water. Even without river crossings, the whole trail was flooded in quite a few spots, and dry feet felt like a dream of the past. Around 6, we found a decent spot to camp and set up. There's lots of flat granite faces in this section, which is nice in some ways but makes staking a tent pretty difficult. Luckily there were lots of big rocks so I got my tent up without too much trouble. Then dinner and off to bed! Day 72: 8 miles off-PCT and miles 857-865 We slept in a bit before heading off around 8, to more river crossings and wet trail. It was mostly downhill though, with a few ups here and there. We hiked next to Piute Creek for a while and were incredibly thankful we wouldn't have to cross it, since it was absolutely massive. We still had to cross quite a few tributaries which weren't trivial - lots of knee-high crossings with whitewater obscuring the rocks underneath. But we finally made it back to the PCT around noon - damn it felt good to be back!! We got a couple flat miles before it started to go up, so we took a quick lunch. The mosquitoes were absolutely horrid in this area, so we ate as fast as we could before continuing on. It was another 5 or so miles uphill to Sallie Keyes lake, which felt very long but luckily it was overcast with some drizzle, which made the uphill a bit more manageable than in the blazing sun. We set up camp and relaxed a bit - luckily there were few to no mosquitoes up here. The lake was too cold to swim but I soaked my feet a bit which felt lovely. Then off to bed, to conquer Selden Pass tomorrow!

I'm in Yosemite Valley right now, having a fantastic time being a tourist for a day, but the service is really horrid except at this one cafe which lets you have wifi for two hours. So I'll see what I get done in that time, and then will have to post the rest later, sorry! Day 61: miles 767-776 The day after Whitney, I enjoyed a nice sleep-in before heading out around 8:30, walking out amongst a sea of collapsed tents (from folks going up Whitney with their trekking poles). There was an immediate hill, then down, then up again, with a few big river crossings in between. I then emerged up onto Bighorn Plateau, a gorgeous high Sierra plain with a few twisted pines and plenty of marmots, and Tawny Peak rising in the background. Then a nice gentle downhill to Tyndall creek, another rough crossing, before I got to camp for the night. Two hikers, Steffan and Axeman, where already there drying out their clothes, and the two nobo JMT hikers I'd passed earlier that day rolled into camp a couple hours later. We were camping at the last snow-free site before Forester Pass, which we'd be doing early the next morning. The JMTers were planning to leave around 5 am, and Steffan and Axeman at 4:30, so I decided I'd head out around 4:40 to be in between groups. Day 62: miles 776-790 After an early alarm, I quickly packed up, put on my microspikes, and headed off, starting with an immediate grueling uphill as the climb to Forester began. At 13,200ft, Forester Pass is the highest point on the PCT (while obviously higher, Whitney is a fun side-trip and not on the actual trail). It garners a lot of trepidation from hikers due to the intense climb and the ice chute at the top. It was about four miles of hiking up these huge ice plains and high Sierra lakes before I could actually see the pass and approach. I caught up to Steffan and Axeman about a mile before the approach, as I'd hoped, and was glad not to do the final switchbacks alone. While the switchbacks are pretty nicely graded, the boot-track in the snow simply went straight up, so up we followed. While it's rough work, it's often safer to follow the boot-track rather than make your own trail up. The snow felt pretty solid going up, but I was incredibly happy to have my microspikes. The last couple switchbacks were mostly snow-free, so we switched to dry ground and carried on for the last few switches before we rounded the corner and saw the ice chute. I hadn't been too scared of the heights until then, when I looked down and saw tiny specks of hikers below, and then looked back to the ice chute and saw the drop off down to the rocks. I had to take a moment to steady myself, then pulled out my ice axe and followed Steffan and Axeman over it. It luckily looked worse than it was, as each footprint was well-defined and solid. I still breathed a huge sigh of relief after crossing, feeling a big weight off my shoulders to have completed that pass. We were at the top, but still had to make our way down, which can be just as challenging as going up at times. There was a great glissade at the top, and we eagerly slid down a few hundred feet, ice axes held at the ready for steering and braking. Then it was a slow trudge down, with another few glissades and quite a few miles in snow. It started getting slushy right as we finished with the big snow fields. Once we got back into the forest and away from lots of slushy snow, we took a short break before carrying on. Still lots of patches of snow and plenty of river crossings, but it was faster going out of the deep snow and on flatter land. We took lunch in Vidette Meadow before carrying on, climbing up to the turn-off for Kearsarge Pass, which most hikers climb to get off trail for resupply but which I'm skipping. We passed the first turn-off and carried on for another mile or so before finding a snow-free campsite below Glen Pass and settling down for the night. Steffan was going over Kearsarge in the morning, and Axeman and I would continue on over Glen Pass. It was lovely doing Forester with those two and hearing about the hiking they've both done in Germany and the states. Day 63: miles 790-803.8 Glen Pass this morning! I left around 6, and it was a long slog up. I caught up to Axeman who'd left a bit before me, and also ran into two other hikers, Arthur and Stache, who joined our posse as we climbed up the snow and navigated towards the trail. We finally got to the switchbacks, which were half covered in snow and half in loose scree which slipped underfoot and felt very unsteady. It was a slow climb up those switchbacks with each step placed with care. We finally got to the last few switches and I pulled out my ice axe to feel a little steadier. The final ascent was steep but over with quickly and it was a relief to get to the top. Our job wasn't over though, because on this pass, the downhill personally felt way more dangerous than the uphill. The snow was already slushy by 8 am, and the boot-track was ill-defined, with the steps so far apart I had to do a full squat just to reach the next step. The track also skipped the switchbacks and went straight down in places - which feels ok going up, but incredibly sketchy going down. The snow was also soft enough that my ice axe would sink into the snow almost to the pick, and my microspikes had trouble gripping the snow. My legs were shaking by the bottom, and the group had been waiting for about ten minutes for me to descend behind them as I had to stop to take some deep breaths and remind myself there was only one way down the mountain. It was definitely the most sketchy and dangerous feeling section so far, and I was so happy to be over with it. The next couple miles were equally slushy, but at least it wasn't steep. There were a couple big water crossings, and then a big avalanche destruction zone that required lots of rerouting around blowdowns and destroyed trails. We passed mile 800 in the blowdown area, but saw a rock sign for it a couple miles later at a big suspension bridge going over Woods Creek. Then the uphill started, as we were trying to camp at the last snow-free site before Pinchot Pass. The uphill was rough, with lots of big rock steps, and included two of the worst river crossings yet, one which reached up to my hips with a strong current. I finally got to camp around 4, and laid out all my clothes to dry. I've been wearing waterproof socks, which are fantastic in the snow and when the trail is flooded, but as soon as they get wet inside, they take forever to dry out. Arthur and Stache arrived around when I did, and we set up our tents. Axeman came a bit later, and we had dinner together before heading to bed. That's all for now, sorry! Turns out I had a couple other things I needed the wifi for haha. I'll update again when I have better service :)

Finally got to Bishop, where I've been enjoying a couple zero days as I recover from my 11 day stretch in the Sierra! It was probably the most challenging section so far, but was also so, so rewarding! I feel like every day was more gorgeous than the last, and felt so privileged to be seeing the views and scenery around me. So much of this landscape is untouched and inaccessible to most people - it was a true honor to get to experience it. This blog post might be a little hazy on the details, since it's been a while, but heavy on the pictures since everything was so beautiful! Sorry I've got to compress all the pictures to stay under Wix's BS storage limit :// Let me know if you want any of the pictures in higher quality and I can email them or something (prob more relevant to the next blog post actually). Edit: whoops, I left this too much to the last minute and didn't have enough service heading out of town to post, so I'm actually posting this from Red's Meadow Resort about 5 days after leaving Bishop. Sorry my posts are so delayed, it just takes a bit of time to write it all up, and it's very easy to get distracted in towns! Day 56: miles 703-717.7 First day in the real-deal Sierra (even though we've officially been in the eastern edges of the Sierra since Walker Pass). Oh my lord is my pack heavy! The scale was broken at Kennedy Meadows, but it's probably around 45 pounds. I'm so glad that my pack takes the weight as well as it does - there's no way I could take this much food in a frameless or ultralight pack. Oh, also, don't know if I've mentioned but it seems very relevant - I got a trail name! I'm Pantry! It got given to me coming into Ridgecrest, since I carry so much food and a myriad of spices and condiments, plus I'm always happy to 'open up the pantry' when someone is low on food, as I'm bound to have extra. I like the name - I'm a very food-motivated person, and it's important that I eat well on trail and actually cook my meals, as opposed to doing premade meals each night. It also means a lot to me that the people around me are eating well and have enough food, and I'm always more than happy to share when people are running low. Even with my godawful heavy pack, I don't regret bringing this much food, since it's extra important to be eating well in this section. Leaving Kennedy Meadows, we had our first big climb. Not quite a pass, but it felt long and hard, and I was dragging my feet up it. After a while, it started down and we got our first good views of the snow covered mountains ahead as we headed into Monache Meadow. We camped up above the Kern River on a rocky outcrop, and when I went to get water, I stayed for many minutes watching the swallows swoop under the bridge - hundreds of them have made their nests under it, and it was so peaceful to listen to their chirps as the sun went down. Day 57: miles 717.7-733.8 Woke up this morning to a thick layer of frost covering my tent, my sleeping bag, shoes, and backpack. Brr was it cold last night! It also takes significantly longer to pack up with the new placement of everything due to my bear can. We had another intense uphill out of Monache Meadow and up to Olancha Pass. Whew I felt incredibly slow going up, just huffing and puffing with every step, but at least there were gorgeous views to accompany me. We reached our first snow near the top of the hill, though it was clear there used to be more that melted. As it melts, the trail gets significantly more confusing - the boot-track on the snow rarely follows the actual trail, and as it melts there's always a mix of people walking on the melted boot-track versus the trail itself. It leads to lots of criss-crossing paths where you're never quite sure what the right way is. We had long patches of snow for quite a while going down, and took a nice long lunch break near a snowmelt river. I took a quick nap in the sun, then headed off a bit early to get a head start from Cheers and Shade. The path went down and then flat for a while, through large sandy flats where only the ancient, gnarled foxtail pines grew. In places, it felt even more barren than the desert, which at least had a myriad of shrubs and lizards running around. Shade and Cheers caught up to me in Death Canyon, where I was filling up at the last water for a while - it would be a night of camping and 8 or so miles til the next, which was a rarity in the Sierra, where we've only had to carry a liter at a time so far. But we filled up for the night and the next morning and then headed uphill to our campsite three miles on. The uphill was still rough, but this felt graded a little better and it wasn't so brutal of a climb. I got to camp right as Cheers caught me, and we admired the fantastic view of Mt Langley and the meadow below. Shade was right behind, and we set up camp for the night, then had dinner on a rock outcrop that had the best sunset view over the mountains. My food doesn't quite fit in my bear canister yet, so I did a bear hang after watching the sunset (the requirements for bear cans don't kick in until Cottonwood pass, but proper storage, like a bear hang, is still necessary for the entire Sierra). Day 58: miles 733.8-750.7 Started the day by finishing the rest of the hill - we got a couple patches of snow on top but nothing too bad, and had a great view of Owens Valley way below us. We came down into Ash Meadow, then back up to Mulkey Pass, where we had a long continuous section of snow. It made wayfinding a lot slower, but wasn't too bad even though it was the afternoon. The uphill continued until we came out at Poison Meadow, and walked through the flooded, slushy meadow up to our campsite. Today was the first of many long sections of snow - it was slow going but not too terrible! Our campsite for the night had a fantastic view of Cirque Peak rising above us, and we went to bed nice and early, around 7:30. Tomorrow, Shade and Cheers will be heading off on Cottonwood trail into Lone Pine to resupply, while I carry on all the way to Bishop Pass. It's sad to leave them, since I really enjoy hiking with them, but it'll also be fun to do this section on my own. We'll meet back up in Bishop, where I'll definitely enjoy a couple extra days in town. Day 59: miles 750.7-767.5 + 1.1 off-PCT First day on my own in this section! Started off early while Shade and Cheers slept in, making my way across Cottonwood meadow and up to Chicken Spring Lake, which was frozen over but absolutely gorgeous. The trail then went way uphill in full snow, making navigation tricky, but not bad enough to need my microspikes. The view of the Great Western Divide at the top was so incredible! The trail then trended down, but it was either covered in snow or full of big boulders, making the trip down extra slow. I lost the trail a couple times - always the risk of following the boot-track instead of looking at the map. Near the bottom, I crossed Rock Creek - one of the first bigger rivers in the Sierra. I managed to cross on some big logs a ways up trail, and then ate lunch on the other side while my shoes dried. After lunch, it was another big uphill on Guyot Pass, which flattened out a bit to allow for another big river crossing, before continuing the switchbacks up. After the pass, I went through Guyot Flats, which was a big sandy meadow full of foxtail pines. Then down to Crabtree Meadow, where I saw the first person I'd seen all day! And then to the campsite at Crabtree, where there were maybe 20 people all hanging out. Crabtree is at the base of Whitney on the PCT side, so anyone doing the side trip to summit Whitney will camp there. Most of the folks there had come down earlier that day and were about to head out farther down the trail, but it was definitely weird to encounter so many people after a day alone. I said hi and set up my tent, then had an early dinner. To do Whitney, it's best to do it really early in the morning so the snow stays firm, and a lot of people time it so you get up to the summit just in time for sunrise. That means most people leave at midnight to make it the 7.8 miles before 5:30. So I went to bed around 7 and prepared for a very early alarm clock. Day 60: 15.6 miles off-PCT Today is my Whitney summit day!! Unfortunately, my excitement was tempered by the way I woke up at 9pm to puke violently out the side of my tent. I was sick a few more times before I felt well enough to attempt to sleep again, around 11. When my alarm woke me up at 11:45 pm, I had to decide whether or not I would still attempt to summit. If it was something I ate, then that sucked but wasn't imminently dangerous. But if it was from altitude sickness, then that's a pretty serious symptom, and climbing another 4,000ft isn't in my best interest. I wasn't having any other altitude symptoms, besides frequent bloody noses which I always get at high altitudes, and the puking came on very suddenly and I felt better afterwards. So I decided to attempt it, and if I came close to being sick again then I would immediately turn back. I set off right at midnight, with my empty backpack carrying some food, water, extra layers, and my microspikes and ice axe. I had just forded the river when I looked behind me to see a wave of headlamps pouring out of the campsite - about eight other hikers would be summiting with me. The trail started out going up to several lakes, including Whitney lake and Guitar lake, and I quickly put on my microspikes. It was eerie going across the snow in the dark, trying to locate the bootprints of people who came before. After Guitar Lake, the trail opened onto a big snowy expanse that continued upward at a steady pace. It was there that the headlights behind me caught up, and a group of six hikers passed me. We started the switchbacks up, which were half covered in snow and half in rocky talus. It was slow going and extremely strenuous, and I was cautious about eating any snacks or electrolytes in case it upset my stomach again. Once on the mountain, the switchbacks started for real - long sections each with a scary, steep snow area across. We all took out our ice axes and headed across, one careful step at a time. The bootprints were good here, with each foot placement well defined, though it was definitely hard not to swing my headlamp down and look at the steep drop below me. The switchbacks seemed neverending - I started out thinking there can't be more than five, but an hour in I was convinced there were ten, no twenty, of them. I started feeling nauseous most of the way up them and stopped to take a long rest and catch my breath, letting everyone else pass me. Then I continued on, getting to the ridge section that wound in and out of the rocky needles for a long time. I could see flashes of headlamps in front of me as I continued up, seeing glimpses of the start of sunrise in between rock walls. The ridge went on for longer than I thought possible, with the trail always finding a new slope to traverse. I finally got to the base of the final ascent, where the trail takes a turn and heads up to the end of the mountain. The summit is shaped like a horizontal parabola, requiring one final push before it flattens out considerably. This section was free of snow but all rock - there wasn't much of a trail besides walking in the direction of the small shelter at the top. On the rocks next to it, the other hikers were huddled, waiting for the sun to crest the horizon. I'd gotten to the top right at 5:30 - a couple minutes before sunrise. It was horrifically cold at the top - I already had my raincoat, balaclava, and double gloves on - and I stopped to put on my rain pants as well. I got some pictures of me holding the Mt Whitney sign (I'd always wondered how it didn't get taken off the summit - the secret is that it's probably a good 10-15 lbs haha) and of the sun rising before us. After only 15 minutes or so though, I was too damn cold and had to get down. Plus, my nausea had abated for the last section of the climb, but I still wasn't feeling amazing so I didn't want to linger too long at such a high altitude. I headed down in between two groups again, though we quickly got spaced out on the descent. Going up in the dark felt novel and thrilling, going down was simply scary. Suddenly I could see all those heights that I was trying not to think about, and I also had to contend with hikers coming up later from the east side of the mountain - the snow made it so only one person could be on some sections at a time, but there were enough big rocks and corners that you couldn't always tell in time. Twice, I had to do a sketchy backtrack to let another hiker pass on their way up. By the time I finished the ridge, I was feeling a little shaky, so I stopped to have a snack and a drink. I'm really glad I had a bottle on my shoulder strap, because the water bottle I had in my side pocket had frozen on top, and I couldn't drink from it at all. The switchbacks felt just as long going up, but in some sections even worse - I always feel more comfortable going up on the steep snow traverses, since going down your center of mass has to shift below you, and I always feel a little off balance. Luckily, the snow was firm and my ice axe and spikes had a good grip, plus the boot-track was very solid and it was always clear where to put each foot. The switchbacks seemed to take forever, but finally I was at the base of them, where I caught up to a few hikers who'd passed me going down the switchbacks. We stopped for another snack break, and then I continued on across the snow. Everything looked really different in the light, and I got off-trail a few times before getting back to Whitney Creek. I took another break, dug a cathole (tmi but relevant because you can't dig one anywhere near Whitney - it was a long few miles to get back to a forested area lmao). I finally made it back to Crabtree Meadow around 10:30. I ate a bit more, my stomach feeling much better, moved my tent into the shade, and took a nice, long nap. I woke up from my nap around 2:30, got up and stretched, and was just in time to see the group of hikers I summited with packing up and heading out. They were going to do another 5 miles to the base of Forester Pass, the highest point on the PCT. I was a little tempted to head out with them, since they were a fun group to hike near, but decided I was going to stay at Crabtree Meadow for one more night. That way I'd get plenty of rest and wouldn't have to wake up at 3 the next morning to do another high pass. I was feeling better and didn't have any further nausea, but I didn't want to tempt anything. One thing that was really sticking with me was what happened to Riddles two years ago. She was 23 years old, studied Mechanical Engineering, and died of high-altitude pulmonary edema at the top of Forester Pass. She had done Whitney the day before and was feeling lousy, but pushed on before collapsing at the top of the pass, where her trail family tried to help but there was simply nothing to be done. Her story hit me hard - we have a lot of similarities and god knows I've carried on despite the warning signs in the past. And maybe it was reckless of me to even attempt the Whitney summit - the least I could do was give myself another day to recover before doing another pass. So I said goodbye to the other hikers and settled into camp. A couple folks rolled in around 5 and we chatted for a bit, then I had an early dinner and headed to bed by 7:30. This day was quite the adventure!! Definitely one of the most thrilling but terrifying experiences I've ever had! That's all for now, sorry! I'll hopefully have the rest written by the time I get to Yosemite Valley in a couple days!

Well, I've made it to the Sierra gateway!! Kennedy Meadows is a true hub for hikers as we all gather here before heading into the Sierra. Technically, the southern Sierra starts at Walker Pass, but the true challenge is yet to come. It'll be incredibly difficult, but hey, I'm not doing this cause it's a walk in the park. The latest reports are coming in 5-8 days delayed, depending on which point people exit the Sierra, but they say that microspikes and ice axes are sufficient now (aka no crampons required, which is a relief). Snow is currently slushy by around 9am, so we better be over each peak before then which means waking up around 3-4am. I'm incredibly excited, though a bit nervous. I'll be doing a long resupply of 150 miles, while Shade and Cheers will be going out much sooner, which means we'll be parting for a bit before meeting up again in Bishop. I won't be alone since there's plenty of hikers entering every day now, but I'll definitely miss their company. But there's only so many places on Earth where you can go 10 days without crossing a single road or seeing a single sign of civilization, and I'd really like to have the experience of doing this chunk all at once. Day 50: miles 653-666 We hung out in Ridgecrest for the rest of the morning before heading back to Kristy's for lunch. While walking to our seats, we had two separate families ask us if we needed a ride back to the trail - I got the number of one of them, and we'll plan to head out a little later once it cools down. We started around 4:30 and hiked into sunset, which was absolutely gorgeous above the mountains. Once I got my headlamp out, I also saw some bats flying around and a bunch of little frogs chilling in the trail. I was a decent ways behind Shade and Cheers and couldn't see their lights. We'd talked about camping near a spring, but there was a creek right before and the spring was off trail, so I assumed they would have hiked on. My mistake! When I got to the next campsite 1.2 on I was all alone and realized they definitely would have gone down to the spring, since that's what we'd talked about. Oh well, I was able to message through my satellite communicator that I was camping just ahead them. I got set up by 9:30ish, had a light dinner, and was off to bed! Day 51: 666-682 I got a fabulous sleep in while waiting for Cheers and Shade to catch up. It was around 8 when they rolled by and I joined up. The trail headed around the edge of a canyon, in and out of pines and shrubland. We got to a river, filled up, then started uphill for about 6 miles, with fabulous views of the mountains and canyons around us. Then we had a lovely downhill all the way to Chimney Creek Campground, which was a large established campground. We got great sites and made dinner, where we were joined by Simba, a 14 year old kid hiking by himself! He was very impressive and it was fun chatting with him that evening. We turned in for bed, admiring the almost-full moon before falling asleep. Day 52: 682-698 We decided that we're not going to push all the way to Kennedy Meadows today, rather splitting it in two. It'll be better to arrive in the morning, when the store and showers will be open and we'll be able to get a shuttle to and from the gear store. Also, I'm on my period and Shade has a bit of a head-cold, so I don't mind going slow. We started the day with a big 7 mile uphill, which was going through the 2000 Manter Fire - even though it had been over two decades, the area was incredibly exposed, as no trees had grown back. The landscape was dominated by shrubs like rabbitbrush and sagebrush, plus the dead trunks of old, burnt pine trees. At the top of the summit, we got another glimpse of the Sierra, with Mt Whitney and Mt Langley looming in the distance. Then we enjoyed a lovely downhill to Manter Creek, where we had lunch and I soaked my feet. We were joined for a bit by a German couple Shortcut and Handaxe, before they continued on. Soon we got up too and did another three miles to a lovely granite outcrop where we set up and had dinner, enjoying the view of the sun setting behind the craggy mountains around us. Day 53: 698-703 We got to sleep in big time today, heading out around 8:15, and had a lovely five miles into Kennedy Meadows. We passed mile 700, saw the Kern River for the first time, and said goodbye to our last cacti hiding under the pinyon pines. We made it to the road around 10 and had a short road walk to the General Store - one of three business in the town. Walking up to the store was very surreal - we were greeted by a raucous round of applause and set our packs down on the deck before sitting down on the picnic tables and enjoying a cold drink. Goodbye desert, hellow Sierra! We start talking about this moment beginning at the border, so it was so amazing to finally be there!! My mom was driving all the way (six hours!) to come see me, and was arriving in the evening. So we chilled out on the deck before getting a ride over to Triple Crown Outfitters (the gear store) and Grumpy Bear's (the bar): the other two businesses in town. Yogi herself, owner of TCO, drove us over and informed us that though the town sign says 'population 200,' that's the minimum required for phone companies to put in landlines, and in reality it's about 40 people living here year round. After a nice shower at Grumpy's and hanging out, my mom came just in time for dinner! It was so fantastic to see her, and really really special that she came out. She treated me, Cheers, and Shade to dinner before we headed back to the General Store for camping. We set up, said goodnight, and headed to bed. Day 54: zero day! No hiking today! Just hanging out and relaxing. It's kind of nice to have that be the only job of the day - though it sounds silly, it's truly so important to be well rested before entering the Sierra and getting above 10,000 ft. We enjoyed the snacks that my mom brought, of which there were many - including a fantastic banana bread and lemon almond bread cooked by her friend Ann!! We then did laundry and visited the gear store again, then I did the initial packing of my bear canister, which is loaded to the brim. Then it was time in the hammock, eating some watermelon, and heading over to Grumpy's for dinner and then back to the General Store for bed! Day 55: zero day! Zero day number 2!! I'm racking them up! Mom and I went on a nice day hike this morning, going SOBO back to mile 700. It was fun for her to see the views and the ecosystem we'd been seeing for a while. Then we came back, and relaxed and had some more watermelon and snacks. I patched up the holes in my pants, cleaned out my pot, and reorganized my food. We had lunch and I did a final check that I had all my extra gear (rain gear, warmer gloves, waterproof socks, balaclava, microspikes, ice axe, bear can, and bigger battery pack). Then mom and I said goodbye :( it was so fun to have her here, meeting my friends and seeing the trail life. It's sad to see her go, but I'm really excited to go into the Sierra tomorrow!! I took a last shower, relaxed a bit more, then Shade and Cheers and I made dinner before I came to the front to finish this blog! The vibes here are quite loud and rowdy but luckily the campgrounds are far back, away from any sound (also away from the wifi though). We're heading out around 8 tomorrow - it's another day from then before we're in the snow and at high elevation!! It'll be really difficult but I'm incredibly excited :D If my plan goes well, my next town will be Bishop, in 150 miles and around 11 days - I'll try to post then!

We got to Ridgecrest yesterday morning and have been relaxing very thoroughly since then! It's really hot out, especially since we're further down in the valley, and with temperatures hitting 95 degrees we've stayed inside our air conditioned hotel room for most of the day. I'm out to dinner now at this small Mexican place recommended by the woman who gave us a hitch yesterday, and it is really fabulous. Update: I didnt quite finish this before leaving Ridgecrest, so I'm actually posting from Grumpy Bear's at Kennedy Meadows :)) Day 42: miles 558-568 We stayed in Tehachapi until late in the afternoon, hoping to escape the heat. Also, Cheers' phone broke the night before and he had to run all over town fixing it. We hung out at Kohnen's, this fantastic German bakery in town, and I popped over to the Tehachapi Herotage Museum to check it out as well. We needed up heading out around 5:30, with Cheers probably having to spend another night in town to sort out his SIM card and phone services :(( As we were walking the main road looking for a hitch, a highway patrol car pulled up in front of us. I turned to Shade, remarking that hmmm hitchhiking is technically illegal in California, isn't it? But by then the cop got out and casually asked if we were headed back to trail, which we happily accepted. Definitely the coolest hitch we've gotten so far, though the back of a police car is a lot more cramped than I thought it would be. He dropped us off at the trailhead and we continued on, crossing through massive fields above wind turbines, then up and over highway 58. We filled up water, got our headlights on, and went a couple miles further before stopping around 9 and cowboy camping. Day 43: miles 568-578 Had a nice short day today! We slept in a bit and then continued up a massive hill. I used my sun umbrella for some of it, which was lovely, before the wind got too high and I put it away. Lots of Joshua trees and sagebrush. We got up into a gorgeous meadow of grasses and oaks, and took a really long siesta under the shade of some oaks. We had lunch, took a nap, then continued on after three hours or so, going only another four miles or so before calling it a day. Cheers has almost caught up - he camped three miles before us and should catch us tomorrow. It was lovely doing a short day out of town and lightening our packs a little before going further. Day 44: miles 578-594 This is a pretty dry section but really gorgeous! Lots of shrubs and wildflowers, with windmills around every corner. Each time I think we've seen the last, another looms ahead. Some ups and downs, and very very hot. Around noon, we found the first shade in a few hours and hunkered down for lunch and a siesta. Then we continued on to the next campsite. For the next couple days, water becomes very sparse, so we'll be camping more or less between water sources. The water at this campsite is about a mile off trail, down in the next valley, and it was quite the hike to come back up. But at the top - Cheers!! He'd caught up and the gang was back together. We camped next to the meadow that night and it was truly lovely. Day 45: miles 594-610 Another lovely day, with meadows and oak groves in the morning transitioning into pine forests in the afternoon. We passed mile 600 in the morning, and enjoyed great views of the Piute Mountains we were hiking through. I listened to my podcast in the afternoon which made the miles pass quite quickly. We stopped for lunch a couple miles before camp, which was lovely until we realized we were right on top of a couple ant hills, which was a rude awakening when my backpack got covered in them. After flicking them off, we continued on and came down to Landers Creek. The established Landers Campground was right past there, and we napped in the pine forests there before setting up camp. I walked down a bit to the creek again and soaked my feet, which felt fantastic, before returning to camp. A family with their ATVs came by and offered us some beer, which we declined but was very sweet. We relaxed some more, then had dinner and turned in for the night, planning to be up real early to escape the heat. Day 46: miles 610-632 Long day today, but started out with some gorgeous views of the Piute Mountains and Mayan Peak as we came out of the pine forests and back into the stereotypical desert scenery. We got to a water cache in the morning and filled up, then continued on up another hill. I was very grateful for my sun umbrella, since it was unrelentingly hot with no shade for quite a few miles. Around lunch, I was more than ready for a rest, and spied the first bit of shade in a long time, courtesy of a Joshua tree. Thankfully Shade and Cheers had the same idea and I found them curled at its base. We had lunch and took a nice siesta. After two hours or so, a big cloud front started rolling in from the north. Excited for the shade the clouds could offer, we quickly packed up and got back on trail. Ten minutes later, the miraculous happened: it started raining!! A very light sprinkle but it was more than enough to cool us down. How absolutely glorious to get rain in the desert! I took off my hat and enjoyed the light spritzing as we climbed yet another big hill. The trail then continued along the ridge for a while, and we heard distant thunder as the storm moved south. A couple more ups and downs and we came to Bird Spring Pass, which didn't have a spring but rather a big water cache lovingly maintained by Devilfish, a local trail angel. We relaxed in the shade and then scouted out a good campsite - Cheers found a perfect spot nestled behind a Joshua tree. Shade and Cheers cowboy camped while I set up without my fly, and we had dinner and enjoyed the sunset. We'll be up real early to get up Skinner Peak before it's too hot. Day 47: 632-652.5 Another long day as we make it to Walker Pass, where we'll camp and then hitch into Ridgecrest the next morning. We started off with Skinner Peak, which was a rough uphill but pretty well graded and luckily mostly in the shade, since we started around 6:15. After the top we got to enjoy a nice downhill for a while, before some more ups and downs. We had a lovely lunch in the shade and got our first view of the Sierra in the distance!! It was very exciting seeing the snow-capped tips of the peaks in the distance, even if there are a couple more mountains in between us and them. We continued onward and enjoyed a nice long downhill into Walker Pass, a large established campground next to Highway 178. When I got down, I saw everyone clustered around the picnic table - there was trail magic! Some section hikers were ending their section here and had brought a cooler of sandwich fixings, some drinks, and a watermelon! It was fantastic, and we hung out in the shade for awhile before heading off to make our campsite and dinner. Excited to sleep in, since we'll be getting into Ridgecrest tomorrow! Day 48: 652.5-653.3 Wheeew what a long and challenging day of hiking we had!! Exhausting just to think about it haha. We slept in and got to the road around 8:30, and managed to snag a hitch in less than ten minutes. She dropped us off at Kristy's, the local diner, and gave us some good restaurant recommendations. After a heart breakfast, we headed over to our hotel around 10:30, where the really kind hotel manager let us check in absurdly early. Good thing too, since it is HOT down here in the valley. While it's been high 80's on the trail, it got up to 95 in Ridgecrest. We hunkered down in our hotel with the AC on and vegged out on the beds, only venturing out quickly for lunch at Subway. We also enjoyed some fantastic showers and laundry. I pre-washed my socks, and it took many fills of the sink before the water wasn't a dark brown. Once the sun went down we went out again for dinner at this fantastic Thai place. I ordered lots so I'd have some leftovers for tomorrow. Afterwards, I stopped at the Strater Bros supermarket for a resupply, then back to our hotel. We'll be spending on more night here before heading out on Sunday. Day 49: Zero day!! My second zero on trail!!! Not much to say about today since I spent pretty much the whole day on the hotel bed, either on my phone or watching TV. I ate leftovers for lunch, so I didn't even need to leave the hotel! After dark, I went over to a Mexican restaurant a few blocks away and had a fantastic enchilada before taking a circuitous route back to the hotel. Ridgecrest is a lot larger than I thought it was, with a few nice parks, a museum about the local petroglyphs, multiple supermarkets, and lots of fast food. It's a shame it was so blisteringly hot out or I might have explored a little more. On the way home, I was befriended by two local dogs who were very friendly but followed me all the way back to the hotel. Once back, we put on our face masks, watched some more Below Deck on TV, and headed to bed. Overall, a very successful zero day!

I'm writing this from my hotel room in Tehachapi, where I've been lying down for the last four hours or so. Day 35: miles 454-465.6 Ended up not having to worry at all about the heat, since we woke up to a heavy fog covering the Oasis. We still set off pretty early, and only went 10 miles, arriving to camp by around noon, where we had a leisurely lunch and relaxed. Chef wanted to do some more miles and hiked on a bit, but Cheers, Shade, and I were content with the short day. I caught up on my journaling and watercolors and then lay down for a while before dinner. There was a forecast for heavy winds and some rain in the night, so I made sure my tent was all kitted out for the weather. Day 36: miles 465.6-488.2 Today started with some ups and downs as we walked along Elizabeth Canyon and the edge of the Sierra Pelonas, followed the ridge for several miles. We had great views of Boquet Reservoir and later in the day, Lake Hughes. Had lunch near the Green Valley Fire Station where I filled up on water, before continuing uphill. The latter half of the day was nice rolling downhill as I followed the canyon down to Hiatt Canyon and the road. There, a gentle river curved through the sand, and I soaked my feet for a good thirty minutes before starting uphill to camp. Shade and Cheers were a ways ahead of me and had already set up by the time I rolled in, with Chef camping a few campsites ahead. Tonight was supposed to be another very windy night, so I used every tent stake I had to prepare my tent. Though I love my Durston deeply, it's quite large and the sides can act like sails in the wind, pulling up stakes and then collapsing. Though it wobbled a bit at first and took a few tries to get up, it seemed solid enough for the night! Day 37: miles 488.2-503 Hot day today, but not too much uphill. We were hiking through burn zones for most of the day, which as best as I can find were from the Lake Fire in 2020. This resulted in lots of poodle-dog bush, an early succession plant that gives horrible rashes and burns if you touch it. It was also very exposed and hot, with occasional breaks as I rounded a corner into an oak grove. Near the end of the day, I passed the 500 mile marker, which felt very surreal! It definitely doesn't feel like my body has done 500 miles yet. I'm excited to see my dad tomorrow - he'll be meeting me at mile 510! Because of that, I didn't want to go too much further today, so I stopped a little early, and Shade hiked on further while Cheers stayed back with me. We camped at Bear Campground, an old abandoned campsite that still had some nice picnic tables. It was going to be very windy again and we were lucky to get a good protected spot in a grove of trees. Day 38: miles 503-510.9 Met up with my dad this morning! I got to our meeting spot around 9:40 and he arrived at 10:30, bearing two coolers full of goodies, including a big case of raspberries and blueberries, and a carton of lemonade! We hung out for a while, going through my pictures, then did a little day hike up to the top of the ridge to see the views over the Mojave. Coming back down by 5ish, he then drove me to dinner at a great Mexican place along Hwy 5. We came back around 6, and went only a mile or so further. However, the campsite that I'd checked out in the morning was now absolutely crammed full of people, and we were lucky to find a spot down close by the road. Luckily the wind was dying down and after a few hours it became a calm night. Day 39: miles 510.9-522.1 My dad and I had a lovely sleep-in, leaving around 9. The trail came down into Antelope Valley, winding around the canyons before dropping us at the desert floor. We were only planning to do six miles or so, but our stopping place was close to Hikertown, a strange assemblage of buildings for hikers to hang out in. It's a popular place for people to spend the day before night hiking the LA Aqueduct. I wasn't planning on spending much time there, but we had a lovely lunch in the shade. Dad said he was up for a couple more miles, so we set out again. This section of the trail follows the LA Aqueduct for over 20 miles, through the Mojave with its many Joshua trees, up into the Manzana Wind Farm, and into the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains. Dad and I did the first two miles of the Aqueduct together, and then set up camp next to a grove of Joshua trees, where we enjoyed the shade and had dinner. We walked up the trail a bit to see the big solar fields the trail passes, then came back and went to bed. Day 40: miles 522.1-549.7 My biggest day yet! I said goodbye to dad at 6am and set out, following the Aqueduct for many miles as I listened to a podcast - the view was gorgeous but it didn't change for a solid 12 miles or so. Around 10, I ran into another couple, John and Pirouette, and we walked together for about ten miles, enjoying lunch under the shade of a juniper tree and sharing some good trail stories. The trail climbed past massive wind turbines and up into the Tehachapi Mountains, where the two camped near a river. I headed onward, carrying a heavy six liters up, as water would be scarce from here on out. The trail trudged up and up, and I slowly hiked on under the hot hot sun, enjoying the views of the San Gabriel Mountains and the myriad of wildflowers along the trail. The podcast and music buoyed me forward, and I kept hiking until 6:30, when I came to the top of the climb and found a lovely camp next to some Coulter pines, overlooking the bright city lights of Mojave. I had gone almost 28 miles, in order to get up from the desert floor, catch up to my trail friends, and to get farther into a long water carry. I was feeling shockingly good - my feet hurt and my legs were sore, but I thought I'd be in worse shape than I was. I enjoyed a quick dinner, had the service to call family, and went to bed. It was lots of fun to hike and camp alone - it had been several weeks - but I also missed the comraderie of my trail friends. They had gotten to Tehachapi earlier in the day, and were luckily staying there one more day so I could easily catch up. Day 41: miles 549.7-558.5 I woke up nice and early today, excited for the 8.8 miles into town. It was mostly downhill, and once over the next hill I could see the sprawling Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm. The trail went right by it, and I rested in the shade of a massive wind turbine for a couple minutes before continuing on. I got to the road into Tehachapi by 9:15, and got a hitch within ten minutes. Tito was a nice local who worked with the labor union out on the solar farms. He warned me about the snakes in the area, saying he and his coworkers all wore thigh-high chaps to prevent bites, since the snakes loved to curl up in the shade of the solar panels. He dropped me right in front of Kelcy's Cafe, where I had a fantastic brunch. I then headed over to relax in a park as Shade and Cheers finished their resupply and headed to meet me at their hotel. Once in, I did my laundry and shower and got to relax a bit before heading over to the Walmart for a resupply. After a very overwhelming resupply, we went back to the hotel and said goodbye to Chef, who was heading out later that day while the rest of us waited until tomorrow. I checked out the hotel pool and hot tub and enjoyed both immensely for an hour or so before taking another shower and heading to dinner at the local BBQ house with Shade and Cheers. Afterwards, I took a nice meandering path back to the hotel, checking out the local park, a live music event, the various murals, the local theater, and the train depot station. I've really enjoyed Tehachapi - it's a little town with a lot of spirit and a neat history around mining, railroad development, and cement production for the Aqueduct. We'll be heading back to the trail later today, for a very hot and dry section. I expect we'll start doing some night hiking to escape the midday heat and conserve water. Sooner than we think though, we'll be hitting the Sierra and the massive amounts of snow up there!

Made it to Agua Dulce early this morning and got some amazing time to relax. We're headed out early tomorrow morning to avoid the worst of the heat - we're about to enter the Mojave, and though we've been told it's mild for this time of year, the heat is still oppressive at midday. We've officially exited the snow - until we reach the Sierra in about 300 miles! Day 29: miles 369-374 We had a short day of 5 miles coming out of Wrightwood - a bit of a hill and quite a bit of snow, but otherwise pretty easy miles. We got there early and all hung out for a while. It's a big group of us tonight, since we joined with another group of Biscuits, Boombox, Garden Gnome, Tiffany, and Abby. Boombox and Abby will be summitting Mt Baden Powell starting at 3:30 the next morning, while the snow is still hard, and the rest of us will continue on for the road walk. So we're all cowboy camping at the base of the mountain, right next to the closed Hwy 2. It was a gorgeous sunset for sure! Day 30: miles 374-393(ish) The day of the road walk! The road walk is about equal in distance to the actual PCT, but is much less elevation and very little snow. Definitely hard on the feet though. We slept in a bit and started off, then got to the side trail where Boombox and Abby would be coming down the mountain. Though they started about 5 hours before us and were doing more or less the same mileage, we waited about 3 hours for them to come down. The uphill was straight up, and the downhill was apparently incredibly sketchy and tedious. Very glad I did the road walk, especially since I don't have microspikes and an ice axe like they did. Once they came down, they definitely weren't moving again any time soon, so Chef, Cheers, Shade, Garden Gnome, and I continued on. The road walk was a little tedious, and hurt the bottom of the feet, but oh my god was it gorgeous. Amazing views of the San Gabriel mountains on one side and the sprawling Mojave on the other. There was a ton of snow built up on the sides of the road, and we got very surprised by a plow thundering past us on the road. They're clearly working to open the road soon, but between the snow and copious rockslides, they've got their work cut out for them. After Islip Saddle, the road opened up again, but the only cars we saw were the occasional fancy cars out for a scenic, fast drive. We rejoined the trail for a mile or so and then got off immediately for an alternate for the endangered yellow-legged frog. On that alternate was the Buckhorn Campground, an established campsite beneath pines and cedars, with a rushing river flowing below. Probably my favorite campsite yet, it was so lovely and peaceful. Glad to have gotten the road walk done in one day! Day 31: miles 393-411.7 Back on the trail today - it felt very good to leave the pavement behind! A really gorgeous section in the morning along "Pleasant View Wilderness", with two fairly technical river crossings before an intense uphill that had me gasping. We emerged at the top of Cloudburst Summit, which is such a good name, and then had a nice leisurely downhill to the 400 mile marker. Ever since the road walk the day before, we'd been walking through the aftermath of the Station Fire, which really devastated the area. It was very exposed and dusty, and lots of poodle-dog bush - a shrub that gives horrible burning sensations for 24+ hours if you touch it. But between all the burnt trees and scary poodles, there were also a great deal of wildflowers and small shrubs just starting to grow. We ended the day with a rough uphill and heavy water carry, but got to the top of the hill and enjoyed the great views and ideal camping spot. Shade and Cheers cowboy camped and were planning to enjoy a sure-to-be amazing sunrise! Day 32: miles 411.7-436.1 Huge day today!! A perfect cruiser downhill in the morning as we wound down the mountain, doing over six miles in just under two hours, arriving at the Mill Creek Fire Station around 9, where we filled up water, used the privy, and chilled a bit. Speaking of privies, the last few days have been so cushy with the highway rest stops and established campsites - I haven't dug a cathole in over five days!! We then had an intense uphill overlooking the Angeles Crest Highway. A bit of downhill where we had lunch at a stream, and then more up, up, up. I kept thinking we had to be done with it before rounding a corner and finding that the trail had uncovered yet more uphill for me. At lunch, we had talked about a specific campsite, but when I arrived, no one else was waiting. Luckily I had service and Chef let me know that they had continued on to a ranger station 5.7 miles ahead. Ugh!! I was definitely ready to stop for the day but wanted to camp with the group, so I wearily pushed on. It was a really pretty section but some intense downhill that was rough on my tired feet and knees. When I arrived, I plopped down and took a nice, long break, feeling much better after I rested a bit. The caretaker of the station came round with Coca Cola and a Rice Krispie, which was much appreciated! There was fantastic service too and I got to post the previous blog post and call home. Day 33: miles 436.1-453.3 In contrast to yesterday, today was pretty slow and chill. We started off with a trudging uphill before heading down into the Soledad Canyon. What a pretty section - we were out of the burn area now and were greeted by gorgeous flowering thick-leaved Yerba Santa and sandy white trails. It was 8 miles down to the Acton RV park, where we took a great siesta with ice cream and cold drinks, waiting out the worst of the heat. I took advantage of the swimming pool and found the leak in my sleeping pad! Then we set out again and tackled a big hill, which was equal parts torturous and gorgeous. We finally got down to lush riparian area right under the roaring I-14, where we rested and filtered water at the underpass. Then we headed into Vasquez Rocks, with these fantastical red, striated rocks jutting out of the landscape. It's where a lot of films have been shot, like Blazing Saddles, Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and a bunch of cowboy films. As we passed through, this random guy Tim was smoking in a cave and was eager to let us know that there was a perfect camping spot at the top of this ridge. He said he was a volunteer with the park and that was where PCT hikers always went. We happily carried on, finding the ridge and setting up our tents. There, we relaxed for a couple hours and were about to start dinner when an actual ranger came up to inform us that we were definitely not allowed to camp in this area. When we apologized and explained that Tim told us differently, she immediately knew who we were talking about and said he hangs around but isn't an actual volunteer with the park at all. Feeling thoroughly bamboozled, we hiked down to the parking lot and had dinner at the picnic tables there. We couldn't find any no camping signs on the notice boards or on their website, so we decided to cowboy camp at the edge of the parking lot next to a picnic area. It was genuinely really gorgeous and we got to see the sunset over the rocks, so I wasn't too disappointed even though we didn't get the cushy ridge campsite. Day 34: miles 453.3-454.7 Only about a mile and a half to town! We woke up to the sunrise and set out early, hoping to make it to one of the only restaurants as it opened at 7. The town of Agua Dulce is very tiny, but has more than I expected. There's three restaurants, two owned by the same family, a liquor store that has a bit of food, and a hardware store with fuel cans. And most importantly, it has Serenity's Oasis, a hiker hub with shade, hammocks, resupply, showers, and laundry. We had a fantastic breakfast and headed over to the Oasis, where we set up our tents and sprawled out on the lawn chairs. I had a great epsom salt soak and one of the best showers of the trail so far. We headed back to the main road for lunch, then relaxed on the hammocks for several hours, doing laundry and resupply, then went back once more for dinner. It was a Friday night and it felt like the whole town had congregated in the restaurant - there was live music too, and the musician seemed to know everyone there. I had an absolutely fantastic plate of fettuccine alfredo. We headed back to the Oasis and settled in for the night. We're hoping to leave early to escape the heat, since we've got a decent hill to climb tomorrow. I'm really excited to see my dad in a couple days, do the LA Aqueduct, and see the Mojave! I'll likely check in again in Tehachapi. It's really crazy to think that I've hiked more than 450 miles - it really doesn't feel like it! It's amazing how far you go when you just start walking and don't stop! I'm impressed with how good my body feels - my feet are often sore, but nothing acute, and my legs have occasional aches but not too bad at all. Here's hoping everything continues to feel okay as it gets hotter and dustier.

I didn't quite finish this in time to post while I had service in Wrightwood, but it's four days later and I finally have some decent service in camp so here it is! I'll plan to update again when I get to Agua Dulce in two days :) I'm currently relaxing in a hotel bed in Wrightwood, and looking forward to a few more hours in town before heading back into the San Gabriel mountains. After much deliberation we've decided it's not safe to try and summit Mt Baden Powell without our ice axes, which we've all sent on to the Sierra. So we'll take an alternate and hike on a closed highway instead, bypassing a couple miles of steep, sketchy snow fields. Day 22: miles 266-275 Had a wonderfully lazy morning in Big Bear before heading out to the trail around 10:30. Took another shower, didn't manage to find the leak in my sleeping pad, and had leftover Indian food for breakfast. Once on trail, we had a very cruisey 10 miles to Caribou Ck tentsite, where a bunch of hikers had stopped for lunch. We hung out, they moved on, and we were joined by another gaggle of hikers planning to spend the night there. We had a lovely conversation and shared some trail stories, before saying goodnight at the late late time of around 7:30. Another group of hikers had arrived by then and started a guitar and singing session, which while lovely for them, was not really the best vibe for trying to sleep. But luckily I had my earplugs, and was able to go to bed without too much trouble. Day 23: miles 265-293.8 We woke up early and headed out before most of the camp, hoping to get ahead of the big bubble that day. The miles were gorgeous, but I had just gotten my period so I wasn't feeling that great. I put on my headphones and listening to upbeat music definitely helped. Chef and I had lunch with Biscuits, Boombox, and Shade, and I felt much better after a break. Later in the day, we criss-crossed Holcomb Creek a couple times, where we got three waist to thigh ice-cold river crossings. Luckily it dried pretty fast in the sun, and we carried on. We found the first spot we were all planning to camp at, but remembering the party crew behind us, we decided to carry on a little further to a smaller campsite. Boombox and Biscuits were behind us by a couple miles and ended up camping after the first river crossing, hoping to do the others in the morning when the water level was lower. At camp, Lookout and Waddles caught up to us and we all took a much needed dip in the creek. Though it was icy cold, it felt really good on our tired feet. Day 24: miles 293.8-310 Some very beautiful hiking today! It was a lot of hot ridge walking, way up above Deep Creek. We passed mile marker 300 in the morning, and had lunch where the trail finally came down to join the creek. Lots of beautiful wildflowers and poison oak all around us. We hustled on to get to Deep Creek Hot Springs, which we were told was quite the scene. And indeed it was - lots of clothing-optional locals, a bunch of hikers who had been there for multiple days, and many, many substances to partake in. We relaxed in a hot spring for about an hour before moving on, which I think was probably the best possible way to experience that particular landmark haha. We hiked a couple more miles and found a small tenting area under a bridge, and with the minimal space, Chef and Shade cowboy camped while I finally used the stargazer-mode on my tent, ie pitching it without the fly. The full moon was incredibly bright that night, and it wasn't the most restful night I've ever had, but I can only imagine what it would have been like back at the hot springs! Day 25: mile 310-329 In the morning, we had an absolutely gorgeous first couple of miles way up on a ridge above Deep Creek, with a view of the San Gabriel mountains in front of us. We then descended down to the creek again and crossed it - this time it was deep and wide, coming up to my hip belt in places. We continued on in a more riparian environment for a few miles - lots of willows and even some sycamores. Then we exited the valley and had some more good views of the mountains, this time with lots of tree poppies and ceanothus. We then rounded the corner and saw Silverwood Lake - a gorgeous, bright blue lake in a more urban area. It was an interesting juxtaposition to have the beautiful views with copious amounts of trash and big dirt roads. We were cruising that morning, and had done over 13 miles before noon, so we relaxed for a bit at the picnic tables along the lake. Camping that night looked like it would be problematic though - there was a black bear roaming the lake that had gotten into almost every hiker's food that camped in the vicinity. It would be a long, long day if we wanted to exit its territory. Luckily, there was a small, hiker-friendly inn nearby that offered shuttles to hikers, and they were willing to pick us up and bring us over. So we made it to the highway and got a ride to the Joshua Inn. It should be noted that the Joshua Inn is not actually an inn, but they had great deli sandwiches and let hikers camp for $5. The only problem was it was extremely windy and they had hard packed sand, with no rocks or anchor points. Me and seven others chose to forgo the tents and sleep on their outdoor music stage. It was quite cramped, with security lights on and a lantern banging in the wind the whole night, but I was in the corner and was once again very grateful for my earplugs. Day 26: miles 329-347.2 Into Cajon Pass today! The trail crosses under the I-15, and there's a McDonalds and Subway just a quarter mile off trail there. It was 13 miles from where we got back on trail, and we were eager to hit it in time for lunch. We pushed hard and made it by 12:15, coming down off the ridge line with expansive views of deep canyons that looked like someone had piled up wet sand. Approaching the I-15, I was once again struck by the combination of gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and the very urban setting of semi trucks and power lines. Even in crowded, urban sections of the trail, there's still so much beauty to be had. Then they hiked out with us for a couple miles before we said our goodbyes. We carried on a little further, camping at a water cache in Swarthout canyon. Day 27: 347.2-364.4 Lots and lots of elevation today as we hiked from high desert up to snow again in the San Gabriel mountains. It was super foggy when we started, and I kept my jacket on most of the day. I could barely see Shade hiking in front of me, let alone the views of the valley below us. Around noon, we finally hiked up above the clouds and got to see Mt Baldy so much closer - we were making solid progress! We hiked out of the manzanita shrubs and into the pine and fir forests, and through several large burn areas. We took a long lay-down on the side of the trail before pushing ourselves up to finish the last five miles. Those five miles were covered in snow, with some pretty sketchy downhill sections. The boottrack was made by someone with a much longer stride than me, and I pulled something in my leg trying to lower myself down to them before deciding to glissade the rest of the way. We finally arrived at the campsite we'd chosen, to find that most of the protected spots were covered in snow, and it was going to be an extremely windy night. Luckily, Chef found a spot tucked into some trees and we crammed ourselves in. It was a very cold night but though we heard the wind howling the whole time, we barely felt it. Day 28: miles 364.4-369 Town day!! I woke up early and packed up, excited for the short five miles into Wrightwood that morning. We hustled our butts off, flying over the snow, and made it to the highway just past 9, almost immediately getting a ride from a local named Jason. He gave us a driving tour of the town, then dropped us at the hardware store - the hiker hub in town. We dropped our packs off, got our devices charging, and signed their logbook. Then we checked out the supermarket and met up with Biscuits and Boombox, who had finally caught up. We did our laundry and hung out in the rec room of our hotel while waiting to check in, watching "Redneck Rehab" on the TV, which offered a fascinating look into midwestern redneck life. I called my family to say hi, then headed over to the supermarket to resupply. So far I've been carrying way too much food, so I decided to try a different approach and take less. Then went back to the hotel to take a glorious hot shower. For dinner, we headed over to Biscuit and Boombox's cabin and had a great homemade dinner there. Except I was craving Mexican food so I brought my own burrito over lol, which was wayyyy bigger than it had any right to be. We watched Lord of the Rings and had some great conversation while planning how to approach Mt Baden Powell. Half of the group will be summitting, as they have microspikes and ice axes, and the rest of us will be doing the road walk. We stayed late and headed back to our hotel, turning in for a fantastic night of sleep. I'm excited to do this last section of snow before facing the Mojave desert, where I'm sure I'll be craving snow soon enough. I'm also excited to see my dad just past Agua Dulce - I'll probably get split off from the group for a couple days but it'll be nice to be on my own for a bit before catching up to them again. I'm really enjoying myself hiking - the time is definitely passing very strangely! Each individual day feels long as you track the miles, look forward to lunch and camping, and watch how much the landscape changes with each hour. But at the same time, the days blur by - I'll refer to a campsite from 'yesterday', only to realize it was a week and a half ago. Being with a group definitely makes time pass faster I think - there's always a lot to talk about (though we somehow always circle back to our various pooping escapades) and it's fun to hike with people for a mile or two and then split off and hike alone until lunch, where we rejoin for an hour or so before splitting again until our chosen campsite. It's a good rhythm for me - it's nice to balance being social and enjoying the time by myself. Overall, I'm having a blast!

Got to Big Bear Lake yesterday morning, and aiming to head back to the trail in a couple hours! Day 18: miles 207-226 Did a big day today! We woke up early to do some good miles before the heat set in, and got to the I-10 overpass around 8, before heading into the wind farms and the San Gorgonio mountains. The sun was relentless, and I used some precious water just to soak my head. After more climbing, we got to Whitewater Creek, the first water in a while, and next to Whitewater Preserve - a Wildlands Conservancy preserve that was a fantastic oasis from the heat. We were expecting a couple spots of shade and maybe a table, but got gorgeous trees, a wading pool, outlets, a spigot, flush toilets, and plenty of tourists with too much food. After enjoying a siesta and snacking on grapes and carrots, we continued on. We wanted to make it to the beginning of Mission Creek that night - a notorious section where the trail has been completely washed away from Hurricane Hillary. After more elevation and hot sun, we got there around 6:30, in time to set up tents and make dinner before heading to bed. Day 19: 226-246.5 (skipping 236-245, 2 miles off-PCT) Today we conquered Mission Creek! I'd been hearing horrible tales of this section since before I even left for Campo, and had been dreading some rough miles. It wasn't nearly as bad as I feared but this might have been the hardest day on trail yet. The day started with about ten miles of Mission Creek. The whole canyon had been decimated by storms and the trail didn't exist anymore. It was just following the river up and up, hiking either on large rocks or sandy floodplains. The kind of hiking where you need to pay attention to every step - I had a couple near-misses for twisted ankles. The creek zigzagged across the canyon, forcing us to cross it 64 times by my count. Near the end, I almost welcomed each crossing because it washed away the build up of sand in the bottom of my shoes. For the first time this hike, I put my earphones in and blasted some music, which did wonders for the speed of my trudging. Cheers, Chef, and I had lunch in some of the first shade we had all morning, before joining the now-present trail and exiting the canyon, switchbacking up to a ridge line. At mile 236, there was an alternate that took the ridge line straight up - climbing about 2,000 ft in 2 miles. This would allow us to skip 10 miles of treacherous hiking, where the storm hit the worst - requiring scaling some rock walls and major blowdowns. We took the ridge, climbing it in about an hour and a half, panting and groaning the whole time. Luckily, enough people had been on it by then that there was a rudimentary trail, but it was still really rough. We were incredibly happy to meet the trail on the other side, knowing we had only 1.5 miles til the next tent site. Little did we know it was 1.5 miles of post-holing in calf-deep, slushy snow. The perfect ending to the day haha. We finally staggered into camp, having done 14 miles that felt like over 20. But I had a fantastic dinner, good views of the sunset, and a great night's sleep. Day 20: miles 246.5-259.4 A much easier day today! Some snow in the morning that felt good to breeze across, and a couple climbs as we summitted Onyx Peak. We had a peaceful lunch next to Deer Springs River, where we ran into Lookout and Waddles, who had caught up after taking one more zero in Idyllwild. It was great to see them again, though they couldn't linger since they were planning to go all the way to Big Bear today, while we were camping about 7 miles before. We took our time and had a couple more nice breaks before breezing into camp around 2. It was a great short day, and Cheers, Chef, and I relaxed in the sun. I got to catch up on my journaling and water coloring, and lament how much food I still had left. We had dinner and said our good nights around 7:30, and I went straight to bed. Day 21: miles 259.4-266 Town day!!! I slept in, as my tent was in the shade, and woke up to Chef's excited yell. It's fun waking up knowing that a shower is imminent! We had seven miles until Hwy 18 and cruised down to the road, getting there by 9:15 and immediately catching a ride with Gary, a local ATV enthusiast who told us about the history of Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake as we drove into town. He dropped us off at his favorite brunch place in town, and we enjoyed a massive breakfast before heading to the hostel we'd booked for the night. We walked over and set our stuff down before jumping into the shower, which felt absolutely fantastic! We then signed up for a laundry spot and headed over to the supermarkets on the other side of town. I really didn't need much food and of course bought more than I needed, but it's hard having so many options available! We met up with Slim, Shade, Biscuits, and Boombox on the bus back to the hostel and made plans for dinner that night. Once back at the hostel, we did our laundry, I made some phone calls home, and got to soak my feet in the hot tub, then got to lie down and chill on my phone for a bit. Around 7, we headed over to this amazing Indian restaurant and enjoyed some fantastic town food. Tomorrow we're planning to head back to the trial in the late morning. Towns are tons of fun but I'm eager to get back on the trail!

Just had a fantastic lunch at Paradise Valley Cafe and have both time and charge to post this before heading towards San Jacinto later today. It looks like the snow is rapidly melting, and the comments on Apache Peak have gone from "dear god why did I do this" to "I would take my elderly mother here", so I'm feeling confident that I can go over it. But if not, there's a side trail that I can bail out from. Day 7: miles 77-80 Did a short day today coming from Julian. Relaxed at Stagecoach until around noon and then got a hitch back to the trail. It's fascinating how much the landscape has changed - this is truly the land of the cacti now!! They're all over, and so many different species! It's been a lot of fun identifying everything. Camped behind a juniper tree and had some lovely wind protection. Day 8: miles 80-96 Pretty long day but my blisters are definitely limiting me - the last five miles or so are more of a hobble now. I'm seeing my mom in Warner Springs, at mile 110, and am probably going to trade out my shoes. Some really fantastic views today as we go around each canyon. I was gearing for a specific site but it was taken when I got there. Luckily for me, I was super protected from the wind, and the next day the guy said he had terrible wind. Also saw a garter snake today! No rattlers yet though. Day 9: miles 96-109.5 Into Warner Springs today! I laced my shoes differently today and it was great for about five miles and then new blisters started forming :( can't have it all I guess. I got to mile 100 today!! I also got to see the eclipse today though - someone gave me eclipse glasses and it was so cool! Also got to go through the Warner Springs meadows, which was a big change from the desert landscapes of earlier. Also passed by Eagle Rock, which is a gorgeous rock formation that has a lot of significance to the local Kupa and Pala tribes. Most importantly, my mom met me on the trail today!! She brought me fresh watermelon and drove me to dinner and ice cream :D then camped with me for the night. It's been so lovely to see her! Day 10: miles 109.5-122.7 Mom hiked with me for about six miles this morning, to Agua Caliente Creek, which was very lovely. Right after parting, the trail went majorly uphill, gaining 1800ft in six miles. There was almost no shade, and just pure sun the whole way. I was very happy to have a lot of water on me. My blisters are feeling way, way better, but my new shoes have no drop in the heel, which is quite rough on the Achilles tendon when going uphill. So my feet are feeling rough in new fun and interesting ways. Tomorrow looks a little better though! I camped with CJ and Beacon, this lovely couple from Curaçao (originally from Amsterdam). We had some great conversation and took an early night. Day 11: miles 122.7-140.2 Big day today! I started out early in the morning and ran into Paddles and Jess, who are coming from Australia. We hiked the rest of the day together which was fabulous. We had a similar pace and it was great to talk! We also got some great views of San Jacinto, which is quickly approaching. Today also included an 11ish mile water carry, so we had a nice rest at the spring before loading up for the next 10 miles. Day 12: miles 140.2-151.8 Came down from the hills today, after some more grueling climbs. I hiked with Paddles and Jess again for 8 or so miles. I've mostly been hiking alone, and it's been really refreshing to hike with other folks who have a similar pace and schedule with breaks and everything. Finally, we got to the highway, where my mom met me one last time and drove us to Paradise Valley Cafe. PVC is a huge hangout for hikers, and we had a massive lunch there before hanging out and charging devices. Paddles and Jess are heading into Palm Springs for the next couple days - I really hope to see them again farther down the trail! I met another hiker who has a similar plan as me, so we're camping at the cafe tonight and hope to summit Apache Peak the day after tomorrow. Or else bail and take Spitler Trail down into Idylwilld. It would be really fun to do as much of the San Jacinto peaks as possible though! If I can get over Apache, then I'll take the alternate up to the top of San Jacinto. But either way I'll be skipping Fuller Ridge - there's no tracks up there yet and I think it'll be too dangerous, even with my microspikes and ice axe. I'll take two alternate trails to get around the Ridge. Regardless what happens, I'm very excited! The most important thing is to be safe though, so I won't be submitting if it looks too treacherous. I'll plan to post again in Idylwilld in just a couple more days!