Mammoth to ~Tuolumne Meadows.

Days 45 – 47.

Miles 904 – 955.

From Mammoth, the trail continues through the Sierra Nevada Range. Gradually, the high passes become lower in elevation, and the sharp peaks give way to rounded rock domes. It is here that the PCT enters Yosemite National Park.

Day 45

Day 45 was a semi-unplanned “nero” or nearly-zero day. I’d taken a full zero (day off) yesterday, and a short day the day before. But since I’m more than on track to finish the trail in my intended time frame, I felt no guilt spending an extra lazy morning in town.

I spent the morning relaxing at my Airbnb in Mammoth. Check out wasn’t until 11 am, and I used the extra time to enjoy more French Toast, order new shoes online, and make some phone calls.

After that, I headed over to the post office – I’d decided to mail my ice ax home. My ice ax was a valuable tool on Mt. Whitney and three high passes: Forester, Glen, and Mather. But since Mather Pass, I hadn’t found my ax quite as necessary. And furthermore, all the remaining passes are significantly lower in elevation – meaning there’d likely be less snow left on them. So I chose to ditch the heavy ax rather than continue lugging it along. I hope I made the right decision.

Conveniently, the Mammoth Post Office stocked priority boxes the perfect dimensions for shipping an ice ax. I suspect I’m not the first hiker to send their ax home from this location.

Next, I headed to a coffee shop and spent a few hours writing. I’d gotten way behind with this blog during the haul from Independence to Mammoth. That section of the trail was incredible and challenging – and I mainly focused on taking it all in and tackling the many daily obstacles like high passes and fords. While it was an overall great experience, it didn’t leave much time for writing while on the trail.

Once I completed my writing, I walked a mile or so from the coffee shop to the trolley stop. I took the 3 pm trolley back to the Horseshoe Lake Trailhead, where I’d caught the trolley to Mammoth two days earlier. At the trailhead, I ran into several thru-hikers that I’d passed during the previous week or so. All of them were headed into Mammoth and excited for town. It was great to see some familiar faces!

I headed up the trail completely alone – something I haven’t been in quite a while. Just this morning, Swish, whom I’ve hiked with for the last 600+ miles, got off the trail temporarily to attend a wedding on the East Coast. As I continue on into the remainder of the Sierras solo, I know I’m going to miss going over snowy passes, glissading, and rock scrambling together with Swish. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion to tackle the High Sierra with.

I slowly made my way up the 3.6-mile side trail to get back to the PCT. Just like after my zero in Tehachapi, my body felt super weird while hiking. It’s almost like my legs forget how to walk after a day off. But I know tomorrow I’ll feel back to normal – perhaps even better than normal, since I’m all fueled up with town food.

As it was already late afternoon by the time I started hiking on the PCT, I only made it about 6 miles. But they were a pleasant 6 miles, with ample views of jagged mountain peaks to the north. I suspect that is where I’m heading in the next few days.

Tonight, I camped completely alone for only the second time on my thru-hike.

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Day 46

This morning, I started hiking later than usual: 8:30 am. In fact, it was my latest start after camping on this trip so far (not including days leaving town). I blame camping alone, with no one else around packing up at camp, I felt absolutely no pressure to get out of my sleeping bag and start moving in a timely fashion.

My first obstacle of the day was crossing the Middle Fork San Joaquin River. This crossing usually has a bridge for hikers. But right now it’s washed out and unusable. Fortunately, I found a large log spanning the river not far upstream. I walked across the log and avoided what could have been a very challenging ford.

Right after the river crossing, I ran into a group of thru-hikers all loosely traveling together (called a “trail family”). They had taken a side trail reroute to get around the section of the PCT with the washed-out bridge. Apparently, I’d missed this closure and accidentally skipped the reroute. Oops.

After that, I started the long, gradual climb up towards Island and Donahue Passes. I walked and briefly chatted with other thru-hikers I met along the way, including SnakeEyes, Stag, Isabella, and Cherry – all of whom I met today. I’m constantly amazed by how many people are out here doing the PCT! I’m rarely alone unless I want to be, and I’ve enjoyed meeting so many people along the way.

As I climbed up into the mountains, I enjoyed seeing many colorful wildflowers. They must just be starting to bloom. Back when I climbed Mt. Whitney and Forester Pass there were almost no wildflowers out yet.

The two passes today were very beautiful, and almost completely free of snow. Instead of snow, the trail was filled with running water. Once again, I found myself walking in wet shoes and socks for most of the afternoon. I don’t miss much about the PCT desert section, but I do miss having dry feet.

After the second pass, I entered Yosemite National Park! I found a little campsite high on a ledge overlooking the valley of the Tuolumne River. I love dry camping (camping away from water) and up high, since it is much less buggy than camping near water in the valley.  I only have a tarp and not a fully enclosed tent – so avoiding buggy campsites is key. Dry campsites also often have some of the best views, in my opinion. However, dry campsites are also less likely to have other hikers. Many folks prefer to camp near water sources and at the campsites marked in the FarOut guide app. So once again, I camped alone.

I made and ate my dinner (a cold-soaked “ramen bomb” with buffalo seasoning and sausage added), set up my tarp, put on my PJs, and did some writing. Even after all of that, the sun was still up, and I found myself becoming a bit bored. I hiked over 23 miles today, but it was a very chill day overall. It made me wish I had another trail hobby, like my travel watercolor paints or an audiobook downloaded. With the solstice approaching, there are almost too many hours in each day.

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Day 47

I slept poorly. The night brought high winds and a sinus headache. I also accidentally picked a very lumpy spot to pitch my tarp and I struggled to get comfortable on the uneven ground.

For the second morning in a row, I didn’t break camp until after 8 am. I started down the trail feeling like a zombie. That was OK, though. This morning, my only plan was to walk a 10-mile gradual downhill following the Tuolumne River to Tuolumne Meadows.

Tuolumne Meadows is an area in Yosemite National Park. It includes various trails and trailheads and a (closed) campground. And more importantly to thru-hikers, there is a small outpost about a quarter mile off the trail with a restaurant, store, and tiny post office. Many thru-hikers resupply here to break up the stretch between Mammoth and Kennedy Meadows North. I’d shipped a resupply package there.

I enjoyed some cruise-y morning miles on the long downhill. The valley around the Tuolumne River was lovely. At the base of the downhill, I reached the first paved road crossing the PCT since Kennedy Meadows South – almost 250 miles ago!

After a short walk down the paved road, I arrived at the store/grill/post office at Tuolumne Meadows. It was quite cold and windy, and I struggled to unpack my resupply box without any of my items blowing away. I also visited the grill and got 2 hamburgers, a salad, soda, and coffee.

Overall, I spent several hours hanging out at Tuolumne Meadows. Many thru-hikers trickled in and out of the outpost: a few familiar faces but mostly folks I hadn’t met yet. Once my phone was charged and my stomach was full of restaurant food, I headed back to the trail.

My afternoon miles today were also pretty easy and gradual. I walked by a beautiful waterfall before finally diverging from the Tuolumne River and starting uphill. The crumbly, sharp peaks of the more Southern Sierras were replaced with huge granite slabs and domes. Yosemite looks just how I imagined it!

Around 7 pm, I grew hungry and stopped on a little sunny knoll in the pine forest to eat my dinner. Once I finished eating, I was too comfy and tired to keep hiking. So I decided to make camp right there alone, rather than continue on. I’d been aiming for a different campsite two miles further, where I suspect other thru-hikers might be staying. But alas, I chose to camp solo once again. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll put more effort into socializing.

My big win for the day was that I somehow managed to keep my shoes dry. I’ve learned this is a huge flex in the Sierras during runoff season.