Today’s Miles: 20
Total Miles: 972
I wake up with my sleeping bag cinched over my head. The temperature was cool last night and a good reminder that we are high in the Sierras. My estimate is that the low last night was somewhere in the mid-to-high 30s.
The morning is unbelievably beautiful as the trail works its way through mountainous shelves of granite. The granite gives off a yellow, almost bleached color. Some blocks of the granite rise gradually and circular, almost like a shell. Others are jagged mountains. I walk by 2 or 3 Alpine Lakes, stopping to take a dip into Dorothy Lake.
Around 10 am, I pass by a marker that reads entering into Yosemite National Park. I’m at the far north end of the park and will spend the next few days working my way to the south end, where I will hike Donohue Pass into the Ansel Adam’s Wilderness. I did the John Muir Trail last summer with my friend Kevin, and some of the JMT and PCT intersect in this section. It’ll be fun to retrace some old steps while also getting to see where and how the trails differ.
I link up with Mousetrap around lunch and we dip into the river that is running parallel to the trail. Soon, another hiker turns the corner and Mousetrap greets him. His name is CatManDu and after I introduce myself, he tells me I can call him Cat for short. He reminds me a little of Max Heap, as he is in his mid-50s and has silver/white hair that is kept at bay with a bandana. And also giant quads and calves.
Mousetrap, Cat, and I hike the next 6 miles or so together to a campsite. On the way there, I’m out in front when I see a flash of brown about 15 yards away. My first thought is that is the largest marmot I have ever seen. But it’s not a marmot, rather a bear cub. I stop and study it quietly, it’s brown fur light as cinnamon in the fading sun of the Sierra. Cat and Mousetrap soon join me and the bear looks at the three of us quizzically, nervous when we move forward but not running away. I make some noise before moving forward for good in case Mom is around. The bear scurries away and there is no sign of Mom. It’s a great sighting and truly a beautiful cub.
When we arrive at camp, on the other side of a creek, I see Juicy who I haven’t seen since up north in WA. I have been following her blog, as well as texting her a bit, so it’s great to see her. As we are all eating dinner, everyone shares stories about how they got to Sonora Pass. One popular one is a group of 10 SOBO hikers rented a U-Haul and hikers rode in the back of it. The people who did this say they had stop every 30 minutes to get air. Well, you can’t question these hikers dedication…
