The PCT Volume 21: Closest to Home

[Brad Young]

Our 2014 PCT kickoff trip went very well. Sitting here looking back, we seem to have filled the perfect weather window; the series of storms during the week before our trip caused some flash-flooding in the Sonora Pass area and, right now, serious clouds are building even way down the hill for what looks like more of the same.

We've got a long tradition on the PCT of starting completely, exactly where we left off on our last trip. This time we decided to (of course) do the same thing. Here we are in Tuolumne Meadows, near Lembert Dome, right at the gate on the trail to Soda Springs:







This trip included three people. I was mightily disappointed that Katie was still sick and couldn't go (in retrospect it was a good idea for her not to have done this fairly strenuous trip). But our friend Reid, one of the "yellow packs" that we had met on our nine day trip last year, joined us this trip:




As for most California climbers, Tuolumne Meadows is pretty special to me. But I haven't just spent huge numbers of climbing days there; when I was boy, my family vacationed there most summers. I came to know the peaks and domes of the area by heart. So, just like last year, being there again, pursuing a special goal with Tricia, was pretty cool. This shot of her on the way down the Tuolumne River well captures this new PCT adventure, some of the many domes I've climbed on there, plus some of the the better-known Tuolumne Meadows area peaks:




Although we had heavy loads, the trail to Glen Aulin is lightly downhill, and we flew down it:




The first waterfall on the river is as pretty as I remembered (and so is the second one - I still recall my family being at the second waterfall, the one right at Glen Aulin, swimming and playing when I was a boy 45 years ago):




From Glen Aulin, the trail heads up Cold Canyon, through forests and beautiful meadows, toward Virginia Canyon. This part of the trail was all waterless during this very dry year, even in July:










As we do each day on our hikes, we stopped for a "trail milkshake" as an afternoon pick-me-up. These "milkshakes" consist of one half liter of water mixed with powdered whole fat milk and two vanilla Instant Breakfasts. They make a nice energy boost late in the day (Reid started calling them "whales' milk" later in the trip; that name made us laugh):




This enormous boulder looked pretty cool, both as a climbing location and as a place to just hang out:




But we'd planned a fairly long first day and we had a few miles to go yet to water. So we continued on and then into Virginia Canyon (and the creek there, which, curiously, bears the name Return Creek, not Virginia Creek):




We ended that day in a pretty, slabby area of the creek. We had enough daylight left to relax and enjoy the cooler hours:




We made 13.6 good miles on this first day. We had fun and then got to lighten our loads (by eating!). And the next day promised more of the same.

[Brad Young]

Day two started in a leisurely fashion with breakfast, coffee and some sunshine:




We then started three straight days of ups and downs into and out of deep canyons. Although not as severe as some of the passes and valleys in the southern Sierra, these canyons make for a lot of elevation change.

From Virginia Canyon we hiked up to Spiller Canyon. Switchbacks then led to pretty Miller Lake:







As we then continued north we got our first view of the Sawtooth Ridge on the northern edge of Yosemite (just up and left of Tricia):




The guidebook then describes "two dozen" switchbacks down into Matterhorn Canyon. Matterhorn is pretty and pretty remote. Among its beauties is a very large buttress of nice looking granite (I don't know of any name for the buttress and nor do I think it has been climbed). Here's the trail visible on the canyon floor (just higher in the photo than the creek):




Here's a photo of hiking on the floor and one of the buttress:







Having gone down, we then had to go up. Switchbacks and creekside hiking led in a few miles to Benson Pass. Although not particularly high, this pass is high enough to get really good views of most of northern Yosemite. The view to the west shows Volunteer Peak (Volunteer is also not very tall, except in comparison to the surrounding areas, and then it really stands out):










From Benson we headed down (naturally) to Smedberg Lake. I'd been to Smedberg once before, in 1982 with my brother (I was then 21 years old). I was quite pleased to see it again 32 years later. We found a nice camp there and spent the rest of the daylight hours reading, relaxing, eating and planning our next day's hike (to include summiting Volunteer Peak!):

[JC w KC redux]

nice start to the TR. I need arrows and labels on the pictures please - maybe some dotted lines, hatch marks, v's, etc...

you could compliment your perfect tan with some shades there squinty-man

[Brad Young]

It takes too much to label and then post, but I'll try to be more specific using what's in a photo.

And yeah, I guess I am squinting in most of the photos (it was pretty bright and we were pretty high). But no shades for me, I've never liked wearing them while I hike.

Still working on getting the next days photos onto Flickr.

Meanwhile, our next leg (Highway 108 to Highway 4) is in delay mode for a few days due to the return of the high country thunderstorms.

[mungeclimber]

That boulder up above Glen Aulin, I think is called the Satellite boulder. there's a pic of it with no information in one of the supertopo books. I forget which now, but I've hiked up that way and was pleasantly surprised to see that boulder. I seem to recall a rumor that Dave Yerian had done some of the first problems on it.

The last time I was down at Glen Aulin there falls below the bridge to the "Camp" had a water slide feature. There was a fire down canyon and we didn't see the closure signs, so we hopped on down the 100yards or so and swam a bit, and rudely got chased out by CDF.

Some nice photos in there. What did Tricia think of this trip compared to others?  1000 miles is a good point to reflect on the trip.

Forecast was starting to look decent for the weekend. Think you'll pick up again over the weekend?

That big formation you found, how many miles in is it (from the shortest approach?) 

[Brad Young]

That big formation you found, how many miles in is it (from the shortest approach?)

Probably the PCT is the shortest approach (it's a long, long way to it from the north or the west; from the south all the trails move mostly east-west because of the Tuolumne River canyon). By way of the PCT it's about 22 miles (19 if one uses the Pothole Dome cutoff).

(And allow me to describe the 1,000 mile point with photos in an upcoming post   )

[clink]

I still recall my family being at the second waterfall, the one right at Glen Aulin, swimming and playing when I was a boy 45 years ago):

 You will always be, and that is wonderful.

 Tricia, Brad and Reid, what a hike!

[JC w KC redux]

It takes too much to label and then post.

no shades for me.

Can you believe Alexandra called me snarky when we were at Pinns Saturday?

Come to think of it I don't ever recall you in shades - other than driving.

The pics and narrative are great - can't wait for the next installment...

Envious to a fault

[Brad Young]

When I hiked this section of trail (north to south) in 1982, it never occurred to me to walk up Volunteer Peak (or up any other peak for that matter). Yet one of the photos I have from then is of the very steep, very tall, north face of the formation. When I see that shot it makes me wonder why I didn't just sidetrack now and then to a summit.

And Volunteer in particular is a cool peak. While it wouldn't even qualify as a "bump" in the Palisades or the Evolutions, it stands very far above it's surrounding terrain in northern Yosemite. And even though its north side is nearly vertical, its an easy walk up on the south.

So, on our third morning I decided that I would drop my pack about a mile into our hike and go to the top of Volunteer. Reid was totally jazzed at the idea. Tricia didn't apparently get the "I" part of "I" and just assumed that she'd go too.

Here it is from the northwest:




And the views from the summit:







Tricia quickly picked out where we'd slept at Smedberg the night before:




By now, Tricia's done many Sierra summits, and so she's quite comfortable descending talus (and let's face it: all 12 year olds should be absolutely comfortable on talus):




After descending Volunteer, we shouldered our packs and did the bone-crushing 2,100 foot descent down to Piute Creek near Benson Lake. And what a descent! They don't build steep, steep trails like this any more.

Just like she is good on talus, Tricia is also comfortable on fallen log "bridges" (and all twelve year olds should also be good at these too):




Reid does pretty well on features like this too (for an old guy):




A too-warm hump up Seavy Pass followed (that's Volunteer Peak in the next photo, just up and left of me):




In exchange for the heat and the uphill though, the hike up to Seavy included some very nice terrain. This included one feature that the PCT guidebook artfully describes as a "wind free, sparkling pond:"







And then we ended this third day in Kerrick Canyon, camped near the creek, oriented to get the last rays of the setting sun. We were nicely set up again for another day, and another section of a fantastic trail:

[Brad Young]

Oh, and here's one for the Muds:




And not to give too much away, but of all the miles we did on this trip (and even of all the miles we've done on the PCT), the miles closest to home - the 10 miles up to Sonora Pass itself - were some of the most spectacular we've seen. These are coming up on days six and seven...

[mungeclimber]

*like*

[JC w KC redux]

my favorite so far is the one of you and T on top of Volunteer.

[Brad Young]

I always let Tricia sleep in on these trips. I know, I risk having a spoiled brat child by indulging her in this way, but on the other hand, she is putting out huge gobs of energy on these trips, and she's still growing at a fantastic rate too. I'll take the risk:




This day started with the usual packing rituals (everything in its place, everything buttoned down, lunch and water ready):







Today's hike required two big uphills, out of Kerrick Canyon and then into and out of Stubblefield Canyon. This photo shows about where the PCT crosses Kerrick Creek; this crossing was placid for us, but it has a reputation for danger when early-season through-hikers hit it in June of most years:




Like Kerrick, Stubblefield Creek was also placid, but it was also deeper:










The second climb of the day was out of this canyon. It was a hot climb. Here's what it looked like from the other side of the canyon (we climbed up the shallow side-canyon in the center of this photo):




Here's how it looked going up it:




We found a nicely shaded lunch spot with a breeze though:




At the end of this climb, according to the PCT guidebook, the "deep canyons" that had dominated the last 30 miles of hiking were done. We liked this. From the ridge top we quickly reached Tilden Canyon and then Wilma Lake:







We ended the day by starting up Jack Main Canyon (the creek through this canyon doesn't share that name - the creek's named Falls Creek; go figure). Jack Main Canyon is one of the longest north-south canyons in the Sierra (ten plus miles). It's also beautiful and the hiking is easy:




Our camp for the night was perfect. Easy creek access, beauty, near the trail, and good sun exposure. We relaxed and cleaned up before making camp and then dinner:










As we got into our sleeping bags that night, I thought back to the start of this trip; I had particularly looked forward to two sections of trail both of which I'd done many years before. One of these was the last ten miles to Sonora Pass itself. The other was the distance up Jack Main Canyon past Grace Meadow and then to Dorothy Lake. I knew that this latter section, which I remembered as gorgeous and gradual, would make up most of our hike tomorrow.

I also knew that we'd pass PCT trail mile 1,000 late tomorrow. That's only 1,000 out of 2,658 miles, but that's still a long way to hoof it from the Mexican border. I looked forward to "going quadruple digits" with my little 12 year old; 1,000 miles seemed significant to me, and it's taken her more than half her life to get that far. How would she react to this milestone?

[mungeclimber]

I love a good cliff hanger!  do tell! do tell! 

[JC w KC redux]

The green hues of the grass + the shadows and light around the lake are surreal.
The pic of you and T right after that is priceless.

[Brad Young]

Jack Main Canyon is a nice place to wake up. Here's the view downstream from our camp:




We headed upstream and quickly reached the lower end of Grace Meadow:




Reid and Tricia seemed to use every break this trip to soak their feet in the many creeks and lakes we passed:




Dorothy Lake sits near the top of Jack Main Canyon. Dorothy is a half-mile long, beautiful lake in a beautiful location:







Forsyth Peak stands over the lake (Forsyth was an Army officer back when the Army patrolled the park; Dorothy was one of his daughters):




By the time we'd reached Dorothy's northwest shore, we'd already hiked eight miles for the day. So we took a long lunch:










After lunch we did a quick quarter mile up to Dorothy Lake Pass (which is very visible just above the lake in the second Dorothy Lake photo above):




This pass is the north border of Yosemite National Park. The Hoover Wilderness starts on its north side. This point, which I have passed over several times before, is where it hit me hard that, "man we're getting close to home!" We stopped for pictures:







On the other side of the pass are a series of smaller lakes (named for Forsyth's other daughters). The hiking past here is very pretty:




But we had another purpose by now. Yes, the lakes here are pretty. And yes, the hiking is easy. But Dorothy Lake Pass is at PCT trail mile 998.3; we had several miles of hiking energy still in us, and we were getting excited about that upcoming, meaningless, but oh-so-fun mile marker 1,000.

We didn't know what to expect. As usual, Tricia was hiking ahead of me. I had the map. I'd yell thoughts and directions to her as we moved. Then, just as I was describing a curve in the trail, she yelled back "here it is Daddy!" Here it is:




Tricia had actually seen a small "sticks and stones" 1,000 mile marker that is right on the trail:




But over the years, PCT hikers had also left a larger marker. This is off the trail, and it's subtle enough that other hikers might not even notice it (it is visible in the photo of Tricia above, a big cairn to the right of the trail). Reid, for example, had hiked ahead a bit at this point, and, since he wasn't particularly looking for it, he didn't see the marker. We walked over:













Tricia then asked if she could add a stone to the monument. "Of course," I said:




This was a pretty cool moment. Does the 1,000 mile mark have any more meaning than any other point we passed on this trip? Maybe not; certainly it doesn't have more meaning in any objective sense. But Tricia was pretty thrilled (and when we caught up to him a few minutes later, Reid was totally thrilled for her too). As for me? Well, the area there must have had some kind of odd bug in the air, just there, right at that one location; an odd and invisible bug that must have been buzzing, unseen, very close to my face. How else to explain the moisture in my eyes as I saw the beaming pride of accomplishment in my beautiful little girl?

We kept going after this marker. When the forest opened up we started seeing ridges and peaks that weren't granite. We were leaving the High Sierra now and entering the northern Sierra:




We got our first view of still-distant Tower Peak (a big, big peak for this area, it's in the high, left-center of this photo; Tower Peak also marks the northern border of Yosemite National Park):




We finished the day at a nice camp near the Long Lake Trail Junction:







At this point we were well along toward Kennedy Canyon and, after it, the Sierra Crest. We had a plan for tomorrow, and this campsite put us in perfect position to see it through.

[JC w KC redux]

The scenery is nice and the mile marker + accomplishment is monumental.
My favorite pic of this batch is the one of you two sitting close, looking out at the lake.

[mungeclimber]

That Dorothy lake looks a lot like Peeler Lake. Peeler sits right on the crest. One side looks down into Tuolumne, the other back toward the East Side. Such a pretty region.

Pesky bugs.

[mynameismud]

super cool.  Love the huge 1000 marker.  Proud moment.

Not 100% sure about this but isn't the volcanic part where the Cascades come wrapping down into the Sierra?

JC, can you answer this?

[Brad Young]

Our plan for day six involved going slow on purpose. We'd spent night five just four miles from Kennedy Canyon. The trail through Kennedy Canyon leads right up to the sierra crest. This canyon is also only 11 miles from Sonora Pass. Finally, we expected to find no water past this canyon (and we were right, there wasn't any).

So, after a leisurely start, we made the four miles, tanked up on water, added three gallons of water to our loads (three gallons total, not each), and humped up to spend a night right on the crest. And what a treat that was!

The climb out of Kennedy is long but not steep. After a gradual ascent to above tree line, it follows an old mining road up several dramatic switchbacks.
















Here's the view back down the switchbacks and also one down Kennedy Canyon (beautiful country there above tree line):







This long uphill with extra water was worth it. Once we reached the top of the climb we were on the crest. The views were sublime and the location fantastic. Here's the view looking south, into the Hoover and Emigrant Wildernesses and Yosemite:




This photo shows the actual pacific crest heading north toward Sonora Pass. The PCT is barely visible right below that crest:




And here we see a view to the west, showing also a proud daddy who's having a hell of a good time with his daughter:




Once the PCT reaches the crest it stays right near it for the next ten miles to the pass. This is just an incredible section of trail; views in every direction, dramatic cliffs to one side, steep slopes to the other. I'd forgotten how cool this part of the trail is, and how close it is to our home:










Eventually we came to a spot that was flat, wind sheltered and right near the crest. The perfect last night's campsite:







Although we quit hiking a bit early for the day, we did so just to enjoy this spot (it was only 6 1/2 more miles to the pass). After settling in, Tricia and I decided to go one step further; she and I moved up to a flat, sheltered spot that was on the actual crest itself. This was a spot where, even laying in my sleeping bag I could have thrown a rock one way and it would have gone into the Pacific Ocean drainage, while a rock thrown the other way would have gone into the Great Basin drainage. We slept under the stars too, all at 10,500 feet (and that's an elevation that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "under the stars"). This was a really nice place:







The last rays of the sun looked particularly soft here; we were in the alpenglow instead of just seeing it:




We had a nice campsite, adequate water and just enough food. So we spent a great night and were well positioned for the next morning and for the rest of a wonderful hike.