It absolutely poured last night, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Luckily our campsite was protected among the trees. Needless to say, it was a little slower getting ready this morning with gear being wet and cold.

The broad Matterhorn Creek valley was a great way to start the morning.

The Butcher adeptly using rocks and logs to cross Matterhorn Creek.

A doe with two fawns scoping us out.

I love hiking through giant meadows.

The Tuolumne River passing granite walls and domes.

Tuolumne Falls is no joke.

Up above the falls the river couldn’t be more placid and gentle.

The Butcher excited for some snacks and sodas at the Tuolumne Store.

Hanging out at the hiker campsite. We even went to a Ranger campfire talk about the creation of the National Park Service.

The plan tomorrow is do a little side trip to Yosemite Valley..The Butcher decided to come along as well. We will hitch a ride to a trailhead 10 miles down the road. Then we will hike over Clouds Rest which has incredible views of Half Dome before descending 6000′ into the valley. Then we will to need to hitch about 50 miles back to Tuolumne.

Today was one of the tougher days I’ve had in a while. The miles came more slowly… a combination of steeper than normal climbs (6700′ up) and the fact that I’m starting to lose some of my power after so many miles. On top of that there were five “wet” creek crossings as well as a pretty solid afternoon thunderstorm. Luckily, the storm cleared out just as the trail was cresting the highest Pass of the day.

A classic Yosemite granite dome as the sun rises.

This is Wide Creek. Other than getting wet feet (shin high) it was a non-issue… much different story 2.5 months ago when I would have come through originally. The pics/vids I saw had people swimming across in fast moving water. There were a total of five crossings like this today, from ankle deep to just below the knees.

The signage Yosemite uses on the trails is very distinct.

Even around mid-day the skies were still behaving…

…not so much in the afternoon.

Then things cleared just as I got to the top of Benson Pass (10,100′)
Hard to imagine seeing some blue skies again after the storm earlier.

Tomorrow, Tuolumne Meadows!

Today’s transition from the volcanic landscapes of Sonora Pass to the granite domes and walls of Yosemite National Park was sudden and dramatic.

This is the main building at the Kennedy Meadows Ranch. I slept upstairs and had breakfast at 6:00 with the ranch-hands.

All the horses at the ranch were eating their breakfast too.

The hitch back up to the trail was rough. A grand total of 3 cars went by in 45 minutes…and by that time there were four of us looking for a ride. Luckily, Mrs. Focus came to the rescue! She was heading back up to the Pass to set up camp and wait for her husband hiking through the next day.

Lots of snow on the peaks as we climbed toward Sonora Pass.

I was happy and surprised to run into Steve and Diane going Northbound today. We had originally met back in Tehachapi and then were hiking around each other through the northern half of Oregon. They are doing a flip-flop-flip. Since they are from Canada they really wanted to end their hike at the terminus so they headed back to the Sierras to finish that before going back up to Northern Washington to finish the last 60 miles to the border. They get high marks for all their transportation logistics planning!

There were a couple of significant snow patches today. Sonora Pass is known for its sketchy slopes in June /July even in a normal snow year.

The Butcher near the top of Sonora Pass.
The long sweeping switchbacks down volcanic scree toward Kennedy Creek.

Then a gentle climb up Dorothy Pass takes us to the incredible granite domes and alpine lakes of Yosemite.

Dorothy Lake.

The trail followed the broad Falls Creek valley most of the evening.

I found a perfect little tent site around 7:15pm near the creek just as the sun was setting.

2448 trail miles completed
202 miles to go

It was fairly cold this morning…probably upper 30’s when I got out of my tent at 6:00. It gradually warmed up into the 60’s and then got cooler as the trail climbed to ~10,500′.

Wildflowers and mountain creeks never get old…

…nor do wildflowers and selfies.

The clouds started building up by mid-day. This is my first view toward Yosemite (about 15 miles south).

Within five minutes after descending down to Sonora Pass who should pull up? Mrs. Focus and Molly the RV. She was kind enough to give me and a hiker from Slovakia a ride 10 miles down the mountain to the Kennedy Meadows North Pack Station (KMN). It was a white-knuckle descent down a narrow-windy mountain road in a big-heavy camper van.

KMN is one stop shopping for all your horseback adventures. Plus they have cabins, showers, laundry, a cafe and a general store. They offer hikers a package deal including a bed in a bunk room (I was the only one). After making a pint of ice cream disappear I sorted through my resupply box and got everything else organized. One of the reasons I send most of my resupplies ahead. are $6.69 Nutter Butters. I still give them plenty of money for things I don’t send (ice cream, soda, etc).
Look who I ran into…Gilligan & Mongoose !
I last saw them leaving the comfort of our plush hotel room in Cascade Locks, OR. I beat them to Canada by several days, but they picked up the trail again 200 miles further south than me in CA and then had to spend a long holiday weekend waiting for their bear canisters to arrive at the post office in Tahoe. We parted ways again (they headed back out in the late afternoon) but I should catch them in Tuolumne Meadows, 3 days from now.

There were a lot of “ranch” dogs wandering around the grounds. This one, named Lucy, seemed to take a liking to me.

The weather definitely seems to have entered a cycle of afternoon cloud build-up, thunder, and rain/hail if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully, this doesn’t make things too exciting as the trail gains higher elevations in the Sierras.

Another great sunrise to start the morning.

The peak on the left is called Nipple Top. Clear skies with a light smokey haze to start the day.

The trail climbed through desert cliffs reminiscent of Souther California.

Most of the morning the trail wound through these funky rock formations.

I’m sure this one has a name…but i don’t know what it is.

I’m still surprised and impressed by all the wild flowers hanging on into September.

By the afternoon the skies couldn’t decide whether to be threatening or clear.

These are two guys also hiking southbound…I’ve only seen two others since I got back on trail in NoCal.

I found a gorgeous campsite that had a few too many cow pies for my liking. Plus, the incessant clanging of cow bells would have driven me nuts. Lastly, not my preferred water sources in these areas. I hiked another 3 miles, crossed a barb wire fence (no more cows) and camped next to a creek 🙂

I’ve now passed 2400 trail miles and have less than 250 to go!

It was quite the tent city last night…. I took a pic before I left this morning.

Beautiful alpine hiking.

Then the trail dropped down to a magnificent Meadow.

There was a small visitor center when I crossed the highway at Carson Pass. I really like this shirt they had for sale.

This beautiful lake unfortunately was not on the PCT. I missed a turn and hiked a little over a mile before I realized my mistake. At least I got to see the lake 🙂

Some lingering snow covering the trail. This would have been pretty sketchy back in June!

I haven’t done a selfie in a while.

I found a great campsite with a fantastic sunset view.
The sunset lasted for 30 minutes or more….

I took a lot of pics!

Today can legitimately go into the “epic day” column. The trail started out a little underwhelming considering how much I had been hearing about the “Desolation Wilderness” area for months. Around mile 6 the trail finally opened her kimono. Way too many pics to choose from today!

Tricked you on this one…not the sun rising, but the full moon setting at 6:30am.

One of my favorite trees, the Jefferey Pine. They often remind me of Bonsai trees.

The Desolation Wilderness in all its glory! Dozens of lakes surrounded by walls of granite.

After summiting Dicks Pass (9400′) the trail descended to even more lakes.

Lake Aloha might have been my favorite.

The trail finally popped us out at the Echo Lake marina. The clouds were threatening with thunder much of the afternoon, but luckily I remained dry.
The store was shutting down for the season but let me buy 1700 calories (not pictured, the It’s It Ice Cream sandwich…yum!). Gone in 60 seconds.

This creek was noted as “Seasonal” in my guide, which should mean nice and gentle if running at all come September. Instead, i started having Sierra flashbacks. The partially submerge log (next to the boulder) I crossed is a bit obscured in the pic.

Look who was parked at the Echo Summit trailhead..Mrs. Focus (and Molly, the RV). She very kindly had a pint of Ben & Jerry’s waiting for me but after the damage I had done to the Pringle’s (et al) 30mins back I had to decline. I did manage to down a Coke while I relaxed inside. Plus, I will have a the gravitational pull of ice cream waiting for me at Sonora Pass in 75 miles …talk about some motivation!

The sunrise was solid, but would have been perfect if I was a couple miles further down the trail…

…because it would have been directly over my first view of Lake Tahoe.

Most of the late morning was spent hiking along this high ridge past the tops of several ski areas (Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley).

There were many views of Lake Tahoe to the East.

Most of the afternoon was dodging thunderstorms. The umbrella performed admirably. Mostly just my feet and legs were wet from all the wet brush. Lots of Sierra granite can be seen in the background here.

I’m camped just inside the Desolation Wilderness Area, a very popular place for backpacking. I’m looking forward to checking it out tomorrow… hopefully, with clear skies.

My campsite was a great location for watching the sunrise…

…the first couple miles of trail was an encore performance.

I made a brief morning stop at this Sierra Club backcountry cabin. The door on the 2nd story is how they get inside during the winter (snow).

I like the two story outhouse as well 🙂

I want to introduce you to a trail angel extraordinaire, Mrs Focus. Her husband is hiking the trail an I have seen them both on and off since Warner Springs (Mile ~110). Mrs Focus drives an RV and meets her husband every couple days at road crossings. In between she has helped 100’s of hikers whether it’s a ride to town, a slice of watermelon or mending clothes (my shorts). She is also a very accomplished quilter and has been working on an incredible PCT quilt.

I sure hope get to see the finished product. She has made dozens of 10×10 squares celebrating so many of the places and things we’ve seen along the way.

After crossing I-80 and then Donner Pass (yes, THAT Donner Pass) I made a stop at this Sierra Club Lodge where I had sent my bear canister back in June. It is required to have it through Yosemite which I will get to in about a week. Luckily, Mrs Focus agreed to take it with her in the camper to Sonora Pass where I can grab it (140 miles away…no sense lugging that thing further than I need to!) I was also able to get a hot shower and do laundry at the Lodge for a modest donation.

The climb out of Donner Pass in the early evening was gorgeous.

I found a great little campsite at 7:30, about 15 minutes before dark.
And a great sunset to end the day.

This is definitely starting to feel like the homestretch. I have about a week to get to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite and then another week to finish. For those keeping track at home, my end will be M-788, where I left the Sierras back in June.

The day started with a 1.5 mile road walk back to the trail from town (not much traffic to hitch a ride at 6:15am).

Shortly after getting back on trail a bridge crosses the Yuba River…kind of a cool gorge.

The climbs today weren’t too bad considering the trail went from 4000′ to over 8000′. All in there was over 7000′ of climbing. Not as hot today, especially at the higher elevations.

This a view looking back toward Sierra Buttes which the trail traversed around yesterday.

There are definitely signs of summer’s end…all the ground cover changing colors. And what is that in the upper left corner? A rain cloud? A short afternoon thunderstorm was the first I’ve had in 2300 miles.

This transitional time of year is fantastic as there are still wildflowers hanging in there.

Some giant whales of snow will likely not melt by the time the next snow arrives. Try to imagine what it was like here two months ago in July.

Beautiful cold, clear mountain spring water.

This is home for the night at 8100′ 🙂