Day 51-54
Mile 789.1-835
Lone Pine to Little Pete Meadow
Day 51- Lone Pine Zero Day
We woke up today knowing we had a lot to do before we could get back on the trail. We got alcohol for the stove, got our packs ready to go then went to Mt. Whitney restaurant for breakfast. Jenna and I both had French toast with a side of hash browns and sausage. It was very yummy. We went back to the hostel to grab our things and then checked out.
Since we had a lot of pictures to upload we went to a local coffee shop to use the wifi and to sip on some delicious coffee. There were also some yummy shakes and treats we nibbled on over the course of five hours. It was dinner time when we left the coffee shop so we decided to eat something before trying to get back to the trailhead. We ate at the Totem cafe. I had chicken, salad, a potato, and rolls and Jenna had a grilled cheese with fries. After dinner we attempted to hitch a ride back in to independence.
It took about an hour but we finally got a ride from some local climbers. When we got to independence we immediately started trying to hitch a ride back up to the Onion Valley trailhead. After a few minutes a guy pulled up as said he would drive us for 50 dollars. We respectfully declined. A few minutes later a girl pulled up and said if we still hadn't gotten a ride in 15 minutes she would take us up. We waited and she came back after she had showered and picked us up like she said. Her name was Rose and she worked as a forest ranger in the area. We got to the trail and did not want to hike so we stealth camped near the parking lot behind some bushes and an outhouse.
Instead of pitching the tent we cowboy camped. It was our first time doing that on the trail and we had unimaginable views of the stars.
Day 52-Two mountain passes
We woke up pretty early to the sun shining in our eyes. In a tent it is easy to sleep in, cowboy camping, not so much. We hiked the ~7 miles back up Kearsarge pass trail to the PCT. The hike was not bad at all.
It always feels good to be back on the trail, it really is our home for the time being. We hiked on and made our way up Glen Pass. It was not a bad climb and when we got to the top there were a dozen other PCT hikers.
We ate lunch and chatted awhile before making the decent. It was a tough hike down a canyon to where we planned to stay. The trail was very rocky with steep steps. We passed Rae Lakes on the way down which was beautiful.
Also, on the way down we passed several backpackers and a group of boy scouts. We got to camp and made a yummy dinner before other people from the pass started showing up to make camp.
Day 53- Pinchot Pass
Today we slept in later than we ever have, 8:30 am. By time we were hiking it was 10 and the dozen people we were camped near had already left. Right out of camp we passed mile 800!
We got to cross a really cool suspension bridge too.
We hiked and made it up to Pinchot pass pretty fast.
At the top were many people we had camped with the night before.
We did not sit long before making our way down the pass, trying to get as close to the next pass, Mather, as possible. After hiking a few hours we decided to cook dinner and then hike on more afterwards. We got within 1.3 miles of the pass and decided to make camp because we were not sure if there would be a good camping place on the other side of the pass.
It was a nice little spot with mountains in every direction as far as the eye could see.
Day 54-Mather Pass
Today we woke up at the base of Mather Pass ready for an easy 1.3 mile climb with 600 ft of elevation gain. The climb was quick and we relaxed with Tripod, Navi, Maverick, Safari, Hotdog, Tunes, Natty, and Bolt for a little bit. The climb down was steep and ten miles long.
It was a beautiful hike with granite towers on our flanks and a raging river off to one side. After the decent down one canyon we started an ascent up another canyon toward Muir Pass. We camped 7 miles from the pass along side a river at little Pete Meadow. Another great day in the high Sierras.
-Natey
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