USA - Pacific Crest Trail - I.
From Tuolumne Meadows, California to Donner Pass.
27/Aug/2022 to 24/Sep/2022, 22 hiking days.
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a long-distance hiking trail closely aligned with the highest portion of America's Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, about 200km east of the US Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is at the US border with Mexico, and its northern terminus is at the Canada–US border in British Columbia. It passes through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The Pacific Crest Trail is 4270km long and ranges in elevation from just above sea level at the Oregon-Washington border on the Bridge of the Gods to 4009m at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks.
The route is mostly through national forest and protected wilderness. The trail avoids civilization and covers scenic and pristine mountainous terrain with few roads.WHAW !!!
Saturday 27/Aug/2022.
Home to San Francisco journey.
 |
Flight announcement for the
Frankfurt - San Francisco flight. |
 |
| The carrier (an old 747). |
 |
| Economic economy-class meal. |
 |
BART metropolitan train from
San Francisco's airport to downtown. |
 |
Happy pickup of our bear cannisters,
pre-ordered from the REI outdoor shop.
Two weeks later those arrived just in time. |
 |
| Last-minute backpack tuning. |
Transportation:
---- Lufthansa flight LH454 from Frankfurt (FRA) to San Francisco (SFO), 10:25-12:40, 11h15, 666.87€ incl return flight, plus 65€ & 75$ for the backpack.
---- BART train ride from San Francisco's airport to San Francisco downtown Civic Center station (10€).
|---| Soma Park Inn, San Francisco, 162.44€/2p.
Sunday 28/Aug/2022.
San Francisco to Yosemite NP journey (and the first hike).
 |
Awaiting the (delayed) San Joaquins train
Richmond (CA) - Merced (CA). |
 |
| Boarding the train to Merced. |
 |
| Along the train journey to Merced. |
Merced.
 |
| Taking the bus to Yosemite NP. |
Yosemite NP Visitor Center.
 |
| Awaiting the 15:30 hiker bus. |
 |
Hot temperatures announced,
36/37 degrees Centigrade. |
 |
Last transportation of the journey,
the 2:30 PM bus to Tuolumne Meadows. |
Transportation:
---- BART train ride from SF Civic Center to Richmond, 4 trains per hour, ~1h.
Instead, taken a UBER ride (as no timely BART rides available on Sundays), 67.94$.
---- AMTRAK train from Richmond to Merced, 07:54-10:35, 2h41.
Train arrived 12 minutes late at Richmond.
---- AMTRAK/YARTS bus from Merced to Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, 10:55-13:26, 2h31.
---- National Park hiker-bus from Yosemite Valley Visitors Center to Tuolumne Meadows General Store, 14:30-16:20, 1h50.
---- Hike 5.8 miles from Tuolumne Meadows General Store to Glen Aulin.
SECTION I
TUOLUMNE MEADOWS TO SONARA PASS (7 days).
DEEP, SPECTACULAR GLACIATED CANYONS, crossed and traversed one after another, characterize the start of this section. You sometimes feel you’re doing more vertical climbing than horizontal walking. Unlike the John Muir Trail (JMT) section, which also has pass after mountain pass, this section has passes that are all below treeline, and the canyon bottoms can be quite warm and enjoyable if proper bear-prevention measures are taken.
Nearing the north end of this section, you leave the expansive granitic domain behind and enter Vulcan’s realm thick floods of volcanic flows and sediments that buried most of the Sierra Nevada, including the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, the Hetch Hetchy Valley, and the rest of the lower river’s deep canyon.
Sunday 28/Aug/2022 (Continued).
HIKE 1 - From Tuolumne Meadows (Mile 942.5) to approximately Mile 945.0 (2.5 miles hike).
Tuolumne Meadows.
 |
| Bus-dropped in front of the General Store. |
 |
| Taking a last healthy salad meal. |
 |
| Heading to the PCT trailhead. |
 |
| Still enthusiastic and full of energy. |
 |
| Tuolumne River. |
 |
| Hidden camp between trail and river. |
|---| Tent setup (unauthorized) between the trail header and Glen Aulin, Mile 945.0.
Monday 29/Aug/2022.
HIKE 2 - From Mile 945.0 to McCabe Creek, Mile 956.0 (11 miles hike).
 |
A first crossing of Tuolumne River,
still with a bridge, Mile 947.0. |
 |
| The White Cascade of Tuolumne River. |
 |
Second crossing of the Tuolumne River,
the last bridge of this section. |
 |
Ranger-inspection of the "PCT Long Distance Permit"
and the "California Fire Permit". |
 |
| Crossing of a horse caravan. |
 |
| Cold Canyon. |
 |
Camp at the confluence of
McCabe Creek and Return Creek. |
|---| Tent setup next to McCabe Creek, Mile 956.0.
Tuesday 30/Aug/2022.
HIKE 3 - From McCabe Creek to Matterhorn Creek, Mile 962.1 (6.1 miles hike).
 |
| Wet crossing of Return Creek. |
 |
Happy to discover the very first PCT sign,
time-embedded in the bark of a tree
(we'll encounter one such sign per day, sometimes two). |
 |
| Miller Lake, Mile 959.8. |
 |
A refreshing dip in the lake
(swimming also cleans the clothes). |
 |
| Still in good shape... |
 |
| Matterhorn Canyon. |
 |
| Waymarking at Burro Pass. |
 |
An early camp setup, along Matterhorn Creek.
Patricia filtering the water taken from the creek. |
|---| Tent setup along Matterhorn Creek, Mile 962.1 (false dissuaded by another hiker, Rick, claiming forest fires).
Wednesday 31/Aug/2022.
HIKE 4 - From Matterhorn Creek to right before Benson Lake, Mile 971.6 (9.5 miles hike).
 |
| Smedberg Lake, Mile 968.4. |
 |
Trail junction at Mile 969.8.
Wilma Lake is sometimes called Wilmer Lake. |
 |
| Camp. |
|---| Tent setup before Benson Lake, around Mile 971.6.
Thursday 01/Sep/2022.
HIKE 5 - From Benson lake to Mile 908.3 (8.7 miles hike).
 |
| Benson lake (a little distant from the trail). |
 |
| Collecting fresh water from the Piute Creek. |
 |
| Seavey Pass |
 |
| Pretty little lake at Seavey Pass. |
 |
Seavey Pass Lake,
a perfect lunch spot. |
 |
A beautiful, though nameless, tiny lake
overlooking massibe Piute Mountain. |
 |
| A funny "Earth Ball" fungus. |
 |
| Kerrick Canyon. |
 |
| Kerrick Canyon. |
 |
Rancheria Creek ford.
Here, almost all creeks are dried-up. |
 |
| Near sunset, setting up the tents. |
 |
Camp midway the steep climb
towards Stubblefield Canyon. |
|---| Tent setup around Mile 980.3.
Friday 02/Sep/2022.
HIKE 6 - From Mile 980.3 to Wilma Lake, Mile 987.4 (7.1 miles hike).
 |
Exchanges with "Cleanshave",
a beardless southbound thru-hiker. |
 |
| Junction with a side trail to Tilden Lake. |
 |
| Another tiny nameless lake. |
 |
Inspection of the PCT Long Distance Permit
and the California Fire Permit, for a 2nd time. |
 |
| Wilma Lake. |
 |
| Wilma Lake. |
 |
Invited for a whisky at the
back-country ranger station. |
|---| Tent setup along Falls Creek, Mile 987.4.
Saturday 03/Sep/2022.
HIKE 7 - From Wilma Lake to Lake Harriet (10.9 miles hike).
 |
| Jack Main Canyon. |
 |
| Crossing a beautiful meadow. |
 |
| Dorothy Lake. |
 |
| Leaving Yosemite NP. |
 |
| Stella Lake. |
 |
| A bear footprint. |
 |
| Lake Harriet. |
 |
| Camp at Lake Harriet. |
|---| Tent setup near lake Harriet, Mile 998.3.
Sunday 04/Sep/2022.
HIKE 8 - Lake Harriet to Mile 1009.9 (11.6 miles hike).
 |
| A natural bonsai. |
 |
| Reached the PCT 1000 miles marker. |
 |
Crossing the small gorge that confines Walker River
(the 3rd bridge met in 8 days). |
 |
| Kennedy Canyon Creek. |
 |
| Kennedy Canyon. |
 |
Mile 1006, fording Kennedy Canyon Creek,
last water supply for 10 miles. |
 |
| Start of the gravel trail of a 1500-foot climb. |
 |
| Fantastic panoramic views. |
 |
| Fantastic panoramic views. |
 |
| Tent setup, sheldered from the wind. |
|---| Tent setup at Mile 1009.9.
Monday 05/Sep/2022.
HIKE 9 - From Mile 1009.9 to Sonora Pass, Mile 1016.9 (7.0 miles hike).
 |
| Sunrise. |
 |
| Reached the first road after 8 days. |
 |
| "Trail Magic". |
 |
| Kennedy Meadows North. |
 |
| Lunch with a day long expected burger. |
 |
| Evening margharitas at the Saloon. |
|---| Private bedroom at Kennedy Meadows North, 50$/p (includes bed shuttle, laundry, internet).
SECTION II
SONORA PASS TO ECHO LAKE.
BY THE TIME YOU REACH SONORA PASS, you’ll notice that the Sierra Crest has taken on a new character. Virtually all of the peaks you’ll see in this section are volcanic in origin—either plugs of preglacial volcanoes or remnants of volcanic flows. The erosion of these flows and their associated volcanic sediments has created an impressive, even surrealistic, landscape, particularly between Ebbetts Pass and Blue Lakes Road. As in the High Sierra to the south, glaciers flowed down virtually every canyon along this crest route. Unlike the High Sierra, however, this landscape is lake-deficient, and the reason for this character lies in its volcanic rocks. The High Sierra is composed mostly of granite rocks, which can be almost 100% resistant to glacier action if they are free of joints (a geologist’s term for cracks). The joint patterns vary such that, in any given area, you might see, as you hike downcanyon, an abundance of joints followed by a paucity of joints. Glaciers cut into the joint-ridden sections but then rode over the relatively joint-free sections, which served as effective dams for the basins. In contrast, volcanic flows and sediments lack the joint patterns of granitic rocks, and they are also intrinsically less resistant to glacier attack. In this volcanic landscape, then, a glacier usually advances smoothly downcanyon without carving any basins. The few lakes that do form tend to be small. If you were to explore the expansive landscape between Sonora Pass and Echo Summit, you would find that most of its lakes lie in glacier-carved granite basins that are situated below the younger, overlying volcanic ridge-and-crest sediments.
Tuesday 06/Sep/2022.
HIKE 10 - From Sonora Pass to Mile 1024.6 (7.7 miles hike).
 |
Shuttle-dropped at the Sonora Pass,
here with a Southbound hiker. |
 |
| Tent setup. |
|---| Tent setup.
Wednesday 07/Sep/2022.
HIKE 11 - Reaching Mile 1033.7 (9.1 miles hike).
 |
| Tent setup. |
Thursday 08/Sep/2022.
HIKE 12 - reaching Mile 1044.1 (10.4 miles hike).
 |
| A heart of stone. |
 |
| Noble Lake. |
 |
The first tent site to share with someone else.
|
 |
| Making silly jokes with Roderick. |
|---| Tent setup at Noble Lake.
Friday 09/Sep/2022.
HIKE 13 - Crossing Ebbetts Pass (Mile 1048.3, CA Highway 4), reaching Mile 1055.0 (10.9 miles hike).
 |
| Tent setup. |
|---| Tent setup at Pennsylvania Creek.
Saturday 10/Sep/2022.
HIKE 14 - Crossing Blue Lakes Road (Mile 1065.5), reaching Mile 1066.7 (11.7 miles hike).
 |
| Overlooking a burned area. |
 |
| Crossing Blue Lake Road. |
 |
| Tent setup. |
 |
| Food remaining for the next days. |
Sunday 11/Sep/2022.
HIKE 15 - Crossing CA Highway 88 near Carson Pass, reaching Mile 1080.3 (13.6 miles hike).
 |
| Lost Lakes West. |
 |
Lost Lake West, where four-wheel drivers
shared a talk and a cool beers. |
 |
| Crossing Carson Pass, highway CA88. |
 |
| Meiss Meadow. |
 |
Meiss Family Cabin, an abandoned
pioneering family's summer residence. |
|---| Tent setup at Meiss Meadow.
Monday 12/Sep/2022.
HIKE 16 - reaching US 50 Highway (Echo Summit trailhead, near Echo Lake), Mile 1090.0 (9.7 miles hike).
 |
Unsuccessful hitchhiking, and it starts raining
so we decided to call an Uber ride. |
 |
| South Lake Tahoe. |
 |
Looking forward to swallow that burger
(dinner at Steamers Bar and Grill). |
Transportation:
---- Uber ride to South lake Tahoe, for overnight and resupply), 35.81$.
|---| Motel Six, South Lake Tahoe, 103.82$/r.
SECTION III
ECHO LAKE TO DONNER SUMMIT (Interstate 80).
OF ALL THE ROADLESS AREAS in California, compact Desolation Wilderness probably ranks No. 1 in popularity—at least, it has a greater density of hikers per square mile than any other roadless area. The reason for its popularity is simple: it is a beautiful region that is incredibly easy to reach from the Bay Area, Sacramento, or Reno. This small wilderness stands north of busy US 50 and just west above sprawling, urban South Lake Tahoe. It also competes for the No. 1 spot in density of mountain lakes. From Echo Lake north to Middle Velma Lake, you’re never more than a few minutes away from a lakeshore or a lake view. The glaciers that scoured out these lake basins, lasting until about 13,000 years ago, also removed the preexisting soils and loose rocks. Therefore, in some areas, particularly Desolation Valley, the landscape has a pronounced lack of trees—hence the name. This lack of trees does nothing to diminish the physical grandeur of Desolation Valley and large Lake Aloha, an El Dorado Irrigation District reservoir, which floods it. Lake Aloha’s main attractions are its myriad islands, shallow swimmable water, and abundant basking slabs. North of Middle Velma Lake, you hike a few miles through viewless forest on a wandering trail before you leave Desolation Wilderness, and not far north of that boundary you reach Richardson Lake, which offers lakeshore camping and a nice swim. Onward, you enter Granite Chief Wilderness and can make a short diversion to the popular Five Lakes basin or, a few miles farther, make a 20-minute diversion to lightly used Little Needle Lake. Beyond, you climb to a saddle, and if you’re not too exhausted, you can climb to nearby Granite Chief for panoramic views of the Tahoe area. After a considerable drop, you climb to the base of Tinker Knob, which also offers a 360-degree panorama of the Tahoe area. Good crest views continue as the northbound Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) stays on or close to the volcanic, windswept crest for about 5 miles, then another group of views—of the Donner Pass area—urge the hiker on for a 2-mile drop to Historic US 40. You conclude the section with a 2-hour, rambling hike over to bustling I-80, one of the nation’s busiest arteries.
Tuesday 13/Sep/2022.
HIKE 17 - US 50 Highway to Triangle Lake junction (next to Tamarack Lake), Mile 1096.6 (6.6 miles hike).
 |
| Leaving the Motel. |
 |
| Breakfast burrito palace. |
 |
Resupply of dried meals and
fuel canisters. |
 |
Picking up the PCT
at the trailhead. |
 |
Crossing the area that burned
2021. |
 |
| Echo Lake. |
 |
| Upper Echo Lake. |
 |
| Entering Desolation Wilderness. |
 |
Junction to the off trail Tamarack Lake,
to avoid (a mosquito breeding ground). |
 |
| Tent setup, mosquito free. |
|---| Tent setup next to Tamarack Lake.
Wednesday 14/Sep/2022.
HIKE 18 - Reaching Mile 1106.2 next to Dick Pass (9.6 miles hike).
 |
| Lake Aloha. |
 |
| Lake Aloha. |
 |
| Heather Lake. |
 |
| Susie Lake. |
 |
| Gilmore Lake (off trail). |
 |
| Dicks Pass, reached after an intense climb. |
 |
| Tent setup right next to Dicks Pass. |
Thursday 15/Sep/2022.
HIKE 19 - Reaching Richardson Lake at Mile 1118.6 (12.4 miles hike).
 |
| Dicks Lake (off trail). |
 |
| A little rest for breakfast. |
 |
A tiny lake between Dicks Pass
and Fontanillis Lake. |
 |
| Fontanillis Lake. |
 |
Fontanillis Lake,
time to clean feet and to cut nails. |
 |
Tent setup at Richardson Lake.
|
|---| Tent setup at Richardson Lake, Mile 1118.6.
Friday 16/Sep/2022.
HIKE 20 - Reaching Barker Pass and Twin Peaks mountain, Mile 1129.7 (11.1 miles hike).
 |
| Richardson Lake. |
 |
| Richardson lake. |
 |
| Last water source, for many miles. |
 |
| Barker Pass. |
 |
A four wheel driver offering a "Patriotic" beer.
|
 |
| Tent setup. |
|---| Tent setup near Twin Peaks Moutain, Mile 1129.7.
Saturday 17/Sep/2022.
HIKE 21 - Reaching Mile 1140.9 (11.2 miles hike).
 |
Exchanging with British Southbound thru-hikers
the length of the beard testifies their duration. |
 |
Prepared for a very cold night (-2°C),
with little protection from wind and hail. |
|---| Tent setup at Mile 1140.9.
Sunday 18/Sep/2022.
HIKE 22 - Reaching Donner Pass at Mile 1153.4 (12.5 miles hike).
 |
| Approaching Tinker Knob. |
 |
| Panorama from Tinker Knob. |
 |
Arrival at Donner Pass Ranch,
along the historic US 40 road.
End of our hike. |
 |
Calling an Uber from the ski ranch
and booking the hotel. |
 |
| Redlight Hotel for the next two nights. |
 |
| A strange-looking Patricia. |
Transportation:
---- Uber ride from Donner Pass Ranch to the hotel, 36,93$.
|---| Redlight Historic Hotel and Speakeasy now: West River House), Truckee, 127.81$/n.
Monday 19/Sep/2022.
Truckee.
 |
Jax at the Tracks,
an excellent breakfast place. |
 |
| Excellent Margaritas at Casa Baeza. |
|---| Redlight Historic Hotel and Speakeasy (now: West River House), Truckee, 112.12$/n.
Tuesday 20/Sep/2022.
Return to San Francisco journey.
Transportation:
---- Amtrak bus 3541 from Truckee to Sacramento, 8:25-11:35, 53.19€ (until San Francisco).
---- Amtrak train 541 "Capitol Corridor" from Sacramento to Emeryville, 11:55-13:33.
---- Amtrak bus 6641 from Emeryville to San Francisco, 13:35-14:05.
|---| The Urban Hotel, San Francisco.
Wednesday 21/Sep/2022.
San Francisco.
|---| The Urban Hotel, San Francisco.
Thursday 22/Sep/2022.
San Francisco.
|---| The Urban Hotel, San Francisco.
Friday 23/Sep/2022.
San Francisco.
|---| The Urban Hotel, San Francisco.
Saturday 24/Sep/2022.
Return home journey.
 |
| A last glimpse over well explored San Franciscoo. |
 |
| A so-so economic-class lunch. |
Transportation:
---- United Airlines flight UA58 from San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA), 14:00-09:55 (25/09), 10h55.
---- Transit at Frankfurt Airport, 6h.
---- Lufthansa flight LH1088 from Frankfurt (FRA) to Marseille (MRS), 16:55-18:30 (25/9), 1h35.
|---| Economy-class aircraft seat.
