Have I mentioned that there is a large lake in every meadow in the Sierra?
The crowd around the fire last night stayed up til 11 so I listened to music for an hour to drown them out and then in the morning again when I woke up at five because the store and restaurant didn’t open until 7 am. I got up at 6:30 and started packing and was able to get 90% packed by the time the restaurant opened. I had breakfast with another hiker from Portland who did Oregon and Washington last year and is just doing California this year. The breakfast burrito at VVR is top notch. At the time I was thinking that I was going to order two breakfasts but just one burrito did the trick.
I was able to close out my tab and buy a few last minute food items and finish packing before the 8 am ferry was ready to roll. We set out across the lake at 8:30 and I was back on the PCT right at 9. And of course the trail would begin climbing immediately.
Most of the day was uneventful. Only one pass for the day, very little snow, the usual number of streams. The burrito held me well all morning so I did not break for lunch until 2. I loaded up on water and made some lemonade. The only excitement of the day was while crossing a stream on a log that was wet, my foot slipped in the water and then the other foot of course. I cracked one of my poles while trying to keep from face planting in the stream. It’s still usable but will no longer collapse. I don’t know if the warranty will cover this kind of damage, but I’ll find out at the next REI opportunity. I know Leki covers damage like this.
The terrain is a bit rocky and steep as we head towards Red Meadows so finding a campsite is not as easy as other places. I stopped a half mile before my intended destination because I found a nice soft flat spot without too many mosquitoes. A bird in the hand, you know.
I am now 11 miles away from Red Meadows, where they have a small store and restaurant and have a bus that goes to Mammoth Lakes every 20 minutes. This is where I hope to finally get cell service. I should be able to get to town well before lunch if I leave early in the morning. There are two hostels and laundry, but I’m not sure about the restaurant situation. They have a full size grocery store and a movie theater. Now that I’ve slowed down a little bit with the VVR side trip, I don’t feel the need to take a full zero in Mammoth, but we’ll see. After all, they have a brewery, too.
July 8, 2016 at 2:47 am
Glad to see all the updates 🙂
July 8, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Sure am glad to know that you’ve made it to some electricity again. It’s so good to hear all of your adventures. I would be scared to death if I were with you climbing up and down all those mountains and fording all those streams and walking on several feet of snow. You are some trooper, kiddo. I am so proud of you and all your accomplishments. First the AT and now this! You are my hero and your expertise in writing all these blogs is amazing. And to think I raised you! What a kid – excuse me – what a man you have turned out to be! Love you!
July 9, 2016 at 2:28 am
REI warranty should cover the poles, 1 year warranty– no questions asked.