PCT

Entering the Sierra

Mitchell Clark

Jun 22, 2023 • 3 min read

A bridge over the Kern River, one of the first major waterways we'll cross.

6/22 - Lone Pine, CA - Mile 751

Howdy all - it's going to be a short post today, because it's been a whirlwind trip into town. (However, there will be plenty of pictures!) Since my last letter, we went into Kennedy Meadows, and when we left, we truly entered the Sierra mountain range.

A walkway through a swampy meadow -- most don't have this kind of luxury, so my waterproof boots have really been coming in handy.

So far, it's been living up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful parts of the trail. We've seen snow-capped peaks, green meadows flowing with water, alpine rivers and lakes... and so, so much snow. Much of it on the trail that we have to walk on (or over, in this case).

It's rare that we look this happy while walking on snow. Usually we're staring at our feed trying not to twist an ankle.

It's good practice though. The next leg of our trip will take us to Kearsarge Pass, which is about 40 miles of hiking ahead. Those will likely be some of the slowest miles we'll walk on the trail -- we have to go over Forester Pass, an ice-and-snow-covered dent in the mountains that happens to be the tallest point on the PCT at 13,120 feet.

A view of Chicken Spring Lake, which is still mostly ice at this point.

By the time we get there, we'll have plenty of experience traversing snow and using our ice axes and crampons by then, but it's still likely to be a challenge. We've packed enough food to hike for five days, as we're expecting our pace to slow to around 10 miles a day, down from the 17-plus we've been doing up to this point. Given our experiences with the snow so far, that estimate seems right on the money.

I'm not sure which mountain this is, but there's a good chance we'll have to hike over or around it!

Locals and other PCT hikers that have already gone through the section have assured us that the views will be worth it. Of course, we'll have to judge for ourselves. The views will have to be pretty spectacular to make up for the 20-degree nights with 1AM wake-up calls that'll let us get our miles in before the snow turns to unmanageable slush.

This view was from our first campsite in the Sierras.

Okay, I know how that sounds, but I honestly am looking forward to it. After two months of hiking in the desert, it'll be fun to face a new type of challenge. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures, and to be safe during my travels -- we're planning to reach Bishop, CA at some point next week, so you can look forward to a new report then!

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