23 Miles of Ridiculousness - Mile 1041 - 7/20

So I spent and extra day in Bridgeport mainly because it was raining on the mountains but also because I knew I could hike the next stretch in bigger mile days. So Typo and the Michigan Wolverine left on the 19th and Spins and I get to play catch them before they get to Tahoe. We left town and got to the trailhead setting out to do 23 miles except it was already 11:30!

Looks like it might be a late hiking day. Driving up we passed a Marine Mountain Assault Training Center and plenty of camouflaged guys rappelling down cliffs and doing things of military nature. After finishing the climb back out of the pass, two blackhawk helicopters flew over. I took lunch about five miles in and continued on trucking, trying to get as many daylight miles in as possible. 11 miles in I heard a limb crack, looked up to my left and saw a big "black" bear running as fast as possible in the opposite direction of me. Good thing I sent my bear canister home in Bridgeport! The whole time I lugged that thing around I didn't see one bear and the day I ship it back I see a bear, go figure. I also saw a Martin a few miles later which was awesome. Martins are similar to a weasel. So it was getting later and Spins and I decided to cook dinner then continue hiking into the dark. Six miles left after eight in the evening. We strapped on our headlights and made our way to the campsite where we were greeted by the stare of green eyes on the other side of the campsite. Wonderful just freaking fantastic, I figured it was a bear seeing how I saw one earlier and started making noise and throwing rocks. The eyes went away but we didn't hear it run so great it wasn't scared and probably was going to hang around for a bit. I made a huge fire and we set up camp. Tucked my food in next to me tight and went to sleep waiting to wake up to the sounds of some animal wandering around camp. So all and all I made it 23 miles after 11:30 am somehow and I hope I sleep like a baby, super doubt it.

Sonora Pass - Mile 1018.5 - 7/18

Going up was awesome. I rarely say that ever but it was beautiful, stunning and I mean words don't do well in placing how sweet the view was, so I took lots of pictures. It was windy as hell and I actually walked across the most snow I have so far and got to glissade which should have happened frequently in the Sierra but there was no snow. For all of you who don't know what glissading is (probably everyone) it's a technical term for sliding down snow faces on your butt. It was fun...very fun. So I took my wet butt up and over and down to the pass where there were two cruise america rental RV's. Wolverine and Typo got a ride already and Spins and I set out to hitch a ride. One of the guys in the RV's gave us each a beer which was wonderful hydration after not drinking water for eleven miles. After a bit of time and no luck the other man in the RV came up and asked us if we needed a ride. So we definitely took the opportunity to ride 30 miles in an RV. The family ended up being from Austria, a husband, wife an their daughter. They were out and about cruising around the parks. They treated us to more beer, cookies, and bagel sandwiches. The hitches have gotten better and better. We got to 395 and Typo and Wolverine were sitting looking miserable (well Wolverine was) and this fantastic family picked them up to. (and made them sandwiches to!) We got to town and did our town things. Bridgeport is a small little place but the town has what we need hotels, food, beer, and more food. It's a nice little place right outside the mountains. Tomorrow I'll be back at it on my way to Tahoe.

1000 MILES!!! - Mile 1007.2 - 7/17

I survived the night...no bears. I heard some mice moving around which put me in a momentary state of concern. The day looked gradual on the map and that was relieving because my body was getting a bit sore. It didn't matter though today I crossed over the thousand mile mark. Soon enough I'll be halfway! I walked through a huge and beautiful valley in the morning and then had lunch at Dorothy Lake another stunning spot. I really didn't pay attention to what was ahead today and didn't expect a massive lake with craggy mountains so it was a really nice surprise. The rest if the day went smoothly and the campsite was the last water until Sonora Pass 11 miles ahead so stopped early for the day but still got a little over 19 miles done. Got a big fire going and it got cold quick. Bridgeport tomorrow and a big ol' uphill.

Wilma Lake and Hiking Confusion - Mile 988 - 7/16

Between the threat of mosquitoes and slightly cooler temperatures, the motivation to get out of ones sleeping bag and tent generally tends to lean towards the unmotivated side. Knowing that the first few miles are downhill made it a bit more inviting to sleep in a bit as well. After packing up slowly I took the ridge down in the morning and saw Benson Lake in the distance in the morning sun. When I got down to the bottom there was only one way to go...right back up!

My laziness in the morning put me behind Typo and Wolverine but I soon passed Typo as he was getting water and the Michigan Wolverine and I hiked up and over and followed the stream gradually down. Water was slightly limited and I missed the early source to meet up with Spins for lunch so I was going to push down to the bottom for lunch and figure she'd meet me there. Halfway down though I found a great source and stopped there figuring Spins and Typo would catch up for lunch; Wolverine motored onward. Twenty minute go by, then I took a nap, then over an hour passes and I thought to myself, well damn I know I don't hike that fast, I wonder what's up maybe the two of them stopped at the source before to eat.

Then Typo showed up. He didn't think that both Wolverine and myself was ahead of him because he didn't see us pass and that Spins thought I was behind her somewhere on the trail and was going to wait about a mile back for a bit then leave a note! So she asked Typo if he saw either of us and he said most definitely not and that he was certain both of us didn't pass, which was partially true he didn't see us pass because he was getting water. So I waited around another twenty or so minutes and Spins showed up saying that she figured I was ahead but Typo was certain I wasn't. Ah miscommunication at it's best.

We all ended up at the same place though, Wilma Lake which was infested with mosquitoes but a huge fire made it a little bit more tolerable. The Michigan Wolverine self-exiled himself near the lake because his snores are legendary. He was walking back to the fire from the lake and said that the fish were biting out there and seeing how I acquired a fishing rod, it was time to catch second dinner. Five minutes later I had a decent sized rainbow trout hooked, to the disbelief of others, an promptly killed and gutted it. The murder was recorded on Spins phone(as she put it). It was a pretty shoddy job due to the mosquitoes EVERYWHERE and a dull Swiss army knife. I fried up the trout in sesame oil over the fire and Wolverine and Typo took the first bites. Typo said it was too fishy for him and Wolverine ate the rest of that half. I munched down the other half and to be honest it was pretty good, if I had a better knife and less of a mosquito induced panic mode, I could have had a bit more of the filet cut but better luck next time. So I went to sleep covered in the scent of freshly cooked fish praying that I didn't get destroyed by a bear overnight.

Back to 20 Mile Days - Mile 968.5 - 7/15

So at Glen Auldin last night Spins and I were talking about pulling a string of 20 mile days to get to our next resupply at Bridgeport in roughly 70 miles. Waking up, Typo and the Michigan Wolverine were like have fun with that but then later joined the bandwagon and also set out to push some 20 mile days.

The beginning of the day seemed fairly smooth except we didn't have a water source for 8 whole miles past camp! This was the longest stretch without water for quite some time and it was a laughable thought because after hiking 20 mile waterless sections, I felt like I got this well under control. The first half of the day was not was I cared about it went by fairly easy (especially because this area is so beautiful), the second half on the other hand included a significant climb up a ridge and the end of the day would be hiking up over Benson Pass.

The first climb went rather well. Yosemite's trail definitely has large sections of just massive rock walking due to it's exposed geology so climbing up large rock sections, in my opinion, is more fun. It's also more strenuous but hard hiking makes the scenery even more rewarding. Going up Benson Pass at the end of a 20 mile day was slightly straining because I had been hiking strong uphill the whole day which left me pretty spent for the pass. When I made it up the view from where I had hiked was well worth it. After making it up, I hung around for the other so we could start heading down to look for ample camping around Smedberg Lake . The perfect spot made itself present and we all set up camp and got a fire going to end the day. All four of us made it through the first 20 mile day any of us had done in a short while. We'll see how sore in the morning everyone is for twenty day number two!

Tuolumne Meadows and the Whoa Nellie Deli - Mile 948.4 - 7/14

I woke up with a dream of the Whoa Nellie Deli fresh in my mind. For hundreds if miles I have been hyping up this place for a specific reason. When I was in Big Bear, Ca oh so long ago, a man named Jim gave Spins and I a ride back to the trail in his 8-wheeled search and rescue vehicle. Well Jim told us to promise him two things: one being to call if we need help near Big Bear and two to go to the Whoa Nellie Deli near Tuolumne because the food is awesome for being inside a Mobile Gas station.

We held to our promise and when we got to Tuolumne Meadows we hitched a ride from an Italian couple visiting the states 19 miles east on route 120 to the Mobile Gas station. There was a short order restaurant inside the place and I got the fish tacos which was suggested to me by a wonderful couple I met in Tuolumne Meadows who graciously gave us fruit and string cheese right before we started hitching to the deli. Now the menu was mostly meat and fish dishes but they were all sorts of expensive and rare items like wild buffalo meatloaf and ahi sashimi. The food came with a decent pricetag as well but the novelty of the food in it's location was satisfying enough for me. I got a few extra items from the gas station for my resupply and it a hitch back to the trail immediately.

The Tuolumne Meadows area was in the heart of Yosemite National Park and it was swarmed with touristy types. I didn't have the heart to go down into the valley near Half Dome, I heard it was like Disneyland in the woods. That kind of tourist trap made me shutter on the inside. We passes Lembert Dome when getting back on the PCT and it was a cool sight. Trucking on towards camp was a scenic hike with waterfalls and these massive dome mountain formations of rock that Yosemite is known for. I am really enjoying the scenery in this section so far and the mosquitoes that are supposed to be plaguing me seem to be nonexistent. Arriving at Glen Aulin camp was an interesting experience as well. There were tent/huts for dayhikers , what looked to be park benches everywhere, and hoards of people. Now this is one of the only campsites for miles and my guidebook said it's bear infested so I was excited to see that interaction play out at night. We ran into Typo, Hotwing, ED and the Michigan Wolverine as well as multiple other hikers we know and had an awesome campfire and hung out till late; my favorite way to end the day. No bears that night though, a shame really, I was hoping to see the panic and fear of everyone when the bears came in to knock around some bear canisters. Better luck next time!

Thousand Island Lake and Donahue Pass - Mile 937 - 7/13

I got off to an average start this morning to tackle the rest of the uphill towards Thousand Island Lake. I was excited because after looking at the lake from the topographic maps I saw that it was going to be something quite scenic.

I arrived up at the lake and scenic it was. The lake had partitioned islands throughout with the sharp peak of Mount Ritter in the background. I stopped for quite a while and ate, taking in all the view. Heading up past the lake I ran into Bouncer, a middle-aged guy I've hiked around for quite some time who slept by the lake last night. He said he was kept awake by a bear for most of the night. Bouncer had also hiked this area previously so he told me all about the areas history and how John Muir was the first person to summit Mt. Ritter. It's nice to get outside information about an area every once in a while instead of the usual trail info like the elevation, the mileage, and the closest water source. Actually getting background information makes it easier to remember certain places like this and I appreciate the place more. Donahue Pass was a potentially sketchy situation because for the first time in probably the whole trip thunder was shaking in the background and the dark clouds were rolling in. After lunch it started to drizzle and that was plenty motivation to get moving. As I was going up, the pass had a clearing of clouds and up an over I went. I went down till dark and found a place to sleep for the night. Tuolumne Meadows tomorrow and the Whoa Nellie Deli which I have been looking forward to for hundreds of miles!

Leaving Mammoth - Mile 920 - 7/12

It was difficult, I admit it but I spent my time well in Mammoth (mostly stuffing my face with food) and it was time to take the shuttle to Red's Meadow and get back on trail. I started out in the early afternoon and it was a gradual gain in elevation for a while. While going up the view to the left was of a beautiful mountain range and a few lakes. Shadow lake in particular stood out because it had a massive waterfall draining into the valley. Eventually the trail got steeper and the sky grew darker. I ended up camping with Papa Smurf and his girlfriend who was out for a few days. I met Papa Smurf at Muir Pass and he's quite a character. The man's probably in his late fifties/ early sixties and hike fast and long mile days. He has also done the AT before as well and was nice to talk to at the end of the day.

Red's Meadow and Mammoth Lakes - Mile 906.6 - 7/9-12

So I hauled ass to Red's Meadow and arrived around three in the afternoon. The trail to there was recently declared passable. The windstorm from October wrecked this area and the result was more massive trees on the ground than still standing. Had it not been cleared by the awesome work of many crews it would have been a jungle gym nightmare for quite a few miles.

Red's Meadow has a general store, with some limited food and beer, and a 'restaurant'. I got some ice cream than hit the restaurant, my desire for a burger was so great that quality had no bearing on my decision to eat here. After looking at the menu and prices my logic and reasoning skills should have said Hell No! Not a chance 11.50 for a double cheeseburger! But I was way to hungry to give a shit. Goodbye money hello false sense of burger satisfaction. I was disappointed but full so mission accomplished.

Spins and I looked around and after our crap meal said screw camping here Mammoth here we come! We took the last bus down to town luckily so it was meant to be. I stuffed my face with as much food as my body would allow while in town and also got a few other things I needed. Mammoth is a wonderful ski-town with fantastic public transportation for such a small place. I thoroughly enjoyed this town but am leaving shortly back to the PCT to enter the Yosemite portion of the trail. I heard Yosemite mosquitoes are far worse than anything I have experienced thus far paired with the frequent bear issues there it should be a fun time. I'll update my blog when I get service next hopefully soon but it may not be for 100-200 miles so hang tight.

Selden and Silver Pass - Mile 878.3 and 883.5 - 7/7-8

Leaving the hot springs sucked! I had a bunch of heavy food and the side trail back to the PCT was strait up. When I went down the side trail to get to the ranch all I thought of was, damn this is going to suck to go back up. It did but I was back on the PCT with food to make it to Mammoth Lakes. Going up Selden Pass was pretty gradual and it topped out a bit under 11,000 feet. Going up was enjoyable, passing by lakes under a pine tree canopy which felt more AT like than PCT. I cruised over Selden and had lunch on the other side at one of the multiple lakes there. Heading down was easy but before the day was over I still had to hike up and over bear ridge and camp down close to the VVR ferry junction (another ranch located on a lake). It would put the day around 20 miles and I was getting tired before even climbing the ridge. The climb up sucked and took a lot out of me physically and mentally. You stop for more than a minute and you become swarmed with mosquitoes. Welcome to mosquito-land! There should have been a banner because from this point forward the word is that they are everywhere and pervasively intruding on any peace of mind you have for the next few hundred miles. Oh yay! When I reached the top of bear ridge I ran down the switchbacks on the otherside to camp(also mosquito infested hell). It was later and getting dark fast so I made a fire to deal with the bugs, set everything up and had a big ol' chilli mac and beef meal. It tasted good but I knew I'd pay for it the next day, those mountain house meal tear you up on the inside.

And tear me up it did! The next morning I got up and started my way up to Silver Pass. I farted chilli mac the entire way up. I met a ranger around my age early and talked to him for a bit; a lot of people are out doing trail repair due to the massive blowdowns from last years storm and he was 'supervising'. Going up Silver had some really steep parts but it was a scenic pass which looked physically like early in the Sierra's, sandy with sequoias and large boulders. At this point, the passes are lower and I am not as high up so the ecosystem is similar to when I first entered the Sierra's at mid-elevation. I trucked up another uphill after going down Silver to Virginia Lake, shaped like the state and it was massive, beautiful, and full of marmots hanging out. I kept moving until I got to Purple Lake where I found a campspot and made a fire. The mosquitoes still hung around the fire they must have been some super-mosquito breed that wasn't affected by the smoke. What the hell. As it got late they slowly tapered off and I could enjoy eating dinner. Tomorrow was to Red's Meadow, a middle of nowhere packstation that busses you to Mammoth Lakes, CA. The plan is to stealth camp there then take the bus to town in the morning and take two days of downtime, we'll see if I'm disciplined enough not to go into town the second I get there.

Muir Pass, the Evolution Basin, and Muir Ranch - Mile 852 and 859.5 - 7/5-6

Going up Muir Pass was a tougher hike than the most recent passes. It was a very rocky hike up to the pass with cairns that gave you some indication of where the trail was in certain spots. On top of Muir was a vast view of big lakes and mountains with a decent amount of snow on them(the most snow seen at any pass). The pass also has an emergency shelter made from stone at the top which provided me an opportunity to climb up and see a little further from a little higher. The long downhill through Evolution Basin was a gradual and gorgeous view of huge lakes, massive rock formations, and plenty of greenery. It was tempting to call it a day around Evolution Lake but I continued on past the lake and further down to a campsite with ample firewood next to a river.

The next day was an important one. Spins and I have wanted to eat voraciously due to the harder terrain but the problem was that we were not physically able to carry out enough food from Independence to Mammoth so we had to skimp on food and were running short...very short. We stopped down at Muir Ranch, a resupply pack station and resort which was rumored to have an impressive hiker box of food for starving PCT hikers. When I got there the hiker box was pretty slim but some JMT hikers gave me a few meals as well as other people almost finished with their trip who loaded us up with dehydrated meals, dried fruit, and nut mixes. Jackpot! Right behind the ranch are natural hot springs as well as a 'warm' lake which had some hot spots from the springs so we took the rest of the day there and relaxed in natural hot springs.

Mather Pass, Palisade Lakes, and the Base of Muir Pass - Miles 820.5 and 835.3 - 7/3-4

So condensation this morning was in the form of ice on my tent. It got pretty cold over the night but up and over Mather was this mornings goal. It wasnt a terribly difficult pass and on the way down Mather around mid-morning I stopped at Palisade Lakes to jump in the water and cool off. The lake was surrounded by massive mountains on all sides and had an impressive waterfall feeding the river swerving down the valley. It was a sweet spot and I searched around finding a great campsite on a large rock next to the mouth of the lake and waterfall. Hiking day over. I spent the rest of the day exploring around the area and checking out spots near the lake including close to the waterfall and climbing up and around a small boulder field. Around late afternoon the mosquitoes came in full force and the day was over. Small hiking days and playing around in very pretty areas, in my opinion, is better than an extra day in town, you can't spend money and you get to explore areas most PCT hikers walk right by and never experience.

In the morning I ran into Voodoo and Twinkletoes, two hikers I haven't seen since the Saufleys. They got hung up due to illness and were getting back into the Sierras after time off and it was nice to see familiar faces, especially after a few hundred miles. I followed the river down the carved out and weathered granite valley and then started my way up towards Muir Pass. At the end of the day heading up near Muir Pass I passed a JMT hiker who suggested a good campsite right before the pass so I figured it would be a good spot to sleep for the night. Heading up to Muir was pretty steep and higher up so it had me breathing pretty hard. When I reached the campspot I was pretty tired, made dinner and called it a night.

Glen Pass and Pinchot Pass - Mile 800 and 815.5 - 7/1-2

Got up late covered on condensation from Bullfrog Lake and got back on the PCT to go over Glen Pass. The pass was a rocky loose set of switchbacks. I met a girl out for a few days and chatted with her about this hike and the Appalachian Trail as well and she took my picture which is on here somewhere. I really enjoy the passes for the reason that it's a meeting place where people stop and relax. You get to meet and talk to people from all over and it's a wonderful part of this whole experience! I went down Glen Pass quickly until I was stopped by the beauty of Rae Lakes. The first thing to catch my eye was the cliffs that hung off down into deep enough water to jump in. I met a couple from Palm Springs doing the JMT, Matt and Kim. Matt was down to jump off the cliffs as well so we both jumped into the cold water. After that enjoyable break I trucked down the rest of the mountain to a suspension bridge with campsite where I slept that night.

In the morning it was uphill again to tackle Pinchot Pass. I followed a river up the valley and it was full of greenery and windflowers. The pass was a slight constant uphill so it wasn't a terribly difficult pass. Up at the pass I noticed a way up the the summit of the mountain to the left. So I left my pack down at the pass and climbed up to the top for the hell of it. It was a cool perspective to see the pass from above and looking at both sides of the pass. After going down I started back up until getting a mile before the top of Mather Pass. Going up towards Mather I followed a river as well and was similar to going up Pinchot. Camping up at 11,500 feet had a spectacular view and sunset but was going to be cold overnight being up that high.

Rebecca Jean's Back! (in and out of Independence, Ca) - Mile 789.1 - 6/29-30

After Forester Pass I continued down an then very steeply up to the Bullfrog Lake Trail which connects to the Kearsarge Trail that leads to Independence, Ca. Bullfrog lake was very beautiful just like the people I met around Mt. Whitney said and I planned to camp there when I leave town. At the pass, I saw how they get food and gear to the ranger station, a pack animal train. The man on the main horse must really trust the horse to be on the edge of a gravelish mountain because watching him ride up made me nervous an I wasn't even the person doing it. The trail down was very steep and at the base was a campground that Tom from Kennedy Meadows was trail angeling at. He gave us a ride down thousands of feet to the desert town of Independence. I got my resupply box from the PO and got a room for the night. Marvin, Debbie and her daughter drove up to hang out with Spins, myself, Heavy and Cheers. They brought a grill and whipped up sone fantastic carne asada and veggie burritos and beer as well as fruit. They stuffed us full of food and we all had a great time till late in the night. Thanks Again you guys!

The next morning I got some subway to pack out and we planned out meeting Marvin and Debbie again in South Lake Tahoe which is going to be a lot of fun. We all got a picture together and they took off in Rebecca Jean (Marvin's big ass truck). Tom picked us up and drove us back up to the trailhead and I hoofed it up with a super heavy pack to camp around Bullfrog Lake.

20 Mile Day Up and Over Forester Pass - Mile 786.1 - 6/28

Waking up after climbing Whitney, I still had the mental rush from doing something so spectacular and was ready to go hike to the highest point on the PCT. After a short hike on the John Muir Trail I was back on the PCT and coasted over two uphills. The last uphill was a vast valley which was pretty barren except for a cluster of pine trees. On the way up I was passed by two guys heading south who told me to take time to smell the flowers. I thought yeah man sweet metaphor that's pretty much how I hike but he was like, No seriously there are a bunch of wonderfully smelling flowers growing on the mountains by the pass. I bet they were waiting for someone heading north to say a literal metaphor I had a good laugh out of it. I thought Forester Pass was directly ahead but while going up I took a sharp left over the ridge to the next chain of mountains. Heading up towards the pass the snow-fed lakes were extremely low due to the lack of a winter but their colors were still just as vivid. I took a break to eat and drink before the uphill of the pass started. The switchbacks went from long to short and steep and when I reached the chute (which actually had some snow on it) I thought I was there but the trail wound to the other side and went up one more round of small steep switchbacks. When I reached the top I was greeted with a massive canyon valley with cerulean blue lakes, rushing streams connecting them and the treeline of pine forest far off in the distance. Then it hit me, this strong floral aromatic intoxicant. I looked up to my left and the mountain was covered in these purple lavender-like scented flowers. Their name I later found out is Sky Pilot. I climbed up there and was immersed in their scent and looked over into the valley, it was so surreal. Heading down the pass was just as beautiful, passing the bluest lakes I have ever seen, crossing cold and crisp snowmelt water, and seeing for miles in this fishbowl-esc canyon. The streams connected and grew larger as you continued down until it was a raging river covered in boulders and downed trees from a massive windstorm late last year. When I got down to treeline (10,000 ft) I smelt campfire and I knew I was close to home for the night. At the fire was a JMT hiker from Germany who was quite nice and good company but that guy was not terribly prepared for the cold nights of the Sierras. His 45 degree sleeping bag did not cut it so he made a fire to keep "warm" at night. Heavy and Cheers, a couple I've hiked around for a few hundred miles showed up later. At the end if the night it was over 20 miles hiked with a 13,200 foot pass completed, ahhh the perks of no snow in the Sierras otherwise just going up and over Forester would have taken a whole day itself!

Speechless (Mt. Whitney Summit) - 6/27

So how does one feel the morning of climbing the highest mountain in the continental US: VERY worried! It wasn't the altitude, it wasn't the climb, it was waking up with a pain in my chest when taking a full breath. I tried breathing fully but it hurt and "Oh shit! how do I climb to 14,505 feet without being able to fully breathe" repeated in my head. After a few minutes and some stretching it went away, thank god. I started hiking up taking only my pack, some food and water, and my jacket while leaving the test of my gear in my tent down at the basecamp.

The first few miles had a gradual elevation gain passing two lakes, one being Guitar Lake shaped like...you guessed it, a guitar. I spent some time hanging around this neat spot watching the marmots scurry around. After Guitar Lake and two smaller lakes the serious hiking started. The first set of switchbacks might as well have been strait the hell up covering over 1000 feet in a little under a mile. That took a bit of wind out of me and I stopped at the Whitney Portal/Summit junction for a breather and some food. I was high at this point, around 12-13 thousand feet and had two miles more of up to get to the top. The climb after those hellish switchbacks wasn't to terrible but the altitude sure made me work for those last two miles. Being the afternoon, most of the dayhikers were heading down and talking to plenty of them provided a chance to catch my breath heading up but after I reached 14,000 feet my legs were spent as well as my lungs. I could see the stone shelter on the summit but had to stop every few hundred yards to catch my breath...torture. It's like when someone takes a $100 bill and ties it to a string, as you walk close and think you're going to get it, it gets pulled away tormenting you. I wanted the top but my lungs wouldn't get me there in one breakless stretch. So I stopped a few times and had to stare at the top as I caught my breath.

When I finally summited, there were two people puking, a group of people reading scripture, and a guys sending texts on his phone...what?!?! It seemed like nobody was taking in the view surrounding them; we're on top of the freaking United States people!

Personally I could care less about those around me, I was plenty distracted by the 360 degree view of everything as far as I could see. I got as close to the edge of multiple corners and looked down all the way down... If you fell you'd be dead before you hit the ground. I went behind the shelter and looked over the edge to see climbers heading up. Well shit I thought hiking up Whitney was badass and there are a group climbing strait up the opposite side. They made it up and we chatted for a bit. I was impressed by their feat and they were just, if not more, impressed of my journey. It was a cool moment.

I started my decent down Whitney and took in the view as I got closer down towards Guitar Lake. At Guitar Lake I ran into two former PCT'ers from 2010 and they said to camp by Bullfrog Lake and to hit the hot springs by Muir Ranch, check and check. This 16 mile round trip off the PCT to do Whitney was something that will be burned into my brain as long as I live. I was quite proud of myself and went to sleep with ease. Tomorrow I climb over Forester Pass, the highest point on the PCT, one milestone after another!

Chickenspring Lake and Airplanes - Mile 651 - 6/25

It was cold and very windy and I still had the rest of the mountain to go up. I was not a happy camper! Luckily the day looked relatively flat...or so it seemed. I finished the mountain in my morning daze and headed to water, 3/10ths of a mike off trail. It was slightly downhill and led to an open meadow with a flowing spring. It was cold wonderful water and soaked in the sun for second breakfast. I hiked until a caravan of horses and donkeys passed by going south. Park service employees were hauling goods to another station. At the campsite/water shortly after a bunch of hikers were having lunch. One lady was particularly friendly and asked if I had a bear can which I replied that I did. She said good because she was with the park service and worked on implementing bear can discounts for PCT hikers. Her park service shirt was hidden under a sun shirt, very sneaky. Nonetheless I talked to her for a bit and headed up a mile to water and lunch.

After lunch I got some delicious spring water from Poison Meadow spring, strait out of the mountain at 10,800 feet, nope didn't treat it. Funny that the only water I didn't treat that day was from a spring named Poison Meadow. The end of the day was up to the official entrance of the Sierras, Cottonwood Pass, at just over 11,000 feet and .7 further camped at the beautiful Chickenspring Lake, surrounded by an retired mountain. Now I was having trouble with altitude adjustment but Spins was struggling even more. From Cottonwood Pass to the lake she got dizzy and disoriented to the point where a gust of wind blew her jacket open and she proclaimed "I'm a airplane!" the occasional psssshhhhhhh noise of liftoff would be followed by the lifting of her arms and trekking poles.