Cottonwood Pass was 746.5 and two miles from where we parked to the PCT. About 16.7 including getting water.
Around 1,500 feet ascent and about 2,900 feet of descent.
We made where I wanted to camp for acclimation to the elevation and where we could get water.
This morning we were at the Lone Pine McDonald’s where your meal never matches your order completely. It was good though. Tonight we are on the trail.
Our goal was to do about 14 miles a day and four days to KMS.
We ended up doing longer days and a full day on day one and it looks like 2 1/2 days to KMS.
This morning the sun was blocked by the mountain ridges. We started hiking in deep shadow at 6:08 and it did not feel like sunrise until 7:00.
Because it was pretty cold we hiked faster. Almost 3 mph. We had over 2,300 feet up and almost four thousand feet down for over 18 trail miles.
Mostly we hiked in the trees with gaps of a mile or two here and there with the biggest gap around the approach to the Kern River.
We had some great vistas and touches of desert.
We crossed the Kern River. We had planned to swim but it was very shallow and smelled of cow. So after a stop we hiked on.
We are now camped in the trees after carrying in water a mile or so for a dry camp.
Hikers met:
Yesterday we met five hikers, including Beast of Burden (Bob) who did the AT with a 45 pound pack. His JMT (John Muir Trail) pack weight is the same.
Today we met Effervescence who thinks she is the last NOBO this season. So far she has averaged ten miles a day, mostly due to a lot of zeros.
Her pack looked heavy and while she was taller than either of us she looked like she weighed only about 80 pounds.
Her trail name fit her and I hope she makes it.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will see who is at KMS and have time for showers and laundry and real food.
On trail we have not felt like eating. Our food bags are still heavy and we are lagging on energy as a result of the calorie deficit.
It is nice to be isolated from the news. Nothing about wars or disasters, just hiking.
I like these fifty mile stints and 3-4 days on trail.
South of KMS it is over a hundred degrees and 12–14 miles between water. I’m glad we have a shuttle out arranged for Thursday.
Happy6 stepped on a tent peg. She needs stitches.
We packed up in the dark and were on trail by 5:09.
The light started to break around six.
We kept hiking. It started really cold. By around seven am I was able to remove my fleece and buff and then later my wind shirt.
It was mostly down hill through trees.
We crossed a bridge.
Saw two hikers with a dog.
Eventually we got to the flats around the Kennedy Meadows Campground.
The campground is mostly used by RVers. It was empty.
We hiked down and got to where the road to KMS branches off.
At the general store the wi-fi would not let Happy call a shuttle to get to a hospital so we got a ride to Grumpy Bear’s. It was closed and the worker who showed up clocked in at 10:30 then returned to her car for the 11:00 opening.
They could not give us the wi-fi password. Varcomm had pay wi-fi but it would not accept payment until we already had WiFi service so that was a non-starter.
That made calling out for a shuttle difficult.
We had sbout an eleven mile day to that point.
However, we got some luck.
We lucked into a ride out of KMS to Inyokern with a wonderful couple and on our way to a hospital, leaving Grumpy Bear’s at 10:50 am.
At Inyokern we got a uber. Then a shuttle then drive to Bishop to the urgent care recommended by Google Maps. All is well.
Happy6 summarizes everything. She writes so much better than I do.
After church we left for Cottonwood Pass.
Unfortunately sunset is around 8:00 and our ETA was around 8:30 so we stopped for dinner at the KFC and then got a room at The Trees Motel.
It was very reasonable ($125 compared to $200 for Motel 6). Clean. Sweet. Full kitchen. We were going to stop in Lone Pine at the place we’ve stayed at every time so far, but the entire town was sold out.
Tomorrow we are up to Cottonwood and then south on the trail to Kennedy Meadows South, about 50 miles.
We have a ride arranged from KMS to the bus stop on 395 since the heat advisory south of Kennedy Meadows South is for temperatures much hotter than the mid-70s highs we will be hiking in.
The Cinder Complex fire no longer blocks 395 and is going north, not south. I’m glad we weren’t a couple days earlier. Then it blocked 395 and wasn’t under control.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
That is a long list, but Topo sells over 20 different shoes.
These shoes were the first Topos to hit the backpacking world. They are a high cushion shoe with a forgiving fit.
I’ve worn them in regular, wide and in sizes a full size or more larger than my feet.
Last year on the PCT they were the fifth most common shoe. They were the sixth most common on the CDT and the Appalachian Trail.
They wear well, are comfortable and are forgiving in how they feel. I’ve worn them for thousands of miles and many years. The difference is that the shoe has some give and when something happens that would twist or tweak an ankle, instead the shoe slips or gives a little.
I think I’m going back to them.
These are not as cushioned. Much more stable. Happy6 is on her third pair of them, having moved on after two pairs of Altras lasted less than a hundred miles and customer support wasn’t too kind.
Sixth most common PCT shoe last year (2025) and the fifth most common on the CDT and the Appalachian Trail.
They are low cushion with a modest rock plate.
https://pmags.com/gear-review-topo-terraventure-4-trail-running-shoes —a great review. I’ve gone through two pairs of them.
PMags review is worth reading.
Available in waterproof versions as well as regular.
I prefer a little more cushion.
Stable. More cushion than the Terraventures. Fourth most common shoe on the PCT last year. It was also the fourth most common on the CDT.
It was the second most common shoe on the Appalachian Trail for 2025. It was also the highest rated for the AT.
I’m taking them on the trail later this month.
They remind me of an Ultraventure that isn’t forgiving and that has a bit of a front push to them. Identical look in many ways. More aggressive tread than a road shoe.
Rockplate. Balanced. https://thetrek.co/topo-athletic-trail-runner-comparison-ultraventure-3-terraventure-4-and-traverse/
I like them for short local trail training.
Great at five miles or under. Got blisters and ankle pain by day two at 16 miles a day or so as when something happens that would tweak an ankle they are firm rather than forgiving.
The 9th most popular PCT shoe last year.
I tried them a half size large (I know, I listened to a shoe guy I should have ignored). I got foot pain.
https://www.adventurealan.com/terraventure-ultraventure-mtnracer/
They have very aggressive traction. Some people love them.
Not a trail shoe. A very comfortable road/walking shoe.
High cushion, but the tread is not aggressive.
I found them a great trainer for walking city trails. That is what the tread is suited for.
Available in many colors.
I’ll be wearing them for things like a Camino.
Just some additional notes on shoes and socks.
On shoes
Topo Pursuits were used on the AT at #8. They are Topo’s zero drop shoe. I get knee problems from zero drop shoes so I’m not a good reference for them.
https://www.weeviews.com/reviews/4290/pursuit-3
Other shoes that people liked and that I have used include Merril Moabs and La Sportiva Ultra Raptors.
They are both great shoes. Tough for rocky abusive terrain.
Again, they are great shoes. Very stable. Wear well. Available in waterproof and non-waterproof versions and really handle very rough trail well.
Socks
Finally, which socks work best for me varies by the shoe. I’ve been surprised at how the shoe changes my sock preference.
Socks I’ve hiked in:
As a way to finish the Sierra section/another section hike there are two easy ways back on trail from Cottonwood pass. North or South.
The pass is at 746.5 or 751.4 NOBO. A short hike from the trailhead out of Lone Pine gets you on the PCT. It is 2 miles for the southern route from the trailhead and free parking. It is 3.1 miles to get back to the PCT for the northern route.
You start north from 751 with Forester Pass at 780.7. That is not a resupply point but a landmark at 13,120 feet and the highest point on the trail.
The next resupply is Kearsarge Pass— a significant hike in and out at Mile 789.6 or 790.3 (various connections). It is 7.6 miles to the trail head.
That is 48.5 miles or three days of hard hiking from Cottonwood.
From 790 the next resupply is then Bishop Pass at 832.2. 11.8 to the trail head. The mileage is 42+11.8+7.5 from the one trail head to the other. Or a little over 61 miles or four days at 15 miles a day.
The next stretch is about 71 miles (including access). That means five days of food to be certain.
That “next” resupply is Muir Ranch at 858.9. 1.5 to the ranch and a resupply bucket (only what you mail in for $110 is available). The path out reconnects with the PCT at 860.7 about a mile from the ranch.
Then it is almost 45 miles out including connector miles. Or about three days.
That out is Duck Pass which is at 896. From the pass it is about six miles out to the parking lot/bus to Mammoth Lakes. The alternative is Reds Meadow which is about a mile and a half further and has a different bus.
The northern route is around 150 miles plus the access route miles. With access miles of about 50 miles it is about 200 total or so.
Going South it is a leg from Cottonwood at 751.4 to Kennedy Meadows South at 700.8 and then to Walker Pass at 653.2.
That is two roughly 50 mile legs with one resupply that is just about on trail and then a bus back to Lone Pine from the pass.
You start at the trail head at 9,945 feet. Hike up to 10,494 feet at the PCT with easier PUDs to KMS at 6,286 feet and then Walker Pass at 5,275 feet.
So overall downhill.
Looks attractive.
Last trip I left home:
I didn’t shave much weight but I finally tried using rain pants to do laundry.
Gear updates for the next section:
Little seasonal tweaks.
Yesterday we started at 5:36. Today we broke camp by 5:35.
For framing purposes I need to write an essay on what a game designer would call tile fatigue as it relates to backpacking. It relates to backpacking because something similar can happen.
Tile fatigue is when a game player hits the same tile set too often. They get tired of the game because they are tired of the tile set (the scenery) if other elements (such as social or group actions) don’t divert them.
To explain at better depth what a tile set is, the bottom line is that most terrain in many games (like Diablo 1 & 2 or Age of Empires and Age of Kings) uses what are known as tile sets.
Tilesets are collections of small, reusable images called “tiles” arranged in a grid. Each tile represents a small part of the game world. A tile can represent a piece of ground, a segment of a wall, or a decoration. By arranging tiles in different combinations, detailed environments can be created quickly and efficiently.
Backpacking scenery and trail is like going through changing tile sets. When it starts to get repetitive people get fatigued, especially if the tread of the trail is difficult or unpleasant and the social element is empty (as happens in off season backpacking or when your demographic ages out).
On the Appalachian Trail the fatigue happens in the “green tunnel” of Virginia where each day starts to feel the same. In fact hikers refer to it as the “green tunnel blahs” or similar names because it is so well recognized.
On the PCT it often strikes in Oregon where every tree starts to look the same. It is even called the Oregon blahs.
Ideally with changes in weather, the social milieu and the changes that hit as you hike each trail the sense of newness does not wear out too quickly and momentum will carry you.
For Happy6 and I, hiking the Sierra section in July started to feel like work rather than fun.
So last night Happy6 asked me about how I felt. Bottom line is that it turned out both of us were willing to support the other in hiking on but …
We had seen this tile set, this type of terrain, before. There wasn’t really much new about it.
If we hadn’t missed the complete Sierra section several times for various reasons and hadn’t hiked other places it would not be the same as other trail but with rockier trail.
It was strange to be tired of the tile set, so to speak, of a real world location.
So we decided to do a 19+ mile day (mostly down hill) and head back to Reds Meadow to catch the bus back to Mammoth Lakes.
We did our water crossing again. Knee deep. No flow or current. Later in the season that spot has stepping stones. Right now they are a couple feet underwater.
On the way back we ran into one of the families we had met.
The other family we knew we would not see again. They had spent four days and numerous mishaps getting to the campsite three miles from Reds Meadow.
The ones we met had an experienced local hiker dad and a goal of 3-4 miles a day or so.
He suggested Duck Lake to Duck Pass and out. He thought it would be six miles from where we met rather than nine. Pulled up a Garmin map which seemed to show that.
The advantage to taking that route was it would be something new and we might see a duck (we did indeed see a duck and ducklings).
The downside would be more uphill/ascent on the route than the one we were planning on.
We decided to go for it. So we did. It turned out that it only saved a mile and a half. But we met some delightful people as we asked for directions to the bus/trolley. A great 18.3 mile day.
The people we met drove us into Mammoth. That saved us from trying to catch the bus at Reds Meadow or the Marina parking lot.
I’m glad we took the Duck Lake route. It was new and had a lot of people on it towards the end of route.
When we got to Mammoth Lakes the last bus to Lone Pine had already gone so we got a discount hotel room, had showers, washed our clothes and had pizza.
We each ate half a pizza and a scoop of ice cream.
Just a note on demographics.
Again there were more female than male hikers. There were also a surprisingly large number of well trained trail dogs. Some couples (though today they weren’t the majority). One family with kids under ten years of age.
We saw a mix of tents. Mostly we saw free standing tents. Most of the tents we saw were also orange or orange and white with one white tent.
We saw many Osprey packs though the PCT hikers were mostly in HMG (Hyperlite) packs with a smattering of Kakwas and other packs.
As a note. I think preparing made me less interested as I kept encountering exactly what I was expecting to see rather than exploring new trail.
We have a history of getting off trail right before fires or snow hit an area. I’m glad this time the fires hit other locations though no fire at all would be better.
We got on trail by 5:36 am with a post 6:00 sunrise. It was brisk but with windshirts and buffs we were able to hike as it warmed.
We started heading up. Hit a fast pace that slowed over the course of the day.
Our goal was 14 miles and a little higher elevation. We reached both goals. We stopped where we stopped because the next campsite was too high.
We passed two beautiful lakes. One we had to ford knee deep —but no flow. The other had a bridge.
We also had some off trail miles, including the bus, parking and Reds Meadow where we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner.
We got bus three.
Reds Meadow was delightful with so many people.
From Agnew to just outside of Reds Meadow it was downhill. Uphill thereafter. We started at 8,313 feet and ended at 8,645 feet of altitude.
13.8 miles including walking back from long term parking, etc. It was a beautiful day.
Surprisingly we saw more female than male hikers and more couples/families (actual families not trail families) than single hikers.
Our campsite has two families with young children and then in the “wayback” area some more hikers (there is a trail heading east into the woods from the campsite that has multiple beautiful campsite’s deeper in the woods.
We are at the McDonald’s bus stop waiting for the bus to Mammoth
Then through the Great Divide Basin and into Owens Valley.
My pack weight with food and bear canister, but no water was 22 pounds. Water through this section is good so I just have two bottles and my hydropak.
Our usual rotation is drink one then refill and chemically treat while drinking the other. That has worked well for us when there is a lot of water.
I’m so hopeful, but wary. Weather looks good. Great hiking temperatures forecast. Still water and before fire season but after snow season.
Water levels down for easy crossings. All the bridges repaired.
