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.
For the NOBO 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.
Rapidly thawing out
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 years past.
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.
From years past.
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.
From years past.
Going SOBO
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.
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.
Beautiful stretch.
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).
The first time I ran into conditions like this it was magical. The thirtieth time not as much. Though I still like trail like this.
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.
Bridge. Was refreshing for a stop
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.
Beautiful clouds sprinting past.
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.
Duck Lake
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 even finally saw some snow on trail.
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.
After the pass. Lakes on both sides.
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.
The FarOut entry
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.
Lizard at the Bristlecone Pine information kiosk
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.
Hikers in Bishop, California
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.
At least the fires were not on the 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 also had some off trail miles, including the bus, parking and Reds Meadow where we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner.
The initial bus station Line for the bus. That was five large busses full of people in that line.
We got bus three.
Crossing a bridgeThe Devil’s Postpile viewed from the PCTFish in the stream at this crossing
Reds Meadow was delightful with so many people.
Our campsiteThree other tents at the site. More in the area behind the campsite.
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.
Our day. Not counting off trail.
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.
Into the forest.
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 decided to hike up and spend the night to get some more time above 9,000 feet for altitude training.
The trail starts at 7,100 feet or so in the trees.
Much of it is very steep.
Trail flattens out for a while.
We passed deer and got to our campsite and set up by 9:00—with cell service at the end. Most of the road and hike up had no service.
South Willow LakeStansbury MountainsOur campsite
Across the lake a young hammock user camped with her huge (but well behaved) dog.
Sunrise
We arose early and started down to try and make the parking lot before it was hot.
It was around sixty as we dropped down. The car was 92 degrees.
Happy6The flatter section.
It was a great overnight. We had hiked up there before but had not camped. I was glad of it.
We are getting ready to start at Agnew Meadows and hike south/downhill. Treating gear with permethrin, packing three days of food to get us to VVR and double checking everything.
Sierra section—here we come.
Sawyer
Topped out all our batteries.
We will probably only take two bottles each for water. There is water everywhere. It is hard not to horde water capacity but we are going to exercise control.
It was Happy6’s idea to go SOBO. That will really make it easier as it nets downhill. Our end point is 5,403 feet and our start is 9,497.
Lots of up and downs with the passes (up to 13,120 feet) but we will still have a four thousand foot net descent instead of four thousand foot net climb. Especially since we have to carry bear canisters.
That was from a facebook influencer’s list of essential backpacking gear for $40.00 or less.
🤷♂️
I recently was swamped with advertisements of that sort (“essential” etc) that were a grab bag of useless or terrible choices for backpacking—all linked to Amazon affiliate marketing links.
Gargh.
Palate cleanser picture of a deer from a recent hike.
What I would be linking if I had an active account:
This is the last edition, written and copyrighted in 2019. There was a rewrite in process but it never happened. https://www.yogisbooks.com/links has the updates.
It is still the only good guide.
The Appalachian Trail has three good guides, updated every year. The PCT has only this, bought used from random sources.
This is a review of the book, with comments.
Background and Evolution
Yogi started hiking in 1999 with the AT. From there she started on the PCT in 2001. She made it halfway until an injury forced her off. 2002 she returned and thru-hiked the PCT.
The view out of our Triplex on the PCT
2003 she did the PCT again. 2004 she did the CDT. 2007 the PCT again and then in 2010 the Colorado Trail. Then she kept hiking through 2016. Then she hiked more.
She started writing and helping people in 2003. She had a journal that people kept printing (in 2003 it was known as “Yogi’s Notes).
In 2004 she wrote and published her first guide.
From there through 2019 she kept updating and improving it.
Her bottom line is that you and others can do the PCT. Especially with a little preparation. The book is her effort to give everyone the materials they need to prepare.
Yogi & Co-Writers
She co-wrote this with input from several other thru-hikers.
Yogi—she was 37 when she first hiked the PCT.
Anish—both humble and incredible. The most understated record setting hiker you will meet.
Bink—a hiker I’ve never met. Started hiking when he was 18 and hiked the trail at least 13. times. Has hiked over 50,000 miles.
He has also seen the evolution of the trail.
Hiker Box Special—he hiked only the PCT and hiked it only once when he was 28.
Scrub—hiked part of the AT and then the PCT at age 25.
Resources and Sources
She recommends sources that are excellent—even now. Guthooks is now FarOut. Her advice here is still good.
Hiking down the trail
Logistics
She covers starting dates and directions and gives all the details you need to make trail decisions about when to start and finish.
All you need to know about permits and how to get maps, both for your phone and in print.
I’ve carried paper maps when fires were an issue. Otherwise it has been FarOut all the way.
They cover hiking with a partner, compare the AT and PCT, journaling, electronics and the cost (note that there has been inflation) and other topics.
[this takes you through page 51].
Gear
She has a lot of advice. Checklists and sources. The advice is adequate though a little dated, though none of it is bad advice. The water treatment advice (page 66-67) is still current.
Alcohol stoves are now illegal much of the trail.
Hiker poles are much more useful than some of the contributors think.
Clothing has changed. Sun hoodies now dominate the PCT usually with a ball cap. Socks are really personal. Happy6 fits their sock suggestions. I don’t.
Our cook set
Sunglasses really are essential on the PCT and surplus on the AT.
If you don’t get eaten by bugs or burned by sun, shorts are great. The times I’ve been able to get my legs ready I loved shorts. But usually I need the sun protection of pants.
People hike in snow with shorts.
The footwear advice is spot on. I had years of training barefoot. My feet still fit my dress shoes from my pre hiking days. Others go up a half to a full size. Others = most everyone.
Not sure why the warnings about poison oak and poodle dog bush finish this section, but they are spot on.
Advice for the desert (page 90)
They advise the get up early and hike and siesta during the heat of the day philosophy that I’ve migrated into.
Otherwise this section is pretty solid and clear.
The Sierra
Mileage slows down here on the PCT just like it does in the Whites for the AT.
Snow is a huge variable. Lots of solid advice about snow and the related equipment.
Bear Canisters now are required for the Desolation Wilderness which changes the end point. Otherwise the advice is accurate.
Later (page 243) she lists the Bear boxes available in the Sierra. The list matches up with the current lists I’ve found.
Older editions.
Trail Towns & Resupply
Solid advice about going into towns and resupply as well as hitchhiking in general on trail.
Includes Mail Drop addresses./phone numbers. Call to confirm.
The guide (page 141 to 416)
Every step of the way, with maps and guides.
Sample. Blurred per rights reserved.
She does an excellent job for each step of the way, every water source, every town and every landmark and hazard.
Only big update is that you can no longer cross over to Canada and out. You have to hike to the border and back.
At the stop for Harts Pass and North. The crew we shuttled up with.
I’ll note that at one time Guthooks did not cover towns, only the trail. Guidebooks were important for town information. The now FarOut covers towns and it covers access routes to and from the trail.
I got kicked and blocked from one group for talking about this guide.
The “collectors edition” versions I just got in the mail had some interesting content. It was interesting to see the changes over time.
Though the real surprise was in the latest edition from a guy with at least 13 thru-hikes, including two yo-yos (where you hike all the way to a terminus and then back in a single year).
Excerpt, fair use.
On the one trip he dug up all his cat holes to see how the toilet paper was composting/decomposing. But it was.
What he found was that it was two months before it had started to decompose back to nature.
He also found that unbleached paper composted faster.
Or why I’m replacing all my toilet paper in my gear.
I thought I’d comment on the gear used for cooking while camping.
Some cook gear, including cold soak containers
We have tried so much, but what we actually use varies a lot depending on what kind of camping we are doing. Here are lists.
Car camping
Coleman stove.
Cast iron and Dutch oven. (The only place these things aren’t mentioned as a joke).
Cooler.
Plates, cups.
Sections (short expeditions) and short days (hiking ten miles when you are physically up to much more).
MSR Windburner. (Pot/stove combo).
Quesadilla pan. (Pure luxury).
“Real” backpacking (anything where we need to cover distance between resupply).
Stanco Greasepot & Cosy.
BRS stove.
Our setup with cosy.
Silverware varies a lot. Other than long handled titanium spoons it can really vary.
All of those things are right “at the right time” and many are right for younger, stronger hikers where they would not be for us.
That is an important point. Much of what is right is relative to who you are and your tastes.
Such a great day in Northern California on the PCT.
We own:
Two different frying pans.
Multiple pots.
A Snow Peak, two different GasOne stoves, a Jet Boil, an MRS Windburner (with two pots), titanium and aluminum pots (including two IMUSA cups and the Stanco), an Apex Giant and a BRS for our simple stove collection. And the Coleman style stove (well, two of them).
Two different filter types (Sawyer and Katadyn, including their authorized clone) and Aqua Tabs.
Two titanium long spoons, a short titanium spoon and a Sea to Summit Aluminum spoon as well as Light my Fire sporks (spoon one end and fork the other).
Cold soak jars.
Snake from yesterday’s hike
For framing of what we use our cook gear for:
On trail, we quickly got to one hot meal a day with a cold breakfast, a snack, lunch and a second snack. Then a hot dinner. Hot breakfasts just were not worth the effort.
Sometimes if we are tired we have breakfast style food for dinner.
For car camping it is the same unless it is with children/grandchildren, then we do full breakfasts and more.
