Pacific Crest Trail Hike: CA Section J – Mile 1018 – 1093
Pacific Crest Trail Hike: CA Section J – Mile 1018 – 1093
Hello from the trail! Apologies for delays in posting, I’m in Oregon and attempting to do bigger mile days which leaves me little time to write and post.
This section was the finale of the Sierra Nevada mountains and it was a short but sweet. By this point, I was ready for the next leg of the journey into Northern California and hoped to be rid of the snow! Ending in South Lake Tahoe is cause for celebration – so celebrate I did!
PCT CA Section J Summary
Statistics:
Days: 6
Full hiking days: 3
Zeroes: 2
Neros: 1
Total Trail Miles Hiked: 73.1
Total Miles Hiked: 73.5
Trail Elevation Gain: 13,225 ft
Trail Elevation Loss: 14,967 ft
Highlights:
Finishing the (official) Sierra Nevada Mountain section of the Pacific Crest Trail!
Spending time with friends from both on and off trail in South Lake Tahoe.
Lowlights:
Remaining trail was still primarily covered in snow or mud which was tricky to navigate.
Gear failure on a nerve wracking section was unfortunate.
PCT CA Section J Detailed Version
Day 79: Mile 1018.2 – 1029.0
Trail Daily Miles: 10.8
Total Daily Miles: 10.7
Total Trail Mileage: 1029.0
Elevation Gain: 1926 ft
Elevation Loss: 2612 ft
Weather: Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: Ready for the last push to South Lake Tahoe.
After a fitful night sleep at Kennedy Meadows North Resort, I got up early (5am hour) and found several other hikers and workers up and about. One of the reasons I woke up early was due to the resort’s generator. We were notified that it would shut off around 11pm and turn back on around 5am aka don’t expect to charge any devices overnight. I didn’t think anything of it but was shocked when in fact the gas powered generator did shut off and turn back on with a jolt each time at the exact moments they warned us. A generator that large sure makes a lot of noise when turning on and off! Others must have been disturbed as well because I was able to visit with those hikers of them over cups of coffee before breakfast. The shuttle leaving KMN heading back to the trail wasn’t leaving until 10am so we had a slow restful morning.
The shuttle back to the trail was great and full of interesting facts from our dear driver! He even brought along his canine companion, Jesse, pictured below, who snuggled me the whole ride!
It was much later at this point that we normally started hiking in the day so we were not expecting to complete big miles. There was a steep climb directly out of Sonora Pass heading northbound and of course, it had a lot of snow. Snow traverses intermixed with glimpses of the trail was the next 10 miles. There was a decent amount of climbing in this short span so I was thankful when we found a perfect campsite at the top of the hill!
The campsite was partially surrounded by snow but we found enough dry ground for all of our tents. There was also a fire ring which we decided to use! Having dinner around a fire with Prick and Bags was a treat. I felt very thankful for friendship and community in this moment.
Day 80: Mile 1029.0 – 1049.5
Trail Daily Miles: 20.5
Total Daily Miles: 20.0
Total Trail Mileage: 1049.5
Elevation Gain: 4265 ft
Elevation Loss: 4232 ft
Weather: Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: Snow bridges really spice up the day.
The next morning we left later than our normal 4am departure time and switched it to 5am – what a small but big difference that made! It was light enough that we didn’t need our headlamps to start hiking. As Bags and I were within the first mile of the day, I stepped on a small snow bridge that collapsed under me and I fell. I fell in a spectacular fashion, full out, face hitting the ground, but luckily I somewhat was able to catch myself on my hands. Bags was behind me and held her breath until I started laughing. It was absolutely hilarious, though I am lucky I didn’t break my face in anyway and have my front teeth!
There was thankfully clear trail for a bit before a steep snowy descent down to Noble Lake. It was a beautiful serene snack spot with fantastic views. There was an interesting large breaking snow bridge that a literal river ran under. Had it been a few days later, our group would have had to think about this crossing a bit differently but we were able to scooch across.
The remainder of the day was through snow fields and up snowy inclines to the base of Ebbetts Pass, which was not a notable pass in anyway other than these annoying steep inclines. I was behind Prick and Bags and was thankful they stopped when they did because I was tapped out for the day. A good dinner with great friends capped off the day and I slept soundly that evening.
Day 81: Mile 1049.5 – 1070.9
Trail Daily Miles: 21.4
Total Daily Miles: 22.3
Total Trail Mileage: 1070.9
Elevation Gain: 4124 ft
Elevation Loss: 3940 ft
Weather: Sun and thunderstorm!
Overall Day Sentiment: Bears and lightening threats, oh my!
The day started out smoothly with relatively clear trail and gorgeous rock formations. This was once again showing different types of rocks (craggy/volcanic) as compared to what I had been seeing (granite). There were some short snow traverses that were easy enough to manage – a welcomed relief. I still needed the maps on my phone for navigation and keep my phone in my fanny pack. I forgot to zip it up and panic arose when I realized that it had fallen out. Luckily I didn’t have to backtrack too far and it was pretty easy to find against the white background the snow painted.
While hiking along in the morning with Prick and Bags behind me respectively with one ear bud in, I turned a corner and saw it – my first bear! It was a little close for comfort but so beautiful walking through a meadow with the early morning light on its mostly cinnamon coat. I stopped in my tracks and began walking backwards while it turned toward me. It was fluffy, cute, and stuffed animal shaped but alas an apex predator stared back at me. We stared at each other for a bit, from a safer distance, when it finally turned and began lumbering up the hill. I quickly snapped the shot below and ran back to Prick. We looked for the bear as a group of 3 but they seemingly disappeared into nowhere.
The day continued with just a bit more caution and music in my one ear bud turned a few notches lower. There was a section that our maps called the “steep traverse” that warns about how dangerous it is with snow on it. There was a work around and rock climbing to get around one portion but the others had to be traversed. As I was putting on my microspike, a traction device for my feet, one of them catastrophically broke. It snapped and was unusable which is not something I would have liked to see as I am about to enter a ‘dangerous’ section. I luckily had kept my tiny yak-trax which I used on one foot while the other had the functioning microspike. All was well and the traverse ended up being easier than expected. Fear mongering, fun right?
The afternoon carried on and we were treated to some trail magic by the Hoovers! Their son had done the PCT (among other trails) so they posted up at a section of trail that was easily accessible enough by car but was such a treat for us! Thank you very much!
There was quite a number of other hikers there which mean I delayed my departure. I was unaware that an afternoon thunderstorm was rolling in as I was leaving which meant the last few miles of the day had some extra haste to them. It was, of course, an exposed ridge walk that left no room for error in relation to lightening. For the first time in my life, I was the tallest object around by several feet. It was a tense 4 miles to the campsite and I pushed my body harder than I had cardiovascularly thus far on trail.
Once down from the ridge I could breathe a bit better. Prick and Bags were ahead of me as they left the trail magic set up at a better time than I so at least I had a destination. It was a beautiful site near a lake that could not have been a more ideal spot to end my last night in the official Sierra. To top it off, there was a frog symphony all night.
Day 82: Mile 1070.9 – 1091.3
Trail Daily Miles: 20.4
Total Daily Miles: 20.5
Total Trail Mileage: 1093.4
Elevation Gain: 2910 ft
Elevation Loss: 4183 ft
Weather: Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: I finished the Sierra!
Today was Lake Tahoe day which was a motivation to get up early and start hiking! There was a relatively easy pass, Carson Pass, early in the morning about 6 miles in. The trail was overall clear going up (what is an open switchback!?) with a few snow traverses just at the top. The wildflowers were beginning to come out at this point and it had felt like I had been chasing the wildflower bloom for several hundred miles heading north!
Once I was down from the Carson Pass descent, there was a beautiful ranger station with a bit of trail magic! I sat for a bit and chatted with a few of the rangers, volunteers, and visitors that had questions about how the Sierra Nevada was to go through. I also got to weigh myself again and was very excited to eat my way through Tahoe based on the results.
There was a variety of landscapes to wrap up my time including long meadows, snow bowl traverses, and muddy forest slogs. Navigating through densely wooded areas with snow drifts 5 feet+ high was officially my least favorite type of hiking. Once I got through the forest, the last few miles became clear of snow and rockier. I began to see and meet some Tahoe Rim Trail hikers who were just starting out, which was exciting! I was able to give them some intel from where I came from to better inform their next few miles.
At about 1.5 miles to go, my visitor that was spending time in Tahoe and beyond with me hiked in and greeted me. This was a welcomed scene because the day had been pretty hard hiking and with every mile, it got progressively harder to stay motivated. It was also getting hotter and hotter and while I had put on my shorts for the first time in a long time to hike – it just resulted in a sunburn. Seeing my visitor made the last miles go by quickly, which I was thankful for!
Once we exited the forest, my visitor had rented a car and brought chilled champagne to celebrate the completion of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range! It was a surreal moment popping the bottle because this was the section every talked about for weeks leading up to it and the section I thought the most about prior to the trail. I happily drank the brut rosè though it felt strange to celebrate without Prick, Bags, or Bobcat – my Sierra companions. All of us had different time frames for getting into Tahoe that day/week but they were there with me in spirit!
I was able to get a delicious meal and shower at my beautiful accommodations the first night in town while getting excited for a double zero in South Lake Tahoe!
Day 83 & 84: Mile 1093.4
Trail Daily Miles: 0
Total Daily Miles: 0
Total Trail Mileage: 1093.4
Elevation Gain: 0
Elevation Loss: 0
Weather: Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: Thankful for a double zero in South Lake Tahoe!
These days flew by and they were filled with chores and fun. I never thought I would begin to judge laundromats but I can confidently say the one in Tahoe was spectacular. There were also a ton of hikers in town so we were able to hang out off trail and celebrate together. A brewery night, a beach day, a sushi dinner were all highlights (Prick, Bags, Yeti, Tap, Juice, Jolly, Maps, and more). My visitor was planning to join me for the next section so there was some logistical planning that was completed as well.
To wrap up the Sierra, I feel a deep sense of gratitude to my body. My pack was heavy, days were long, hiking was hard, sleep often came fitfully, and I was hungry all the time – but it persisted. I’m thankful for my companions who were with my through hard moments, both physically and mentally.
Overall, I’m just plain thankful.
Xoxo Kanga/Leeann
