Days 88
Start: Sierra Buttes North
Finish: West Branch Nelson Creek
Daily Mileage: 25.3
PCT Mile: 1225.1
I set up my tent behind a rock wall meant to shield it from the wind. However, it doesn’t work as well when the wind comes from the opposite direction. The wind did a big shift in the night and started blowing hard. My tent was flapping as is typical, but in my incoherent state I didn’t realize it was because the wind did a 180 and I needed to reset the tent for it. After laying there for a while I figured it out and put in my earplugs. In any case, not a great night for sleep.
Cookie Monster and I had climbed halfway up Sierra Buttes North yesterday, and today started with a traverse of the mountain. It was quite rocky and therefore a little slower, but the views of the buttes more than made up for it. They were sharp spires reaching the sky with the sun rising behind them. Quite a stark contrast to the rest of the rounded and forested mountains all around.
Cookie Monster and I were supposed to regroup at a stream, but I saw an opportunity slightly sooner. A campground filled with campers. I did a walk through the camp saying hello and waving to the campers, ostensibly on my way to the dumpster to get rid of my minimal trash, then we sat down for a break at the entrance to the camp. A short while later, a camper arrived with a couple pieces of perfectly cooked bacon to help feed the hungry thru-hikers.
The trail had another good climb up to a ridge, following an evolution of colors in the rocks on the way up. It was mostly exposed and the day was heating up, so I had to slow my pace. However, the climb was uneventful. On the ridge, however, the trail started weaving around some northerly aspects which gave the dreaded cornices and snowfields to cross a few times. By now, the snow is very well consolidated and hard, so there is no postholing, but it is getting pretty old to still be crossing these snow patches in late June. Some of them are also steep and my snow gear is home. It is doable, it just takes more time. And since the snow is harder, it takes more work to kick in steps. Since the snow is melting quickly, steps from prior hikers aren’t sticking around long.
The trail along the ridge looked down upon several lakes as it went, offering nothing but distant views. This area is heavily glaciated, and we are still in the Sierra granite that supports so many lakes. The guidebook says the trail was routed away from the lakes to avoid impact, but seeing motorboats and such on the lakes makes me question that.
There are a lot of OHV and mountain bike trails in this area, and the PCT is very clearly marked for foot and equestrian traffic only. I came across a father and daughter riding their mountain bikes down the trail right next to a no bikes sign. I decided to speak up since the father was essentially teaching his 10 year old daughter that it was ok to flaunt the rules in the wilderness that keep trails in good condition. The father’s only response was “yeah, oh well”. Not that I expected much. Maybe it will at least help the daughter question her father in the future.
After a climb, all there was between me and camp was a descent to wherever I could find a spot to pitch my tent. However, the descents tend to be on the north side of mountains since we are generally traveling south to north. The descent was especially snowy, with pretty steep snow slopes. I was pretty done with the snow for the day, so I found whatever dirt I could and cut the buried switchbacks straight down that mountain. The dirt may have been steeper than the snow, but the snow is still more dangerous and its had its time. That worked to get me down to normal trail and ride out the descent to a creek with some flat spots. Cookie Monster later told me that the mosquitoes came out for him when he was trying to negotiate the snow, and said the mosquitoes plus snow were a new kind of hell.
It was a couple hours before Cookie Monster arrived at camp. He sat down and told me that he was going to take his time hiking to the next town, and then be leaving the trail. It was turning into a grind for him, which wasn’t letting him enjoy the nature of the hike. I will leave the discussion at that, and we talked past our normal bedtimes.