Day 31: Tuesday 10/6/2015, PCT mile 810 over Pinchott pass to mile 800, distance 10 miles
For Tuesday the forecast was cloudy most off the day but with only a small chance off snow. A good start.
Yes, the weather was promising, we were ready to go.
There was about a foot of snow at 11000ft elevation where we had camped.
We were not the only ones on the way, there were some cute little birds too
As we came closer to the pass the snow was much deeper in some locations due to snowdrifts. Breaking trail was hard work and most of the time we had only a rough idea where the exact trail was. We switched up going in front.
Sophie - Snowcat / One hit wonder
Hanna - Lightweight
Emily - Tent girl
By noon we had made it up on Pinchott pass. The view from up there with the snow covered mountains around was amazing. It had been overcast most of the day but as we were on the pass the sky was clear for a while.
Finding the right way down proved to be the hardest part. We kept losing the trail location. I didn't want to use the GPS constantly as it was draining the battery fast and we had two more passes with unknown trail conditions ahead of us.
At one point we ended up in a boulder field which was quite treacherous. Lots of post holing between boulders. Sometimes sliding on your butt was the safest option.
By 4pm we were below 10000ft and out of most of the snow.
By 6pm we had reached out destination for today, Woods creek which has a unique suspension bridge. Only one person crossing at a time.
This had been a hard but exciting day. We were happy that we made it over the first pass and were now at lower elevation, 8500ft instead of 11000ft. The temperature difference at night makes for a more comfortable sleep.
Over the last few days I had updated Susi about the delays and she was able to change the pickup date for Onion Valley. It also helped that she didn't have to worry while I was stuck for the two days.
Maybe some other hikers are ahead of us and the hike will be easier tomorrow.
Trailhead
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