Benson Lake to Miller Lake

Thursday 9/17/2015 PCT mile 973 to mile 960, distance 13 miles

I woke up shortly after 4 am due to airplane noise. There were several jets within an hour. It seemed louder than usual, maybe the shorter distance due to the elevation or the towering mountains surrounding the lake acting as an amplifier. Whatever the reason I couldn't sleep anymore so after a while I got up, packed up and was on my way before sunrise. Looking back after a while I had a nice view of Benson Lake with the mountains already painted in light. 

My goal was to have breakfast somewhere where the sun is already out and I found a nice spot less than two hours later. 

At lunchtime I reached Smedberg Lake. Just as the lake came into view I met three girls who had camped there and were now on their way towards Benson Lake. They were in the middle of an eight day hike. I should have asked to take a picture, they all had matching colorful sunglasses and freshly applied sunscreen on their faces. They were hiking at some distance between each other though and I didn't even see the last person by the time the first left.

The good thing was that I had Smedberg Lake now for myself, I washed (it was really time!), had a swim and lunch.

As I continued toward Benson Pass the views got better and better. 

With all these breaks I felt I didn't get a lot of miles in even though I was up so early. I was pushing myself a little because I wanted to be at Tuolumne Meadows Friday afternoon to get permits for the weekend trip with Susi in Yosemite. 

Maybe that's why my right knee started to hurt. Strange, usually it's the left one. It's funny, thinking of it over the last week each each day something had hurt and the next day it was fine a something else started. Which is actually much preferable to having the same thing everyday because then you know it's real. I took my first Ibuprofen on this trip and as of this evening all parts seemed to be in working order. 

I met a couple before I got to Miller Lake, they also moved on quickly even so I was not as smelly as I was this morning when I met the first group. 

Once arrived I had Miller Lake all for myself, had another swim and enjoyed the quiet and peaceful view. 

In the evening the lake was so still so that one could see the reflection of the moon. 

Trailhead 

Wilmer Lake to Benson Lake

PCT day 11: Wednesday 9/16/2015, PCT mile 987 to 983, distance 14 miles

Tonight it has rained again but in the morning it looked a little clearer. It was still, so much so that I didn't jump into Wilmer Lake although the water was warmer than any other lake so far. 

I said goodbye to Blowing By who left early. It was fun talking with him. 

And I received a message that Susi would meet me at Tuolumne Meadows on the weekend - whohoo!

I passed a few lakes from which the mist was rising. Too bad this doesn't quite come out in photo. 

The views today were great, the rain had cleared the air of all that haze. 

I found a few delicious berries along the way. 

Benson Lake was a little off the trail and I wondered for moment if I should stop elsewhere but it was too late for that decision. 

Benson Lake has a huge beach and sandy area. Unfortunately it was extremely windy and therefore not that inviting for a beach stroll. 

There was another group of backpackers who were on the last stretch of a eight day loop. There was also a group of trailworkers who had been up here continuesly all summer and today was their last day. They had already packed up all their supplies neatly to be picked up by helicopter tomorrow. They were so nice and one of them even brought over a stack of firewood to my campsite so that I would be warm. 

Trailhead 

Rain, Ice and Dorothy Lake swim

PCT day 10: Tuesday 9/15/2015, PCT mile 1006 to 987 Wilmer Lake

Last night was stormy and it was raining on and off. I was concerned that the tent stakes would pull out because the ground was so soft. But everything held up and inside it was dry even though the tent was sitting in a puddle. 

I used the weather feature on my satellite messenger and learned that tomorrow the temperature would drop below freezing and snow would be likely at higher elevation. My original goal was Dorothy Lake but then I would risk snow at night. 

I decided to follow Blowing By and target Wilmer Lake, 19 miles away but 1500 feet lower than Dorothy Lake. 

The weather was awesome. Rain, wind, hail, and sunshine in between. I had a chance to try my rain gear. 

Right when I got to beautiful Dorothy Lake it cleared up a bit and I couldn't resist the urge to jump in. It was so nice.

I hiked on and my legs were pretty tired by the time I arrived. Hiking through rain is hard but it was so beautiful. 

Blowing By had already settled in the tent and two other hikers, father and son, were in getting a fire going. We exchanged a few words but they were not very talkative that night and I didn't hear them for the rest of the day. 

Just when I had my dinner ready it started raining again and I was glad that I could roll up in my sleeping bag. 

Trailhead 

Windswept on Sonora Pass

PCT day 9, Monday 9/14/2015, PCT mile 1017 to 1006.

I slept well at Kennedy Meadows and by 9 am I had already walked the mile back to HW108. The hitchhiking didn't go as well as yesterday. Cars came only every few minutes and none were stopping. An hour passed. I was checking my maps if there was a way to hike back. No. Another hour passed. Suddenly an old dusty camper pickup stopped. I didn't think they had stopped for me because there were already two people in the car. But yes, this old pickup had a bench where three people could sit. Awesome. 

Ike and Liz had both been at Burning Man but actually met just two days ago at an afterburner camp. Both were from Israel (I keep meeting people from Israel) and Ike had been here already for several months driving around the country. They were super friendly, immediately offered me some food and we had a good time while the old truck very slowly made it's way up the pass. 

At the trailhead two backpackers, Steve and Julie with their dog Darcy, just came off the trail because Darcy was suffering at the paws and hips. So sorry. I know the terrain is super tough for dogs as we learned last year when we took our daughter two dogs for four days backpacking here. 

Once on the trail the weather became more and more cloudy and very windy. 

A dayhiker I met told me that she even saw a few snow flurries at the top (which is over 11000ft). The views were awesome though. 

I didn't see snow but the temperature was just a few degrees above freezing and the wind so strong it blew me off balance a few times. For those who don't know the trail is very exposed along a ridge for maybe seven miles. 

There is a special PCT marker spelled PTC...

While I stopped and was adding another layer a hiker caught up to me very fast. His name was Nick and he had started at Barker Pass, almost at the same spot where I had started, just more recent because he hiked much faster. He didn't have a trail name and while both the Sonora winds and he were blowing by me I thought his trail name should be Blowing By - but he was gone already. I took a picture while he was way ahead on the switchbacks. 

A long while later I arrived at the camp site where Nick had settled and we had a nice chat. He seemed to like the name Blowing By. When not hiking he is a musician and happens to be on tour in Germany regularly. He had hiked up the Zugspitze just at about the time when we were there. So funny, because we had almost made the same tour if the weather on the Hochkönig wouldn't had cooperated. 

Trailhead 

Reaching Sonora Pass and Kennedy Meadows

PCT day 8, Sunday 9/13/2015: PCT mile 1034 to 1017

Today was a great day to hike for me.  My mood changed, I was upbeat. I listened to some NPR podcasts/TED talks about assistive technology, cancer research and hackers. Because it had been overcast the last few days my solar charger has not been very effective and I had limited the time using the phone to conserve battery. Now that I would have a chance to charge tonight I didn't care as much. 

And the scenery changed too. The area north of Sonora Pass is quite stunning. The views were impacted by the haze from the fire though. 

Once I arrived at Sonora Pass I got a ride to Kennedy Meadows from two super nice people of whom I forgot the name (Melissa and Ney?) even though I had had asked twice. They were also backpacking the last few days. They even dropped me off right at the resort. 

Unfortunately no Wifi at Kennedy Meadows, they had it last year but the capacity was insufficient and made it unusable even for the staff. 

I got the PCT special dorm room for myself, received the resupply package I had sent and enjoyed a nice dinner at the restaurant. 

Now I have just gotten my supplies packed until VVR. It's heavy even though I plan to buy some stuff at Red's. It's starting to rain outside and I'm not outside in the tent. I'm sleeping in a bed tonight. 

Too bad that there is no internet to check in with the world :-)

Trailhead 

Ebbetts Pass, Kinney Lake and mud puddles

PCT day 7, Saturday 9/12 PCT mile 1050 to 1034

I took it easy this morning at Kinney Lake because it is the last nice lake until after Sonora Pass. Until now I had at least one swim per day. I'm getting addicted, what am I gonna do during the next section?

The sky was getting a little hazy, probably from the fires, but it made for nice pictures such as this one in the morning at Kinney Lake. 

I didn't bring anything to read, which was a mistake. Before I never had time and there was always an opportunity for a conversation because Susie and I hike together. 

I thought I would spend more time with my phone, writing the blog, listening to podcasts, etc. but the solar charger didn't really work because it was mostly overcast and hazy. I was definitely not in my usual mood which is much more upbeat. Maybe the hazy gloomy sky?

In the late afternoon I suddenly met several backpackers coming my direction. Daybreak was a PCT hiker from Scotsdale who was finishing the Sierra section which he skipped due to snow earlier this year. Unfortunately now he had to fight through the smoke from the Rough Fire in Kings Canyon. 

Shortly afterwards came two hikers from Yosemite heading for Meeks Bay, the reverse of my route. I started talking with the guy who was very helpful, but the girl moved on. 

Me being alone most of the time I enjoyed meeting people, stop for a while and chat. I noticed that most people here don't have this desire because they come here just for the day and enjoy the solitude or they are with a group and have plenty of conversation already. 

Once I got closer to Sonora Pass the landscape changed and I liked it a lot more. So many interesting rock formations. 

I found a campsite with water near the junction into Paradise Valley, I had hiked here about a year ago while it was snowing.

This was the first night with strong wind gusts, which are typical for the Sierras at this time of year. The quietness and high temperatures of the last days were rather unusual. Probably no more sleeping outside.

Trailhead 

Party night and Kinney Lake

PCT day 6, Friday 9/11/2015 PCT mile 1070, Lost Lakes, to 1050, Kinney Lake. 

I woke up at 2 am. What's going on? What's that noise? Apparently some guys had just driven up to Lost Lake, music full blast and we're going "yeah", "aiiiiiih", "yeeha" for the next hour or so. They had a good time. I should remember not to pick a camp near a dirt road. It happened to us last year when we camped near Leavitt Lake and some guys started shooting automatic weapons all night. Eventually they did go to sleep and I slept a few hours more. 

I left camp before sunrise and had breakfast on a ridge at sunrise. 

A while later a dayhiker/runner came by and asked me for directions to the "nipple". Apparently that was the name of the peak I had just breakfast nearby. Looking from afar a few hours later I could understand how someone came up with that name. 

In retrospect I was glad that I stayed at Lost Lakes, the alternatives for the next 6 miles were all worse.

When I got closer to Ebbetts Pass I met a group of four backpackers heading for Raymond Lake. These were the only others I met on the trail besides the two TRT hikers. 

I did see some other critters though:

I had been on Raymond Lake last year with my daughter, so I was familiar with the trail from here on. Awesome views. 

The knowledge of the area was also the reason why I wanted to reach Kinney Lake, I knew it was so nice. It was unusually warm so I tried my umbrella. 

Camp at Kinney Lake 

The only other camper on the lake was a woman named Carol with her dog Sadie, who had been backpacking for several days. It was nice to have some company to chat a little. 

Trailhead