Start: 0700 - PCT mile 1006 (Kennedy Canyon)
End: 1930 - PCT mile 1026 (East Fork Carson River)
Miles (today): 20
Miles (cumulative): 1063 (918 PCT, 91.5 alternate, 53.5 off)
Happy 4th of July!
The first half of the day was great - the scenery was so beautiful! After several days of being surrounded by trees it was nice to once again see for miles all around. It felt strange to hike alone again, though, although I did leapfrog the hikers we met at mile 1000 (Pope, Space Jam, Fat Cathy, and B Squared).
on the way out of the trees
it was a little daunting to see the trail winding around and up, but it was also refreshing
At one point I was faced with a glissade- and I was successful! Ellie had told me she takes her pack off and sends it down first when glissading, so I gave that a try and it worked wonders! The pack helped slow me up when I ran into it (which made me feel better about the whole endeavor). Glissading in shorts was a little uncomfortable but it was so much easier than trying to walk down.
looking back up from my first successful glissade!
another hiker doing the same glissade
looking ahead to where we have to go - the trail leads us through that low dip in the rocks
a close up view of the awesome rock formations
it was gorgeous up here!
looking back from whence we came
The trail leading down to Sonora Pass/Highway 108 was where the day became a little challenging. There was quite a bit of snow covered trail (of course there was, it was the north side) and several spots were very steep and treacherous - so much so that I stopped to put on my microspikes (I didn't think I'd ever have to use them again!). There was a very tense moment when Space Jam, who was behind me, slipped on a particularly steep, snowy part of the trail and slid out of control down the partially snow-covered mountain. She managed to turn herself around (so she was feet first) and she managed to miss hitting the huge boulders in her path... But it was horrifying watching her, helpless - I think I stopped breathing until she gave a shaky yell that she was ok once she finally stopped sliding.
Soon after that, there was a spot where I could have done another glissade (and, per Pope and Fat Cathy, skip part of the trail and get to Sonora Pass faster) but after watching Space Jam I had no desire to glissade, even if it was in an established glissade track. Therefore, I made the silly decision to stay on the trail the whole way down. I didn't realize how much longer I'd be hiking! There were more snow-covered parts of the trail, which slowed me up, and the trail looped way around to the east only to come back again (very annoying!). At one point I saw Nick up ahead of me - he was smart and did that last glissade. Sigh. Worse, I slipped on the snow at one point and re-injured/tweaked my upper calf, causing me to limp a little. I couldn't get to Sonora Pass fast enough.
looking down into Sonora Pass
There were signs for some trail magic on the trail near the road but we couldn't find it. Oh well. Nick and I ate lunch at the trailhead and briefly discussed going into Bridgeport or North Kennedy Meadows because of my leg issue; however, I made the decision to continue on - the lunch break made it feel better and I wasn't ready for a town just yet.
Entering into Carson Iceberg Wilderness was beautiful but the trail was very steep in some parts. I'm ok with steep if it means I get to the top faster, but the trail wound around the mountain and out of the way so the steepness definitely didn't help us get to the top any faster. Annoying. :)
another wilderness!
going up the final pass of the day - the views are definitely changing!
Going down the final pass of the day pushed me over the edge (down Sonora peak?) It was just as bad as going down Mather Pass - I completely lost the trail, tried to scramble down the rocks, slipped, and really, REALLY aggravated my leg injury. I didn't cry this time, though. No, this time I sobbed as I lay crumpled in the snow, unable to get up. Thoughts of it being a hike-ending injury floated in my mind. It felt as if the trail was doing all she could to thwart my progress- as soon as I felt able to walk again I'd slip or trip and make things even worse (I even ended up unintentionally glissading down a few parts (i.e. slipped and fell) which really hurt and didn't help matters).
Thankfully, Nick was there. Once we got past all the snow, though, I wasn't much better - I was exhausted from the day and my leg periodically buckled underneath me as I walked, which caused me to take a huge fall on the trail - thankfully, I mostly fell on my pack so I didn't get too banged up, although at this point my leg was screaming at me to stop.
Tears. Lots of tears (it's embarrassing to admit that I'm such an emotional hiker). Lots of pain, too. Alas, there were no camping spots nearby. I was able to walk but only very slowly (and I think we all know by now how I despise being slow). It was rough all around.
Then we saw this note on the trail and my spirits lifted a bit:
the 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays - I do miss seeing fireworks!
When we got to mile 1026 there were several hikers camping by the trail and quite a few more down by the creek (where the party was). Garfield told us there wasn't room by the creek, so we set up our tent by the trail, got cleaned up, and made dinner before heading down to the party. While waiting for Nick, as I sat on a rock with my head in my hands and tried to come to grips with the events of the day, a section hiker (who had passed me earlier) stopped to cheer me up by giving me some Mike and Ikes. He was so nice! Being around other hikers is exactly what I needed.
Excited for the party!
The party was great - we walked up to a lot of hikers huddled around a campfire and I was SO EXCITED to see Turquoise, Smiles, and Dilly Dally there! It was awesome! We enjoyed s'mores, alcohol, chocolate pudding, and great company (it's always great company). Turquoise was so sweet to me - she's another one of my favorites. :)
The 4th of July party - it was just what I needed!
We left the party early (around 2130) because I was exhausted and really wanted to rest my leg. Nick said if it hasn't improved by morning that we should hike back to Sonora Pass, but I really don't want to do that - that section of the trail was hell (in my mind) and I'd rather not revisit it.
Along the trail:
Koenig Lake
another view from the top of the last pass
snow flowers were everywhere on the trail by the river, but this is the most I've seen in one spot. They made me smile through the pain