Today I traveled on 3 separate buses fromBishop to Reno to Susanville to Chester where the bus dropped Me, Popcorn, Bubbles, Karma, Walking Home and Polar Bear in town.While I flipped forward to avoid snow, I will have 20 to 30 miles of snow going through Lassen national park. I had originally planned to flip over Lassen and start past the snow at Old Station , but transportation was difficult. I don’t expect the Lassen snow to be quite as bad as what I have experienced to this point, but time will tell.
We arrived to the city of Chester and found the city park. It is rumored that PCT HIKERS can sleep here. There is a baseball game going on and I saw a CHP officer watching. I asked him about staying and was told the official answer is no, but as long as we clean up after ourself they know we’re here and will look the other way.
We set up to cowboy camp yes, on the stage which is covered and has three sides. Cowboy camping is on your mat with no tent. There are also restrooms nearby that we believe will be left unlocked tonight.
Monday was Memorial Day, so the post office was closed and I was unable to pick up my food resupply packages until today.
I walked a mile to the post office, gave them my name, and there were three boxes! Did I mention I had walked a mile to the post office. There was a gentleman in line with me, and when I saw what I was picking up, I asked him if he would be willing to give me a ride back to the hotel, and I was blessed, he said yes.
Sean was my Bishop Trail angel helping me get my stuff back to the hotel. He’s lived here since 1983 and loves the town.
I got back to the hotel and spent the next few hours putting my meals together. I took a break for lunch and finished at 3:15. I made up 9 days of meals for my next two sections. I needed to mail prepared meals bags forward, supplies for additional meals forward, and I no longer need my beer can so I’m sending that home. It was now 3:30. The post office closes at four. It’s a mile away. I had two boxes and my bear can; By the way, Bishop doesn’t have Uber. I learned that when I went to the hotel lobby and asked if they had any idea about how to get a ride. There happened to be a local dial a ride bus sitting in the parking lot at Denny’s next-door picking somebody up. I ran over and asked if he stopped the post office he did. I got on board and I made it to the post office five minutes before they closed.
After sending my stuff in the mail I went to dinner, walked back to the hotel, and relaxed a little bit more letting my body recuperate. Tomorrow I’ll take a bus from Bishop to Reno, a second bus from Reno to Susanville, and then will try to figure out a way to get to Old Station where I will restart the trail.
Boring blog today. I am on a zero town day in Bishop doing nothing but relaxing and trying to recuperate. I ate breakfast at the hotel and then went to a barbecue joint I noticed yesterday. They have a big sign with the John 3:16 verse outside. Inside they have quotes from Bob Goff, and there is Christian music playing. I’ve been on a bit of a low knowing I do not want to continue in the heavy snow, but not sure where I’m going to flip up North because the snow isn’t much better there. As I was eating the first song I realized was playing in the restaurant was “Lord, I need you” I felt his comfort.
I’m wrestling with my next steps , but I also know that is where growth comes from.
I’m learning to let go of control. It’s been a long hard lesson as much as I think this year’s snow level has turned the hike into something different then I had wanted, I know it is the hike God has for me.
We got up a little later 5 AM to hike at 6 AM towards Kearsarge pass. It is an off PCT Trail exit to the town of Independence. From there we will get a ride to Bishop for our zero and resupply days.
We camped by the lake, which in retrospect was not a good idea. It was very moist overnight. We have frost on all of our gear and tents, and it was the coldest night on Trail.
We hiked up past multiple frozen lakes, and climbed the snow covered mountain side towards the pass.
We reached the top of the pass and again met chopper, and another hiker, whose name I did not get.
We hiked down the backside of Kearsarge pass towards Onion Valley. We went straight down through the valley still in deep snow passing lakes along the way.
We reached the Kearsarge Pass trail head and found some trail magic in one of the parking lot food storage boxes. It was only a single package of cheese and crackers that I ate, but it was magical.
The road to the trail head was closed so we had to walk 5 miles down to where the closure was. The scenery was beautiful along the way with mountain ranges on both sides.
There were three marine reservists who had hiked up to the trail head the night before, and camped. They offered to take the four of us from the lower parking area to Highway 395 so we could hitch hike up to Bishop.
Usually getting a ride from the Trail area into a town from locals is pretty easy. Locals know who PCT HIKERS are and what we look like (dirty, smelly, unkempt hiker trash). However, this is memorial day weekend and the locals are staying home, While there’s a lot of travelers on the road a ride was not easy to come by. A hiker I had met in. Wrightwood was with a friend going north on a flip. He recognized me, pulled over, and offered us a ride. It was a single cab pick up truck. We put all of our backpacks in the back chopper squeezed in front, Roo, Tough, and myself crammed in the back with six backpacks and off we went.
I have a huge shout out and thank you to another Trail angel. When I went to Adam and Sarah ‘s wedding a week and a half ago Adams mother offered me a hotel room in Bishop. I cannot feel more blessed. Thank you Robin!
I grabbed a double lunch from Schatz roadhouse . I had a Reuben sandwich with coleslaw, a blue cheeseburger with garlic, Parmesan fries, and a snickers milkshake.
I checked into my room, washed all of my clothes, dried out my gear, took a long, needed shower started updating my blogs and went to sleep IN A BED!!!
Total non-PCT miles hiked today 12.1 (7.1 Trail, 5 Road)
We woke up at 2 o’clock for a 3 AM start towards Forrester pass. Again we hiked in the dark with our headlamps on.
While still in the dark, we came across this snowman some clever hikers had built, most likely while camping here at the base of the approach.
As we approached Forrester, the sun was starting to shed some light. We could see other hikers headlamps in front of us up on the slope.
Looking back at the sun, beginning to light the surrounding mountains was surreal.
Forrester pass is directly in the center of the picture with the rock in the middle of the two ice chutes. We will cross just underneath the rock.
We started up, crampons on, ice, axes in hand, traversing our own switchbacks, as there was nothing but a face of snow.
As we made our way up, the sun became brighter, illuminating more and more of the mountain sides.
We made it off of the snow slope, and on to some rock switchbacks.
Amazingly, there are some plants like the Bigelow’s spike moss growing in the cracks of the mountains rock.
Finally, we reach the upper traverse. This is what most people consider the sketchiest part of the trail.
We made it across and up to the top of the pass. It is an amazing feeling with amazing views in all directions.
Drill bit, Mario, and The Long One were all at the top with us along with chopper, who joined us midway in our hike. We took the obligatory group pictures and individual shots with the Forester Pass sign. An interesting side story about Chopper. Prior to my hike I watched a video of a hiker who had hurt their leg last year in the San Jacinto mountains. She was hoisted out by helicopter. When I met Chopper and asked how she got her name, she began to tell the story I had seen on video. Yes, it was her, and that was her humbling moment. Props to her for returning this year.
After leaving the pass, we traversed side slope and continued hiking downhill with amazing views on all sides. We took a few opportunities to glasaide down some of the slopes, no video unfortunately. We soon reached a spot with some shade that was a good spot for a lunch break.
Soon we found access to the river to refill our water and continue our trek.
The power of nature is amazing. I came across this avalanche field, where many mature trees had been snapped from their stumps, and deposited at the bottom of the slope.
Bubbs creek is a river we have been following for a good portion of our decent.
We stopped for another short break with more amazing mountain views
While the destruction in this avalanche field is significant. The smell of pine is Pleasant. We have passed three or four smaller ones and this is another large one.
We set a course cross country, and stopped with a view of this very pointed peak for a short break before continuing up to our intended campsite for tonight crossing a couple small rivers on snow bridges.
We arrived by this lake, set up camp and settled in for the night.
Today’s miles 13.8 PCT trail miles. (Plus .2 off trail miles)
