In the Sierras section, each day involves hiking up and over a mountain pass and then descending into the next valley below. Today we all had more energy and a little more speed.

As we hiked through the valley we saw a number of deer including little fawns still with their spots and a lone coyote who crossed the trail and headed into the arid distance.

We made it to the top of Pinchot Pass by about 2 pm and rested for a while taking in the views of the surrounding peaks. The valleys are dotted with lakes – deep blue and turquoise – and some of the slow-growing foxtail pines are estimated to be 3300 years old.

We met a ranger in the valley beyond the pass who checked our permits and answered some questions we had about the trees and wildlife and gave us some advice about the trail ahead, the river crossings and our intended camping spot.

We have hiked just over 20 miles today and got to camp around 6:30 pm.

Unfortunately when we rang the shuttle service to book our lift back to the trail, the earliest we could arrange was 9 am. Then he didn’t arrive until after 10 so we started hiking at 10:40 with our ascent to Kearsage Pass in the heat of the midday sun, our packs heavy with new supplies. However we did have a lovely cool breeze all day and really didn’t notice the heat although the sun was bright in a clear sky. As we descended from Kearsage Pass, we met a group of four hikers, one of whom was Liz B who is the CEO of the PCT Association.I (Ros) did not have a good hiking day – I found myself breathless with exertion at altitude and was frequently needing to stop and rest due to fatigue and dizziness.Anyway, we walked through beautiful meadows, up 2 mountain passes (Kearsage and Glen 11,949′) and above and around some truly spectacular lakes with clear water and fish jumping. We arrived at the Rae Lakes campground at about 7 pm and ate our dinner by torchlight.Hopefully we will all be refreshed after a good night’s sleep.

Since the days are becoming shorter and because we didn’t have far to go to the trail head, we allowed ourselves 15 mins extra sleep time and didn’t start hiking until 6:30 am. We had an initially gradual rise passing beautiful lakes and grassy meadows where we saw a small herd of deer.

Then the path became much more steep but we were soon at the top of Kearsage Pass.

Another slow 4 miles of rocky descent, again with some very pretty streams and lakes, finally brought us to the car park at the trailhead. We passed a lot of day or section hikers on their way up and were glad to be heading down with light loads. All the way though we were thinking about the upward journey we would have to make with full heavy packs tomorrow when we have to retrace our steps to continue the trail.

We were glad to get a ride into the small desert town of Independence and to find our packages waiting for us. Most of the work of resupplying was done and we only had to add a few things from a hiker box and from the store. The weather continues to be amazing but down on the desert floor it is 100deg F through the day.

So, with laundry done and feeling clean and well fed we are heading to bed. We have organised a lift back to the trail head tomorrow but we don’t leave until 9am so we can have a slow start and another real meal before leaving town.

Today’s challenge was to go over Forester Pass. This required a 9.5 mile ascent, which was not too steep for most of the way. Along the way we passed some trail maintenance workers. The mountains all around were impressive.An emu?

As we neared Forester Pass, the trail got very steep with many switchbacks. It was hard to see as we approached where the trail could possibly go.The pass is the notch just to the right of RosWe eventually reached the narrow saddle at 13,123′. There were quite a few others there including some Australians. Most were going southwards on the John Muir Trail.Then a steep descent with more splendid views.How’s this for a lunch stop? We followed a pretty river down King’s Canyon then turned up a side trail past Bullfrog Lake. We have camped just beyond the lake. This side trail will take us tomorrow over Kearsage Pass and then down to the little town of Independence for a rest and resupply.Today’s milestones: the highest point on the PCT, and less than 600 miles to go.

It was with much excited anticipation (and some trepidation on my part) that we set off at first light to climb Mt Whitney. It is not actually part of the PCT but nearly all thru hikers plan to make the climb if the weather is good. At 14505 ft it is the highest mountain in the southern USA (there are higher peaks in Alaska).Along the way we passed some beautiful lakes and streams and we commenced the ascent from a valley surrounded by tall rocky cliffs which formed an amphitheatre. The path was a bit of a highway both in its breadth and in the number of hikers (mostly day hikers or those doing the high Sierra trail or the John Muir trail).We didn’t mind stepping aside to let others past as it gave us a chance to rest. The exertion at high altitude causes headaches, nausea and fatigue commonly and can be much worse. We both felt exhausted and nauseated at times and the going was very slow especially as we approached the peak. Once there and resting we felt elated and the symptoms abated.There is a hut right at the summit but, with an iron roof, it is probably the worst place to take refuge in a thunderstorm and there is a warning about the danger on a notice inside.For our day, though, the weather was perfect and we made it safely up and back down in time to pack up our gear and head a few more miles down the track.Tonight’s campground is beside a river which unfortunately means that there are also plenty of mosquitoes.With the 17.4 miles up Whitney and back, we completed 20.7 miles but only 3.3 PCT miles.

More steep ascents, more sandy paths – difficult to gain any traction – 2 steps forward and one step back. We passed a lot of day hikers and section hikers as well as a few thru hikers.

A unicorn?

The day ended with an ascent to 10774 ft and we are camped at the trail Junction ready to head up Mt Whitney tomorrow if all goes to plan.

The going continues to be slow related to our altitude, the sandy path and heavy packs. We continued to see smoke from forest fires today and in the morning we met 2 hikers who had been moved off their trail and had to find an alternate route. So far we have not been affected.

Apart from those 2 we have seen only 2 PCT hikers on the trail today.

Some of the trail today had been previously burnt although it has had some years to recover. There are also a lot of trees without bark and the trunks show quite beautiful patterns of red, orange and gold.

We managed 22.1 miles and are camped on the top of a hill. The scenery is reminiscent of Girraween with gravelly ground and large granite boulders. We have also seen a few helicopters fly over to drop water on the fire and the valley below is filled with smoke but with the wind blowing it away we haven’t been bothered as yet.

Anticipating another amazing cooked breakfast at Kennedy Meadows before setting out, we gave ourselves a sleep-in until 7 am. Much to our disappointment, the chef did not appear at the promised time so we ate some Cliff bars and headed out.Since we didn’t get started until after 8:30, the sun was already blazing down as we trekked on a sandy path with a slow steady ascent.There is a requirement that we carry all our food, eating utensils and toothpaste and brushes in heavy bear proof canisters which take up almost all the space in our packs.As we hiked northwards we passed a valley with smoke from a current small forest fire and to the north we can see billowing smoke from a larger one so we hope this doesn’t lead to trail closures and bypasses.We are camped at about 9800 ft having come up from around 6100 ft. Despite the late start we managed 19.8 miles.

With 7 hours left of driving to do and limited time, we were up and moving at 6 am. The long drive was comfortable in an air conditioned car but the outside temperature sat between 95 and 100 deg F from midday on. We are not looking forward to the hike down to the town of Independence and back after the first week in the Sierras!

After dropping us at the general store at Kennedy Meadows, OG headed off to Ridgecrest with his crampons and ice axe which needed to be posted home before returning the hire car and hopefully getting a lift back here. We have set up our tent, eaten a late lunch/early dinner and had showers. The temperature here is in the 80s (F) but we expect it to be cooler as we hike to much higher altitudes.

The photo above is the deck at the general store at Kennedy Meadows. When we were here last time in the beginning of June it was crowded with through hikers. This time it was just us and two section hikers.

The plan is to start after breakfast tomorrow morning and hopefully put in a good number of miles. With altitude effects as well as the steep ascents, we don’t know how fast we can expect to proceed on this section.

As I write this, OG is driving our rental car southward towards Kennedy Meadows. We have just crossed into California. It is strange to be driving past places near where we hiked through a couple of months ago.

We will drive late tonight as it is quite a distance and we need to get to the Ridgecrest post office before 5pm tomorrow.