PCT Day 63

Tuolomne Meadows to Bushcamp

20 miles

Mile 961.7

I woke around 5:30am happy to find the rain had ended and the clouds had vanished. Spikes and I packed up our damp gear before setting out to explore Yosemite Valley via the PCT.

It was a beautiful day. Everything was green and alive from the recent rain as we trekked through a highly trafficked trail. I found the signs along the way rather interesting, so thought I’d share.

As the day continued, water was everywhere, both on the trail and off it. I passed some incredible waterfalls and was thankful for the multitude of bridges saving me from the treacherous river crossings.

Around 11am I found a good spot to dry out my wet gear. I spent an hour munching on snacks while catching up on my journaling. By noon I was moving again, but with a full belly and a dry pack.

While walking through this meadow a random bubbling spring caught my attention. Water was bubbling straight up out of it onto the middle of the trail. Pretty neat!

I continued for a bit on nice flat trail through multiple meadows.

Eventually the trail began to slant upward until snow found its way onto the trail once again.

Just before beginning my descent I ran into Spikes. We crossed a couple rivers together before I jammed ahead.

The final mountain for the day was painful. The climb up wasn’t too bad, but navigating the snow covered top and slippery descent wasn’t fun.

The highlight was running into two hikers I had met over a month ago on San Jacinto named Campfire and Hummingbird. They’d skipped ahead and we’re heading south towards Mammoth.

It took longer than I would have liked, but finally I reached the valley below the mountain where a rather large river blocked my progress. I found a decent place to cross, but ended up slipping on a rock and soaking myself.

I made camp near the river so I could see Spikes when she when she crossed. There was already a nice fire pit and stack of wood, so I had a fire going by the time she arrived. We enjoyed our first camp fire in days as we dried our wet clothes and slammed dinner huddled around its warmth.

P.s. This song popped up on my playlist and has become my theme song for the California section of trail. I’ve fallen in love with this beautiful state. It’s mountains, rivers, lakes, springs, people and towns have been absolutely incredible. Just thought I’d share it with y’all!

Cheers!