The 20+ miles we did today were tough miles, but we managed to land up in the end at Tuolumne Meadows! We were up ‘n at em at 5:00am, knowing we had 2 snowy passes to cross. First was Island Pass, with its gorgeous views of Banner Peak and Thousand Island Lake. The snow was definitely a factor, but not too bad compared to what we have been through. On the way up to Donohue Pass, though, there is a section with lots of creeks. Bill missed a turn of the PCT, and we ended up “lost” for about 40 minutes before Bill said, “forget finding the trail— we go straight up.”

Fortunately, we did find the trail again, eventually. There was quite a bit of snow on the Pass, but we made the top and down to the Tuolumne River on the other side. But we were worried about the Post Office closing before we could get there, so after the last “big ford” of the Tuolumne, Bill took off. I followed as fast as I could, but didn’t reach the PO/store until 6:15pm, totally wasted. Once I recovered a bit, I sorted all the food and now we are cowboy camped in the backpacker campground with the JMT people and the mosquitoes.

Walk to Rauros: Leave the border of Lothlórien and are given gifts from Galadriel

We dawdled around getting organized this morning, and enjoyed the Motel 6 Coffee while we ate a breakfast of leftover this n’ that from our food. It was another clear, beautiful morning. We rode the “bike Bus” up to Mammoth Mountain Resort, which is now converted from skiing to mountainbiking. There were hordes of people everywhere. We had to wait a half hour for the next bus to Red’s Meadow, then it was back to the trail.

We met lots of folks hiking, riding and fishing. Then at Agnew Meadows we began the long, gradual climb that took the rest of the day. The “flower gardens” at the springs on the High Trail section were gorgeous, and so were the views of the rugged snowy mountains on the other side of the canyon, where the JMT is. Finding a dry place to camp was hard, though. There were so many snowdrifts and snowmelts.

Walk to Lórien: Reach the city of Caras Galadan in Lothlórien

We “slept in” till 6:15 this morning. The sky was clear and blue— nice to see after yesterday afternoon’s dark grey clouds that dripped a bit. Looks like the Sierras are going into their normal summer pattern of clear sky each morning and cloud buildup in the afternoon. We packed up and headed for the Red’s Meadow cafe to have some coffee and wait for the bus to Mammoth. “Just Paul” and Eric were there, too— we enjoyed one last chat.

On the ride to Mammoth, a whole bunch of Boy Scouts and leaders got aboard. They were very excited and interested in what we are doing, and gave us a ride from the bus stop at the ski resort into town. We love Boy Scouts! They do a wonderful job of getting kids into backpacking.

Next on our agenda was breakfast at the Base Camp Cafe, a room at Motel 6, our resupply box and shopping for food. Getting around town in Mammoth is really easy, with a free trolley every 20 minutes. It’s a really pretty place with dramatic Sierra backdrop, tasteful buildings that “blend in” without the usual garishness of tourist towns, and best of all, gardens in bloom. I noticed that most of the garden plants are perennials— I guess they best handle a snowy winter.

Bill and I needed this zero day— we were so tired, and we both have lost an awful lot of weight. I don’t have much “padding” left on me. Hope that good food and a day of rest will help. I was worried about taking a whole day off, since we are only 1/3 done with the PCT, but Bill was very firm— “we need this rest!” he said, and I realized he was right.

Walk to Lórien: The hill of Cerin Amroth

We were up long before the others and headed for beautiful, green Tully Hole. Then it was a long grind of switchbacks and climbing up to Lake Virginia, where we were overjoyed to find an icefree lake and not-too-bad snow. Then it was on past Purple Lake, a very scary (slippery rocks!) ford of Duck Lake creek and then miles of contouring along near the edge of a dramatic deep canyon with snowclad peaks beyond.

Around 4:00pm, to our amazement, we met up with Scott “Buck Larceny” who did the PCT in 2005, same as us! A fond reunion it was! Soon we were at Red’s Meadow, hit the cafe for burgers and milkshake, the hotsprings showers, then shared a campsite with several other hikers— PCT and JMT.

Walk to Lórien: Arrive at the hill of Cerin Amroth

Tent 4 was full last night (mostly JMT people) but cleared out fast as soon as the cafe opened. Bill and I were more leisurely because yesterday when I asked the VVR store lady if I could buy any fresh fruit, she offered me some of her own, for free. So this morning we sat outside and munched cantelope and grapes and Danish pastry. I’m glad I can eat!

We both rode the ferry back across the lake saying “Back to the trail!” A whole gang of us PCT NOBOs were all headed for Silver Pass. But a ranger stopped us and we all had to produce our permits. Grr! Going up the pass involved two “very bad” fords, including the famous “waterfall” but they turned out to be not bad.

We leapfrogged each other all day, including the usual route-finding in snow going up and down the pass. At the top of each pass is a whole new view of a whole new set of snowy peaks, and Silver Pass was no exception. Wow! All of us ended up tonight camped near the bridge over Cascade Creek.

Walk to Lórien: In woods near the edge of Lothlórien