Day 44 Miles 702 - 704 2 Hiked

“The least I owe these mountains is a body” - Yosemite backcountry ranger, Randy Morgenson

Allison drove us the 3.5 hours back to Kennedy Meadows South to meet back up with the group who had waited for me. Allison had driven a total of 14 hours to help me out and the tramily had idled for days just so we could start the Sierra together. The people really are what make this journey incredible.

We had a few pitchers of beer at Grumpy’s, sang some karaoke (Wagon wheel for me), and got dropped back off at the road crossing at mile 702. we were meeting BABS’ mom, Jida, at a campground 2 miles in. We hiked it with no gear, trading the weight of our packs for the impact of a few beers, and stumbled into the campground to find our friend sundae as well as some new faces, Herbivore and Buttscratcher or Scratch for short.

We cowboy camped on the hard dirt, ready to hike some big boy mountains.

Day 45 Miles 704 - 722 18 Hiked

We had minimal effort to pack down our camp and Jida helped wake Nightstalker up who, left to his own devices, would stay in bed til noon and still beat us to camp. We made it to a spring for lunch and were startled by a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier just above us. I thought the mountain was coming down.

A yoga session was held 3 miles later at a bridge before pushing up a tough climb to an incredible campsite on the southwest face of a ridge. We took in the views and had dinner with one of the best sunsets we would get on the whole trail.

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Day 46 Miles 722 - 743 21 Hiked

The few uphill miles out of camp were made no easier by the addition of bear cans to our packs as well as 8 days worth of food. We made it to an overlook for lunch which gave great views of Owens valley below. I think that it was here that I first started to feel the altitude that we had been warned about.

Out of lunch, we had some cruisy downhill and flat miles to make it to a campsite in a rocky pine forest. The water source was great and the ground was soft. It was nice setting up camp and being able to wash our faces and not get sand all over the place.

We had decided that we would push hard the next day to try and catch up to Nightalker’s brothers (Lemming and Big Brother) who we had heard were getting close to Whitney. Strings and I were concerned that it was too much too fast for the altitude but it was important to Nightstalker to summit with his family and I was in for taking the risk.

Day 47 Miles 743 - 751 8 Hiked

I woke up early knowing that it would take alot for me to push 24 miles today. I hiked the first 8 miles solo and it was our first real taste of the Sierra. Pine trees for days and dramatic peaks off in the distance. I made it the 8 miles to Chicken Spring lake to find Traps and the news that the brothers were zeroing at the lake today and were going to push to Whitney tomorrow. We were thrilled that our intel was wrong and it took little to convince us to call it a day at the lake.

Someone had packed out some wine and so we had ourselves a little family vacation on the shores of the lake. The sun was out in the afternoon but we were chased into our tents by a hailstorm around dinnertime. We called it a night and were woken at 1 am by a thunderstorm that had rolled in on top of us. we were at about 12,000 feet and were shaken by every thundercrack. We were in the storm. The wind shook my tent hard but everything held together and I was able to get a few hours of sleep.

Day 48 Miles 751 - 766 15 Hiked

It was raining when we woke up. Tired and damp, I packed down camp and got hiking in my raingear. I got a joking chorus of “Fuck you Coach” from those still in their tents enjoying their coffee. BABS was particularly not impressed with my ambitious start. We were going to summit Whitney for sunrise the next day so i knew i wanted to be at camp and in bed as early as possible.

It was gorgeous hiking through the alpine forests and I made it to Crabtree Meadows where I met Leapfrog and Flapjack, two guys from Cincinnati (which is where I went to College (Go X)) and lived for a few years. The rest of the group rolled in through the afternoon and we went to bed with our alarms set for 12:30 am.

Day 49 Miles 766 - 774 24 Hiked*

Summiting Mt Whitney

Rock and I rolled out of camp before the rest and made it a few miles to fill up on water at an inlet into Guitar lake. We were warm as we started moving but as we hustled up the first few switchbacks, we found ourselves adding layers. The trail to Whitney is 8 miles each way and gains about 4,000 feet from our camp up to an elevation of 14,508 feet. We could see only what our headlamps would reveal in front of us and the tiny lights of other hikers below us. in thee distance Nearing the summit, I could feel the altitude hitting me. Rock pushed on and Traps passed us both. The trail mercifully flattens out near the summit and the pre dawn light gave our first views of the day. We were on top of the world. The highest people in the lower 48 when the sun rose that day.

I facetimed my parents, took some pictures with the group, and huddled into the emergency shelter on the summit with 20(!) other hikers all desperate to warm up. We were stoked.

We started the descent with the benefit of daylight and could see what we had come up that morning. We passed day hikers on their way up and cruised down the ridge to the lakes that we had passed on our ascent. I stopped for an ice bath at Guitar lake and was joined by Traps, BABS and Rock. Marmots darted around us on the grass and the most beautiful trout would swim right up to my submerged legs.

We got back to camp and rested for a few hours before Traps, Rock and I pushed on another 8 miles for the day to set ourselves up to go over Forrester pass the following morning. We camped in a buggy clearing next to a creek which gave us a great soundtrack to sleep to after our long day.

Day 51 Miles 788 - 788 0 Hiked

We spent the day doing chores and resupplying inbetween visits to local coffee shops and restaurants. The rest of the group rolled in through the afternoon and most got rooms at the same motel 6 that we were staying at.

Rock and I had talked about getting tattoos while on trail and had even tried to get appointments in some of the desert towns with no luck. Traps came to the rescue again and had their friend send out a stick and poke kit.

So, Rock and I got our first tattoos from Traps in a motel 6 in Bishop California while we watched movies and drank beer. Mine was a cactus with “FROM CAMPO, BY LAND” and Rock went for a ring on his finger for his AT thru hike.

The backstory for “From Campo, By Land” comes from the story of the Corps of Discovery and Lewis and Clarke’s journey. I’m going to paraphrase here but I think this is mostly accurate. Thomas Jefferson was on the fence about letting his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, go on a proposed trip across the US to the trading posts in the Pacific northwest. They received a summary of the “Mackenzie Expedition” where some guy named Alexander Mackenzie had gone on an expedition inland from the pacific and made it across the continental divide before making some paint and inscribing on a cave wall; “Alexander Mackenzie, From Canada, By Land”. Jefferson was spurred on by this and told his secretary to pack his shit and get going.

I just always loved that part of the story and, at this point, I knew I was going to finish the trail.

Day 52 Miles 788 - 790 2 Hiked

Grand Slam breakfast at Dennys before a shuttle down 395 and a hitchhike the rest of the way up to the same trailhead that we exited from. The climb back up and over Kearsarge was brutal with another massive food carry and it took us almost all day to get back to the trail.

We hiked another 2 miles after rejoining the PCT and setup camp at the base of Glenn Pass. We were feeling a little low and weak. We knew that we had our toughest stretch of passes ahead of us and collectively we weren’t sure how we would fare.

We went to bed knowing that the next day would have two major mountain passes and would likely be our toughest day yet.

Day 53 Miles 790 - 811 21 Hiked

Glenn & Pinchot Pass

Yeah it was our toughest day yet.

We broke camp early and made it up and over Glenn pass to an incredible view of the lakes and valley below. We enjoyed a little break before powering down the switchbacks, along the shores of the lake, and to a siesta spot at a major river crossing just shy of mile 800.

There were lots of JMT hikers there all taking pictures up the hill and we turned in time to see a bear walk through the trees near where we had come into the clearing. It could not have cared less about us and kept on its way.

We all took quick naps before setting out to attack the 8 miles and 4000 feet we still had to climb up and over Pinchot pass. I got moving first and made it up. I fought through clouds of mosquitos and endless uphill before getting to the final push to the top. The pass was covered in clouds and falling snow. I found Stash at the top and we shared some bourbon before I set off down a few more miles to make camp. Rock and Traps rolled in shortly after me

Day 54 Miles 811 - 830 19 Hiked

Mather Pass

I was out of camp first and broke back out of the tree line up towards Mather pass within a few miles. I had some well made switchbacks which wound around the face of the cliff in long sweeps right before the top where it felt more like climbing a ladder. I hung out at the top and waited for Rocks and Traps before heading down into the valley pictured here to take a quick ice bath.

Traps joined me and we pushed onto a Siesta spot to wait for Rock. After lunch we had some incredible stone steps which ran straight down into the valley below. Once on the floor, we were back amongst the trees and pushed on to a nice sheltered spot that Traps had grabbed. Deer wandered around us and investigated all of our stinking gear as we turned in for the night.

Day 55 Miles 830 - 850 20 Hiked

Muir Pass

I was out of camp first again. Before leaving we talked about where we would meet for lunch and there was some miscommunication on how far we were going and how fast we wanted to get there. I got hiking up the approach to Muir pass. This was one of the tougher climbs of the hike. Up and out of the valley, climbing next to some incredible waterfalls and alpine lakes, and finally well above the tree line into a rocky, snowy plateau. There were several miles in a bowl near the top where you were completely cut off visually from the valleys surrounding you. It was just rock, Ice, and water. The final climb up to Muir pass was gorgeous and seeing the iconic hut at the top was a bit of an emotional experience. I opened the door to find Stash was already in there warming up. We shared some Bourbon and pushed on down the other side together.

I stopped at a lake after a bit and waited for Rock and Traps while stash pushed on. A few hours went by and i started to get worried. eventually, around 3 pm, I could see them walking towards me. They had thought I was going straight to camp without waiting for them while I thought the plan was still to meet up for a mid day break. I was a little upset and grumpy for the next few miles but eventually we stumbled on this incredible river with trout leaping through the air and deer wandering around. We took a little swim in the sun and all was quickly forgotten and forgiven. Its a waste to stay in a shitty mood in a place like this.

Day 56 Miles 850 - 873 23 Hiked

Selden Pass

We took our time and had a nice breakfast before heading out of camp and into an immediate River crossing. In a normal year, this river can be chest deep and very dangerous to hikers trying to cross. Since we had such a low snow year and were later in the season, it was barely to our knees.

We followed the river for a few miles before heading into the John Muir wilderness and up past some lakes towards the pass. Traps had gotten there before me and grabbed a Siesta spot on the shores of the lake nearest to the top. I was sore, tired, and in a shitty mood so I pushed a bit past letting them know I wouldn’t be good company. Traps came and joined me anyway and they let me know they would be leaving the trail in a few days. I had hiked with Traps more than any other person up until that point and I was sad that they were getting off. I apologized for being in a shitty mood and we talked about how nice it had been meeting so many people together through the desert and finding our stride at the same time.

Rock joined us and the three of us pushed up and over the pass looking for some water to jump into where there weren’t a ton of mosquitos. We found our way down to another scenic River spot and washed up a bit before pushing just a few more miles to camp on a ridge where Rock and Traps miraculously had some ATT signal. We all called our loved ones and settled in for the night

Day 57 Miles 873 - 891 18 Hiked

Silver Pass

We had just a little climb up and over the ridge that we had camped on the following morning followed by a big descent back to the valley floor and then up towards silver pass. The bugs had gotten so bad that we decided proactively that we would just pitch our tents for our mid day break. Rock and I got there first and I went skinny dipping in the lake for the first time since spring break (PCB 2016). Traps joined us some time later and we set up our tents in a grove of trees near the lake. We all fell asleep immediately.

I was up first and pushed out of camp feeling absolutely fatigued from these past few days. I made it down to a small river spot by a JMT hiker and took a quick swim while I waited for the others to join. Traps got there first and we pushed up a short but incredibly steep climb to Virginia lake. We burned some clock with a little photoshoot and got a choice camp spot on the shores of the lake. I set my trekking poles by the trail so that Rock knew where to veer off to join us. While keeping an eye out for him our friend Smokey from the desert showed up. I hade’t seen Smokey since Kennedy Meadows south and he joined us for the night.

We passed out with audible and visible clouds of mosquitos circling above us. We had lost so much weight they easily could have carried us out of there. We went to bed looking forward to getting into Mammoth lakes for a nero and then full zero.

Day 58 Miles 891 - 906 15 Hiked

We had never left camp so fast. We had 15 miles to double cheeseburgers and beers after more than a week of conquering the mountain passes. We jogged most of the downhill and even some of the uphills. We got signal and I called as many people as I could on the last few miles in. Rock and Traps beat me to Reds where we enjoyed some well deserved food and got a ride straight into town with a trail angel named “Bad Santa”. My mom had once again gotten us a room at a nice little hotel near everything and we enjoyed some showers and laundry before getting to the hotel hot tub with beers in hand.

Traps decided they would hike with us a few more days to get to Yosemite where they would get a ride to a friends place in San Francisco which was good news for me and Rock. Traps was the go-to planner for miles per day, camp spots, and anything that required more than the 4 brain cells that Rock and I collectively have.

Day 59 Mammoth Lakes Zero 0 Hiked

I got up early and headed to a coffee shop to catch up on journaling and Instagram posts. We met up for lunch and then hung out in the room for a bit before I went to go see the new Fast and Furious movie in a theatre which was very relaxing.

The three of us met up for dinner at a nicer place than we would have ever gone to if not for Rock’s dad offering to treat us by venmoing Rock for the bill. Thanks Mr. Rock! I had a few martinis and some interesting apps but was tired as hell and Rock graciously told me i should just go home and get some rest. As I was walking down the street I suddenly felt very sad. I missed my family, my body was falling apart, and I was doubting my ability to finish this thing. We were far enough in to feel these things but not anywhere close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

I called my dad, tearing up a bit, and told him I wasn’t sure I could do it anymore. He explained how nice it would be for me to come home and have a few months to play golf and go on road trips and spend time at the lake. But, he said, you’re not done yet. “the advice i think you need from me is to put your head down, gut it out, never look back. your way home is through that northern border”. Hearing what I needed to, i felt a bit better and slept well knowing that we had more tough hiking ahead of us.

Day 60 Miles 906 - 925 19 Hiked

We got a solid hotel breakfast before catching two busses to one of the mountain bike / ski resorts where we would have to hitch the rest of the way. An incredibly nice couple picked us up. “G” our driver, wouldn’t take a dime and took us right back to where we had gotten off trail. We would stay in touch over Instagram a few more times through the hike. Thanks G!

We pushed past Devils Postpile, straight up a valley towards some angry looking clouds and through some rain on to our campsite at Thousand Island Lake. Damp and cold, we all got in our tents for the night. I got up to go to the bathroom at around 8 and was shocked to see that the rain had gone and the most incredible sunset was drenching the peak across from us in these incredible colors. It was my favorite picture of the whole hike. Rock and Traps were fast asleep and not even my calls would get them up.

Day 61 Miles 925 - 951 26 Hiked

We had some hilly miles before settling into one of Yosemite’s valley floors. We cruised on the flat miles up to the side trail that led into Tuolumne meadows where we could get some food and drinks before pushing on. I waited at the junction for Traps since these would be their last miles on trial. I talked to a super nice lady from Cincinnati who was out there with her family. She would eventually buy me the pictured white claw when we met again at the store. Traps finished their last few steps on trail and we made it to the little store together to wait for Rock. There were lots of other hikers hanging out and we met some new friends.

We waited out some rain for a bit but Rock and I eventually pushed on with a new buddy, Huevos. We said our farewells to Traps and headed out into the rain. We had 6 miles through Yosemite to camp at Glen Aulin where we had some of our worst Mosquitos of the trip.

Day 62 Miles 951 - 975 24 Hiked

Huevos and I hiked for a bit out of camp. we had some cruisy miles before a steep drop to a valley floor where I took a break to wait for rock. We hung out for a bit before I pushed on up and over Benson pass. Storm clouds were threatening and the temperature was swinging wildly.

The descent down to Benson lake was brutal. steep, cobbled trail that seemed to never end. The valley floor was a buggy, muddy mess. The side trail to the camp spot at the lake was eerie and overgrown but i eventually found my way to a beach on Benson lake where I settled in and waited for Rock to join me shortly after.

Day 63 Miles 975 - 1002 27 Hiked

Rock made some of his famous coffee in the morning (Rocks Breakfast Bowel Bomb) a combination of instant coffee, chocolate pudding, and Carnation instant breakfast. Adequately fueled I pushed hard up the first climb and Rock caught me shortly after. We made it to the banks of a muddy river for a quick rest in our tents and pushed through a valley and up onto the Dorothy lake step for a quick dinner. Thunder was looming and we pushed hard from there to make it to the 1000 mile marker.

Hitting the 1k felt good. We took some pictures and pushed on a few more miles to a camp spot. It was getting dark and stormy out. My headlamp was dead and i stumbled alone, a mile or two ahead of Rock, looking for a place to camp. I was scared. We were in heavy bear territory, I was alone, without a light save for the occasional lightning in the distance. We made it eventually and set up in a little clearing just off the side of the trail.

Day 64 Miles 1002 - 1018 16 Hiked

It ws tough getting moving this morning. Everything hurt from pushing a big day the day before and the terrain was not forgiving. I pushed hard up onto the ridge walk headed towards Sonora pass and found my stride. We started to pass some day hikers that had come in from the road that we were targeting and I made it to the parking lot in time to find some 4th of July trail magic! Chili, beers, salads and more were all available and I met slip n slide and GOAT who were doing a section. The trail angels loaded my now empty food container with hard seltzers and I went back to wait for Rock at the trail.

We got a ride into Kennedy North on a shuttle and got spots in a massive teepee which we shared with Game, Smokey, Huevos, Bearslayer, and others. We spent the afternoon drinking beers in the river at the resort and had the most incredible prime rib dinner. We were feeling good. there were lots of normal families there for the 4th of July weekend so we got to pump up our egos by talking to people about how we had just crossed the 1000 mark. I also got to show off my tattoo for the first time!

Day 65 Miles 1018 - 1027 9 hiked

We had a slow morning to say the least. I was feeling the beers and rock was several degrees worse off than I was. We resupplied on junk food from the resort store and got laundry done before taking the 2:30 shuttle back to the trail. We hiked up with Trail Goblin and our new friend Rogue up and over a ridge and on to a campsite about 8 miles in for the day.

Goblin passed Rock and I while we were taking a break and when I caught back up I just could not get her attention since she was just bopping along with her ear pods in on full blast. I eventually caught her attention and we joked about how it would have just been too easy for a mountain lion to sneak up on her. Goblin and Rogue were great hiking buddies and we all shared some white claws that i packed out at camp that night before turning in.

Day 66 Miles 1027 - 1044 17 Hiked

We had planned to make this a shorter day since we were meeting my dad and sister in South lake Tahoe in two days and didn’t want to beat them there and have no place to stay. We leapfrogged with Rogue through the morning and had a nice siesta up on a ridge.

I got ahead of Rock and pushed over a saddle and down to a camp spot by a little lake. Rogue inflated her sleeping pad and used it as a pool float while i bummed around the campsite waiting for the others. We spotted a bushfire in the distance and Goblin called it in to the forestry service before we all cashed out for the night.

Day 67 Miles 1044 - 1070 26 Hiked

Rock and I got out of camp early and had plans of pushing a marathon to set us up for a short day in to Tahoe in two days. We made it a quick 14 miles to Siesta up on a ridge. I ran into Kale who was heading south picking up some miles that she had had to skip. I hadn’t seen her since the desert and it was great to see an old friend.

I got ahead of Rock and made it to a pond where a guy had his hammock set up and was just chilling. We caught up for a bit while i took a swim in the pond and burned some clock waiting for Rock. From there I made it up onto an incredibly windy ridge overlooking a reservoir for the last few miles. Made it into camp on the shores of a rocky lake that had tree stumps protruding from the surface in a very spooky way. Rock rolled in a bit later and we went to sleep early

Day 68 Miles 1070 - 1088 18 Hiked

We had a shorter day today to make it to camp just before the exit point to Lake Tahoe. We took our time moving out of camp and had just 6.5 miles around “The Elephant’s Back” to a ranger station at Carson pass. we killed some time there enjoying trail magic and I bought a few shirts for my sister and Dad who we would be meeting up with the next day.

We pushed out of there up onto a step where we got our first views of Lake Tahoe in the distance. We could definitely sense that the terrain had changed a ton these past few days. We were nearing the end of the Sierra mountains we had just come from. We got up to Shower Lake for a quick swim and rest before pushing on another few miles and down a steep hill to camp.

Just before camp, I was filtering water on a rock and felt an earthquake roll through. it ended quickly but was unnerving for a few moments. There were no real campsites nearby so rock and I scrambled down a small cliff to a tiny clearing. We got setup and just before turning in, an entire eagle scout group decided that our camp spot was perfect for them to join us at as well. they covered every inch of ground around us and made noise well into the night. I try my best to let stuff like that go since it is a good thing to see people out enjoying the outdoors. It was just poor etiquette on them to camp that close to us.

Day 69 Miles 1088 - 1092 4 Hiked

Rock and I were up early, exchanged looks from our tents, and raced eachother to pack down and get moving. We had just 4 miles to make it down to Echo lake where my dad and sister would be picking us up. We were careful to not make as much noise packing down camp as our neighbors had made setting up.

I got out ahead of Rock and pushed hard for a few miles, over a major road, and down to the Echo Lake parking lot by about 7:30 am. there was a half empty case of Hiller High Life bottles sitting on a park bench so I cracked one and waited for Rocker to roll in. We killed a little time relaxing there and talking to vacationers heading out in their kayaks onto the lake as we tracked my family getting closer on my phone.

A hiker got dropped off in an uber and she immediately recognized us as fellow hiker trash due to our appearance and case of beer. Binx was hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail and I recognized her from some AT thru hiking videos from Julia “rocket” Shaheen that i had seen before. we hungout for a bit until my dad and sister rolled in armed to the teeth with McDonalds breakfast sandwiches, coffees, and hashbrowns. We shared our breakfast before wishing Binx good luck and hopping into the rental car to get to Carson city where my dad had gotten us a room.

We showered up, put on some clean clothes, and headed to the next door casino for lunch. The lights and sounds were a lot for Rock and I after so much time in the wild but the double cheeseburgers were a good distraction. we spent the afternoon watching movies and eating ice cream before a calorie dense dinner at Olive garden.

Day 70 Carson City Zero

Traps had decided to hike some of the Tahoe Rim Trail before heading home to Minnesota so we planned to pick them up from the Reno bus stop in-between getting our resupply and other chores done. We spent some time at the hotel before my Dad took us to a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant in the Casino where we took turns feeding singles into the slot machines.

Taking a break and seeing my family felt great but I knew it was time to get back to hiking. The Sierra was done but fire season was starting and I still had more than half of the trail to do. The mental game was starting to become more prevalent and I struggled to get a few hours of sleep.