Mono Hot Springs to South Lake Tahoe

This section has been just as incredible as the last. So much so in fact that I forgot to take a zero day this week, making this section 11 days long without a break. It's starting to catch up with me now after my eighth day in a row, but the scenery is so beautiful that it distracts me from my own fatigue.

My excitement  and curiosity to see what's over the next ridge, and around the next corner, kept me going.  I usually ended up doing about 25 miles a day just to try and see more.  The amazing scenery seemed to never end.
 

The beauty seemed endless in the high sierra.  This was somewhere in the John Muir Wilderness.

I had the awesome Banner Peak in my view for two full days.  It was a great feeling to see this dominating peak in the distance, then to hear, "Yeah, that's Banner Peak, we're walking to that," from a fellow hiker. This iconic peak was famously photographed by Ansel Adams, and lies in the Ansel Adams Wilderness area.  The runoff from Banner has created huge lakes on all of its sides, including the largest in the Sierra Nevada, named Thousand Island Lake.

Myself, Banner Peak, and Thousand Island Lake.

About seven miles after the above photo was taken I climbed over a pass that marked the border into Yosemite National Park.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the next day was going to be my longest hike of the whole trail. I thought I was setting myself up for a 28-30 mile day, but it ended up being about 33 miles. This was a spur off the PCT that was the final miles of the John Muir Trail (JMT).  Me and a friend named Rex decided to hike this in one day because we didn't have a permit to camp on the JMT. We also heard a rumor of an all you can eat buffet in Yosemite Valley, but we didn't know what time it closed so we walked as fast as we could.  We blew past day hikers and made it down averaging about 3mph for 11 hours straight.  Unfortunately there was no buffet, so instead we each got a large pizza loaded with toppings and a couple large beers. Rex polished his large pie off
with ease, and I only had a small slice leftover.

Cathedral Peak in Yosemite.

I have now officially thru-hiked the JMT. If you're interested in thru-hiking at all, I would start with the JMT. It is only 211 miles, so it can be done in two weeks, and it covers most of the High Sierra range. Starting from the northern end at Yosemite valley and heading south would be preferable, as the scenery gets better going South-bound.
 

From left to right: the back of Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Falls in Yosemite National Park.

This is not to say that Yosemite isn't amazing, it is, but it's also saturated with tourists which takes away from the experience for me. So much so in fact that the hike from the valley to the waterfall depicted above is paved.  What I didn't realize is that all of Yosemite National Park is covered in granite. Most of the mountains in the park are just gigantic pieces of granite. Many of which are so rocky that they barely have trees growing on them.

Enjoying Yosemite on my 25th Birthday.

The scenery for the days between Tuolumne Meadows and the Northern Border of Yosemite were all similar granite mountains, and all spectacular.  I've met so many amazing thru-hikers and section hikers at this point. But I was especially happy to meet Go-Go Gadget and Salty Snack the day before my 25th birthday.  We camped together and they woke me up by singing happy birthday to me.  It was a simple gesture from strangers that made me feel awesome, and a great start to the day. I ended up hiking with them on and off for the following week.
 

The last day out of Yosemite was by far the worst day of mosquitoes yet. I wore my bug pants, shirt, and head-net all day, yet still got eaten alive. I managed to swallow two gnats when I made the mistake of removing my head net briefly. I couldn't stop to pee without being ambushed. It was so brutal that I ended up walking 27 miles that day, just because they were more tolerable when I was moving.
 

One of the few pictures from the buggiest day, you can see the bug net on top of my head.

The next day I went over Sonoran Pass, which marked the end of the High Sierras. I was sad to be out of them, and also happy that I had walked across their entirety. I thought the scenery would turn to mediocrity after the pass, but 35 miles later and it hasn't disappointed yet. The jutting rocks of the mountains now look distinctly volcanic; beautiful against the bright green vegetation that surrounds them.
 

Appropriately named Blue Lake.

Of course just two days after leaving the required bear canister zone I saw my first bear! He was a four foot tall black bear, that jumped up a tree as soon as we rounded the corner. Luckily he seemed just as curious as he was scared. We locked eyes for a good 15 seconds, which was probably too long because I didn't know where mom was hiding.

South Lake Tahoe showed me once again how lucky I am. A fellow hiker and I hiked the nine miles to the Highway 50 road junction by 9:30 am.  This is what happens when hikers have the motivation of an all you can eat buffet.  We were seated by 10:30 am and didn't leave until about 2pm.  It was the best feast of the summer by far.

That night me and a fellow hiker tried our luck on the penny slots.  When I saw the Willy Wonka slot machine I remembered about how I won a golden ticket at summer camp as a kid.  I thought I'd try my luck again and I was right! I won $250!  My luck didn't stop there.  My group got upgraded to a $250/ night room, which we payed $100 between six people. Then a few of us got trapped in the room due to a faulty lock!  The staff had to come and drill through it to get us out.  As a result we all got a free buffet meal with Lobster tail, about $150 value. I feel pretty lucky!

I also got to meet up with a few old Bike and Build friends, one of which is going to join me for 66 miles of trail.  These will be my last miles on the PCT this summer.  I will be meeting up with Michelle on the 28th to start our ten day road trip, then I'll be handed off to by friend Noah (aka Baloo) for another ten day road trip.  The basic plan is to explore Northern California, Oregon and Washington!

I'm excited for a change of pace, but I will definitely miss the trail! I'll be back to finish it off in sections.  I think I'll start with the Cascades in Washington. I've heard that those are the only other part of the trail that rival the High Sierras.