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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Sep 10, 2014 - 07:51am PT
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Epic journey.........fantastic..
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OR
Trad climber
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Sep 10, 2014 - 08:19am PT
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Best TR ever.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2014 - 10:55am PT
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We actually got Hallie tearing up the trail on the last part of our last day (I'm working on that part of the report still).
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2014 - 11:13am PT
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SECOND DAY
As I sit here preparing this trip report I'm starting to realize that I must have a cold. All the symptoms are coming on; I don't feel very well, I'm getting plugged up. Although it isn't strong (at least not yet), I'm pretty sure I've got a cold. And I know who I got it from. I got it from Tricia.
When we woke up at Barker Pass on our first day she was stuffed up and snotty (literally, not figuratively). She thought it might be allergies (although she's never had them in that kind of country before). Vicki and I worried that it might be a cold. It didn't seem to matter to her either way; she ate breakfast, got dressed, grabbed a snot rag and on we hiked.
She had a badly stuffed nose the whole way, both days. But she made no complaints. She did hike a little slower than normal though (go figure).
And her symptoms didn't abate when we got home like allergies would have (they are getting better today though).
I think my 12 year old just backpacked 32 miles with a cold. I'm quite sure that I couldn't have done that at age 12. What the hell have Vicki and I created? Have we raised a child who's tougher than I am?
Anyway, day two started early (great eastern exposure). Brian cracked us up by bunny-hopping over to the "dining tarp" still in his sleeping bag (to stay warm):
Once we started hiking, we stayed up high for a mile or two. Our last view of Squaw Valley was pretty dramatic (its main gondola silhouetted against the lake):
We then descended slowly northward on a ridge; the views to the north must have extended more than 25 miles:
The next major feature we passed on our hike was Tinker Knob. It required a bit of a climb to get around its south side:
After the climb (we were now on Tinker Knob's eastern flank) we were back on top of the ridges and back into 360 degree views. From this spot we could still see "the" Lake (walking past it makes one realize just how huge this thing is). We could clearly see I-80 and the top of the Truckee River canyon. We could see Northstar ski resort and the North Tahoe Airport. All these things from 15 to 20 miles away. And to the north? Well, to the north we think we got a glimpse of the Oregon border (well, not really, but we sure could see a long, long way):
From Tinker Knob, the trail wraps around Anderson Peak's west side. It then regains the crest for another almost three miles. It may come as a bit of a surprise, but we had incredible views on these three miles as well:
Donner Lake came into view:
We could see all of Truckee and the I-80 east area:
Do great views get boring? Can a section of trail get tedious from the same expansive, neverending views? Somehow it doesn't seem possible:
To the north we were closing in on Mount Judah:
The last bit of the PCT south of Highway 40 traverses Mount Judah (Vicki planned to meet us with lunch at Highway 40 - then we'd continue to I-80). There was also a certain trail junction up ahead on Mount Judah that I, for one, was looking forward to passing again with Tricia, a trail junction that she and I took photos at more than half a lifetime ago (measured by her lifetime that is).
We passed just east of Sugar Bowl's Mount Lincoln:
And then we traversed the west side of Mount Judah to the junction of the PCT and the Mount Judah Loop trail. This junction was familiar to us. Tricia and I had hiked the Loop Trail back in 2007, on a rest day while on a climbing trip with friends to the Donner areas. Here we are in photos from July 2007 (Tricia was five years old - we'd made just one trip to the PCT by that point; we were 32 miles from the Mexican border):
I'd printed these photos out to take with us. Sharon, Brian and Whitney had seen them. And then we were at the junction. We started to pose for photos... and I just started cracking up. In 2007 we had no idea what adventures were ahead of us on this trail. But we took the photos. We had no idea in 2007 what a part of our family's story this PCT would become. And yet we posed for pictures, wondering, hoping, and yes, even expecting that some day - some day - we'd get to this point having hiked all the way from Mexico.
And today was that day. We posed again (thanks Sharon for the shots):
We had less than a mile "to Vicki" by this point. We made that mile and met up with her (and Hallie and lunch) just south of Highway 40.
After eating (and dropping our packs!!), we headed out for Interstate Highway 80 (right through and over the Donner Pass climbing areas that we'd been to so many times):
We decided that these last 3.7 miles would be perfect for Hallie - she'd be pushed a little, but she could sleep for hours in the car on the way home:
We zipped over toward I-80; in less than an hour we could see cars and trucks:
And then we reached it, tunnels and all:
We walked through the tunnels and then we were done. Vicki met us at the westbound I-80 rest stop (our dog Charlotte absolutely loves Brian; it looks like Halifax is gonna get there too):
As we split up and headed home, I reflected a lot on our now-passed, 2014 PCT season. We had a lot of fun and got a lot accomplished. We went from trailheads a "significant drive" from home, to trailheads almost at home, and then back to traiheads a "significant drive" from home. More awaits us, and I can't wait (eight months until our next trip seems like a long, long time - can a person have withdrawals from an adventure like this?).
Oh, and Hallie did sleep (actually, both dogs did) most of the way home:
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Sep 10, 2014 - 06:51pm PT
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Thanks for sharing such an awesome hike with Whitney and me. I always swear off backpacking right at the end of the trail when I'm sore as hell, but let's be honest, I'm in for more.
I can't believe Trisha had a cold and hiked that far. When Brad says "she slowed down" I don't know if I can't agree. She still smoked me the whole way!!! That girl can hike!
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2014 - 12:30pm PT
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The birthday card I got from my daughter Tricia made me want go back and look at this thread. I did that this morning (a perfect read on a cold winter's day). It's a nice handmade card:
Really though, the things she says! She's a great hiker, but to claim that a 12 year old girl can really hike faster than her daddy? That's nuts, there's no way she hikes faster than me. Is there? Have I created a monster? Should I bust her? Make her carry more weight?
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Dec 25, 2014 - 04:30pm PT
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Merry Christmas to you, your wife and your daughters, this is a great thread.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2014 - 07:26pm PT
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Thanks johntp. Merry Christmas to you too. I hope everyone in Supertopo-land had a great day.
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Dec 26, 2014 - 09:23am PT
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Make her carry more weight?
Isn't "pack mule" half the reason to have kids?
And how 'bout a pic of the front of the card? Her comments made me curious.
Oh, and happy birthday.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2015 - 04:46pm PT
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Alright, it's time to update this thread.
Tricia and I have an excellent PCT schedule penciled out now for the summer of 2015. It looks like we'll do one short, three-day trip on this coming weekend and then three separate, week-long trips during the rest of the summer. The rough idea is to get through Lassen National Park and then some (which then puts us in a perfect place to finish California in the summer of 2016).
Here's the plan (subject, of course, to fine tuning):
 June 6 through June 8, Highway 80 to Highway 49, 38.4 miles to Sierra City. Our friends the Dawsons are joining us again for this trip;
June 23 through June 30, Highway 49 to Highway 70, 91.7 miles. This will be a mix of backpacking and meeting Vicki at roads/campgrounds on the way. This trip will end at the town of Belden, the usually recognized halfway point of the PCT. Yep, only halfway, I think this thread might be around for years to come;
July 18 to around July 24, Highway 70 to Highway 44, 92.5 miles. Again, this will be a mix of backpacking and meeting Vicki to car camp since there are a fair number of roads that cross the PCT in the northern Sierra;
August 2 to August 6, Highway 44 to around or north of the town of Burney Falls 41.8 miles (or more). Katie will join us on this one - between her U.C.S.B. classes getting out in mid-June, other plans, and taking a dreaded class this summer (so she can focus on just that class), she can't get out with us until then.
After that we'll see what happens. We'll be awfully far north by then for a Labor Day trip, but who knows how enthusiastic we'll be at that point? I suppose if we did do a trip in September it might get us as far as where the PCT crosses Interstate 5, near Castle Crags State Park.
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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May 30, 2015 - 07:17pm PT
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Can't wait for the trip reports.
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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May 30, 2015 - 10:13pm PT
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Nice, very much looking forward to seeing some new tales on one of my all time favorite ST threads.
This thread was part of the reason I've decided to do a 6 day section of the JMT this summer - no where near as challenging as your hike, but I am looking forward to hiking in the Minarets.
I recently saw this really cool video of a PCT through-hiker that took a selfie every mile...watching the physical changes he underwent was kind of fascinating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyo8OIp7aHM
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John M
climber
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May 30, 2015 - 10:19pm PT
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one of my favorite threads!
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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May 30, 2015 - 10:56pm PT
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^^^
Indeed!
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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May 30, 2015 - 11:03pm PT
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Very much "all in".
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2015 - 08:05am PT
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Vegasclimber,
I watched that video/slide show of 2600 selfies. At first I thought it moved too fast and then I realized that even one second more time on the screen per shot would have made it over 40 minutes longer! I liked it.
If we helped inspire your JMT trip, then we're proud to have done so.
On this end we're packed and ready and setting off now for our first PCT adventure of 2015. We delayed one day so that while we'll be up there in today's expected heavy weather, we won't start hiking until tomorrow morning.
I'll hope to do a new trip report after we return.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Have a great time! Will be looking forward to this years reports.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 11, 2015 - 09:15am PT
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I started posting our trip report on Mudn'Crud under the title: "Grand Views and the Propane Incident." Here's the first day:
We're home again after an excellent start to the 2015 PCT season.
Pushing back our start by a day turned out to be a good decision. We had wonderful weather up to the end of our third day, and then, just several minutes after finishing, we got rain on the car windshield as we were driving home. And now today it's raining again. Lucky us.
Naturally this trip started where the last one finished. Here we are at the I-80 rest stop gearing up to get going on Sunday morning (the crew includes Sharon, who hiked with us to this point last September, and the Dawson family of Steve, Laura, Alex and Mo the family dog):
During our pre-hike planning I was a little surprised by the number of roads that cross the PCT up in this northern part of the Sierra. And these are mostly really good roads. Although we thought we'd be backpacking a part of this section, a map study closer to the day of departure made it obvious that three day-hikes would be easy (at 15.1, 11.5, and 11.7 miles, these were respectable but very doable distances). So we set up camp at a central point (Jackson Meadows Reservoir) and day hiked (as always, with Vicki's support).
Ever since we finished with the Desolation Wilderness portion of this trail, I've been expecting hikes in the "deep forest" that I seem to think dominates the northern California part of the trail. But on this trip, the first two days were anything but deep forest. And although the third day was mostly forested and view-less, the "oh wow" view we came to just before the end of that day was very gratifying.
The views started less than two miles into the hike at Castle Pass:
After this pass the trail continued fairly level along the western sides of Castle and Basin Peaks. This was very easy hiking; Tricia and Alex were usually out in front moving at a really fast pace:
We were high enough to run into several snow banks on north-facing slopes:
Meadowy canyons with big creeks alternated with gorgeous, open ridge lines with wonderful views in all directions.
We chose one of these ridge lines to stop for lunch, over ten miles into a 15 mile day:
After lunch we made our way into another canyon and then up and along another ridge. The trail here might be younger than similar sections of the PCT farther south (I don't know). I make this speculation because up here the trail did a really good job of staying high on ridges and saddles instead of marching straight up and down every feature in sight as it sometimes does down south (a slight exaggeration there).
So, here we are walking along the saddle near Bear Valley instead of descending into the valley and then climbing out the other side:
This "stay up higher" approach results in longer hikes, but those hikes are physically easier and are more viewful. As an example, we caught an early view of the Sierra Buttes (small and very distant in this first shot). These are an unmissable feature that is just across Highway 49 from the end of this trail section; they are 38 trail miles from I-80:
Here's another view of these impressive peaks from about five miles closer:
The 15 miles seemed to just fly by on this day. Tricia is used to such hiking days, and, it seems that now-ten year old Alex is too; they both led us to a mid afternoon meet-up with Vicki and then a pleasant afternoon and evening in camp:
The kids and dogs spent some of that afternoon playing in the lake. Tricia loved and photographed the sunset:
And finally, a note about the end of our day. As always, we hiked a little way into our next day's hike to ensure that we don't skip a single step of the trail. On this day we did this only to run into this sign (I'm open to interpretations on this one):
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 11, 2015 - 09:45am PT
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And here's day two (still uploading photos to Flickr for day three):
Day two started out on Meadow Lake Road courtesy again of my lovely wife:
A mile and a half through forest led gently up to the top of a bald ridge at over 8,200 feet. On the way we saw an unusual juxtaposition; snow plant, which usually grows in deeper forest, growing among mules ear:
At the top of this ridge, two miles into the hike, we could literally see all of PCT section "L." We could see well south and north of it too, as well as seeing for tens and tens of miles to the east and the west:
I have to admit that, as I was taking the photo immediately above, I was humming the song "...the hills are alive with the sound of...." Oh never mind.
While up there we'd also taken an opportunity to play in the long thin strip of snow that graced the north side of this ridge. We didn't know then that this strip of snow would remain visible from most points of the trail north for the next eight or so miles:
The trail stayed high for most of this day's hike too. We had an early view of the now-much-closer Sierra Buttes:
We stayed high and in open terrain. Fields of mules ear and/or sage covered every ridge:
Here's an example shot looking back at that long bald ridge that had all the views (note the unmistakeable strip of snow):
Then, on one north-bound, bald ridge, while I was hiking with Steve, I looked at the various clouds scattered all through the sky. Puffy white balls everywhere just resting in the bright blue. Except for that one up north, the one right on the horizon. That's a weird looking cloud, all streaked, vertical and jagged:
And then it hit me: "That's no cloud. That's not a cloud at all. That's Mount Lassen!!!" And so it was (zoomed and pixilated, blown up shot):
Notice the three exclamation marks in the quoted portion of my thoughts above? They're justified (and I'm sure Steve would agree). I got pretty darned excited by seeing MOUNT LASSEN from this far south on the PCT. Later, back in camp, Steve used the GPS function on his iPhone to determine that, from the spot on the trail where we'd seen it, Mount Lassen was 91 miles to our north by air. Wow!
More gentle downhill continued now as we closed in on Jackson Meadows Campground (and our camp, and my wife):
The bald ridge with the snow strip way behind us stayed in view (and so did Sharon, cruising along as usual):
These Daddy/Tricia shots are becoming somewhat of a tradition:
Before long we caught our first view of the reservoir:
Closing in now, the last mile and a half was through the forest:
And then we saw Vicki, who'd hiked up to meet us (and, by the point shown in this photo, had hiked back toward camp with us):
A short walk led back to camp:
And that was it for our second day. We said our goodbyes to the Dawsons and Sharon. Our friends had only taken Monday off and our one day delay meant that they had to head home earlier than us. Camp was quiet that evening, and it was also slightly lonely. Campsites that have been filled with good friends become that way once a large portion of the people are gone.
We "remainders" got to bed early that night and slept well, anticipating one more day on this section, and then an end to it tomorrow on Highway 49.
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johnboy
Trad climber
Can't get here from there
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Jun 11, 2015 - 10:07am PT
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Best thread ever is back.
Thanks
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