This was a great section. The skies were blue, the water plentiful, and the mountains began to mellow out as we left the high Sierra.
WeeBee and I are still happily hiking together. I am a lucky duck for finding someone who laughs at my jokes, hikes about my pace, and enjoys a good siesta almost as much as I do! Actually, during this section, we split up for two nights for the first time in about 450 miles
(WeeBee met up with a friend and took the John Muir Trail when the PCT and JMT diverge at the Devil's Postpile while I hiked the PCT).
On day 63, Pinco, as Israeli hiker and one of my favorite guys on the trail, and I went fishing at Thousand Island Lake, about 17 miles south of Tuolumne Meadows. We tried for about an hour and a half, with no luck. We could see the fish jumping, but they just weren't interested in what we were tossing out, I guess. It was a bummer because Pinco assured me that he knew exactly how to cook a fish in my Foster's can pot over my alcohol stove.
Finally, we gave up and crossed Island Pass to find a campsite. As we were crossing the pass, Pinco began to ask me about California geography, mainly the best way to get from the trail to San Francisco. I was unsure (my grasp of California geography does not extend much beyond knowing that Sacramento is north of San Francisco, and San Fran is north of LA). He went on to explain that he had a flight to Hawaii in about two weeks. After Hawaii, he was going home! I couldn't believe that he was getting off the trail, but he had never planned to thru hike. I cannot imagine doing that, but to each their own, and hike your own hike.
The next day was the Solstice. Also known as Naked Hiker Day (at this point, I was still not hiking with WeeBee). I had really been looking forward to this day. Unfortunately, I was camped just 16 miles south of Tuolumne Meadows, a busy and accessible part of Yosemite NP. And it was a Friday. So a busy day in a busy part of the park. Thus, in order to avoid running into families and the general public, I decided to hike sin ropa until Donahue Pass, whence I would don my "uniform" and continue into the valley.
This went well for about 200 yards. I almost immediately lost the trail and ended up walking into a campsite populated by two guys just a little older than I. Being lost, I asked, "where did the trail go?" They looked at me like a naked girl had stumbled into their camp at 6:30 in the morning, a little stunned. It was common knowledge in the PCT hiker world that it was Naked Hiker Day, but I think these were John Muir Trail hikers or weekend warriors. One finally and awkwardly responded, "Someone came down here last night. This is not the trail. The trail is up the hill. You better go up there." I thanked him and headed back up the hill, passing Bambi (a guy from Tacoma), who studiously averted his eyes.
I walked on down the trail, enjoying myself completely. Hey, its fun to be naked! After about twenty minutes, I ran into three JMT hikers, two men and a woman. I stepped aside to let them pass. When the man in the lead saw me, he said, in an excessively loud voice, "Oh! Naked hiker!" The three then averted their eyes and ignored my cheerful, "Good morning!" as well as my "Happy Solstice!" This encounter left me feeling pretty uncomfortable not because I was naked exactly, but because they had been so awkward about the whole thing. And rude. When someone says, "Good morning," you should respond!
After another mile or so, I started to get cold (I was above 10,000 feet at this point), so I gave up on my naked hike, 3 miles short of my goal. I felt defeated and seriously bummed out. I just about ran the rest of the way to the Tuolumne Store where I ate mountains of chips and rivers of Mammoth Brewing Company's 395 IPA. Oh, and three It's It ice cream bars. Yum.
WeeBee and I are still happily hiking together. I am a lucky duck for finding someone who laughs at my jokes, hikes about my pace, and enjoys a good siesta almost as much as I do! Actually, during this section, we split up for two nights for the first time in about 450 miles
(WeeBee met up with a friend and took the John Muir Trail when the PCT and JMT diverge at the Devil's Postpile while I hiked the PCT).
On day 63, Pinco, as Israeli hiker and one of my favorite guys on the trail, and I went fishing at Thousand Island Lake, about 17 miles south of Tuolumne Meadows. We tried for about an hour and a half, with no luck. We could see the fish jumping, but they just weren't interested in what we were tossing out, I guess. It was a bummer because Pinco assured me that he knew exactly how to cook a fish in my Foster's can pot over my alcohol stove.
Finally, we gave up and crossed Island Pass to find a campsite. As we were crossing the pass, Pinco began to ask me about California geography, mainly the best way to get from the trail to San Francisco. I was unsure (my grasp of California geography does not extend much beyond knowing that Sacramento is north of San Francisco, and San Fran is north of LA). He went on to explain that he had a flight to Hawaii in about two weeks. After Hawaii, he was going home! I couldn't believe that he was getting off the trail, but he had never planned to thru hike. I cannot imagine doing that, but to each their own, and hike your own hike.
The next day was the Solstice. Also known as Naked Hiker Day (at this point, I was still not hiking with WeeBee). I had really been looking forward to this day. Unfortunately, I was camped just 16 miles south of Tuolumne Meadows, a busy and accessible part of Yosemite NP. And it was a Friday. So a busy day in a busy part of the park. Thus, in order to avoid running into families and the general public, I decided to hike sin ropa until Donahue Pass, whence I would don my "uniform" and continue into the valley.
This went well for about 200 yards. I almost immediately lost the trail and ended up walking into a campsite populated by two guys just a little older than I. Being lost, I asked, "where did the trail go?" They looked at me like a naked girl had stumbled into their camp at 6:30 in the morning, a little stunned. It was common knowledge in the PCT hiker world that it was Naked Hiker Day, but I think these were John Muir Trail hikers or weekend warriors. One finally and awkwardly responded, "Someone came down here last night. This is not the trail. The trail is up the hill. You better go up there." I thanked him and headed back up the hill, passing Bambi (a guy from Tacoma), who studiously averted his eyes.
I walked on down the trail, enjoying myself completely. Hey, its fun to be naked! After about twenty minutes, I ran into three JMT hikers, two men and a woman. I stepped aside to let them pass. When the man in the lead saw me, he said, in an excessively loud voice, "Oh! Naked hiker!" The three then averted their eyes and ignored my cheerful, "Good morning!" as well as my "Happy Solstice!" This encounter left me feeling pretty uncomfortable not because I was naked exactly, but because they had been so awkward about the whole thing. And rude. When someone says, "Good morning," you should respond!
After another mile or so, I started to get cold (I was above 10,000 feet at this point), so I gave up on my naked hike, 3 miles short of my goal. I felt defeated and seriously bummed out. I just about ran the rest of the way to the Tuolumne Store where I ate mountains of chips and rivers of Mammoth Brewing Company's 395 IPA. Oh, and three It's It ice cream bars. Yum.
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