Day 60 – Sunday, July 23

Mammoth Lakes, PCT Mile 903.9 to PCT Mile 924.2 Campsite above Thousand Island Lake
21.3 PCT miles (plus 3.5 miles over Mammoth Pass)

I left Mammoth today to hike by myself while Stephen rehabbed his feet. I took the trolley back to Horsehoe Lake Trailhead and hiked back up over Mammoth Pass to the PCT. This was frustrating because the shuttle to Reds Meadow was now running, but I didn't want to skip the miles in between.

My backpack was heavy with the bear canister and the two person tent, in addition to all the things I usually carry.

From Reds Meadow, I hiked through Devils Postpile National Monument. Devils Postpile is a columnar basalt formation – rocks that look like a pile of fence posts. Some are straight up and down and others have been bent over by some phenomenal force nature. There's a massive pile of broken "posts" at the bottom of the formation.

I walked by a beautiful waterfall that was still gushing, even now in July. The trail was mostly in trees all afternoon, following a number of creeks. The terrain was rolling until Agnew Meadows when I climbed way up high on a grassy mountainside. The views of granite mountains across the valley were fantastic.

I listened to podcasts as I hiked and I cruised.

I camped above Thousand Island Lake, above 10,000 feet. It was chilly already by the time I set up the tent at 8:30 p.m. The lake and the mountains were stunning. I ate Chex Mix and Snickers for dinner.

I was exhausted.