Day 61 – Monday, July 24

PCT Mile 924.2 to PCT Mile 942.5, Tuolumne Meadows and then Yosemite Valley
Day Total: 18.3 miles

My day started early this morning when I woke up about 3:30 to the sound of thunder. At first, I wasn't sure if it had been a dream or real, but then I heard it again, closer.

I dragged myself out of my warm sleeping bag and put the rain fly on the tent. I had just laid back down when the rain started.

Then the thunder and lightning.

The storm didn't last long, thankfully, but it kept me up.

Finally the sun came up, and I started to pack up.

I hadn't walked five minutes this morning before the trail disappeared into lengthy snow fields. The first challenge of the day was navigating across the snow over Island Pass, a much more subtle pass than the high passes we had done already.

My plan was to get to Yosemite Valley by tonight to meet up with Stephen and our friend Tommy D, who I'd worked with in Yellowstone last summer. He is now working for the NPS in Yosemite.

I had to use the GPS on my phone quite few times as I climbed Donohue Pass because there were footsteps on the snow going in several different directions. The trail was mostly covered for the last two miles up to the top, but it wasn't very steep. I was excited to find Caboose and Papa Bear at the top of the pass! They'd left Mammoth the afternoon before I did, and I was hoping I'd see them. They were jokingly upset that I'd caught them already because they hadn't gone very far today. I hiked down the north side of the pass with them, into Yosemite National Park.

After a lunch break along the river in Lyell Canyon with Caboose and Papa Bear, I hiked on toward Tuolumne Meadows. The trail was nearly flat, which felt strange. The PCT is never flat. I hiked fast and chatted with lots of JMT and other backpackers headed South.

I reached Tuolumne Meadows in the mid-afternoon and started trying to hitch to Yosemite Valley to meet up with Stephen. I walked to the visitor center parking lot, which had lots of cars and started chatting with people. I saw a guy with a University of Vermont shirt and talked to him a little bit. He, his wife, and two young daughters were headed to a family reunion on the other side of the park and offered to give me a ride to the junction near the Valley. He gave me a Gatorade and a cold beer and I climbed into the third row of their mini van. They were super nice and I thanked them for the long ride across the park.

I ended up getting into the valley about 7 p.m. and met up with Stephen and Tommy D. I was really excited to see Tommy and hear about his summer working here in such a busy national park. He fed us and took us to the Ahwanee Hotel and we shared stories long into the night. I'm excited to spend the day as a tourist in Yosemite tomorrow!