Day 63 – Wednesday, July 26

PCT Mile 942.5 Tuolumne Meadows to PCT Mile 951.7
Day Total: 9.2 miles

Today was a big day. This morning, Stephen and I finished up our booklets and presented them to the ranger at the Yosemite Valley visitor center to became junior rangers!

We were given wooden badges and colorful patches. I've been wearing my badge on my backpack ever since, and have gotten many compliments.

We said goodbye to Tommy D and walked down the road to hitch back to the trail in Tuolumne Meadows. It took a long time to get a ride, which surprised me because there were so many cars. Eventually we were picked up by a young couple from Belgium and they brought us back to the trail.

The trail along Tuolumne River was beautiful, winding over smoothed granite slabs and through green meadows. We saw mule deer grazing in front of snow-capped mountains. We even got to see a big waterfall.

We hiked this afternoon with a PCT hiker named Flanders, who we'd met briefly about a week ago. He had hiked the JMT several years ago in a low snow year, so it was interesting to hear him compare his experiences.

Just before dark, we found a buggy campsite along a stream. We ate mashed potatoes for dinner and Flanders shared some dried fruit he had found in a hiker box.

Flanders mentioned that he didn't have a bear canister, which is required through Yosemite (and Sequoia and Kings Canyon to the south). On the PCT, hikers have the perception that the bear canister is more in case you run into a ranger than in case you run into a bear.

There are black bears all along the PCT, including in the desert, but we're only required to have the bear canister for this 250ish-mile section, because of park regulations. Stephen and I share a bear canister, but it doesn't fit all of our food. Sometimes, when we're just leaving a town, it doesn't even fit half of our food.

So what do we do with our food? (Note: Yellowstone friends, you're not going to like this, but keep in mind there aren't grizzlies out here).

We sleep with it in our tent.