PCT SOBO DAY 95 – A race to the tram

Day 95

Start: Campground, mile 1728.7

Finish: Horseshoe Lakes Trailhead/Mammoth, off mile marker 1747.9

Miles Traveled: 21.7 miles, 19.2 miles of trail

I woke up this morning ready to get to Mammoth. The morning was a little cold, but at least it wasn’t raining like yesterday. I packed my things and got them ready to leave and left a little earlier than usual.

My first pass of the day was the Island Pass. It wasn’t much of a climb or a step, but the view of Thousand Island Lake was stunning. Clouds clung to the mountains as a patch of blue sky let in the sun. Of course, this was a place where I had to stop and soak in the beauty for a moment.

Looking at my map, today’s terrain looked relatively easy until the climb to Mammoth Pass. Although I had been hiking the JMT, Thousand Island Lake was the area where the two trails diverged a bit. I was excited to see a new section of this familiar area.

The trail wound through a flat area that followed the middle fork of the San Joaquin River before rising above and following the contour of the mountain that walled the river valley below. The sun was already out in full force and the air was warmer. I could sit in the sun and feel its rays warming my skin, but in the shade it was still a little cold.

The trail was flat and easy to navigate for several miles. I went down and continued along the river for a bit before turning off the path. The bridge over the river along the official PCT was broken, so the PCTA created an alternate route through some of the campgrounds leading to Red’s Meadow. I took the alternative because I was getting closer to Mammoth Pass, my objective for the day. If I took this route, I’d miss Devil’s Postpile, but I’d seen it before anyway.

The camps were a ghost town. Everything was closed for the season and the water taps were turned off. Red’s Meadow Road was closed for construction, making the place even quieter. I soon arrived at Sotcher Lake, a picturesque spot rimmed with bright yellow that indicated we were firmly in fall. I sat here for a while and had a snack, filtering some water and enjoying the sun. Fish ran through the water as clouds passed overhead.

At that point, I didn’t have much wiggle room to get to the tram. My plan was to follow a trail leading from Sotcher Lake to the pass rather than hike the less direct trail highlighted on FarOut. There was no way I would have enough time to get to the tram if I followed the FarOut route. However, as I headed in that direction, I ran into a problem: I couldn’t find the trail!

I went a little way up the mountain where the trail should have been and found nothing. Damned! I switched to another map and discovered that the trail I wanted to take didn’t exist. There was another “trail” nearby, but when I went to follow it I didn’t find anything either. I had to think quickly what to do. There was a faint trail that looked like it had been used by forest service workers, but it was definitely not a well-traveled trail. I either had to take it or miss the tram.

With the idea of ​​hot food and a warm bed in mind, I decided to take the hard way. I basically worked my way up the mountain. There were times when a faint path appeared, but mostly I had to follow my GPS. To make matters worse, my phone had less than 10% battery (I didn’t feel like searching for my charger), so I had to memorize the map and the contour of the mountain to get to the worn path to the pass.

With my phone almost dead (hence no photos), I finally found a real trail. Success! Well, almost. I still had to hurry to get to Horseshoe Lake. I went up and up. Luckily, the climb wasn’t steep, but every time I thought I was almost to the top, I had to keep going. I looked at my watch and saw that I had 20 minutes left. I could still make it, but it would be tight!

At the top, hail still covered the ground. I found another hiker’s footprints and knew I was going in the right direction. I soon saw dog tracks, a sure sign that I was close to day hiker territory and civilization. With only 5 minutes to spare, the trees opened and I could see Horseshoe Lake in the distance. I did it! I located the tram stop and two minutes later it arrived.

I sat warm and comfortable in the stroller, happy to have made it. Since it was the last streetcar of the day, the driver dropped me off on Main Street instead of the Village, which put me much closer to my hotel. I picked up dinner on the way and went to check in at my new regular spot. By 8:00 pm, I was clean, warm, fed and snuggled in my bed, a perfect end to my day.

And that’s a day in the life of a PCT SOBO hiker!

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