Hiking by Yosemite in the Pacific Crest Trail

This morning I got up and made coffee. Then I was packed and walking just around 5:45 am. I said goodbye to whom I will not see again. The JMT and the PCT separated very soon. She will go to the Yosemite Valley to finish her walk. And I will go to TUOLUMNE MEADOWS and continue in the last pct.

I only had a handful of miles to do this morning before arriving at Tuolomne Meadows. There is a small camp store there and a restaurant. I am quite excited to be able to drink and something to eat. Especially considering that it is right next to the road. In addition, all the first 12 miles or so today are completely flat. Therefore, hiking from the place of my camp to the store is as easy as it seems.

When I approached Tuolumne, I began to spend a lot of hikers. Some were doing section walks and others were doing one day walks from the parking area. I ended up getting into Tuolumne Meadows and down to the store on the right when it opened. I was standing outside at 8:02 am. But unfortunately for me, also another 10 people who had driven there in their vehicles.

Last night and this morning, the path continued along this river for a long time.

I ended up waiting for a lot of time to get to the front of the line and order. But it was still very early, so it was fine. I obtained a hot chocolate, a breakfast burrito and one side of homemade fries. While everything was cooked, I went to the general store next door to take a couple of things. I have two gatorades to pack in my water bottles. I also obtained a soda to carry out and drink later today. And the store had two types of tamales without an appointment I had never seen before. So I had to try them.

I had to cross some very beautiful bridges this morning.

When I finished there, my food was ready. I put the fries and drank the hot chocolate. Then he went out with the burrito and ate it along the way. He knew that the path would continue for a while. Then he would pick up on the ground floor before returning to a real path again. I ate while walking and this next section ended up being one of the most busy sections of the path that I have seen a lot of time.

Nothing like walking along a path and drinking a tall boy Dr pepper at 9 am

Nor was I really prepared for that. When I was here last time, Tuolumne Meadows was not even open. I arrived so late in the season that everything was closed, so I didn’t see a soul. Apparently, however, the camp about 5 miles north of Tuolumne Meadows is super popular. Because when I went there, I probably went from 50 to 60 people in the opposite direction. Everyone had camped at the site last night. It is fair next to a waterfall and apparently has running water and bathrooms.

The section of the path just after the Tuolumne Meadows store has a really great rock structure.

In fact, I camped just next to the waterfall and near the camp last time. I could see canvas tents and other configured things. But things like that give me the fights when they are closed. So I didn’t go to investigate. This time, it is half the season and there were tons of people using the camp. It was a constant parade of large groups of hikers. Then I arrived at the crossing for that camp and I barely saw a soul for the rest of the day.

It is not surprising that the camp just in front of this waterfall is incredibly occupied. I also stayed very close to this waterfall in 2022.

When I passed the crossing for the camp, I started a long but very gradual escalation. He continued during the next seven miles. Then, during the day, it would have a couple more of gradual increases. However, it is becoming the part of this path, where things really calm down. The increases will continue to be more and more short.

The land of this next climb was so pleasant and easy that I forgot that I was going to climb most of the time.

During the next two hours, I went up to the top of that climb. I was already very hot for the day, so I stopped a couple of times different times to grab the water. At one time he was thirst and had not seen a source in a time. Then I found a perfect and perfect snow pool. It was so clear, pleasant and cold. Not long after that, I spent a couple of hikers who did not seem to have the necessary maps or things. They had no idea where the next water source was and asked me about it. Which is totally well, and I always like to help people out. But it is a bit surprising when you leave the forest and you are not even prepared enough to know where your water sources are. It always makes me nervous when people ask me questions like that. He is very revealing how badly prepared is someone, typically.

Eventually, I would have to do some elevation again. But before that, I enjoyed the beautiful path.

During the next two hours, I had more up and off. Then he started up the next pass. This would be my great great climb of the day. And one of the last passes in the mountains. As they have shortened, they have been much more gradual. And you hardly get above the tree line. I heard an audiobook while walking and time passed very fast.

Today it ended up being an incredibly beautiful day.

When I went up to the top, I met two other PCT hikers. But I still hoped to go much further for the day, so I kept moving. When I was at the top, I think it was more than 32 miles for the day. But I was trying to go to about 35 miles to prepare an early day in Kennedy Meadows North in a couple of days. I was originally planning to get out of that last pass and start up the next.

In my personal opinion, this is the best Walkin Tamale. I could eat 100 of them.

This style was also incredible. I think these two are my favorites of all time.

But I ended up going through the next water source near a camp and decided to stop there. It was around 7:30 pm and had gone a little more than 35 miles for the day. There were some other people prepared for the night on the store site. But it seemed that everyone was already asleep. I grabbed the water and then I placed my store. Then he boiled water and made dinner.

Just before sunset, I spent this beautiful pond.

I picked up one of the nearby fire ring stones to hammer in my tent stake. The stone was still hot for the fire that the other 4 4 -pc hikers must have had before arriving around 8 pm all were lying in their stores, most of them sleeping. I could listen to one or two of them to roll to look at the sound of my arrival. Last in, the last. That is what I always recite when I arrive late to a camp with other hikers.

There are always exceptions to each rule. But in general this year I am the last hiker who prepared for the night if they camp with others. And I am generally packed and missing before the other hikers wake up the next morning.

I made a dinner in silence and thought about the day and mileage. It’s a lot of fun how long I spent today thinking about mileage. I woke up this morning at 81 miles from Kennedy Meadows North. However, I was trying to work the miles independently, and convert that stretch of 81 miles in two days. But not just two days. Two days when, on the second day, I arrive at the road early enough to hook Kennedy Meadows North. That was the center of the problem.

Making two days in a row of 40 miles would not have been so bad. But to make sure to have enough time to take a step to the walk before dusk, I would have to do 45 ~ miles one day and closer to 35 ~ the next day. That is the only way I could be sure to reach the road early enough to take a walk. And if I couldn’t take a walk, then I had no point. That plan was not working. Then, on the other hand, I returned to my original plan, to get to Kmn in the morning the day after tomorrow. It will not be ideal to try to enter, eat, replenish, publish a couple of things and return to the way. But I don’t have to load anything so much, as long as I have a quite fast trip, I think it should be able to get out quickly enough.

Every time I leave the city with a loose plan of my planned future mileage. And he feels like every morning I wake up and adjust that mileage to reach the next city faster. Even when it seems that there is no way to adjust the mileage, it is better that you think I will try to find a way. Which generally implies some type of crazy mileage. However, this time, Logic won. Taking into account the fact that I really only have to average 26 miles per day for the rest of the year, I think that making days of 30 to 35 miles is quite good. Recently I have been doing more than 35 miles per day than the staircase. And yet, yet, I can be hard with myself and try to strive more. Every time I lift the bar, I would think I would be satisfied. However, I just want to raise the ribbon even more. I guess it’s a blessing and a curse.

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