Today is the last day of what turned out to be the most beautiful and humble stretch of trail yet. And the views to conclude did not disappoint. Early this morning the trail followed a bright blue stream. The ground was soft and surrounded by huge pine trees. It reminded me a lot of my family trip to Canada last summer.
We crossed the border of King’s Canyon National Park and entered the John Muir Wilderness. I walked again with Bubbles and Dromedary most of the morning. I enjoy the pace at which they walk and there is no shortage of conversations with them.
We began the long, slow climb up Selden Pass. Selden Pass is lower than the previous passes we’ve accomplished this week, and there was nothing noteworthy other than the views are stunning and there may be a little snow on the way down. Both things turned out to be true. Going up the pass we passed impressive alpine lakes. They looked like great swimming lakes, but I was eager to get the climb over with.
At the top of the pass I saw even more alpine lakes! I could have spent a lot of time in this area. I will have to return soon on another trip. Dromedary, Bubbles, Birdman and I enjoyed lunch at the top before heading down the mountain.
There was one more challenge we had to overcome that day. Bear Creek. This crossing may be the most dangerous on the PCT. It often receives a lot of snowmelt and can have a strong current. I was ahead of the guys walking with Radio, Mojo, Cowboy and Rogue One. We reached the creek and saw a couple crossing it with ease. The water was up to mid-thigh and had a strong current, but I felt strong as I crossed. I identified my path and focused on maintaining three points of contact at all times between my trekking poles and my feet. Doing this made crossing the stream very easy.
After crossing we stopped for a snack and Dromedary and Birdman caught up with us. We were all feeling strong and it was early in the day, so we decided to beat our goal of 17 miles. I put on Taylor Swift and enjoyed the last few miles walking alone.
Bubbles and I stopped about 22 miles away where Mojo, Cowboy, and Rogue One were camped. We had dinner together and quickly retreated to our tents to avoid the mosquitoes. Walking a little more today means fewer miles to VVR. We might even arrive for the second breakfast or the “eleven years” as some people along the way have called it.
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