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next>> Central California Sun 2 Jun  8.38pm Deer Mountain This is more like it!  Just 9 miles after our 4pm start and there are beautiful forests, lush meadows and high mountains on the horizon. The sunset was a banner which read "welcome to the Sierra".  We actually stopped early to enjoy the evening light. It did rain, but only for 20 minutes and while we wore our jackets we didn’t really need them.  From high in the Sierra came the rumble of distant thunder and clearly much heavier rain, but down here it looks fine so we'll sleep out under the Sierra stars. Pringles, cheese, bread, muffin & chocolate in bed, desperate not to leave crumbs, and using our new Ursack Ultra and Glen's regular model to store our food. They're small duffel bags with draw string tops, and are made from bullet proof fabric which bears, supposedly, can't get into. We hope they work! Mon 3 June  2.35pm Near Gomez Meadow We woke to find ice on the sleeping bags.  Which is strange as my watch said it was just 43f and we weren't at all cold. Perhaps some cold air passed over during the night. Whatever it was, we woke late, spent some time drying the bags, then moved off about 7.00.  A mile later we stopped for breakfast, dried everything and started for real about 9 am.  We know that’s late, but the campsite back in Kennedy Meadows (actually the noisy anglers with big trucks who bring large TV's into the wilds to watch ball games) had not been conducive to a good night's sleep. A lot of climbing today, and I was slow, getting used to the boots and the terrain. We broke the 10,000ft barrier for the first time this trip, but following the route description has been tricky.  We've stopped to eat our main meal now. A passing shower threatened more with rumble of thunder so we flung up the tarptent (It really does go up fast).  I'm inside writing, Liz is in the doorway cooking.  Out of the desert we need to find a new routine.  The risk of attracting bears means we can't camp where we eat, but the old routine of stopping during the day takes too much hiking time.  We also want to stop earlier to enjoy the evenings, but to compensate we’ll have to get used to early, cold mornings.  We'll see how it goes. 7.30pm Crestline Saddle, 10,390ft We had a tricky choice after dinner;  hike just 2 miles to a lovely campsite and tackle an over 2000 ft climb, at altitude, in the morning; or go for it tonight with a full belly. We went for it. On the way up Liz insisted she would wanted bed time tea... at 10,390 ft in a dry camp!  So along the way I filled and iodised (we’re using Iodine only in the Sierra - for a change) a 2.5 litre platypus which doubled the load I was carrying.  Then I rebelled, declared this idea "stupid" and stamped my little feet. Liz, determined to drink tea, took the platypus and added it to her load.  I console myself with the thought she drank all her first platy on the way up, lightening her load back to the original weight, but she is a tough lady.  And generous too, since she made tea for two. Looking ahead, it's another tough day tomorrow.  Lots of time over 10,000 ft, and two dips down to nearer 9,000 ft, with the inevitable climb out.  But we're back on the crest of the Sierra, the first time in about 5 days.  To the West, the sun is setting, shooting shafts of light through the tall trees which surround us. The view to the East is much more open, the ground plunging precipitously to the, now dry, alkali Owens Lake, it's inflow having been diverted to provide water for Los Angeles. The Inyo and Coso Mountains rise behind it, dry dusty reminders of the terrain we so recently endured.  A few clouds linger, so our Tarptent is up. There are bear tracks in the area, so we're being careful with food. Liz is stretching, and I'm going to join her before drinking humble tea. Tue 4 June 2.50pm Chicken Spring Lake The strangest thing happened today. We were attacked by a bird!  I'll come to that in a moment. The wind blew up during the night and when the alarm went at 5.15 am it would have been easy to snuggle deeper into our bags.  But with GoLite Flow Jackets (great bit of kit) and long trousers we were walking by 6.15 am.  I keep going on about this, but it's truly wonderful to be high in the Sierra again.  Today the route climbed over 11,000 ft and I'm feeling the altitude, just a little short of breath, but Liz was fine. Right up until our bird encounter. It started sweetly. What looked like a very large grouse sauntered down the trail towards us and stopped at our feet.  Cute.  I even took a photo.  I stepped to one side to let it pass, and it stepped in front of me.  I stepped the other way, and repeated our dance.  Then the bird started trying to peck me, very viciously. Clearly it was protecting its young, but boy this thing was crazed. I got past (just) so it started on Liz, flapping off the ground, and trying to peck her.  Despite having dust and rocks thrown at it, and being whacked on the head by Liz's trekking pole, it fought back.  Eventually she got past, but it wasn’t over.  The lunatic bird actually chased us up the trail!  It's very hard indeed to run with 30lb backpacks, especially uphill and at 10,700 ft above sea level.  And it made us think, if we’re scared and run from a grouse, what will we be like with a bear? We made it to the beautiful lake, and as we're cooking, “Smokey”, another PCT hikers showed up and we're chatting as we eat. 7.15 pm In Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park We did six miles after dinner, then stopped to watch the sunset throw alpenglow on pinnacles above Rock Creek. We must also decide whether to climb Mt Whitney.  I'm not keen as I hiked it at the end of the John Muir Trail in 1998, and Liz isn't too bothered as she's no peak bagger.  But I feel she'll miss something if she doesn't. If we do climb it, we'll arrive in Independence late Saturday and have to hang around until Monday for the Post Office to open. We have ten miles tomorrow morning in which to decide. But we have written a song to the tune of the children's song, Teddy Bear's Picnic. If you don't know the tune, what follows is pretty meaningless! Ours is called: The Sierra Bears Picnic. If we go down the woods today we're sure of some lovely food. Forget all the grubs and the roots and the berries, just act like you're in a mood. For the PCT hikers are coming with packs, brimming with food, loaded in sacks. This is the month the PCT hikers start hiking. Picnic time for Sierra Bears.... It happens every year, and numbers are growing in size. Sat at home the humans have no fear. But when they get out here they're in for a big surprise! So If you go down to the woods today, remember our simple rule. Cook your food on an open fire and use lots of smokey fuel. Don't use bear cans, don't use bear sacks. Hang it in trees, we like it like that. And the Sierra Bears will have a lovely picnic. As you can tell, we have a lot of time to think about such things while hiking! Appropriately enough, we've just put all our food and smelly stuff in our 2 Ursacks, tied them to a tree and booby trapped it with sticks and rocks so it'll make a noise if disturbed.  We’re following the instructions which came with the things, but it tying them within reach doesn’t seem right, I'm used to hanging food high in trees. Wed 5 June  6.40pm Tyndall Creek If Heaven is half as good as this, I really hope I get there.  I've walked this part of the High Sierra before, but I now realise I must have been rushing to finish the JMT, too tied up with the solo hike to appreciate the beauty of the place.  It makes a huge difference to share this with a loved one, to be able to exclaim, "Wow! Look at that!"  Photos are no substitute for this natural spectacle. It's as if some mad dentist collected giant sharks teeth, dropped them in a huge pile and they all landed pointy end up.  The white snow against dark rock throws this scene into dramatic contrast.  Range after mountain range stretch to the horizon. And we have the God given luxury of being able to wander through all this. Right now it feels like there is no greater place or prize. Liz decided not to climb Mt Whitney.  When she saw the peak from  below, she simply wasn't impressed.  I do not agree with her, and argued in favour of going up, but she decided it would be a slog alongside hundreds of other people. Quality is everything to Liz.  Just being the highest is not a reason to climb something. We bumped into Bushwhacker Mark, Smokey, Fancy & Flutterby at Whitney Creek. They were all heading up weather permitting. We hiked on and tackled a couple of river (well, creek) crossings. The incredibly light weight river runner shoes from REI proved excellent, but we need more strong trash bags just in case of spills. We're now well placed to climb over Forester Pass in the morning, then do the Kersarge Pass and hitch to Independence Friday to get our boxes. Thur 6 June 2.30pm head of Bubbs Creek Canyon A week ago we were complaining about sand and heat.  Today it's snow.  Tons of the stuff, all soft and slushy. We both think this has been the best day hiking so far.  The climb to Forester was fine, and with deer and lots of water around, reminded us of Scotland.  Anne, Lee, John & Julie had camped higher than us (we considered but rejected that) and reached the pass just before us. The route was easy and we were looking for a “sporting” finish.  With just one ice axe between us, we couldn’t climb the snow in the gully, so we ignored the trail and we finished our ascent with a free climb up the rock to the right.  The others watched from above.  Later I asked Liz if we'd been showing off and she said, "We'd have done it whether or not anyone had been watching", which I suppose is the point. Knowing there’d be deep snow on the North side, we wanted to descend before it became too soft. But as early at 10.30 am we were sinking up to our waists. The route, of course, is totally obscured, with only two sets of foot prints to follow.  Nevertheless, we pulled on our waterproof pants and found our way down, covering great distances by sliding on our backsides.  I bashed my hand on a rock so I'm a little scraped up, but otherwise fine.  Nevertheless, it took us more than three hours walking /sliding to get below the snowline.  And we were moving fast, the others have still to show up.  Finding the trail, in all this snow, is very tricky. And we need gaiters. Our wonderful, waterproof boots filled with snow from the ankles, which melted and within 15 minutes our feet were soaking.  We now know there will be a lot more snow on the passes ahead.  So once we reach Independence, we'll try to hitch a 50 mile ride to the town of Bishop which has some climbing stores where we'll buy mini-gaiters, new trekking poles (the tips just fell off three of our four) and a spoon.  Our Lexan, ultralight "unbreakable" spoon just snapped! I really should spend time describing the views we've seen today, but words fail me. Everywhere we look is a Kodak moment.  Julie shot 5 rolls in 4 days.  Up high, there are magnificent mountain panoramas, spiky pinnacled ridges, all defined with just the right amount of snow. Below, flat areas in the white expanse reveal themselves to be snow covered lakes, only by the hint of water at their perimeter, a delicate, duck-egg blue. Below the tree line, where I'm writing this propped against a redwood, all that melting snow has turned brooks into rivers and rivers into torrents, cascading and twisting down the valley as if choreographed. When we said "let's find a nice place for lunch", we honestly could have stopped anywhere. This is a wondrous land. 6pm Kearsarge Pass Trail junction Stopped to cook. We couldn't take our intended trail, because while it's shown on my map as reaching the pass, our guidebook and the National Park Servicesigns don't confirm this. So we hiked further, and found the official trail junction where we've stopped to cook. We can’t sleep here or bears will smell us. We might try to make the pass and camp right on top, sleeping in the open. It should just take 1.5 hours to reach. 8.40pm Summit Kearsarge Pass What a bivi spot!  11,800 ft, with warning signs everywhere about not lighting fire and carrying bear canisters.  It's a rocky spot, but we found an area just large enough to lie down, "enhanced" a little wall to give some shelter, and we're settling down with a cup of tea watching the best ever sunset behind range after range of peaks.  Remember today’s date.  It was one of my favourite days. Fri 7th June  3.30pm Bishop. K-mart A cold-ish night on the pass, but morning tea woke us up, and the 2 hour descent to Onion Valley passed quickly. 2 thru-hikers Don & Leslie were coming up the trail. I was concerned about getting a ride, as everyone had only just arrived and were setting out on day hikes.  However, within 20 minutes we hitched a ride with a Forrest worker who agreed to take us down to Independence to collect our box and then an hour further to Bishop where he lived.  A superbride!  Along with our expected food box was a lovely surprise box of home baked cookies from Heather, Paul and the girls, but worryingly there was no box from Glen.  Our ground sheet will have to last a little longer. At Wilson's sports we bought new trekking poles for Liz, gaiters for both of us and some shorts for me.  In the shoe shop next door we found Merrell shoes in my size and a pair of  New Balance for Liz, which we bought, boxed up and mailed ahead to Tuolumne Meadows where we think we’ll need them. We also arranged to re-direct Glens box to the same place. There's a bus down to Independence at 5.30, so Liz is buying what food we need while I telephone for a motel and write e-mails. Sun 9th June 8.30am Independence No early start for us. All yesterday we did nothing.  Wonderful.  And windy too.  Today, the wind has dropped slightly, so we’ll check out, go for breakfast in the diner, then start trying to hitch up Onion Valley. 7.36pm Rae Lakes Breakfast gave us energy, but we couldn't hitch a ride.  No one was heading up. So we ran Skip at Wildershuttle and for $20 he did the job. We started hiking at 11.45 and were on top of the Kearsarge Pass again before 2pm. Pressing on, we hiked downhill, covering ground faster than I thought.  When we started climbing again, I instinctively felt we were heading for the wrong pass.  As we overtook two other hikers they set us straight.  We’d covered more ground than I thought, and we were well on our way up Glen Pass without knowing it. I tell you, a good breakfast works wonders! We took photos with my good camera on the little tripod, then waited for the two other hikers to arrive to take a picture of us using the disposable.  I told the chap the shot I wanted, but he said "this is better", and started snapping away.  I was about to say it wasn’t what I wanted, but decided to keep my mouth shut.  "Shall I take one of you two", I asked when he gave me back my camera.  "Yes please", says Happy Snapper, and pulls a lightweight Hassleblad out of his pack!  It turns out I almost told a National Geographic photographer how to take a photo!  The pair are a National Geographic photographer and writer hiking in to do a story about rare toas at Sixty Lakes Basin and a group of researchers who’re working with them.  I hope my hands weren't shaking too much as I pressed his shutter release. Coming down from the pass was quick and straight forward.  But I'm disappointed that after fewer than 100 trail miles my lightweight Kayland boots are leaking. Even splashing through a small stream I get wet feet.  Rae Lakes is as beautiful as I remember.  Fin Dome rises like a sharks fin opposite, and there are now food storage lockers which we’re using because bears are so active.  It was a long way to Sixty Lakes Basin so it wouldn't surprise me if the National Geographic pair turn up here tonight. Later They did, along with Yogi and Cupcake. We had to move away from the lake, because cold damp air was soaking our stuff. Mon 10th June  5.20pm Above Lake Marjorie Another day, another pass. After a long drop down to 8,400 ft we had to haul ourselves up Pinchot Pass which was a lot tougher than I first thought or remember.  The uphill side was covered in snow.  So much snow abandoned all hope of following an established trail and relied upon map andjudgement.  It was 4.30 pm when we reached the top, and I'd estimated we'd be there by 2 pm. I think Cupcake and Yogi and behind us, and if so, I hope the hurry across.  Cupcake told me they didn't summit Forester Pass until 6 pm, became soaked in all the soft snow, and he developed hypothermia. Yogi organised an emergency bivi, stuffed him into dry clothes and all was well, but they won't want a second epic.  We're still too high to camp comfortably, but we've stopped to eat and will try to pile on some miles tonight so we’re nearer Mather Pass for tomorrow.  As I write a fearless Marmot, like a large guinea pig with a bushy tail, has become bolder by the moment.  He had been digging and eating something out of a hole nearby, which looked suspiciously like dirt to us.  When smells from Liz's cooking wafted in his direction he decided to investigate.  He came quite close and poked around our equipment which we’d spread over the rocks, sniffing each one with great care.  First mistake.  Because among the items were my boots which was drying in the sun.  He poked his head inside and took a deep breath.  Second mistake.  It was as if a scorpion stung his nose.  Clearly overwhelmed by my scent, he toppled back, hit the ground, and shot off at high speed, almost bouncing across rocks.  8.10 pm Taboose Pass Trail Junction We didn't make it as far as we'd have liked, but we stopped here rather than drop into the canyon as the cold air will sink down there. Tue 11 June  4.45pm Deer Meadow These passes get tougher!  At least there wasn't too great an elevation drop between Pinchot Pass and the one we’ve just crossed, Mather Pass, which was named for Stephen Mather, first head of the National Park Service.   Yet again, the approach was obscured by snow.  More seriously, the zig-zags up the headwall were totally covered and the trail impassable.  Just in front of us, Yogi & Cupcake did what other PCT hikers in running shoes have probably done, climbing horribly loose rock just to the right of the zigzags.  Equipped with boots, we decided to kick steps straight up the headwall.  There was nothing above to avalanche, the snow was firm enough to hold steps while being soft enough to kick.  Liz used the ice axe, and if we'd had two it would have been better though not essential We ate lunch with the others on top, and then made a fast getaway, bum sliding and boot skiing down into the valley.  This is a very long descent, first through snow, then down the "golden staircase" switchbacks cut into rock.  The river provided one spectacular waterfall after another.  Now we've stopped to eat Tuna a la Krol (Liz’s surname is Polish for “King”) and we'll push on to at least the low point, ideally further.  Ahead of us tomorrow is Muir Pass, and it will hold even more snow. 9.30pm Grouse Meadow We passed the low point and found the Two Joes camped there.  They had a fire going, and were cooking and eating where they camped.  We moved on a mile or two upstream but the mosquitoes are out in force. We drank tea and stowed the food in the Ursacks then retreated into the Tarptent, the bug netting successfully keeping the winged beasties away from us. Wed 12th June  8.45am Big Pete Meadow Getting up at 5.30 was hard, but Liz managed it, albeit in silence.  Damp sleeping bags and a tarptent wet with condensation, were stuffed into bags and we hiked 2 hours to this sunny spot for breakfast.  Everything is spread out around us on rocks drying in the sun. Looks like a fire sale at REI. Along the way we were stalked.  By deer!  Isn’t that the wrong way around?  We surprised two young deer who were out for a morning stroll, but they weren't too alarmed. A while later, we realised they were following us, sometimes on the trail, sometimes off to one side. Like the spirits of past two hikers, it seemed they wanted to share the morning and this beautiful part of our journey with us.  However, after a 1hr stop, the mosquitoes have found us, so we're packing up and starting the long, long, snowy climb up and over Muir Pass. 5.00pm Sapphire Lake Outflow It was snowy and wonderful as we expected.  Lady Leaper (Cheryl) & Scott passed us while we finished breakfast and raced ahead.  It was good to have someone in front making trail.  2 south-bounders came through, and the 2 Joes caught us up, twice. The hut on the summit is impressive.  The stone igloo has a bench all around, inside and out, and has probably saved a few lives.  It would make a good bivi, but we pressed on. We watched a frog flop about on the part-frozen surface of Wanda Lake, as we sat and listened to the water flow.  Then with soaking, cold feet (these boot leak badly!) we made it down to what we hope will be the end of the snow.  We've washed in the outflow of Sapphire Lake, and will cook & eat here, drying ourselves and our boots in the still strong sun. Then we'll head down into the mosquito infested trees to camp. 9.15pm McClure Meadow No fewer than seven PCT hikers together came down while we were cooking. Is this "the wave" everyone speaks about?  Cupcake & Yogi, the two Joes and three folk I don't know. They stopped to cook just as we were finishing our break, and we dropped swiftly into the valley.  Again, the mosquito menace, but we have an in-camp routine.  Liz gets inside the tarptent and organises our sleeping stuff while pull on long trousers and jacket, brew tea, bear bag food and eventually come inside to change. We've done 18 miles today which sounds modest, but given the terrain, we feel is pretty good.  But we do not want to be swamped by a crowd.  It matters not on the trail, but it makes re-supply stops an ordeal.  Especially for Liz. Thus 13 June  5pm Below Selden Pass We've been going for it today.  Up at 5.10, hiking by 6.00, the goal is the VVR ferry tomorrow morning, a day earlier than originally intended.  Our day started with a thigh deep wade of Evolution Creek, and we stopped in the sun on the other side for breakfast.  I hope we've done the right thing, using down filled sleeping bags because they seem to get rather damp.  Our bodies must pump out a lot of water during the night. I saw no signs to Muir Trail Ranch.  Perhaps it's not open yet.  A long zigzag took us from below 8,000 ft to over 10,000 ft.  Sally Keyes Lakes are beautiful, but the best is Heart Lake, named for its shape.  I found a heart shaped rock, we kissed it, made a wish, and threw it in. Selden Pass was over almost before we knew it.  At 10,880 ft it's the lowest so far and held little snow.  Again, we're eating early and high before descending into the mosquito ridden valley.  I hate those things and I wish we hadn't left the bottle of repellent under a bush where we camped three days ago! 10pm Near Bear Creek Trail Junction Have I mentioned, we despise, loathe, and positively hate mosquitoes! Two more river crossings this evening, Bear Creek and Hillgard, both quite fast. But the moment we stop, our shirts turn black with mosquitoes. The cold, thigh deep water is almost a relief, but dropping ones trousers and seeing their glee as they attack exposed flesh is awful. A 22 mile day today.  Hugely enjoyable when not having to hike in a head-net!  If Oregon is worse for bugs than this we're going to have to find another way of coping.  I wonder if God made mosquitoes to remind Man of his place in the food chain? Fri 14th June 2.15pm Vermilion Valley Resort Fed and watered, this afternoon I have time to write. Thirteen hikers were on the small ferry which crossed Edison Lake, and six of the packs were by GoLite, most of them Gusts.  We expected to get a place in the communal tent, but to our delight, were instructed to take a trailer, a caravan we’d call it, all to ourselves.  Big breakfasts were first on the list, then showers, then sorting food for four days. We'll head out tomorrow. I found my photograph taken by Butch when I hiked the John Muir Trail.  Browsing through the old albums, it was a surprise to see myself, as I’d forgotten the year I’d come through here (15th August 1998).  How about this for a coincidence.  Although I didn’t know his at the time, our friend and designer of the Tarptent, Henry Shires came through in the same month. I introduced myself to Peggy as the author of the Sunday Times article which featured her late husband Butch, who committed suicide last year. "Oh he loved you... that piece about him, he thought it fantastic", she told me.  It’s one of the nicest reactions I’ve had to my work, and I was chuffed.  One of her daughters chimed in, "was that the one where you said it looked like he was chewing two squirrels?"  Taken out of context that sounds like an insult, but it was warmly meant.  And flattering to be quoted back at myself, four years later. Sat 15 Jun  6pm Lake Virginia No “zero” for us at VVR.  This trail has its own language, and what went before means we're not taking a rest day (zero miles) at Vermilion Valley Resort.  Nice as it is, we relaxed yesterday and want to take time out in Tuolumne Meadows when Henry Shires comes to meet us.  So we caught the later ferry and hiked on. Last night the barbecue was quite sensational.  Gina the cook prepared salmon for Liz, while along with the rest of the crowd I tucked into beef and pork ribs. With baked potato and salad it was a huge plateful.  Yet we both had room for pie and ice cream.  I weighed myself and I am loosing a little weight, down to 168lb (12 stone), but that was before the barbecue.  After eating, we lay down on the bed, intending to get up in an hour to listen to folks playing guitars, but the next thing we knew it was 11.30 pm and everyone had diappeared. Earlier, I had a good chat with Peggy.  We spoke about Butch and about the resort, which she says she has sold.  The new owners are hikers who want to keep the hiker-friendly atmosphere and also intend to open up rock climbing in the area.  They've come to an arrangement about the staff too.  Peggy's not sure what she and her daughters will do once they leave this place,  but her new man seems a decent sort. Southbounders had warned we’d face three difficult river crossings.  They turned out to be easy compared to those we’d already done, so I reckon those Southbounders are in for a soggy surprise.  On the way up to Silver Pass we realised the landscape pattern had changed again.  Since the Mt Whitney area we've either been climbing to a pass or descending from one.  Now the trail is more undulating, with several, shorter ups and downs each day.  We were hiking fast, passing a waterfall when I realised we were in danger of overlooking some of the beauty of this place. "If this were in Yosemite, hundreds of people would be on this trail right now", I remarked to Liz. We have to keep our heads up and eyes open or we'll miss one of the main reasons we're here. Since this is just a four day stretch we're carrying some heavier fresh food; tomatoes, cheese, even a courgette which we're having tonight added to the pasta. 8.50pm Near Lake Virginia We didn't move far to camp.  I wrote the last entry near a buggy lake, but a little further on we climbed to a saddle where a breeze kept the mosquitoes away.  We've erected the tarptent and I'm finishing my journal while a chorus of frogs "ribbits" close by.  The sound is surprisingly  soothing. Sun 16 Jun 9.30pm Above Agnew Meadow on old High Sierra Trail Twenty six miles today, many of them spent cursing mosquitoes.  A lot of today was spent below timberline. Purple Lake was a Sierra classic, then it was pretty non-eventful for several hours until we reach Red's Meadow at about 2.30 pm.  Scott & Cheryl were already there and had picnicked from the store, the restaurant being shut until 5pm. Brian and David from Tennessee turned up moments later and organised a ride down to Mammoth. They're meeting people in Yosemite on 29th, so have ages of time to kill.  I telephoned to get a room in Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, not realising they were all tent cabins with zero facilities and cost $65.  No thanks. Then I rang Henry Shires, who is going to drive (5 hours!) to see us Wednesday. We'll have to sort all our parcels before he arrives, and might take up his offer to go to the nearest town, Lee Vining, to do laundry, film process etc. Actually, we're both looking forward to seeing a (sort of) familiar, non-trail face and hearing how he and his wife enjoyed their Wainwright Coast to Coast walk in England. Apparently it was very wet... well, I did warn him. I rattled the door of the restaurant which was closed.  The cook opened up and volunteered to cook us a meal, even though they were meant to be shut. It was a phyric victory, however, since the cheeseburger was tiny, Liz's tune melt was a sandwich, it came with crisps not fries, and with two drinks cost $25, the worst value meal we've had in the US. Things went downhill.  When we emerged, the winged beasts were active again, scenting English blood.  I did get to see the weird bassalt columns of the Devils Postpile, which I somehow missed doing the JMT, but the next four hours were in a tree lined canyon, sweating in rain pants, my only long trousers, with our faces covered by head nets.  But we pressed on, climbing out of the canyon and leaving most of the mosquitoes behind. We spotted what we thought would be a good camp spot, climbed to it, and found Scott and Cheryl already in residence. We moved a few hundred feet, had tea and bikkie and turned in. Or rather Liz did. I'm sitting on a rock writing, overlooking the superb Ritter Range of mountains, the moonlit snow hinting at their true relief. Mon 17 Jun 1.00pm Below Donohue Pass Mum, you may be 79 today, but I feel your age!  Utterly knackered this morning!  Our poor meal at red’s meadow, and nothing else, then typing until 10.30 pm left me so shattered I had to stop after a couple of hours for pea soup and a packet of oat cakes.  Yes, good old Scottish oat cakes.  We'd found them in the hiker box at VVR and joked my friend Cameron probably left them when he hiked the JMT in Sept 1999. Then I noticed the “best before” date was August 2000, so they may indeed have been his!  Thousand Island Lake was spectacular.  No sign of where they make the dressing.  We're having a slow day, aiming to just cross this last Sierra pass and camp above the mosquitoes. On and off today we've been seeing Pete & Ed from Canada who we've not seen since Warner Springs, over a month ago. Scott & Cheryl shot off early, perhaps trying to go all the way to Tuolumne Meadows. We could have done the same had it not been for tired old me! 5.20pm The other side of Donohue Pass Work this out.  We’re on the North side of Donohue Pass without crossing it.  What happened?  We were in the long snow plod approach, hunting for the telltale glimpses of trail, when one of us, I won't say which, proclaimed, "why don't we stop trying to follow the trail and just go for the pass".  So we did.  Stupidly, we did not bother to check in which direction the pass lay. Half way up a horrid talus slope I realised we were heading for a saddle, but the wrong saddle.  Reversing our route would have been awful and, on the map, the descent on the other side didn't look too bad.  So once on the saddle, we contoured, climbed and inched our way back around.  We saw some big bear tracks too. Eventually, we reached the real pass from which the descent was easy.  We can see a decent campsite below, so we've stopped early to cook and eat before reaching to it.  Pete ad Ed have just walked by, heading for the same spot.  They have a bear canister, so they're not stealth camping, but cooking right where we intended to stay.  We may have to revise our plans. 7.30pm Further below Donohue Pass Talk about deja vu. We are tonight camped in precisely the same spot I used when I hiked the JMT in 1998.  My water filter broke here too, and a photographer and his wife leant me some Polar Pure to get me through to Reds Meadow.  To be here four years later, looking at the spot where the filter died, now using Polar Pure for us, it's all weird in a nice way.  Especially being here with someone who likes the wilds as much as I do. I didn't see any bears then and hope the same will be true tonight, because we are in Yosemite National Park and they are cheeky devils here. Pete and Ed have moved further down the valley which ought to help. We'll have an early night tonight, to give me more oomph tomorrow! Tue 18 Jun 6.40am Lylle Canyon Half way up a horrid talus slope I realised we were heading for a saddle, but the wrong saddle.  Reversing our route would have been awful and, on the map, the descent on the other side didn't look too bad.  So once on the saddle, we contoured, climbed and inched our way back around.  We saw some big bear tracks too. Eventually, we reached the real pass from which the descent was easy.  We can see a decent campsite below, so we've stopped early to cook and eat before reaching to it.  Pete and Ed have just walked past, heading for the same spot.  They have a bear canister, so they're not stealth camping, but cooking right where we intended to stay.  So we will have to walk further and camp well away from any cooking. 7.30pm Further below Donohue Pass Talk about deja vu. We are tonight camped in precisely the same spot I used when I hiked the JMT in 1998.  My water filter broke here too, and a photographer and his wife leant me some Polar Pure to get me through to Reds Meadow.  To be here four years later, looking at the spot where the filter died, now using Polar Pure for us, it's all weird in a nice way.  Especially being here with someone who likes the wilds as much as I do. I didn't see any bears then and hope the same will be true tonight, because we are in Yosemite National Park and they are cheeky devils here. Pete and Ed have moved further down the valley which ought to help. We'll have an early night tonight, to give me more oomph tomorrow! Tue 18 Jun 6.40am Lylle Canyon The noise of our trekking poles clattering to the ground could mean only one thing.  Our booby trap had been triggered, and something big was after our food.  It was one thirty in the morning, and it had to be a bear.  Immediately we started yelling.  I accidentally knocked down the Tarptent pole in my hurry to get out, and by the light of my Photon torch I could see a bear, brown in colour, tugging and chewing at the Ursack Ultra.  We threw rocks from our prepared pile, still yelling, but the bear took absolutely no notice whatsoever. Bravely or stupidly, I moved forward to within ten feet, took aim, and launched a small rock right at his front leg. He let go of the bag, and retreated. I’ve since been criticised for this.  I could have injured the bear, leaving him unable to forage for food.  Or he could have attacked me and park authorities would have had to kill him.  I acknowledge both are valid criticisms.  I later discussed the incident with Park rangers who told me I had done the right thing, one even confided, “I’ve had to do that myself.  It’s the only way to scare some bears away”.  I would not have thrown a rock at a cub.  My critics say we should have followed the principles of stealth camping, never sleeping and eating in the same place, and never using established campsites.  To them I respectfully point out that we ate four miles from our camp spot, but finding a pristine site in this heavily used corner of Yosemite National Park is virtually impossible.  We could have hiked a long way off the trail, but were not equipped for cross country travel at night. Although it was the middle of the night, it was clear we could not stay where we were or the bear would return.  Liz kept up the noise while I packed, eventually I retrieving the food sack, which was all slimy, clawed and damaged by his attention.  He’d managed to split a sachet of peanut butter and puncture a zip lock, even though they were inside a double thickness, kevlar, supposedly bear proof bag!  At 2 am, by the light of our torches, we hiked for an hour then spread out our groundsheet, pads and bags and, after securing the food bags again, managed three hours of fitful sleep. Looking back on the event, I'm astonished we were so aggressive.  This thing could have snapped us in two, pulled our limbs off and used them for toothpicks, but we attacked it, not the other way around!  It was doing what bears do, going for food.  We were just five hours from Tuolumne Meadows, why did we fight to save food we didn’t really need?  The only answer I can come up with is this.  Although I’m English, I have been hiking American bear country for years.  Every time, I’ve thought about what I’d do if such an encounter took place.  I suspect I have programmed my mind how it should react, and that response kicked in without thinking.  I’m not sure I’m happy about that. Of course, had we obeyed Yosemite Park rules and had a plastic or aluminium bear-proof canister, this would not have happened. Will we get one? No, because they're just too heavy for thru-hikers.  What will we do differently?  Well, we won't break the stealth camping rule of "never use established campsites".  That was our mistake.  Today the score is Bears 0 Liz&Simon 1, but that was just the first round. 1.20pm Lee Vining A day which started badly, swiftly improved.  Nothing moves as fast as Liz when she has scented breakfast, and fearing the Tuolumne Meadows fast food place would stop serving at 11 am, she sped down the trail.  There’s no laundry at Tuolumne Meadows and we didn't want to spend all tomorrow with Henry doing chores. Then suddenly, John & Julie showed up in a rental car. They’d given Lee & Anne a ride up from Yosemite Valley and were now heading back to Mammoth where they'd taken several days off.  We already had 5 of our 6 packages from the Post Office so we accepted their offer of a ride down to Lee Vining. So here I am, showered and wearing relatively clean clothes from the bounce box, sitting in the laundromat with two machines going while Liz soaks herself in our motel bath.  To you, this may sound sad.  To us, at this point in our lives, it is the height of luxury. We also have a bed, a TV and best of all, time to rest. Wed 19 June 10.20pm Tuolumne Meadows campground This morning we’d wanted to sleep late but the traffic woke us at 6am. We're used to quiet. So we watched TV. Jerry Springer is plumbing new depths.  In front of the cameras, a woman discovered out her boyfriend is having an affair with a transsexual, at whom the entire audience is baying, "Bitch-man-whore". We turned the television off. A big breakfast. "The usual" is 2 eggs easy over, hash browns, wheat toast for me, rye for Liz and a short stack of pancakes to share. Liz shopped for food while I wrote.  Henry showed up around lunchtime and we ate more food.  I actually felt a little too full. It was excellent to chat with him about all sorts of things, especially getting my head around the next phase of this hike which I am struggling to envisage. We drove to Mono Lake with it's strange Tufa structures. Water flows in but not out. Then with thunder crashing overhead, but no rain and just a little lightning, we drove back over the Tioga pass and set up camp in the backpacker area of the campground.  We fully intend to sleep late tomorrow and take a double zero here, waiting to get the final score of the Brazil v England World Cup football game before we leave. Thu 20 June 2.30pm Tuolumne Meadows Campground A lazy start to the day.  The sun was on the tarptent, and as the inside grew hotter we decided we had better get up.  We did some kit photographs for the magazine, then around 11am Henry decided to head home. We're so sorry we didn't feel like hiking, but we really need the double zero day. And it was great to see him again. We really are luck to have made some good friends on this trip.  Liz sorted food while I took a ride on the free shuttle bus, a kind of a free tour. Our parcel hasn't showed up from Independence so we've left a forwarding address and sent another card to Independence.  Went for coffee & met Scott & Rachel who're heading out tonight. We hope to spend some time with them later. 10.30pm TM Campsite We had a lovely evening with our first roaring campfire. No songs, just me reading the guidebook for the next sections and Liz writing e-mails to family & friends.  Two PCT hikers get married on Saturday at Glacier point, and a few folk are going down to the valley for the ceremony.  We don't really know them so we move out tomorrow, but not early, as we want a breakfast. Fri 21 June 3.30pm Virginia Canyon The alarm went at 5.00 am and we were hiking within twenty minutes.  Er, no.  After two days off trail, things didn't quite happen like that.  Instead Liz took time to prepare a good breakfast and after a trip to collect e-mails, and discover Brazil beat England 2-1, we were walking by 9.15.  All things considered, that was early enough. The High Sierra is behind us and our fear was this route would now be all trees and mosquitoes.  There are plenty of both, but every now and again some spectacular, ice smoothed rock walls rise out of the forest.  It's strange being back in Merrell shoes again, my boots having been sent back to Glen with a health warning not to allow the dog to sniff them. Liz has kept hers because she finds them more comfortable. This is the first day on the trail where we've had a lot of cloud overhead, some of it quite dark, and we've heard distant rumbles, but nothing more than a few spots of rain has fallen yet. We normally take breaks only for food, but we're having a restful 10 minutes by the side of a creek before we continue. 5.20pm Forested Pass before Miller Lake We just had a Ranger Encounter. The female of the species. "Hi, are you the English couple who lost an Ursack of food to a bear at Donohue Pass?". Errrr, think fast Simon, you're facing a $125 fine here.  "No", came out of my mouth. "We lost nothing. We successfully defended our food". No admission of not having a bear can there.  "So do you have a bear can now", she continued. Gulp!  The direct question.  Fortunately, I had visited the wilderness centre and pried the actual regulations out of them, so I knew how to reply.  "No," I could say with confidence, "we're going to camp below 9,500ft and hang our food, knowing it's only a delaying tactic".  Regardless of all the signs about requiring bear canisters, those are the rules.  Actually this Ranger was a nice person, and admitted she usually turns a blind eye to PCT hikers without canisters.  She told me the authorities didn't publicise the rule about hanging food below the 9,500 ft elevation because they wanted people to use the more effective canisters. "But where you're going", she admitted, "you're unlikely to see a bear".  Apparently, she had met three PCT hikers ahead.  Presumably, they were the ones who’d told her about our bear encounter and nearly landed us in trouble, so when I see them I'm going to smear tuna paste all over their backpacks! 9pm Low gap after Miller Lake Liz has appointed herself to our version of Tom Ridge's job, Director of Homeland Defence. We found our camping spot an hour and a half ago.  It took some time to hang our food, and we've also put the empty Ursack out as a dummy.  But it has taken Liz another hour to booby trap everything with branches and rocks. The idea is, if a bear or cub tried climbing the tree from which out food hangs, there'll be an almighty clatter and we spring out again to defend it. But the booby traps are so elaborate, if a squirrel runs down the tree it'll probably trigger the things, and get the fright of its life! Sat 22 Jun  12.30pm Benson Pass Not a good night.  After two months we're normally used to things going bump in the night. And rustle, snap, squawk and squeak.  But this was our first backcountry night since our brush with a bear, and it's hard to sleep with every fibre of your body straining for the slightest sound.  Several times during the night a tiny noise, perhaps a bat breaking wind, would cause me to jolt upright like a meercat and scan the area with my torch.  At one point a rock tumbled from of one of Liz's many booby traps, probably knocked out be a squirrel, and it triggered my full scale nuclear response.  I shot out of the tarptent, screaming, waving a trekking pole and torch.  Nothing. Had there been a bear it would have lapsed into apoplexy and the sight of this flailing, stark naked man. Had there been a troop of boy scouts on a night hike I'd have been arrested.  The upshot of this disturbed and disturbing night was that we deliberately slept late. We didn't start hiking until 9.15, the latest start time from any backcountry camp so far. But we needed the rest. And boy do I need to chill out! Today is again mostly trees and mosquitoes, tougher with more up and down hill than yesterday, but every now and then we're stopped dead in our tracks by some stunning Yosemite scenery.  We're now having lunch and have discovered that for the second time, Liz has bought us Corn tortillas not flour.  Since these have to be oven cooked or deep fried they are hideously inedible raw, so our next few lunches are going to be somewhat meagre! 5.30pm Heading for Seavey Pass This really is a tough day.  Nothing remotely flat, just steep ups and downs with, so far, seven river crossings where we had to wade.  We're enjoying a very different side to Yosemite NP than I've previously seen. 9pm Kerrick Canyon There have been several stretches today where the trail has been tricky to follow because of snow lying on forested North slopes. We're bivied on such slope tonight, having found some flat ground off the trail and a tree to hang food. Liz is using the rest of the daylight to booby trapping the tree. Sun 23 Jun  2.45pm Wilma (or Wilmer) Lake A bit of an injury today. Liz slipped crossing a tiny stream & sat down. No problem there. She put out a hand for me to pull her up, and as I did I felt a pain across my shoulders. Over the next mile the muscles stiffed & cramped and became very painful.  Heroically, Liz has taken all the food and fuel, lightening my pack considerably. She massaged my neck and with occasional rests and lots of Ibuprofen I'm managing. But it's not good. Because of the Tortilla issue we're fairly tight on food. So to make best use of the calories we're going back to the desert trick of cooking out main meal between 2-3, then using the energy to hike. 9.30pm Across Dorothy Lake Pass As we were eating John & Julie arrived.  Actually, they arrived, cooked, ate and left.  I pointed out to Liz we were quite slow. Indeed, other than folks staying in Yosemite to meet family or go to a wedding, everyone we've met on the trail is now in front of us, except Cheese John. This comment had the effect of pressing her “turbo” button.  The next few hours passed in a blur of legs and trekking poles. We shot past Julie & John, crossed Dorothy Lake Pass and left Yosemite National Park as night was falling.  Hurriedly, we picked a poor place to camp, but the tarptent is keeping out the mosquitoes and there’s a good tree from which to hang the food. Mon 24 Jun   9.15pm Kennedy Meadows camping area  I did it again.  We went storming off this morning and I misread the map, thought we were one junction further along the trail, and turned right when we should have turned left.  In my defence, the mosquitoes were bad and I had a hard time navigating through a head net!  But we left the PCT and only could confirm our whereabouts when we met some hikers with a large Forest service map. They gave me a topo, and three hours later we reached the road.  We were on the East side of Sonora Pass, a huge road pass, which the PCT crossed at its summit.  Kennedy Meadows, which was our objective, lay on the West side, so he had to hitchhike. We thumbed a ride from two vacationers in a pickup towing a vast mobile home. We rode in the back of the pickup, next to the fifth wheel, with this monster trailer threatening to decapitate us at every turn. On the way down, the trucks breaks caught fire!  He pulled over and got to work with the extinguisher, while we flagged down the very next car and finished the ride to Kennedy Meadows with them. While we were sorting food, Scott and Rachel turned up.  They were very surprised we'd passed them, until we explained our bizarre day.  It sounds like we missed a good but tough section.  We all sat down to a cooked dinner; soup, salad, and a chicken meal with potato, pasta and vegetables, followed by desert.  Scott turned to me and asked, “are you still hungry?”  We both ordered cheeseburgers and fries.  The trail appetite has kicked in! Tue 25 Jun Amazingly enough, I woke hungry.  Four of us walked back the quarter mile to the restaurant and demolished a huge breakfast.  We’d probably hike this trail a lot quicker if we didn’t have stop for a cooked breakfast every time we left a re-supply point.  But it gives us a real boost, and I’m sure saves a layover day. A couple of milestones ticked by almost unnoticed.  We've now walked over 1,000 miles and dropped below 10,000 ft elevation, never to return above it on this route. Rachel & Scott yogied a ride to the pass at breakfast.  Enviously, we walked to the road but managed to hitch a passing pick-up truck without too much of a problem.  We were on the trail before 9 am.  Ahead of us, Scott & Rachel met John & Julie at the pass, and they were going around in circles in rough volcanic terrain, getting very fed up.  When they saw Scott and Rachel jump out of a car, they raced over and jumped in!  They just wanted to get to a town. We've stopped at a flat area now to cook and eat dinner. When we have enough time, we still like to eat our main meal early because it gives such a calorie boost.  We have three sorts of meals, all vegetarian to cater to Liz's needs.  The first are MSR meals, bought in bulk, which taste very good.  Then there are soups and sauces (pea, black bean, chilli) bought in bulk at Wholefoods Market.  Finally, and favourite, are home cooked and dehydrated meals (chickpea casserole, tuna a la king, mushroom stroganoff; tomato sauces with onion, peppers etc.). These we've shipped in our resupply boxes. With each of these we have a carbohydrate (rice, noodles or usually pasta) some of which we ship, some we buy locally.  Breakfast is granola, and then during the day we eat cheese or peanut butter on crackers, tortilla or bagels. For snacks we have power or cliff bars (3 between us a day) a small bag of nut and some dried fruit. We'll eat that stuff later today. Oh we also try to bring some goodies out of a resupply, so we have “luxury muffins” for tonight. Pete & Ed just walked past and we learnt more about our bear encounter below Donohue Pass.  They told us that early in the evening, a large black bear waked into the place where Cheryl and Scott were camping, but they managed to scare it away.  After dark, Ed was woken by a noise, and as he gathered his wits, he realised the reflective tape around his bear canister was hovering about six feet from the ground.  Puzzled, he fumbled for his flashlight, then swung it onto the scene.  “Now I come from Canada, and I’ve seen some large bears”, Ed told us, “but this thing was huge.  It was the size of a grizzly, easiest the largest black bear I have ever seen”.  Frustrated by the bear canister, this giant stormed off and went in search.... of us!  A cold chill ran down my spine when I realised we had tussled with this huge creature.  We hiked a little today with Scott and Rachel, learned how they met on a spronsored cycle ride across the USA, and their plans to tackle another adventure immediately after completing this one.  They intend to spend a week or so in Vancouver with Rachel’s parents, then jump on their bikes and cycle back down the Western coastline to San Diego. Black Hawk & Strawberry Girl have also just walked past.  It's really nice hiking today, a good trail, no rivers to ford, and excellent scenery. We should make some miles with luck. 9pm Middle Fork, Wolf Creek My notes said this was a fast section and we clocked up 22 miles despite our 9.30 start.  Good walking really lifts our spirits and today has been very good indeed. Not too gruelling climbs, excellent views, good trail and excellent company.  It gave us a real sense that we were moving on, that we had shaken off the Sierra and were heading somewhere new.  There were rumbles of thunder in the nearby mountains dramatically dark skies, but only a few spots of rain fell on us.  Not to many mosquitoes near the start, but this evening, as we dropped into the utterly spectacular Wolf Creek drainage, they returned. Wed 26 Jun  2pm Eagle Creek More excellent walking this morning.  Some ups and downs but no monumental climbs, and fast changing scenery.  Go around a bend and it's different.  The Highland Lakes area of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness was stunning, then after Ebbetts Pass (where Black Hawk & Strawberry Girl left the trail to meet college friends and have several days in San Francisco) the scenery changed again. Entering the Mokelumne Wilderness we came into what the guide book calls one of the most bizarre yet beautiful landscapes along the PCT. Great towering crests of rust-red volcanic rock poke their broken features to the sky.  Boulders look like rough mix concrete, studded with stones which were set in place millions of years ago.  Through all this we wind on a good trail which keeps close to a contour.  We made 15 miles by lunch.  Again the cloud has bubbled up, the temperature has dropped a little and there's a hint of rain.  So we're eating early just in case. 9.20pm Either above Tamarak Lake, or possibly Lost All was going well until around 6.30 pm.  Mosquitoes meant we had our head nets down and were pushing hard. We walked past a road and expected to find a car camping area, but it never came.  Clearly we were on a well used trail, but later it dawned on us that it may not the PCT.  About 8 pm we climbed to a slight ridge, hoping to locate ourselves from the surrounding hills, but not knowing the magnetic declination here, I couldn't do a resection.  We ate and drank tea but we're in a grumpy mood.  A great day seems to have gone sour at the end. Later We’ve just looked at the map together and read the update which comes as an addendum at the rear of the guide book.  It explains that the car camping site we were looking for has been removed.  It also warns that the volcanic rock sends compasses haywire.  So we may not be lost after all.  There’s a distinctly brighter mood in our tarptent as we go to bed.  Strange animal noises in the dark, and a couple of loud rifle shots did not improve the ambience! Thu 27 Jun 2.45pm Near Truckee River We were not lost yesterday.  Within 40 minutes we came across a PCT marker.  My silent prayers had been answered.  Again, a very distinctive quality to today’s landscape, and best of all, the trail tended to follow contours rather than dive up hill and down dale. The miles raced by.  We walked ten miles between seven and eleven o'clock.  Now, after sixteen miles we've stopped for our main, so we’re going well. Back at Carson Pass I collected a few e-mails.  Good to hear from Tom & Liz in Kinlochewe, rapidly becoming known for its lynx population it seems. Slightly worrying one from John at TGO saying grit in my camera is putting scratches on the film.  And Henry is having fun being a school treacher again. While I write this, under the shade of a pine tree, Liz is washing by the river. She was most upset that we had no water with which to remove the mosquito repellent from our bodies last night and had to go to bed feeling sticky.  By contrast, I am attempting to develop a patina of the stuff to keep the winged beasts away.  Only kidding - I washed too. 8.10pm Near Bryan Meadow Gosh we're going well today. Feel really strong, and could have kept going to Echo Summit but didn't want to camp among the detritus of a ski resort and can't afford the lodge. So we stopped after 23 miles with 6 miles to go tomorrow. Anyway, the post office doesn't open until 11 o’clock, so why arrive early? Fri 28 Jun 1pm South Lake Tahoe, Matterhorn Motel PCT hikers call it “trail magic” and today we learnt that it’s real.  We slept a little late and start hiking 7.15 am. We reach a highway and a hiker called “D-low” has left a note, saying hitch to South Lake Tahoe from here rather that hike the 1 mile to Echo Lake Resort because it’s harder to get a ride from there.  However, our box has been mailed to Echo Lake Resort, and although we want to go into S.L.Tahoe, we’d prefer to collect the box first.  So we can’t follow D-low’s advice. We hiked the resort and find it very friendly. We meet Scott, alone now as Cheryl has gone back briefly to see her family.  And we met Brian another English hiker we'd heard about, but never seen face to face.  We also pick up all our packages, continually grateful to our friends back in Santa Fe we’re mailing all this to us.  Now we have to get a ride to town. Liz is chatting to a guy, trying to yogi a ride, when who should walk up but Flyin' Brian!  "Want a lift to town?" he asks, then remembers we spoke at the Kick-off.  He's here for a big ultra run, which takes place over this weekend, and in which the competitiors race through the night.  He’s not actually competing, but is pacing a friend, running alongside to make sure he doesn’t collapse or get lost.  Brian still runs 50 miles a week as when he was training for his Triple Crown in One Year adventure.  So we squeeze into his amazing part-electric powered Honda, and he takes us to the Matterhorn Motel which he used when he came through here.  And wouldn’t you know it, already checked into the same motel are John and Julie, Don and Leslie and Gottago Linda.  We drink coffee and eat pastry then do the laundry.  We didn't expect to be down here until late afternoon, but we're showered, with clean clothes by 1 pm, which is quite astonishing!  That’s what I mean by Trail Magic. Sat 29 June  3.25pm Aloha Lake A long lie in. We didn't leave the motel until 9.30 am, and walked to Ernies where we met John & Julie for breakfast. A taxi picked us up at 11.25 am and for $25 dropped us right on the trail.  Two trail angels were there offering fresh fruit & soda.  What a shame we'd already eaten so much, but great to see them.  Two thru-hikers were enjoying their hospitality, but I nearly laughed out loud when we introduced ourselves.  Liz and I have not really got into this Trailname thing.  We jokingly invented new names for each other every few days, and after a bout of trail-food induced flatulence, I suggested the name “Restless Wind”.  Now here we were introducing ourselves to two hikers, and one of them said, “Hi. I’m Restless Wind”.  I had to bite my packstraps to stop myself from sniggering.  And he seems like a decent bloke. Liz bumped into the guy from whom she’d been trying to yogi a ride yesterday, and he offered us a different ride, this time down the length of Echo Lake on his boat.  “Is there room for John and Julie too”, we asked.  “Sure”, he replied.  We made our way down to the jetty, not knowing he only had a small powerboat and four members of his family were already on board, all of them rolling drunk!  “Don’t worry”, he attempted to reassure us, “we’ve had seven people on here before”.  We counted head.  “There’s nine of us”, Julie said quietly, a smile fixed on her face.  It would be polite to call the race down the lake exhilarating, but in reality it was terrifying.  Each time he slowed the boat, the bow threatened to dip under the water.  He’d pile on the revs, and it would rear up again, so high he couldn’t see where he was going.  We were all very relieved when we stepped ashore at the Northern end. 7.50pm Dick's Pass We stopped early because this is a lovely pass on which to camp.  Also here is Alan “Purboy”, who is raising money for Leukaemia research, as are some regular backpackers who’re not doing the PCT.  It’s the first time in ages that we've camped with other people nearby. Alan saw Scott & Rachel going through Echo Lake yesterday along with Cheryl who was presumably trying to catch up with Scott. We've walked barely 12 miles today and we have to time this section carefully because of the national holiday on 4th July.  Post Offices will close and motels will fill.  Apparently there's a big barbecue at Sierra City and we can camp free at the local RV park, so we'd like to arrive that morning and then get our boxes on the 5th.  We have plenty of food so we can delay our arrival if necessary.  Liz is not particularly interested but I want to see how the 4th July is celebrated here.  Will we British be welcome? The holiday is also the reason why this section of trail is busy.  The Desolation Wilderness, so called because the topsoil was scraped off by glaciers leaving few trees, is a very accessible and hence popular area.  Julie said this morning, "this is the holiday week America goes backpacking".  We can not expect isolation this weekend! We've just watched a magnificent sunset.  The whole orange disc, slowly at first then apparently picking up speed, dipped behind a rugged range of mountains.  The legacy was a bruise of colour, from the black fringe of night, through purple, blue and green to a red glow across the horizon.  We're sleeping out tonight.  We do so whenever we can.  This really is what it's all about. Sun 30 Jun 4pm North of Barker Pass It was wonderful to watch the sun set from our sleeping bags, then wake to find the light of a new day slipping over the horizon.  After that the day was pretty crappy. Nothing but trees, mosquitoes and lakes. Then the lakes disappeared, and we were left in a green stinging corridor.  Can you tell how much we enjoyed today?  Just at the last minute, the trees cleared and 21 miles after we started walking, we’ve stopped to cook our main meal. Alan hiked past us, planning to do another few miles. 7.30pm Ridge near Ward Peak And then things changed dramatically yet again!  A wonderful high airy ridge, four miles of it, with great views into Granite Chief Wilderness.  Not much flat land on the ridge, so when we found a spot we took it, even though it was right beside the trail.  Alan came past planning to stop just ahead.  There are a lot of small flies whizzing around, but they're not biting or bothering us and will probably go with the dark. Yet again we should have ringside seats for the sunset/sunrise spectacular. Having switched back out of Kayland boots and back into running shoes, Liz has sore feet and blisters.  Despite the current fashion to hike the PCT in trail running shoes, she's seriously considering going back into her boots. Mon 1 Jul  12.30 Near Granite Chief Mtn We're doing something I don't think we've done before.  We've stopped just to rest.  Normally we eat or treat water when we stop, but Liz just announced she wanted 15mins propped against her pack with her eyes shut.  So we've stopped, even though we had a half hour break for food just an hour ago. 6.15pm Roller Pass Liz has not had a good day.  After our stop I could see she felt lethargic.  She was dragging her poles and hiking much slower than normal.  She announced she wanted "two days totally away from the PCT, not speaking to hikers, not talking about equipment and reading something other than a guidebook.”  Then she confessed she’d probably feel different tomorrow.  Her attitude is most likely due to tiredness, so I watched her closely.  We ate frequently and I made sure she had most.  At 5 pm with 20 miles behind us and a planned 5 miles to go, I decided we should stop.  We're on a ridge, relatively bug free compared to the ground we're heading into, and it's a good chance to have an early night.  I cooked an easy Lipton pasta meal.  Enhanced with fresh garlic, olive oil, and fresh parmesan they taste quite good.  Now we're doing the things we usually don’t have time to do until around half past nine at night, and it feels like luxury.  The mosquitoes found us and we had hassle putting up the tarptent on the hard ground, but I’m glad Liz had the chance to rest. Tue 2 Jul  3pm Above White Rock Lake We were sorted pretty quickly this morning and underway by 7 am.  Around 8 am we crossed the Donner Pass at the old highway, and about 9.30 took the tunnel under Interstate I-80 which now whizzes through here. Then Liz discovered we don't have much food left. We're fine really, but we ate a lot of snacks, so we're low on bars and things like that. We were both in a bit of a mood this morning, Liz still wanting time off the trail.  I've agreed, but I don't want to spend time and money, which is very short, going somewhere just because it isn't on the PCT.  Thankfully, she agrees, but a rest day is on the way. We met a couple of Forest Service guys hiking with a shovel & pick, the first folk in this uniform we've seen in over 1000 miles.  Then coming upon a bridge, I spotted a pack, then a naked man sitting by the trail!  It was Brian, the other Brit, who hurriedly covered his modesty with a pack towel and explained he'd taken a bath in the river. A little further on we called into the Peter Grubb Hut, one of the few shelters on the PCT and run by the Sierra Club.  It's rather like a bothy, divided into three rooms including and upstairs, with a wood burning stove, plenty of firewood, and a sophisticated log splitter.  Mainly it's used for backcountry ski touring.  How wonderful that would be.  From the register it appeared Lee & Ann and John & Julie were there last night. Bushwhacker Mark came through a day earlier heading for a 4th July music festival in Quincy. D-low, who came out of Echo Lake before we went in, just passed through this morning after an overnight at a trail angels house known as Pooh Corner.  While we were eating Brian joined us. He too had been to Pooh Corner and had a great time. Now, looking out from where we're eating lunch, we see the tree covered, rolling granite hills of the Northern Sierra.  They’re lower here and stretch back south towards the higher mountains, still plastered with a considerable amount of snow. 9.15 Not sure how to describe this camp. We walked on with Brian, eventually leaving him as he had still to cook.  He told us he was a teacher, but developed an illness which prevented him from standing, so he couldn’t teach classes.  He was given a disability pension.  His health certainly seems to have improved, because although he walks with a limp, it looks like he’ll complete the PCT, hardly the challenge for an invalid!  He has the most curious re-supply method.  When he reaches a big town, he buys and bags up several weeks worth of food.  Then he rents a car and drives to likely re-supply points.  Sometimes he hangs the food in trees with a note, asking hikers to leave it in place.  At other times he’ll knock on a strangers door and ask if he may leave his parcel with them.  He has a developed a routine where he walks less than twenty miles a day, but he does that distance just about every day, rarely taking a day off.  As far as I know, he never uses motels, just hikes into the woods to find his next cache of food. Around 8 pm we stopped, having walked 28 miles today, which left us with just 16 miles to town tomorrow.  The Bible Bread crackers we had planned to eat were crushed into dust, on which it’s difficult to spread peanut butter.  So we scooped spoonfuls of peanut butter and dipped them into the cracker crumbs, then licked our gooey lollipops.  The mosquitoes are bad so Liz, heroically, is foregoing tea.  We're trying something new tonight, sharing one sleeping bag un-zipped and laid over us like a quilt.  It's a little rough on the ridge rest, but if we can ditch on bag it will save weight. Wed 3rd Jul   2.44 Sierra City The idea of food puts a fire into Liz’s legs and by noon we were in town.  Had a good chat along the way about all sorts of things, planning what we’ll do when we get home; buy a small flat in Glasgow then use the remaining money to buy a property in the Highlands to which we’ll escape most weekends.  Everyone is in town!  And all of us went to the one restaurant  It’s run by Beryl, an English lady, who is introducing this community to the delights of fish and chips.  It's Alaskan cod, rather than the North Sea variety, but very tasty.  Fed and watered, we've done our laundry, sorted our food, and re-packed and posted our boxes. To save weight we’ll use just one sleeping bag for a while, so we've mailed the other bag two stops down the line. We'll mail the main bounce box tomorrow, and we've also sent a load of stuff back to Glen.  Now we're sitting on the front porch of the Country Store eating a milk shake for desert. 5.30 Near River There's a space near the river where PCT hikers camp free, courtesy of the local RV park.  It's a little messy but fine.  I called every motel in town and they're all full tomorrow night, except one at $135.  I considered booking it as a surprise for Liz, who has seemed a little fed up, but I suspected it wouldn’t be appreciated.  I decided to ask her, and as I thought, she wanted to camp.  "Perhaps on my birthday" she said.  That’s the 8th July, when we’ll be in the Belden area.  Is there anywhere good in Belden? The shower was bliss, our clothes are laundered, and we're considering hitching to Downieville (12ml) tomorrow for the 4th July parade. Could be easier to get a room there too. Liz has decided to switch out of her new running shoes (new Balance 804, the most common trail shoe here) and back into her beloved Kayland Plume boots. We hope they last her until Canada and we're investigating the possibility of getting another pair mailed out. Thu 4th July  8.00am Camping area, Sierra City It's 4th July!  The Americans are celebrating their Independence from Great Britain.  And we are doing the same. (Joke).  Sitting around today, I was pondering the question “How is the hike going?”.  I analysed this in several ways. Time. We originally planned this hike to take 170 days.  US immigration only allows us to stay for 6 months, so allowing planning time, we were left with hiking time of only 160 days. We're now on day 78, so time-wise, we’re almost half way. Distance. The trail is 2,658 miles in length.  We’ve taken some short cuts, such as across the Mojave, but we’ve also walked a considerable distance detouring into towns.  Half way along the trail is 1,329 miles.  We're at 1,191 miles.  So in 139 miles we'll be half way, distance-wise. Sections.  The trail is divided into 5 sections. Southern, Central & Northern California, Oregon and Washington. In 92 miles we'll move from Central to Northern California. This is a huge state. Terrain.  This is the key thing.  The deserts and the high mountains are behind us, so the going is meant to get easier.  However, it’s still gets as hot as Hades on the volcanic slopes of the mountains of Northern California. The green, vampire mosquito infested conifer corridor of Oregon will be no delight either, and finally, there’ll be the wet Pacific North West, which makes the West of Scotland look drought stricken. But we are going well.  Even in the mountains with switchbacks and lots of ups and downs, we count 20 miles as an easy day and aim for 25 miles.  That extra five makes all the difference.  With our food gone, hence light packs, we easily rattled off the 16 miles into town before noon.  We've yet to break the 30-miles-in-a-day barrier, but we're saving that as it’ll be a key psychological moment.  There are moments when we're in the dumps, but having each other pulls us through. 1.30pm John & Julie's Hotel room So much for the plans to go to a parade - we just lay around this hotel room and watched TV!  This is what I call a day off. Thu 4th July  9pm Sierra Buttes We didn't stay in town.  It was tempting, after spending the whole morning just watching TV, eating, drinking and talking with Lee & Anne and John & Julie in their room.  And having a good laugh.  On the trail we'd noticed about a bright red plant/flower/fungus which grows directly out of the ground, with no apparent stem or leaves.  Julie knew the one, and explained it has no chlorophyll and is the first one to come through after snow melt.  She also told us its name, but there’s no way I could possibly remember it, after Anne chimed in with, "we call it the penis plant!"  Lee was aghast.  "You call it that Anne, not me”!  Now, given this thing is bright red, with leaves which seem to peel back from the main shaft, it's hard to see any resemblance, unless the male organ in question had a painful encounter with a paper shredder. "If you think it looks like that Anne", said John, "Lee really needs to see a doctor". Anne blushed, turning a colour not unlike that of, what I will always call, The Penis Plant. We ate breakfast and lunch at Beryls place, where we'd had fish & chips yesterday.  She offered to rent a room to us for $60, but we'd decided to get going.  We'd chatted at breakfast with Bushwhacker Mark who intended hitchhiking up to the town of Quincy where there is a big music festival.  He’s had a nasty dose of giardia, so he’ll skip some trail sections and slack pack others.  The doctor diagnosed him without a test, and the poor guy certainly looks like sh*t. After speaking to Mark we realised Quincy is close to Belden, and we'll arrive there around July 8th, Liz's birthday.  So we have a tentative plan to go into Quincy for at least one full rest day, possibly two. We left town at 4.30 and immediately hitched a ride 1 mile to the trail.  It was the right decision to leave in the evening.  What followed was a tough long climb up a bare, exposed slope, reminiscent of the San Felipe Hills.  At any time before 5 pm the sun would be intolerable, however, we hiked in the shade. We could climb to a fire service look out tower, but I doubt it's worth the effort and we don't want to descend in the dark.  So when we reached a convenient saddle we stopped and pitched the tarptent, keeping the mosquitoes at bay.  Soon two trail bikes roared past, then a truck, then another.  It seems it’s the done thing to climb to the look-out tower and watch the Independence Day firework display from several towns.  Sierra City can't have one since it sits  in a huge forest, which is tinder dry in this drought year.  We’re sitting here, waiting for the show to start. Fri 5th July  3pm McRae Ridge Nothing.  Not a rocket.  The shows probably started at 10 pm but the last thing I remember was looking at my watch 9.50 pm.  Other hikers saw nothing either.  Todd & Randy, two young fast PCT hikers, were below us and report seeing nothing more than vague flashes in the sky.  Meanwhile, Brent had climbed the look-out tower with the folks from the jeeps and  had fine firework views out to Sacramento. It was hard to get up this morning, I felt so tired, but we were underway just after 7am.  Easy walking, but Liz has a foot problem.  The ball of her big toe is swollen and sore.  We’re not sure if this was caused by using the old running shoes, the new boots, or switching between them.  She is stoical about such injuries, swallows ibuprofen, and hikes on.  But she is slower than normal.  And it reinforces the need to take a vacation, one or two days, as soon as possible. We bumped into a section hiker called Nona, an amazing older lady who Brent keeps meeting. She's a trail angel in Vancouver and has given us her address& e-mail.  We've stopped for our cooked lunch.  No mosquitoes but it’s teeming with flies, adding unwanted protein to our Tuna a la Krol! 8.30pm Bunker Hill Ridge We saw a mountain lion!  Around 5 pm we were walking through a gorge, with the ground falling away steeply to our right, down to a river.  Liz was infront.  Her hat has a huge brim, and she always tends to hike head down, so as we rounded a corner, I saw it first.  It was on the uphill side of the trail, facing downhill, and as we caught its attention it turned its head sharply to the right.  For a heartbeat our eyes locked.  I has time to say, "Liz, Mountain...", but she'd seen it too.  It swiftly crossed the trail and headed straight down the steep slope. Although the ground was rough and tangled with branches, it moved with a power and grace which left us open mouthed. Three seconds after our first sighting it was gone. It was the colour of damp sand, "biscuit" Liz called it, and it was big.  Liz thought it comparable to an African Lioness in overall length, although its build was not so hefty.  It was much, much bigger than any dog I've ever seen, and I was very grateful it didn't take a greater interest in us because it looked a powerful predator.  I expected to find a kill in the place where we'd startled it, but there was nothing, so it had probably just been resting.  So we’ve met; fire ants, a rattlesnake, deer by the herd, a grouse with attitude (the scariest so far), a black bear and a mountain lion. What next?  David Attenborough?? Liz's foot is not well.  The ball of her big toe is swollen and painful, so it’s astonishing she has walked 26 miles today.  I carried all the food and a lot of the water, but it's a heroic effort on her part.  There are a couple of early routes out to the town of Quincy, and to rest her foot we may well take one. We'll see what tomorrow brings. We're on an open ridge tonight, and it’s quite windy, so I'm wearing all the clothes I have left. A superb evening sky as the sun paints the wispy cirus cloud a pinky orange. Sat 6 July  3.15pm Before Middle Fork Feather River A nice enough day, but when we're busy making miles, we hardly notice.  Actually, there’s little scenery so we’re by hiking fast we’re not missing much. Thankfully, Liz's foot is no worse.  We decided she’d be fit enough to hike all the way to Belden at the end of this section, and hitch into Quincy from there, but a passing South-bounder convinced us differently.  He described Belden in most unfavourable terms and thought we’d be far more likely to get a ride to Quincy from Bucks Summit, which we'll reach tomorrow.  We switched our plan.  Our rest day will be Liz's birthday. We've stopped to eat our meal near the bottom of a large canyon, which has an impressive arched bridge over the river.  At 2,900 feet about sea level, it's the lowest we've been for ages and very hot, so we washed at a spring and soaked our shirts, which are drying on our bodies and cooling them as we eat.  There's a big climb after this, so while we'd considered attempting our first 30 mile day, we won't have the time or terrain to make it possible. 9.40pm Look Out Rock We picked a hell-of-a-day to attempt our first thirty miler.  Somehow, after lunch, our attitude changed and we’ve hiked 31.3 miles, many of them up hill.  This four day section has 10,000 ft of ascent, and it seems most of that took place between lunch and our present high point.   But we're chuffed we’ve done it.  And now there's just over 8 miles tomorrow to Bucks Summit from where we'll hitch to Quincy. We saw Brian again during the climb.  It's a real tortoise and hare thing between us and him. We pass him, sometimes hiking double his daily mileage.  But when go to town for a day, he hikes on.  After a while, we said goodbye and walked ahead, knowing he’d pass us again while we were in Quincy.  We could have bivied on an amazing outcrop ledge, but mosquitoes were buzzing about and we didn’t want to be bitten as we slept.  So we somehow managed to erect the Tarptent in a tiny flat space beside the trail and have retreated to our bug free area. Sun 7th Jul  12pm Quincy Laundromat  We hiked the remaining 8mls to the Bucks Summit road quite quickly, catching up with speed kings Todd & Randy, much to their (and our) surprise.  We hitched to town in under an hour where a nice room for 2 nights set us back $113.  I've told Liz this luxury is her birthday present, but I've also bought lots of small candles and I’ll have the place looking nice and romantic tomorrow. After seeing the rattlesnake, the bear, the grouse and the lion, we wondered what was next. Well, now we know. About 2 am last night I was sure I heard a noise.  When I switched on the flashlight... nothing.  So I dozed with my torch in hand and, at the next rustle, zapped it onto... a mouse!  It had huge eyes (for better night vision?) and was clearly commando trained, having crawled under our mosquito netting flaps on its elbows.  Caught in the glare of the flashlight it adopted Escape and Evasion tactics, scurrying behind plastic bags, shooting across our sleeping bag (Liz went shooting across the tarp!) and vanishing down by our feet. Reaching for a second photon torch, we bathed the base of the tarp in powerful searchlights and there, clinging to the bug netting wall like Steve McQueen on the barbed wire in the Great Escape, was the culprit. After accepting its surrender, we lifted the side netting and it shot out, eager no doubt to tell its mousey friends its tale of daring. The town of Quincy has a big music festival which finishes tonight, but I doubt we'll go, as it’s very hippie... Man.  There is so much tie dye and dreadlocks here it looks like San Francisco forty years ago.  So we'll finish our washing, relax, eat and watch TV.  It doesn't sound exciting, but rest assured, for us this is quality time. Mon 8th July (Liz's Birthday)  9am Gold Pan Motel, Quincy We are at “Moons” restaurant last night and, with a nice bottle of red wine, had a lovely dinner. Not fast food or trail food - it really made a change.  John & Julie e-mailed to say they're in the motel across the road!  A coincidence or our stalkers?  We'll probably bump into them in town today. 11.50am Quincy Post Office Bad News.  Very bad news.  Deep breath, and here goes.  I suggested Liz call home as her parents would want to hear from her on her birthday.  Naturally, she asked how her Sister was, and her Mum just said, "Ring her".  Gulp.  We know what that means.  Her Sister had recovered from two episodes of breast cancer, but was complaining of back pains as we left.  Liz rang and spoke first to her Sister, then her Sister’s Husband.  The cancer has returned in a different form.  Liz’s family didn’t tell us until now, shielding us so we’d enjoy our adventure, but it’s right we now know. Liz and I have discussed going home now and decided against it. There's nothing we could do and, worst of all, her Sister may conclude her health is worse than she has been told.  So we're at the Post Office to buy more phone cards so we can call more frequently. A black cloud has drifted into the perfect blue Sierra sky. Later Liz spent much of the day in Quincy Library reading medical books.  I did internet stuff and called friends to chat.  That’s my coping strategy.  Walking past an old fashioned barbers, I decided I needed a hair cut.  Sitting there, waiting my turn, I realised the barber never used scissors, just electric clippers, and people came out looking worse than when they went in!  I didn’t need a haircut all that much.  Walking past a woman’s hairdresser, Liz dived in and negotiated a good price, so she did the deed instead, and I emerged looking more like my usual self.  Tue 9th Jul During the night I developed muscle pain at the top of my left leg and struggled to walk this morning.  Yesterday was mentally exhausting for Liz, so I've booked us another day in the motel.  Simply to rest.  The romantic evening never materialised and the candles remain unlit. Liz spoke to her Sister at length.  Early next week she will receive the results of some tests upon which we'll base the decision(s) as to whether Liz or both of us should go home.  Tough, tough choices.  Liz has also spoken to her friend Heather who, with her husband Paul, is mailing our resupply boxes from New Mexico.  She seems more cheerful as a result. next>>