Thursday June 11
The rain continued into the night, with large raindrops hitting the tent. I was worried that it would still be raining in the morning, but when I looked out I saw clearing skies!
We headed toward Sonora Pass. Our goal today was to make it within 8 miles or less of highway 108 (Sonora Pass), with the intent to hitch to Kennedy Meadows Resort the next morning.
Our tents were wet along with our rain gear and hiking clothes. My shoes were still soggy too. It was rather chilly putting on all that damp gear!
Within the first hour of hiking, we had to ford three different creeks, so it didn't matter if my shoes and socks were dry to begin with.
We quickly crossed Dorothy Lake Pass and then descended to the river valley at 8,500 feet. On the way down we passed the 1,000 mile mark on the PCT!
From the valley we had an enormous climb that took us above tree-line. It finally topped out at 10,860 feet. The trail followed the ridge line for several miles, crossing snowfields, some with considerable exposure should a misstep take place. Of course there were fantastic views.
In my opinion, this was one of the hardest days of hiking due to the many changes in elevation along with the snow conditions. This picture shows one of the many snowfields that we had to cross.
We had hoped to camp about 8 miles before Sonora Pass, but there were no camping spots due to the snow and steep terrain. Instead we hiked all the way to highway 108 at Sonora Pass.
We spent an hour trying to hitch a ride. Finally a kind fellow stopped and drove us right to the resort!
Willy and I have a room above the lobby for $35 each that includes showers and laundry! I picked up my resupply box and we finished our resupply shopping. Of course we had a great meal at the restaurant! We plan to hitch back to the trail tomorrow morning after a good breakfast at the restaurant.
I am currently staying at Kennedy Meadows Resort- PCT mile 1018.4.
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