60 Lake Basin

Frost blanketed the outside of our tent, and a thin layer of frozen condensation lined the inside. With no schedule or obligations for the day, we decided to stay cocooned in our warm sleeping bags until the first warming rays of the sun crested the eastern ridge and touched our tent. "Beautiful doesn't seem to capture it," remarked Sierra when we finally crawled out of the tent to enjoy the view of rugged granite peaks and the thumb-shaped Finn Dome bathed in soft, golden sunlight and reflected in the still, clear waters of Rae Lakes.

After a leisurely, hot breakfast, we decided to pack up to explore 60 Lake Basin, just over the next ridge. The trail to 60 Lake Basin traversed around the far side of Rae Lakes, then climbed past several seasonal streams and across a few large slushy snowfields before cresting the ridge. From there we descended to the first lake in the 60 Lake Basin.

Numerous lakes dot the rocky granite basin, with hardy grass encircling each one. Short, scrubby pines are scattered throughout. We crossed a rock bridge to a small island surrounded by clear waters that revealed the lakes tan, sandy shoreline quickly transitioning to deep greenish blue depths. The imposing pyramid of Mount Clarence King was reflected in the lake.

A bullfrog croaked a serenade as we ate our lunch. Then we retraced our steps back up the ridge and down to Rae Lakes. A lone coyote stretched by the lakeshore, loping away up the ridge as we approached.

After a relaxing lunch in 60 Lake Basin, we decided we wanted to climb Glen Pass to avoid climbing it early the next morning, when it would be icy.  We quickly scrambled up the soft snow, carefully following the tracks of those who had gone before to avoid postholing.  Once we reached the pass, the trail briefly followed the snow-free ridge before descending the other side. 

We hiked another mile before finding camp on a sandy, snow-free ledge overlooking Charlotte Lake and the surrounding basin.  After another frosty night, we woke Monday morning and headed for home.

Rae Lakes Revisited

With a long weekend stretching out before us, Sierra and I could not resist the temptation to spend another weekend on the PCT. This time we headed for the Onion Valley Trailhead west of Independence. We planned to hike over Kearsarge Pass, join the PCT, follow the PCT over Glen pass, then glissade and hike to Rae Lakes.

Although Memorial Day weekend is a popular time for people to camp, hike, and fish, few people brave the snowy, high mountain passes so early in the season. We expected to have the trails mostly to ourselves. We were wrong.

We met our first hikers in the little town of Independence. French Toast and two other PCT hikers stood next to Onion Valley Road waiting for a ride. I quickly pulled over, and we somehow managed to cram five packs and hikers into my little Rav 4. French Toast and friends estimated that there are about ten other PCT hikers ahead of them on the trail, and a similar number who were either already at or just arriving at Kennedy Meadows when they left. But the herd is far behind, and probably won't arrive at Kennedy Meadows in droves for two or three more weeks.

Cars almost filled the small parking lot next to the trailhead, and were already beginning to park in the larger lot when we arrived. A few hikers dotted the trail, and we saw several more as we began hiking. Most were day hikers, although we saw a few hardy backpackers exiting after a nine day trip.

The hike to Kearsarge Pass was virtually snow free. Approaching Glen Pass, we started seeing patchy snow covering the trail about a mile before we reached the top. Long, spear-like icicles dangled from rocky cliffs, a testament to the enduring cold at the higher elevations.

Significant snow clung to the north side of Glen Pass. Unfortunately, the snow field, while covering a large area, was very thin, with rocks and boulders protruding through at regular intervals. Although we brought ice axes and were excited to glissade, the snowfield did not look safe for high speed sliding. We resigned ourselves to hiking down the steep, slushy snow, trying to follow the path of footprints set by those who came before us. Snowmelt seeped into our shoes, and an icy breeze chilled our fingers. When the snow occasionally petered out, we were left to scramble down wet, slippery rocks.

About a mile before we reached Rae Lakes, the trail was finally snow free. A few brave flowers poke through the sodden ground next to the trail, but prime wildflower season is yet to come. In the bright side, this means that prime mosquito season has not yet arrived either.

We reached Rae Lakes already chilled to the bone. We set up camp quickly, happy to slip into our warm down sleeping bags as soon as the sun slipped behind the western ridge.

The Colorado Trail

We miss the trail.  A lot.  But as much as we'd like to hike another long trail, we can't really take the time to do it right now.  So, after much discussion, we've decided to hike the Colorado Trail this summer.

The Colorado Trail passes through the Colorado Rockies and several other Colorado mountain ranges as it travels from Denver to Durango.  The trail is approximately 480 miles long with an average elevation of over 10,000 feet.  Thru-hikers traveling from Denver to Durango (the "uphill" direction) will climb 89,354 feet along the way!  So while the trail is relatively "short" compared to our 2012 PCT thru-hike, it will still provide plenty of challenge.

We will start hiking the Colorado Trail in late June.  I am hoping the snow will melt from the high passes by then.  Sierra, who was disappointed by the lack of snow on our PCT thru-hike last summer, is hoping it won't.  If all goes as planned, we will complete the trail in late July.

Gear Review: ULA Catalyst and Kid's Circuit Packs

Here are our impressions of some of the packs used on our 2012 PCT hike.

Heather's Pack:  The ULA Catalyst

Before we hiked the PCT, I always used backpacks from traditional (heavy) gear manufacturers such as Osprey.  And I loved my Osprey Ariel pack.  It was roomy and comfortable, with space for anything and everything I might need or want out on the trail.  It also weighed 5 pounds.  Empty.

Knowing I would need to lower my baseweight if I was going to successfully carry food and shared gear for two people, I started researching lighter options.  Hikers have successfully completed the PCT carrying ultralight packs that weighed less than a pound, but I knew that a frameless pack with no structure or waistbelt would not adequately support the heavy resupplies we would need for some sections of the trail.  Enter the ULA Catalyst.

At 48 ounces (3 pounds), the ULA Catalyst is not the lightest of the ultralight packs, but it is a fully featured, comfortable pack with plenty of room for gear, food and, when necessary, a bear can.  With its internal frame and suspension, the manufacturer recommends the Catalyst for loads up to 40 pounds.  I can personally attest to the pack's comfort carrying 40 pounds and, at times, even more.  The Catalyst's padded waistbelt and shoulder straps, internal frame, load lifter straps, and other features kept the pack's weight comfortably on my hips and off my shoulders.

The Catalyst has plenty of room to carry what you need in the main compartment (unless what you need includes the kitchen sink).  It also has an outer mesh pocket to stash gear you might want to access more quickly during the day.  The large side pockets are perfect for carrying water bottles and other gear, and the waistbelt includes two roomy snack pockets.  I used one for snacks and the other for my journal, sunscreen, lip balm, and other items I wanted to be able to access on the trail.  The waistbelt pockets would easily accommodate a compact camera, with room for more.

A thru-hike is notoriously hard on gear, but the Catalyst held up well.  And when my waistbelt wore out in Northern California (probably due to my overloading the pack, carrying more than the recommended 40 pounds during long resupplies in the mountains), Chris at ULA Equipment sent a new one and had it waiting for me when I reached Ashland.  Great customer service!

Sierra's Pack:  The ULA Circuit, XS Kid's Version

Few gear manufacturer's made real backpacks for kids.  We tried the Osprey Jib model, but the waistbelt did not stay put on Sierra's slender form.  We considered lightweight adult daypacks from GoLite and other brands, but could not find one with both (1) enough capacity to hold Sierra's gear; and (2) a waistbelt that could cinch up tight enough.  Finally, we contacted Chris at ULA to find out if he could customize a pack to fit Sierra.  Turns out, Chris already made an XS Circuit, but (at that time), didn't have it listed on his site.

The ULA Circuit XS Kid's version has all the same features (and almost as much capacity) as the adult model, but uses an adjustable harness and extra small waistbelt to customize the fit to shorter torsos and tiny waists.  The Circuit had plenty of capacity for all of Sierra's gear, with room to spare.  The mesh back pocket was great for storing gear she wanted to access quickly, and the large side pockets were great for storing water bottles and drinks.  Sierra also loved the two waistbelt pockets, which were perfect for storing snacks, her iPod Nano (she loved audiobooks in the afternoon), and any treasures she picked up along the way.  The pack carried comfortably, held up well, and will definitely be accompanying us on future adventures!

Kennedy Meadows Redux

Unable to attend the AZDPCTKO (the "Annual Zero Day PCT Kick Off") at Lake Moreno this year, Sierra and I decided to return to the PCT for a backpack trip instead.  We headed to Kennedy Meadows (south), the unofficial start of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  Having only passed through Kennedy Meadows on foot, we were blissfully unaware of how long and windy the drive would be.  But we were both happy to be back in the mountains with open trail ahead of us.  Less than ten paces down the trail Sierra exclaimed, "I'm home!"

Traipsing down the trail we enjoyed reminiscing about our 2012 PCT thru-hike.  We stopped to sniff the Jeffrey pine trees ("Mmmm, smells like vanilla and butterscotch!"), to remember hikers we met along the way, and to compare conditions.  We both kept commenting on how dry it is this year.  The pleasant creek that usually parallels the trail as it climbs to Beck Meadows was bone dry in places and reduced to a mere trickle in others.  Even the South Fork of the Kern was reduced to a shallow, meandering creek.

Most thru-hikers leave Kennedy Meadows in mid-June, a time the mountains are considered "passable" (by thru-hiker standards) in a typical year.  A few hardy souls will leave earlier, especially in a dry year like this one.  But we did not expect to encounter any thru-hikers in late April, when most hikers were just starting the trail at the Mexican border.  In fact, we hiked for several miles without encountering a single soul.  And then, all at once, we saw two.

Paul, a 66 year old thru-hiker who started at the Mexican border on March 22, may be one of the first PCT thru-hikers to leave Kennedy Meadows this year.  We met Paul leaning up against a rock, gratefully accepting a bottle of water from a local day hiker.  The four of us lamented the lack of water and swapped stories before continuing up the trail.

Our favorite memory of the our hike out of Kennedy Meadows is laying in a grassy meadow watching the swallows swooping in and out from under the second bridge that crosses the South Fork of the Kern.  We selected our destination in part due to our somewhat unrealistic hope that we would see the swallows again.  I knew that it was probably too early for the swallows to have returned.  Paul warned me that it was probably too early for the swallows to have returned.  And we both warned Sierra that it was probably too early for the swallows to have returned.  Nevertheless, we could not help feeling a bit disappointed when, upon reaching the bridge, there was not a single swallow in sight.

Surrounded by such natural beauty -- the South Fork of the Kern meandering through a grassy meadow surrounded by pine covered ridges and tall, snow-capped mountains -- it was hard to remain disappointed for long.  We set up a cozy camp in the trees, and began making dinner.  It was then that we discovered the second snafu of our weekend adventure:  no cups or utensils.  We had forgotten them at home.

Stirring with a long, carved stick, we managed to keep our dinner from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Eating it posed a new challenge.  Turning two ziplock bags inside out, we used them as gloves and scooped the pasta out of the shared pot with our hands.  We quickly emptied the pot and turned the bags back right-side-out, zipping the mess inside.

Picking up our newly cleaned pot, we headed back down to the river.  As we approached the bridge, a dark cloud or birds swarmed out from underneath the bridge.  The cloud passed just overhead, then swooped lower, skimming the water in the quest for fresh insects.  The swallows had returned!!!

Awestruck, we stood paralyzed on the grassy riverbank as hundreds of swallows darted in and out of their mud nests under the bridge.  After a few minutes of watching, we laughed and danced with pure joy as the cloud of swallows continued to swirl all around us.  We continued to watch as the last light faded over the meadows and the last of the swallows tucked away into her nest. 

The next morning we sat on the bridge and sipped hot chocolate out of our communal cooking pot.  Warm, golden sun bathed the meadow, melting the white tips of frost that blanketed the grass.  We sat transfixed as hundreds of swallows swooped out from under the bridge, scooped up a quick breakfast, then swooped back to their gourd-like mud nests underneath the bridge.

As hard as it was to tear ourselves away from the swallows, it was harder still to get back on the trail in the "wrong" direction, heading south back to the trailhead instead of heading north to Canada.  Though we were sad to say good-bye to the trail for now, we knew we would be back.  The mountains are our home.

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."  John Muir



Weathering the Storm

The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader just posted Weathering the Storm, a story about our adventures on the PCT this summer during a storm in Washington's North Cascades.  The story is posted in two parts, which may be accessed by clicking on the following hyperlinks: (1) Part 1 posted on March 10; (2) Part 2 posted on March 14.

tHInK outsdE Interviews Sierra

Middle school teacher Christy "Rockin" Rosander is helping her students get outside by teaching a 10 week course on the Pacific Crest Trail, which passes nearby her hometown of Tehachapi, California.  Students learn about the PCT, thru-hiking, how to read a map and compass, how to select hiking gear, and how to deal with common emergencies on the trail. She calls her project tHInK outsidE, a play on the word "hike".

Last week, the tHInK outsidE students interviewed two trail kids: Sierra, the youngest person to hike the PCT in a single season, and Reed "Sunshine" Gjonnes who, at age 12 has already hiked both the PCT and the Appalachian Trail, with plans to hike the Continental Divide Trail this summer to become the youngest person ever to hike the Triple Crown.  Here is Sierra's interview:

tHInK outsidE – What did you miss the most from home while on the trail?
Monkey -  “I missed my dad, my cats, and sleeping in my own bed.”

tHInK outsidE – Did you ever feel lonely?
Monkey -  “No, I was with my mom, and I enjoyed meeting the other hikers on the trail.”

tHInK outsidE – What did your friends think about you finishing the whole PCT?
Monkey -  “My friends were really excited and amazed.”

tHInK outsidE – How was homeschooling while on the trail?
Monkey -  “Homeschooling on the trail was fun, but some days it was hard to do school work on the trail because we were hiking so many miles.  I worked on math every day at lunch, and some days I wished I could just relax like the other hikers.  But I loved reading in the tent at night.”

tHInK outsidE – How does it feel to break a record?
Monkey -  “It felt really incredible to have accomplished my goal.”

tHInK outsidE – Is there something really important that you forgot to pack?
Monkey -  “I didn’t forget to pack anything, but I did lose two things on the trail.  I lost my purple Snow Peak titanium mug near Wrightwood, California and my sunglasses a day or two before Crater Lake in Oregon.”

tHInK outsidE – Name the three most awesomest animals and wildlife you have seen on the PCT?
Monkey -  “The three most awesome animals I saw on the PCT were baby bear cubs, silverback marmots (I called them “Grandpa marmots” because they had silver hair), and a baby rattlesnake.”

tHInK outsidE – What was the worst weather conditions along the trail? How did you get through it?
Monkey -  “The worst weather conditions on the trail were during a three day storm in Washington.  It rained and hailed throughout the night, thunder boomed, and lightning flashed across the sky.  During the day we hiked through a cold mist, which made our teeth chatter at times.
I got through the storm because I was determined to hike the PCT, and a little weather could not mess up my plans.  We also received some incredible trail magic during the storm, including hot food and drinks, candy bars, and other snacks.”

tHInK outsidE – What was your favorite part of the hike and your least favorite?
Monkey -  “My favorite part of the hike was reaching Monument 78 at the border because I was really excited to have accomplished my goal.  I also really enjoyed hiking through the mountains.  One of my favorite days was when we hiked over Muir Pass and passed by the yellow-legged frogs at Wanda Lake and stopped to investigate the tadpoles and aquatic invertebrates at a pond near Evolution Lake.

My least favorite part of the hike was hiking on really hot days in the less scenic parts of the desert. One day it was so hot it melted the sour gummy worms in my mom’s pack!  Of course, we laughed a lot about that, which made it fun.“

tHInK outsidE –  What hike do you want to do next?
Monkey -  “I really want to hike the Continental Divide Trail and the Appalachian Trail to complete the Triple Crown. This summer I plan to hike the Colorado Trail with my mom.  It is shorter than the others (about 480 miles), so we can hike it without taking time off from school.”