The long drive home, collecting my Bear Canisters on the way 8/20
On the 44th day of my PCT Sierra Section Hike, all I really did was drive home. There was almost no hiking at all. But it still counts as a day, to me. Loose ends need to be tied in any tale, and this page should ensure that all is proper, and that homage is paid to the landmarks of the journey.
After arriving in my motel room in the town of Truckee yesterday afternoon and taking a long shower, I went to sleep quite early, before 8pm. As such, I ended up wide awake at 2am, after six hours of sleep. That’s about all I really need, most nights. Even after hiking nearly twenty miles yesterday I was fully awake at that hour. I lay there for a few minutes and realized that I wasn’t going to get back to sleep. I decided to get going right away. I had a ten hour drive to San Diego ahead of me, after all. Plus side trips.
So I got dressed, packed up my clothing and gear, double-checked that I had absolutely everything (including the turkey sandwich in the fridge), and headed out to the car. I left the room key in the room, so there was no going back. It was 2:30am and I was already moving.
I headed east on Interstate 80, then hung a right on Highway 89, which headed south toward Lake Tahoe. There was nobody on the road at that hour, and I really made good time. There were no slowpoke tourists gawking at the lovely lake in the dark.
I headed west on Highway 50 and drove up the big grade to Echo Summit, not far from Echo Lake. I pulled into the trailhead parking area and put on my headlamp. Then I walked a bit further to my secret stash spot within a big crack in the granite boulders. My depleted (yet full of trash) small blue bear canister was there, just where I left it. I opened the back hatch of the car and tossed it inside. Step one was fully accomplished. And it was still dark, at 4am! Yes, I was really on a roll.
I hopped back in the car and headed south on Highway 89, leaving Tahoe behind me. I popped over Monitor Pass in the dark and blasted south on US 395 toward Bridgeport. Highway 108 led west to Sonora Pass, where I left my large blue bear can in some trees. It was barely first light, so I put on my headlamp, grabbed the can, and shoved it into the back hatch to join its buddy. And that was it! I now had all my pieces of gear, and what I needed to do next was to get home as soon as possible. It was 5:30am, and I was still feeling great.
I drove back to US 395 and turned right. Southbound all the way! I passed Mono Lake and Tioga Road, that leads to Tuolumne Meadows, where I parked my car on Phase Two of my trek, the 150 mile High Sierra region. By 7am I was nearing the main road to Mammoth Lakes. I really love that town. This was where I ended Phase Two and began Phase Three when Vicki dropped me off to hike the final 250 miles from Mammoth to Donner Pass.
Near the town of Fort Independence I stopped to refill my tank at the Piute Nations gas station. I knew that I could make it all the way to San Diego on this much gas, after many trips to the Sierra. Just south of there was Onion Valley Road, where I left myself a food resupply during Phase Two. I love Onion Valley, and have hiked there many times.
Twenty miles south was the town of Lone Pine. This is the town where Hollywood stars came to film all those westerns. The entire world thinks the Wild West has Mount Whitney in the background. But I had a much more personal experience there. I’ve climbed it three times now, and the most recent was last month, in early July, while hiking the PCT during the early part of Phase Two. Ah, memories! The view from up there has to be experienced to be truly understood.
As I left Lone Pine, I took a quick photo of Horseshoe Meadows Road, with its huge switchbacks that climb a mile above the floor of Owens Valley. For Phase One, the first 100 mile section, Vicki and I dropped off her car up there so that I could return home after a week of hiking north from Walker Pass. There was still snow up there in early June, and it seemed wiser to come home and wait for it to melt before starting Phase Two. I left my car up on Yosemite and got bus and shuttle rides to return to Horseshoe Meadows for Phase Two in early July. You don’t want to know how many times I’ve driven up that road over the years. And I still love it.
At this point, I was no longer stopping for anything. I was going home by the fastest route. It was only 9am in Lone Pine, and it was 9:30am when I passed by Kennedy Meadows Road. During Phase One, I spent a wonderful afternoon eating burgers and fries at the Kennedy Meadows Store, one of the best-known spots on the PCT, and where the Sierra section really seems to start.
However, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, the Sierra Section begins at Walker Pass, a few miles south of Owens Peak, which I took a photo of from the car as I drove by. I started Phase One at Walker Pass when Vicki dropped me off at the trailhead just before Memorial Day weekend in late May. I started Phase One that early because I knew that it would be too hot at that elevation in July, knowing full well that I would run into snow near Horseshoe Meadows. Otherwise, I would have joined Phase One and Two together, but hiking on snow would ruin much of the fun in the High Sierra region.
So there you have it, a brief reverse run-through of my PCT Sierra Section Hike. It was truly one of the highlights of my life. But it was over now. It was time to get back to my home, my family, and, most of all, my wonderful wife Vicki, who made so much of this trek possible.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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