Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike this summer

You have a spectacular section ahead of you now, between Kennedy Meadows and VVR. There is still a lot of snow above 10,000', so you will be walking through a lot of it.
 
Thanks for the kind words and support, BF'ers! :thumbup:

mtnfolk mike said:
great stuff John.. looks like you 2 are having a blast...:thumbup: thanks for checking in and sharing the pics ... take care...:)
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Thanks Mike! :) Yep, it's a great trip. Wish we had some good fishing pics like you two did. :( Those trout look hungry in the skinny little moats around the frozen high lakes! Next time...

Big K said:
The fun part of trail should start about now!!!
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:D Indeed! :eek:

lambertiana said:
You have a spectacular section ahead of you now, between Kennedy Meadows and VVR. There is still a lot of snow above 10,000', so you will be walking through a lot of it.
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We made it to Mammoth on Saturday afternoon. We did 11 days/220 miles from Kennedy Meadows, skipping VVR. It seemed like we were on snow for much of each day, but when we kept track of it it was only about 40% of each day's miles, but about 75% of the day. We hit the trail about 7am - 7:30am each day and hiked until 8:30pm. Most day's we boogied to get over a pass before the snow softened up too much, then make afternoon miles on dirt just until we hit pervasive snow below the next pass, putting us in a good position to hit the pass on firm snow.

Spectacular it is! This past 220 miles has been absolutely stunning. I've been through the PCT/JMT corridor before in various snow conditions, but it was really amazing this time. It was great to be with my wife this time. We got engaged on top of Mt Whitney in 2003 and this was our first time back there.

The Shadowknives Model IX has been a great companion on this leg. After living with this knife for the past few hundred miles, I finally get the concept of a single ~8" all-around belt knife. The 440C stainless was a great choice, since the blade spent much of the time snowy/wet/cold, and on a few of these fords I was in a little deeper than I thought before I made it out. The really high hollow grind and thin edge has been great for slicing wild green onions and cutting up frozen Clif bars. The sharp point and spear/drop point have been right on target for camp chores, detail work, and food prep. I'm really pleased with Eddie's proprietary heat treat -- how sharp it gets, and how sharp it stays.

Shadowknives IX at 14,496ft on Mt. Whitney:
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topping out on Mather Pass (12,000ft):
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Near the top of Forester Pass (13,200ft):
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Tradja cooks dinner at camp near the South Fork of the King's River, after some afternoon snow flurries:
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A ptarmagin:
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Improvised cutting board for semi-frozen Clif bar:
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Snow = melt:
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Eddie's sheath rides close and tight, and doesn't stick out, flop around, or snag on my gear:
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Descending Whitney:
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Jessie getting water. And tasty water it was!
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Adding an improvised lashing strap to Sneeze's slippery BearVault:
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Fish Creek Hot Springs about 10 miles before Mammoth:
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One of many fast, cold fords:
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Muir Hut on Muir Pass:
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The next leg is Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows in the Yosemite high country, then on through Sonora Pass/Ebbett's Pass/Carson Pass to our old stomping grounds in Tahoe.
 
Love the Muir Hut shot. :thumbup: Looking forward to the next round of photos. Take care and enjoy.

Jeff
 
the only thing i would ask more in this thread are more pictures... There could never be enough of them.

Sasha
 
do you have a date when you are going to be near the bridge of the gods? that is near the end of the oregon section. great thread.
 
awesome pics as usual John... and once again, i am totally jealous... looking forward to more...:)

safe travels..


BOOMSTICK said:
do you have a date when you are going to be near the bridge of the gods? that is near the end of the oregon section. great thread.
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yo Boomer... what's happening..:cool:
 
Cool pics, thanks for the update! Looking forward to more.
Be safe out there!
 
Wow!

nice shots, you guys are making some great progress (especially considering conditions)- I guess 12-13 hours of hiking will do that! :)
 
The stream crossings must be really fun right now.

And BTW, the 14,496' elevation for Whitney was done with antiquated technology. The current accepted number is 14,508' (the highest point is about three feet above the triangulation station marker that is officially at 14,505').
 
I just went through tahoe today, doing my runs back and forth for the move to nevada. Nice weather right now!
 
Very nice pics, tradja. I'm jealous and will have to make due with the Half Dome trail in a couple weeks. Is that a trail beard I spy? :D
 
You guys make an amazing journey even better-- you share it! I agree with Sasha, we could never get enough pictures.

Oh! pictures- of course Lora loves the pics of the Shadow Knife and will plaster them on the website somewhere.

I have never been as high as you are right now! : )

on the knife, I am glad it is holding up as a good companion. thanks for the review!
be safe,
eddie
 
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