Sunday, July 17, 2016

Day 74- 1,000 Miles Baby!!!

July 15, 2016
Tentsite(998.9) to North Kennedy Meadows(1016.9) 18 Miles

One thousand miles down!!! Today was one of my favorite days on The Pacific Crest Trail. Not only did I reach a giant milestone, but I had an amazingly, awesome, epic ridgewalk. I crossed the one thousand mile mark first thing this morning. I was walking through another swarm of mosquitos and almost missed it. I took my time savoring the moment. I was by myself so it was hard to get good pictures of me with the mile marker. 
Woo Hoo

At this point on the Appalachian Trail I was pretty much at the halfway point, just outside of Harper's Ferry. I still have a long way to go before I hit the halfway point of the Pacific Crest Trail. The good news is my knee feels almost one hundred percent and I'm crushing the miles. Even with a bazillion mosquitos I was in a great mood. Whoever maintains this particular section of trail is doing a great job. I felt Ike I was walking on a velvet carpet for awhile this morning. 
Silky smooth trail

I only had eighteen miles to hike today before reaching Northern Kennedy Meadows Resort. This is a notable location because I can finally get rid of my 2.5 pound bear vault/brick. I also get to hike Sonora Pass which is described in Yogi's book as "Epic". 

The morning started off pretty normal. I didn't see what all of the fuss was about. The scenery was pretty, but nothing I would describe as epic. 
Meh, nice, but not super

Everything changed when I started hiking up the first pass. The views became more like Kings Canyon and my contentment level soared. 

Long lazy switchbacks leading to.....
This view.....
And this view
One of my favorite pictures I ever taken

These views went on for an amazing nine miles. I walked this ridgeline just stunned. I took almost a hundred pictures. The hike itself was kind of difficult and windy, but absolutely worthwhile. If you are ever close to Sonora Pass you have to hike this. 
Reaffirming my life decisions 
It was like being on top of Mount Whitney, but having a closer view of things

Even the clouds had character

You could see the effects of volcanic eruptions from millions of years ago. 
Volcanic rock

When I get to South Lake Tahoe I'll try to upload a slideshow of all of my pictures. Eventually I made it over the pass and  down to the trailhead. I hiked past a few people doing research and managed to yogi a ride from them. For those of you who don't know what yogi means, it is to ask for something without actually asking them. I struck up a conversation about thruhiking the pct and I asked them how far they were hiking. I had already guessed that they were only going to the parking lot. I waited for them to ask me where I was going and then I told them I needed to go to N. Kennedy Meadows(9 miles down the mountain). They said they were going that way and would love to give me a ride. Therefore I got a ride without technically asking them for one. Yogi-ing is one of my favorite things about the trail! 
Sonora Pass

N. Kennedy Meadows was a million times better than S. Kennedy Meadows. The staff was friendly, the restaurant was clean, and the prices were fair. I was able to resupply, do laundry, and get dinner all without spending a ton of money. What a GREAT day! 

"Each day is born with a sunrise
and ends in a sunset, the same way we
open our eyes to see the light, 
and close them to hear the dark.
You have no control over
how your story begins or ends.
But by now, you should know that
all things have an ending.
Every spark returns to darkness.
Every sound returns to silence.
And every flower returns to sleep
with the earth.
The journey of the sun
and moon is predictable.
But yours, 
is your ultimate art."
-Suzy Kassem

12 comments:

  1. Love the views and cool trail. So glad you enjoyed your day and had a better experience in NKM. Congrats on 1000 miles. You are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love that picture too. It is one of many.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats Yoda on hiking 1000 miles! So glad to hear your knee is better! Thanks for sharing your pics and insights as you continue your epic journey.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great pictures and an amazing few days. Love tagging along with you!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, what a grand day you had with such scenery. It makes me smile just reading about your day. You must have been grinning from ear to ear. I loved all the pictures. LY

    ReplyDelete
  6. Again you've captured the essence of the countryside and the experience....I can nearly feel the sweat and hear those little buggers buzzing as they hunt. Good on ya for sharing. What an amazing adventure you're letting the rest of us enjoy. Your trail name is well earned. GO YODA!

    ReplyDelete
  7. YAY for 1000 miles - hard to imagine such a feat! You are beyond amazing Yoda. Glad today was such a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Glad 'all is well" and that your knee is cooperating! What beautiful vistas! Thanks for the great writing and wonderful pics! Makes it almost like being right beside you! ....And in a several ways we are! Especially like today's quote! On to the next 1000 miles+!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations on the 1000 miles! I love the pictures particularly the ones you took the last two days. Hike on to some well deserved time off to celebrate your birthday.
    Groetjes,
    Anja

    ReplyDelete
  10. Woohoo!! Congrats on 1000 miles!!! Your pictures were breathtaking. The energy in Sonora pass had to be amazing!
    Margie Hernandez

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1000!!! Woo Hoo INDEED!
    Chris N

    ReplyDelete
  12. Belated congrats to 1000 miles! and I bow to your yogi-ing skills, I suck at that!

    ReplyDelete