Change and Pass Through
Miles: 10.19
PCT Mile: 7.86 of 14.3 miles on the JMT alternate trail
I've been dreaming about the trail and hiking each night. Last night I dreamt it was raining and I was hiking and I woke up around 3am and started putting all of my clothes into my pack, I guess to protect them from the rain... In my motel room. At least I laughed about it when I woke up later and saw my clothes half stuffed into my bag. I had the room until noon and I intended to milk it. I did run across the street to Schats Bakery and got some donuts:
These donuts were operating on a higher level than most donuts.
I also got a sandwich that I'd save for lunch on the trail. Schat's is a good bakery with a name that provides plenty of opportunity for making jokes. 
The post office was right next door to the motel, so I mailed home my trekking poles, micro spikes. I'd probably be getting lighter if it weren't for the paperback books I'm carrying. I feel like an on-trail library. 
At noon, I left the room and immediately ran into Houdinim, Barely, and Zig Zag. They too were returning to the trail. Zig Zag and I just caught the trolley as it was leaving and when I got on the trolley Hummingbird was there! It was so nice to know that these lovely hikers would be out on the trail somewhere at the same time as me. We got on another bus from the Village to Mammoth Mountain and this bus was jam packed with day hikers and mountain bikers. When we got off, mountain bikers were everywhere. 
The third and final bus took us to Red's Meadow and it was even more packed than the last. It was mostly day hikers and tourists, but it just made me miss the solitude of the trail. There were 6 thru hikers left on the bus by the time we got to Red's Meadow and I ran into Etch, DNA, and Papa Smurf too. So there was a good group of hikers returning to the trail today. I started hiking very late at 3pm. 
I left the PCT to take the Devil's Postpile alternate trail, which was only a mile long. I came to the Devil's Postpile and looked at it for awhile. 
I thought it was really cool, but I wish I knew more about it. There were a lot of people observing it. 
This was pretty neat-o, but I was itching to hike. If felt great to be solo again and even better to be hiking with a clear blue sunny sky above me. 
This was truly a stark departure from the dramatic high Sierras, but it was so beautiful and a real pleasure to hike in. It felt like Summer for the first time this year. 
I climbed down into this little gorge to get water. 
I'm filtering my water again after not filtering at all in the high Sierras. I gambled there and haven't gotten sick yet, but there's a lot more people and stock animals around here, so I'm being careful.
Today, the trail split up for 14 miles, with the PCT going right, and the John Muir Trail (JMT) going left. I chose to walk the JMT trail because it's supposed to be more scenic. I made the right choice I think. I passed several beautiful lakes. 
It felt strange leaving the PCT for another trail. I felt like I was sneaking around. I saw a lot of fresh JMT hikers going South. They all looked bright eyed and ambitious, probably on their 2nd it 3rd day out. This was my 62nd day, so I felt like a veteran in comparison. 
This was the first day I really had a problem with skeeters. I've been hearing that the mosquitoes are bad on this stretch, and sure enough, they were swarming. It's not that much of a bother...YET.
These donuts were operating on a higher level than most donuts.I also got a sandwich that I'd save for lunch on the trail. Schat's is a good bakery with a name that provides plenty of opportunity for making jokes. The post office was right next door to the motel, so I mailed home my trekking poles, micro spikes. I'd probably be getting lighter if it weren't for the paperback books I'm carrying. I feel like an on-trail library. At noon, I left the room and immediately ran into Houdinim, Barely, and Zig Zag. They too were returning to the trail. Zig Zag and I just caught the trolley as it was leaving and when I got on the trolley Hummingbird was there! It was so nice to know that these lovely hikers would be out on the trail somewhere at the same time as me. We got on another bus from the Village to Mammoth Mountain and this bus was jam packed with day hikers and mountain bikers. When we got off, mountain bikers were everywhere. The third and final bus took us to Red's Meadow and it was even more packed than the last. It was mostly day hikers and tourists, but it just made me miss the solitude of the trail. There were 6 thru hikers left on the bus by the time we got to Red's Meadow and I ran into Etch, DNA, and Papa Smurf too. So there was a good group of hikers returning to the trail today. I started hiking very late at 3pm. I left the PCT to take the Devil's Postpile alternate trail, which was only a mile long. I came to the Devil's Postpile and looked at it for awhile. I thought it was really cool, but I wish I knew more about it. There were a lot of people observing it. This was pretty neat-o, but I was itching to hike. If felt great to be solo again and even better to be hiking with a clear blue sunny sky above me. This was truly a stark departure from the dramatic high Sierras, but it was so beautiful and a real pleasure to hike in. It felt like Summer for the first time this year. I climbed down into this little gorge to get water. I'm filtering my water again after not filtering at all in the high Sierras. I gambled there and haven't gotten sick yet, but there's a lot more people and stock animals around here, so I'm being careful.Today, the trail split up for 14 miles, with the PCT going right, and the John Muir Trail (JMT) going left. I chose to walk the JMT trail because it's supposed to be more scenic. I made the right choice I think. I passed several beautiful lakes. It felt strange leaving the PCT for another trail. I felt like I was sneaking around. I saw a lot of fresh JMT hikers going South. They all looked bright eyed and ambitious, probably on their 2nd it 3rd day out. This was my 62nd day, so I felt like a veteran in comparison. This was the first day I really had a problem with skeeters. I've been hearing that the mosquitoes are bad on this stretch, and sure enough, they were swarming. It's not that much of a bother...YET. The sun was setting as I approached Shadow Lake, a gorgeous lake that my brother told me about, and I looked for a camp spot. For some reason, I got very sick to my stomach. I tried to take some pics but it was getting dark. 
I plan on getting pics of Shadow Lake in the morning. I felt so sick and barely got my tent up and crawled in. Mosquitoes infiltrated my tent and it was a real chore removing them. They unfortunately had to die. 
Feeling sick, all I could do was lay down in my tent. It was near dark anyway, but I couldn't eat anything. As I type up this post, I'm attacking some M&Ms. 
Tomorrow I should go back to a full day if hiking, and I hear the trail is stunning. I go back to the PCT tomorrow too, I just hope she isn't mad at me for fooling around on the JMT.
I plan on getting pics of Shadow Lake in the morning. I felt so sick and barely got my tent up and crawled in. Mosquitoes infiltrated my tent and it was a real chore removing them. They unfortunately had to die. Feeling sick, all I could do was lay down in my tent. It was near dark anyway, but I couldn't eat anything. As I type up this post, I'm attacking some M&Ms. Tomorrow I should go back to a full day if hiking, and I hear the trail is stunning. I go back to the PCT tomorrow too, I just hope she isn't mad at me for fooling around on the JMT.
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