The Challenge of Water

I made it to Sonora Pass, mile 1016.9! Over 1000 miles down and many more to go. If the previous section was mainly a challenge of the amount of snow this section was mainly about how much melted snow was in the streams and creeks. Despite streams and creeks being the largest challenge there were still days that were mostly on snow, even if in a "normal" year some of the areas that were completely covered in snow wouldn't even have patches of it. I found a blog written by someone who hiked the same section in late June of 2012 just to see what the terrain would look like in a year so different from this one. It doesn't even look like the same place, despite being earlier in the year than my hike. Here are two photos of Dorothy Lake, a lake at the northern end of Yosemite National Park along the PCT, but from different perspectives.

July 7th, 2017

June 28th, 2012

These normally snow free sections are what separates my hike from a normal PCT hike. The high passes were all snowy for me, but those areas are always snowy. The fact that I did multiple passes without really seeing snow-free ground is different than an average year, but in the end the high passes were probably only slightly more difficult than normal. Most people have some rough snow ascents and some incredibly fun snowy glissades. This last section had some areas that are normally easy walks, up the floors of some canyons and next to some streams. That was not true for this year in any way.

A perfect example is my experience in Kerrick Canyon. This is a steep sided canyon that happens to have a strong stream flowing down it. Instead of a nice stream-side walk this is the trail that we encountered at the floor of the canyon.

It felt like the most dangerous section of trail yet. To avoid more of the steep snow slope going directly into a raging whitewater creek, the group decided to cross the stream over three miles upstream of where the PCT actually crosses. I think this was a good idea since the other shore of the stream was mostly snow free, being on the southerly side of a mountain. The downside was we then had to do a three mile bushwhack down canyon. At least the trail wasn't threatening to throw us all in a river at every step.

Later in the same day there were two deep stream crossings. Luckily neither of these streams were dangerous because the water, while moving quite quickly, was not whitewater, or just upstream of a large waterfall, or about to smash us into a bunch of boulders. These were all good things since everyone in the group had to swim the second one and SquarePants decided to choose a route across the first that allowed him to swim then too.

In the second video you can see that I had inflated my airpad and then strapped it to my backpack. This technique does not ensure that my backpack stays dry but it does mean that it will definitely float and if needed will also keep me afloat. Usually backpacks will float without this added bit of buoyancy but every little bit helps. It is easier to swim with a pack if you can just kind of push the pack across the water instead of trying to carry it. I think the majority of these kind of stream crossings are over. The ford report that I use to see updates on the conditions of streams for fording does not have a single ford listed between Sonora Pass and South Lake Tahoe, which sounds a bit magical.

Hopefully the trail continues to have the amazing views that I have become used to. I think what made the previous sections so beautiful were those hard parts. If the next section is more clear of snow and the streams are at a lower volume there will be a bit less excitement. I will leave everyone with a few more videos and photos. I am trying to make the videos of a slightly better quality, the camera work really needs some improving, but I think that some things just don't come through the photos. What does everyone think? Should I put more effort into the videos or just stick to the photos?