June 24. 2013
21 miles today
Mile 942

The suspicious clouds from the day before confirmed their ill intent by dumping rain and snow on us through the night. Poked my head out of my tent and saw that the wind had turned the weather horizontal. I pulled my head back in. Everything can wait in such times. I wrote three days worth of blog entries until the thing that can’t wait couldn’t anymore. Out into it.

The weather let up enough to break down camp. All my warm clothes put away as they must stay dry for the evenings. Normal hiking clothes with rain pants and jacket where the wardrobe of the day. Move faster to warm faster. Had some cold oatmeal to warm an empty colon and was off. Right off a sweet kiss from mother nature in the form of a low rainbow over our lake of the night. I smiled, then winced at the slap in the face as the horizontal rain returned. Outside my tent it stung.

And so it went throughout the day. Rain, sleet or snow depending on your altitude. Shoes soaked, but the rest of me relatively warm and dry. All that needed to be was stuffed in a giant garbage bag inside my pack and thus also stayed dry. Was actually pretty fun cheating the weather of its abuse. While crossing a log bridge over a river she proved her cunning. Waiting until I was far enough out she sent a mighty gust of wind. I dropped to my knees to avoid going into the drink. The gust died out and I made a run for it. The follow up gust blew me off the bridge at the midpoint. Luckily there was a support column halfway which I landed on rather then a swim. Point mother nature.

Ran into Double Sprainbow and Olie (?), two through-hikers who dropped off the trail at Lonepine to get hitched. Now knotted, this storm was part of their honeymoon.

Climbed up over 12,000 feet to Donahue pass, the gateway into Yosemite. Turned and said my farewell to The Ansel Adams wilderness. The weather at this altitude had murderous intentions and I did not linger. My destination was a warmer meadow some 3000 feet down where my picnic awaited.

As I flew down through the slop I came eye to eye with a four point buck. He won the stare down as the devil was on my tail and patience was short.

Crossed paths with multiple southbound hikers in various states of preparedness for what was to come. Came upon a group of sullen teenagers slogging upward. I smiled inwardly remembering my time working at Outward Bound. I guessed these kids were three or four days out from their attitude. After the adrenaline had worn off but before the toughening and Esprit de Corps kicked in.

Planed out at the meadow. The weather hung around. Lunch was damp tortilla, Swiss cheese and sausage burritos with suicidal mozzies joining the downward passage. Delicious! Got to thinking about why toilet bowl water spins in different directions above and below the equator. Anything to get my head out of the weather. The rest of the hike involved a long, flat, beautiful glide down the Lionel Canyon Meadows. The serpentine River accompanied by every step and provided the soundtrack. After 10 miles or so i dumped into Tuoleme Meadows And it’s seasonal civilization.

Some PCT trivia. This year 1000 through hiking permits were pulled. Probably 700 to 800 hikers are actually on the trail. If historical averages hold, probably 400 to 500 will complete the entire 2660 miles on foot. It is a record number of hikers.

Arrived at the TM store and finally caught up with Orbit, Red Beard and Slack. The store had closed 30 minutes earlier so I missed picking up my bounce box and devastatingly the fresh brownies that Cirina had overnighted. Breakfast it is. To make up for it, Red had bought me a cheeseburger and lovingly wrapped it in his sleeping bag To keep it warm. Compassion is something Red has in spades. Watch him in action and that is obvious. Washed the burger down with one of Orbits beers and all was right with the world.

Home was a campground behind the store. Had the good fortune to find a campsite with warm coals in the fire pit and a supply of wood Eager to burn. Couscous as a burger chaser. And then veggie, a through hiker, wandered over with his guitar and played some StorySongs. Even played Rockytop which was Fumiko’s favorite until Justin Bieber came along. Fell asleep in my tent still being serenaded by music played as it should be.

Steve Halteman
On the Pacific Crest Trail
Hiking the PCT for the Kids of Escuela Verde

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