BRIDGE TO HAPPINESS

PCT DAY 60: Mile 990 – Mile 1007

Sunday June 12,2016: 17 miles (27.2km)

The day started overcast and finished with rain and yet today was a good day. Wouldn’t go as far as perfect but there were moments when it was pretty perfect.

The morning hiking was pretty flat and across quite boggy ground.   We had tried to keep out feet warm and dry for as long as possible but I gave up pretty soon.  The boggy section of trail gave way to snow as we climb toward Dorothy Lake  and Dorothy Lake Pass.
We had to navigate over the snow section as there were no visible footprints to follow in the deeply pockled snow.

Soon after coming off the pass we went by another enormous lake.  Lake Harriet  was not frozen and the water was amazing clear. We had a creek crossing coming up which I was beginning to dread. My feet were cold and there was a cold wind blowing. But when we got to the creek, sweet relief. The creek had a formed log crossing – our feet were saved further exposure to the cold. So happy I almost sang out loud.

We passed the 1,000 mile mark at lunchtime. Even the sun came out briefly to celebrate. By the time we finished lunch a light rain had started to fall. We were hiking through the most beautiful pine forest and even though it was raining, it was just lovely.  The rain passed,  the trail was clear of snow, there were no roaring creeks and the birds were singing –  simply delightful.

We were heading towards Kennedy Canyon and one further crossing of Walker River and this one had a bridge. Amazing how happy a bridge made me. All day we had only one wet creek crossing – Kennedy Canyon Creek. Here Hammer took off his shoes and I went straight across. The rain was back and was  becoming more persistent. A really cold wind was blowing. As we started to ascend towards a ridge, which was the highest point we cross since Donohue Pass at 10,880 feet, the trail was covered in increasing amounts of snow. The weather was closing in and a heavy mist swirled over the ridge we were approaching. Before losing visibility completely we called it a day earlier then planned.  We were tucked in our warm sleeping bags by 5pm and asleep soon after.

So what made this day so good? As we are discovering everything is relative to what has gone on before. Today we had no scary creek crossings, the trail when not covered in snow was easy to hike and when covered,  the snow was  firm underfoot.  We passed interesting rock formations – almost otherworldly. Red mountains devoid of trees with finger like erosions reaching to the sky. It would have been good to know more about the local geology.