Written 7/2/14
Posted 7/6/14
Up until now we haven't really camped with a whole lot of people. We haven't been trying to be anti-social, but the way that it's worked out we usually have campsites to ourselves. The night after we descended Pinchot we had the most neighbors to date. Seven people were crammed into the only little site that was before the start of the next big climb (up Mather pass). It was kind of odd having this many people around us but we made the most of it by hiding in our tent all night and not really chatting with anyone because the mosquitos were so bad!! Since that night, we've hiked quite a bit with that group of people and have grown fond of them. It's the first time we've hiked consecutive days with a lot of the same people; however, we're back to camping alone tonight.
We bagged our longest mileage day yet after we summited Pinchot, making it 21 miles over Mather pass and beyond! This was a huge day but we got to end it by walking up Kings Canyon which was incredible! We followed the Kings River continuously through the canyon and the beautiful scenery helped the miles fly by.
This ascent up Kings Canyon marks the start of Muir pass and this is one of our favorite stretches of the trail so far. At the lowest point between Mather and Muir, the Kings River empties into the valley via a huge waterfall creating a giant circulating eddy pool. This could be one of our favorite swimming holes of all time (and we had the place to ourselves!)
The climb up Kings Canyon was gorgeous! We came across lakes with the most unique blue colors. This pass had the most snow on it so far and there was water everywhere. I think Muir pass has been my favorite because it was a very gradual climb. There were miles of alpine meadow, followed by miles of alpine lakes, all the while being surrounded by massive 14,000 foot mountains. At the top of Muir pass is a small 30 foot diameter stone hut. We spent almost an hour at the top of the pass chatting and laughing with Kimchi and Par-3. On the way down we went swimming in Evolution Lake and everyone thought we were crazy because it was so cold!
This morning we were on the trail by 7:30am and we had a short 11 miles to get to the Muir Ranch (our next resupply). However, we made the 11 miles last a long time because we were walking by some amazing waterfalls that deserved breaks and admiration. We had our first river ford on our way down which did not prove to be very challenging. This is a good thing because should you get swept away you'd get taken over those waterfalls quickly. The water was only knee deep and we made it across no problem (except for a few mosquito bites).
The Muir Ranch is a unique destination in the high Sierras. It's a quaint little mountain resort catered mostly to wealthy folks looking for a pampered backcountry experience. It can only be accessed by horseback or foot and is only a mile detour off the PCT. They have rustic cabins, horse corrals, and supposedly an outstanding chef. On the side however, they also accommodate thru hikers.
They operate a resupply shack where PCT hikers can ship and receive a 5-gallon bucket full of food and supplies. The great part about this system is that hikers inevitably send themselves too much food or don't finish their trips, leaving their entire bucket unclaimed. The Muir Ranch donates all unclaimed buckets and excess food to visiting hikers (aka "hiker box"). This creates an all-you-can-eat buffet of mix and match food items. We ate to our hearts content (an entire stick of summer sausage, energy bars, rice with soy sauce, beef jerky...) and also picked up lots of goodies for the upcoming miles (13 ounce jar of Nutella, pack of Milano mint cookies, extra dehydrated dinners...). Some hikers bank on this bounty and stop only to feast as this place serves as a shelter for the homeless hiker. The hiker boxes are never empty at the Muir Ranch.
After gorging ourselves, we still managed a 2,500 foot ascent, most of the way up Seldon pass. This was an ambitious end to the day but it paid off as we have one of our best campsites yet, overlooking the valley below. We're only about 3-4 days away from our next town stop in Mammoth which we're very excited for! We'll be arriving on the 4th of July weekend so there should be a lot going on. Even though today felt like a town stop because of our feast, it was lacking cold beer, showers, and a bed. We'll have to see how quickly our excitement carries us the remaining 45 miles.
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