Back on the trail again....

Friday, June 25th found Dave, Zero, and Fire Marshall in Bishop ready to get back on the trail. Zero was unable to find a dentist to assist with his tooth issue, so medications will need to help him get to Mammoth. Dave did tell me that when they were hiking to Independence they had almost run out of food. Traveling was slow and they needed a lot of energy. When food became scarce, they ran into a Ranger who gave them some food.

They took the 1:15 bus from Bishop to Independence. There they were going to contact Peanut Eater (a past PCT through hiker). Peanut Eater had told the guys that he would be available to drop them back off where he had picked them up a few days earlier.

Dave was excited and happy to be getting back on the trail. He was worried about being in town for several days. Getting his "hiker legs" back is always tough that first day or two. Because of the need for additional food during their previous hike, they decided to add a bit more for this leg. That means a heavier pack.

Their plan was to hike about 4 miles that late afternoon and position themselves to get back up and over Kearsage Pass, back to the PCT, and over Glenn Pass on Saturday. Glenn Pass is at around 12 thousand feet. I did not get a SPOT email from Dave on Friday.

Saturday, June 26th, Dave's spot came in at 8:52 pm showing them at Rae Lakes, mile 794 of the PCT. You can check out the PCT Half Mile Maps, Section H, page 5.

http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

There are quite a few river crossings coming up. Dave had, a few years ago, gone to Evolution Valley and crossed Evolution stream. Then it was a calm stream. This time of year this river is dangerous to cross. All three of our hikers know how to locate the best crossing path and promised to be safe. Evolution stream is one of the "deadly 3" - one of the worst three crossings.

Sunday, June 27th, Dave's SPOT came in around 6:15, showing him near Twin Lakes, mile 804 on half mile's PCT maps (California Section H). It must have been slow going because they only did 10 miles today. Slow passage would be due to snow or river crossings. If they come upon a river in the afternoon / evening, they won't attempt to cross it. The best time to cross a river is first thing in the morning. As the day warms, snow is melted, causing the rivers to be higher and more powerful. We'll keep watching their progress! Until tomorrow.

Trail Angel Jane.