Hello desert!

After spending a longer day than we’d intended in Lone Pine, we night hiked back over Kearsage Pass to get back to the trail. We lucked out with the best weather we could have asked for. Clear skies and a bright moon meant we barely had to use our headlamps. I tried to take a few photos, but my phone camera couldn’t capture it. So here’s a photo of the top of Evan and the top of my head in front of the sunset right at the beginning of the hike.

At 13,200 feet, Forester Pass is the highest point on the trail. I had been pretty nervous about this pass. The thin air near the top made for a challenging hike, but it was quite a bit easier than I’d expected it to be. The trail down the south side of the pass was pretty crazy, definitely not for people who are afraid of heights. I can’t imagine how sketchy it was to build that section of trail.

We’ve officially arrived in the desert section of the PCT, which means we’ve got 700 miles to go. The transition from high mountains to cactus hills was a quick one. Fingers crossed that the lower elevation of this section will make for fewer mornings of waking up to frozen solid water bottles.

Being done with the Sierra means we’ve been able to ditch our bear cans. My back appreciates that more than words can express. I had developed some pretty gnarly sores because of how the bear can was rubbing against my lower back.

Now to start our race through the desert so we can finish the trail in time to catch our flights back to the East Coast for Thanksgiving. Plane tickets have been purchased, so now we’ve got a real deadline.

We are eating lunch at the Kennedy Meadows General Store before heading back out, and a woman who’s a chiropractor just came up to me and gave me my first adjustment ever. My back is even happier, for now.