After our zero yesterday it was time to get back to the trail. In order to get back we had to get from Bishop to Independence and from Independence to the trailhead and finally hike the 8 miles back to the PCT. This was the days plan. We wanted to catch the 0845 bus from Bishop to Independence as this would leave us plenty of time in the morning for showering, eating breakfast, getting packed and getting to the bus stop. ...

Today we had all finally agreed to zero in Bishop which I was happy with since it had been my wish for some time. We all felt like we deserved it after some amazing but tough days in the Sierra. My plans for the day were to resupply with food for the next stretch of seven days, replace a few items and peruse the gear stores all the while consuming lots of town food. ...

Today we are exiting the Sierra over Kearsarge Pass for resupply. We do not know a lot about the pass so we will use the same starting time as for Forester Pass. We had a lot of snow during the evening but the night was fairly calm. I still froze quite a lot during the night. I might look in to getting a sleeping bag liner for the rest of the Sierra. ...

Today we were going over Forester Pass, Forester Pass is the highest point in the entire PCT. This means that yesterday we summited the highest point in the contiguous U.S. and today we reach the highest point on the PCT. We had planned to get started at 0630 to get over the pass before the snow softened and we would start post holing. I set an alarm for 0530 and were ready around 0630. We actually started hiking at 0700 since Sensei’s shoes were so frozen he could not get them on. ...

Today we got up at 0000 since we wanted to reach the summit for sunrise. This meant doing the ascent during the dark night. We packed in the dark and were ready to hike at 0050. We started out by missing the snow covered trail and had to take an alternative route to get back on trail. We struggled with navigation for a bit, but once we hit the switchbacks going up the way was pretty clear due to the trail and footprints. ...

Last night was pretty cold even though the wind died down. The morning seemed a bit milder but I still decided to get a late start where I did not get out of my quilt till 0530. Generally the hiking was pretty easy during the day and we made good time to Rock Creek Camp where we stopped for a morning break with water. The logs I used to cross Rock Creek ...

The beautiful sunrise over Owens Valley, getting up early was definitely worth it This morning I wanted to catch the sunrise at a lookout to Owens Valley. I woke up at 0512 and packed up everything quickly to get to the lookout. I made it to the lookout just as the sun was coming over the mountains on the other side of the valley. I enjoyed my breakfast at the lookout while watching the sunrise. ...

This morning my routine was a little different than usual as I was following the routine of the new group. The big difference was that I had breakfast in camp before leaving. I am not sure which method I prefer, but for early miles eating breakfast after leaving camp is preferable. As I was packing up the buckle for the strap going over the top of my pack broke. This is one of the things I have been fearing as my webbing straps are only 13 mm wide. The straps themselves are plenty sturdy but the plastic buckles are pretty fragile. Now I just use a knot to secure the strap which seems to work just as well. ...

Today I will be leaving Kennedy Meadows and start the first section of the high Sierra. I plan on leaving with Avocado and Sensei, our current plan is to get a late start and only do a few miles to allow for some rest. I went to the outfitter without really needing anything. I ended up getting some nuun tabs for making hydration drinks and some crackers. After the visit to the outfitter I had breakfast at the restaurant consisting of eggs, Bacon, potatoes and pancakes. ...

Luckily there was no rain last night so I slept really well. As usual I got going around 0530 and it was initially quite cold. I arranged all the days breaks to coincide with water sources. Also I planned to do 30 miles to reach Kennedy Meadows today. Kennedy Meadows is the gateway to the high Sierra which I have been looking forward to for a while. Until breakfast it was mostly downhill. At the breakfast spot the people who camped the same place as me showed up. I spent nearly an hour for breakfast with getting water and eating. ...