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Pacific Crest Trail Day 49: I wake up late today and make my way over to a couple who appear to be doing some longer-distance backpacking. They’re just starting out on the John Muir Trail and, in true JMT hiker fashion, they bequeath to me some of their expensive food that they’ve brought way too much of. Oh what a glorious (and free) breakfast it is today. . Part of me says that I should go on a hike today (Yosemite, etc.), but more reasonable feelings prevail and I instead decide to spend the day writing postcards, drinking wine, and continuing to poach food from people attempting to throw their leftovers away into the bear-proof trashcans (which, I learn, are also quite people-proof). . Towards the end of the day I hitchhike back up to Tuolumne Meadows for the camping as tomorrow I need to get myself to Mammoth for more non-hiking activities (I expect there will be a lot of "in front of Vons (a supermarket) lingering"). . Quite a gripping day, I know. . #Sierra #PCT

Pacific Crest Trail Day 48: This morning Pumper (@bound_away) and I hit Thousand Island Lake - another frame of the seemingly endless Sierra highlight reel - and have perfect weather for the thirteenth day in a row. . After crossing Island Pass (which is hardly a pass compared to everything we’ve come through the past two weeks) we head up to Donahue Pass where we reach the border/entrance of Yosemite (National Park). A quick note to international readers - this name is pronounced yoh-sem-i-tee, not yo-sem-ite, don’t say I never taught you anything. . Despite Yosemite being a glorious place overflowing with natural wonders, it’s also overflowing with mosquitoes. Yes, the terrible, fun-ending, nature-ruining, blood sucking, harbingers of horrible times outdoors are out in force (and I’ve been foolish enough to not carry any repellant with me). The days of snow and cold temperatures keeping them at bay are apparently over and now the suffer-fest commences. . I am starving by the time I reach Tuolumne Meadows (where there’s a road) because I haven’t been able to stop and eat (mosquitoes, etc.). I decide to hitchhike down to Yosemite Valley where I spend the evening poaching people’s leftovers outside the General Store (where everything is absurdly expensive). By the time the sun starts going down I’m filled with chicken strips, french fries, and salad - time for camping. In two days I’m hitchhiking back to Mammoth for more hot springs activities and so tomorrow I’m thinking of just bumming around the Valley. Pretty good plan me thinks. . Day: PCT 919.9 to Tuolumne Meadows via Island Pass and Donahue Pass Day's distance: 22.09 mi / 35.55 km Day's elevation gain: 2,712 ft / 827 m #Sierra #PCT

Pacific Crest Trail Day 44: Two more passes, Selden and Silver, stand between me and Red's Meadow (access point for Mammoth Lakes), and today I'm aiming to make it over both (from what I remember, they aren't as challenging as what I've just done the past two days). . Selden Pass has the least snow on the approach of any pass thus far and at the top I run into Dash (@jondashkyle) who I haven’t seen since before Forester Pass. I feel like Selden Pass is also the point in the trail where the PCT jade starts to make an appearance. It's a beautiful view in both directions, but compared to the views of the passes south of here, it's certainly the least exciting. . North of Selden, I cross Bear Creek and find Dash with Psyched (whom I haven’t seen since Kennedy Meadows) at another (smaller) river crossings. We continue past the turn-off for Vermillion Valley Resort (where I stopped in 2013) and continue toward Silver Pass. On the way up we hit a waterfall that floods and crosses the trail and I'm the only one of us who decides that crossing this is a good idea this late in the day. . Leaving my friends behind, I continue up to Silver Pass just in time for sunset and some of the longest glissades of the entire trail. It's under 20 mi / 32 km to Red's Meadow tomorrow. Hopefully, there's not much snow between here and there. . Day: PCT 854.5 to PCT 887.5 via Seldon Pass and Silver Pass Day's distance: 33.52 mi / 53.95 km Day's elevation gain: 7,864 ft / 2,397 m #Sierra #PCT

Pacific Crest Trail Day 9: I wake up to discover that it's snowed all night and that it's still snowing (YAY almost June!). Fortunately, the snow lets up and gives way to the morning sun shortly after I leave the refuge of my tent. . There's a lot of fresh snow on the ground - deep enough to cover most of my shoes - which should make today's hike across and down Fuller Ridge (the next section of trail) an exciting one. Nothing like hiking in wet and freezing socks. . I'm making fresh tracks in the snow for the first five hours of my morning before coming across another set of footprints; the trail is surprisingly easy to follow. I have no snow gear but it proves unnecessary as there's really nothing sketchy. The PCT generally operates at a very gentle slope when climbing and descending which helps when the trail is covered in snow. . I finally make it through the winter wonderland and down the 8,000 ft / 2,500 m of decent to a much different world than I began in this morning - mildly warm, dry, and filled with wind turbines (so much wind). This is Cabazon. .  The trail crosses under Interstate 10 and I consider calling an Uber to take me to the casino (and buffet) just west of the trail, but I decide to hike another hour and camp instead. I've made a huge mistake. . Day: Deer Springs Trail to Cabazon Day's distance: 30.39 mi / 48.9 km Day's elevation gain: 3,523 ft / 1,074 m #Cabazon #PCT