The goal for the day was to reach the PCT. This would take us out of the Emigrant and into Yosemite. But the Emigrant is the place we sometimes trails aren’t really trails.
But still we finally made it to bond pass and the Yosemite National Park boundary.
Yesterday we hiked in to Big Lake over hill and dale. Mardi, Jade, and Stacy are with us as we sit here at breakfast in a spectacular granite amphitheater. The cross-country section of the hike yesterday took its toll but, today we have a rest day to recuperate and explore this beautiful place.
We left Big Lake and our friends behind today. It really feels like the adventure has begun now! We spent the day traversing the Emigrant to the east as we head across the Sierra. I’ll let Melody share most of the highlights but let me just say Lake Lenora, wow!
In a few hours Jade and Stacy pick us up and we head to Sonora to spend the night at Mardi’s place. Tomorrow morning will start walking with Jade, Stacy and Mardi!
We’re off! But before we go, here’s a look at what’s in our packs. We’ve tried to strike a balance between ultralight and comfort for such a long journey and I think we got it pretty right. I’ll pack out with right around 25 lbs. At the start of our longest (10 day) leg. Melody is at 24 lbs.. Not bad.
Planning everything we will eat for two months is an interesting experience, cooking it is even more so.
May 2014 was our “month of food”. We planned, cooked and dehydrated all of the meals for our 600 mile High Sierra Loop. Past long distance hiking trips have taught us that variety is key. This fact was brought in to sharp focus on out first PCT trek after 43 day of eating oatmeal every morning triggered a mini two person revolt and a lot of trading out for other breakfasts at any hiker box we could find.
Powering our electronics was the sun’s job on our last big thru hike. At that time we made a shelf of flexible solar panels that could attach to the top of our packs. It charged our gadgets well, but was a bit awkward to lay flat on the top of our packs. For this trip, I made lightweight sun hats for us with solar panels on the brim.
We’ve been hard at work poring over maps studying our route for the summer. Our goal is to hike a High Sierra Loop that will take us through some of the most spectacular country that the range has to offer. Half of this loop will be on trail, following the John Muir Trail (JMT) for a significant portion. The second half will be mostly cross-country in even higher sub-alpine and alpine terrain follow a route pioneered by Steve Roper called the Sierra High Route (SHR).
The time is nigh and the Sierra is calling. Melody and I have resolved to undertake a long distance backpacking trip in the Sierra every ten years. We love the Sierra. It is our wilderness homeland and a place that we want to reconnect with again and again.
São Miguel seems as familiar as it seems strange and new. The island has all of the modern conveniences of Europe and all of the farms and fields of a paragliding destination. We launch and land among the cows and we find food on streets named “Rua dos Santos” and such. I look just like people here. Sati might have a hard time finding me in crowd. Good thing there are no crowds. Anywhere.
It is interesting telling people that Melody and I are headed to the Azores this summer. Most people either look at me quizzically and say “where?” or less often say some thing along the lines of “Wow, that’s a far from everything place.”
The Azores are a group of nine islands in the Mid-Atlantic. They lie approximately 2500 miles from Boston and 1000 miles from mainland Portugal. The Azores are part of Portugal and are considered the farthest flung outpost in Europe. We are headed for the largest of the islands, Sao Miguel where we’ve arranged to live in a farmhouse in the rural community of Lagoa for the next two months.