June 26-27: I love Yosemite. I've always loved Yosemite. Prior to this, my experiences in Yosemite have been limited to what I think of as "the front end." Entering on the west side through Yosemite Valley and hiking/ exploring the big iconic sites- Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, and the trails around that area. I had yet to experience "the back end."

It did not disappoint.

Throughout Yosemite, I was lake hopping. Hike until I reached a nice lake, stop for a snack and a swim, hike se more. Much better than shade hopping!

Unlike the lakes I the high Sierras, which only allowed a quick dip lasting 2-3 seconds, the lakes here in the lower elevation actually allowed swimming. Like- into the middle of the lake and back!! I soon learned that the longest part of any swim was waiting for your underwear to dry after the swim so you could hike again. And before long, I- and all the other thru hikers- were just jumping in sans skivvies to speed the whole get-back-to-hiking process. When amongst thru-hikers, this is no big deal. The most attention you are gonna get is:"Hey! I have that exact same chafing rash!" But Yosemite had any other hikers besides us thru-hikers. Some entire families. Which is how I learned that I can hide my entire body behind the square of one bandana. Totally doable. And I'm quite good at it!

I spent much of the first day leapfrogging with Captain Crunch and Gemstone, two fellow AT thru hikers from 2013. They were a couple of dreadlocked, yoga practicing vegetarians who had spent the past year in Belize. They were great! (And they both had the same chafing backpack rash as me)

End of day one brought me to what I consider to be the best camping spot of my entire hike. Benson Lake. The water level was low, but it was beautiful nonetheless. And was such a great camp spot, I had lots of company. Camping party Yosemite style! Potluck dinner with Captain Crunch, Gemstone, G&G (a husband and wife team), Queen Bee, Prickly Pear, buffalo, and others. Lots of fun!

The next day brought me from the best camp spot to the best swim spot of the hike. I was up and out early (as usual) once again planning the day around stopping at swim-able lakes. Queen Bee and crew passed me mid morning, and I caught up around lunchtime. They had chosen to eat at the campsite at Tilden Lake, I decide to go a bit further to a big flat rock because the Mosquitos were biting! It was a fantastic place to swim! I swam out into to middle of the lake and back, floats on my back, swam underwater, and more or less enjoyed being in the cool (not cold) water. Then I got out and ate.

After lunch, I ran into Secret, whom I had not seen since Kennedy Meadows. It was nice to catch up. We hiked for a while, and then I pulled ahead, trying to get a few more miles in. I wanted to make it up to Dorothy Lake today.

The next few miles took me through a high alpine meadow that was absolutely amazing. It was one of those moments where it was hard to believe that I was actually HERE! So lucky to be able to experience this.😊

When I got up to Dorothy Lake, it was still fairly early on the evening. Plenty of time to take a dip! The water was quite cold and the wind was picking up, so I dried off and pulled on another layer. Then out of an already pitched tent came Charlie- whom I hadn't seen since Warner Springs! He was going by "Frosty" now. Today was turning out to be quite a reunion.

A few minutes later, a big group arrived- Prickly Pear, Queen Bee, and the rest of the group. It was going to be tight in the campsite. Since it was still early, and I hadn't set up camp yet, I decided to push on pass Dorothy Pass a couple miles to a small campsite the guide listed.

It was an easy enough hike the next couple miles, but it seems I I had hiked into mosquito paradise! I quickly zipped myself into my tent and did a cold dinner so as not to fight Mosquitos over the stove.

Great day, uncomfortable night.

Peace love and trail magic!

June 25: One of the biggest differences between the AT and the PCT is the amount of solitude you experience. The AT is very much set up to be a group experience. There are shelters with lots of space for overflow tent camping. The trail is very hard and rugged with high potential for falling and injuries- so you tend to hike together. Hiking the AT is like being on a sports team with the other hikers- a collaborative effort.

The PCT, on the other hand, seems designed to be a solitary experience. The camp sites most often can accommodate 2-3 tents at most, oftentimes with space for a single tent. The trail is gently graded and easy- no need to hike in groups, we hikers tend to fall into our own preferred pace and see hiking buddies during breaks. Hiking the PCT is like being in a class with he other hikers- a shared experience, but ultimately an individual one.

So when we come to spots like Tuolomne Meadows, where there is a large campground and multitudes of campers, it's a bit of a treat. Camping party!

It's also nice, every now and then, to mingle with the car camping crowd. They seem fascinated with the whole thru hiking experience, but don't look at you as if you are completely nuts. They initiate conversations that don't revolve around food, snakes, foot care, mysterious body pains, or poop. And they tend to be generous with their grilled chicken, beef burritos, and s'mores.

Up at the Tuolomne Meadows hiker camp ground, Skyline and I hung out with lots of day hikers and car campers and stayed up by the Campfire until 30 minutes PAST hiker midnight (9pm). It was crazy and decadent and wild! And then we went to bed because we were falling asleep sitting up. At about 10, I awoke, thinking "who is shining their headlamp RIGHT INTO MY TENT???" I opened my eyes to see that it wasn't a headlamp, but the moon! The stars and moon are so bright in the backcountry!

Just about everyone slept in the next morning- to the unthinkable time of 6:30 or so. Because there was a good breakfast place that didn't open until the unthinkably late time of 7 am. And when you have a chance to start a day of hiking with a hearty breakfast sandwich, that's what you do. I also has to wait for the post office to open to pick up a package. (This would become the baine of my existence- waiting for mail!) We made our way down to the restaurant and joined the line of raggedy, dirty (the campground had no shower), cranky hikers - complaining that WHO in their right mind waits until 7 to open a BREAKFAST place?!? We are very passionate about eating our meals in a timely fashion.

Which is why by the time I finally got my hearty breakfast sandwich, I had already eaten an ice-cream/cookie sandwich and drank a Dr Pepper. They were very slow.

When the post office finally opened, I learned that my package had not yet arrived and I'd have to wait until the mail got delivered around 1 pm. With that, I bid farewell to the hikers I had been hanging around with all morning (Skyline, Honey Stick, Starfish, Cardboard, Mowgli, Babyeater (?), and Wizard) as they headed down the trail and I laid down on my groundsheet to take a nap while waiting for the mail. 😕

I woke up with a start, sometime later. A ground squirrel had climbed up on top of me and was sitting on my back! EEEWWWWW! Squirrels aren't as disgusting as mice, but they are close. People tell me to be careful about bears, but I'm always more concerned about he little varments. The mice and chipmunks and squirrels and marmots are the ones that will chew through your tent to get your food. (As it turns out, I was completely on point with this idea!)

Finally, 1 pm rolled around, I got my package, and I headed out on the trail. Generally, 2 pm is a time I'd be resting in the shade, but with my non productive morning, is have to skedaddle to try and catch to rest of the crew. The good news was- there were lots of rivers to jump into if I got too hot. Like this baby:

It was a good thing I picked up my bear canister in Mammoth and didn't try to be a rebel. I was stopped by 3 rangers today and asked for my thru-hiker permit and bear canister. This would continue every day in Yosemite.

The beautiful views would also continue! After walking by beautiful sites like this:

I ended up camping in this Meadow.

What could be better than that?

Peace. Love, and trail magic!

And beauty that never ends.🌲

Alycha is one of the children residing in the D2C residential home. She is 8 years old.

Alycha's life was filled with hardship prior to her arrival at the D2C home. She is extremely resilient, though, and now Alycha is thriving.

Alycha is silly and sassy and every inch a girly-girl. She is also extremely bright and focused. On our trip down to Haiti in November 2014, we were filming a short clip to announce the new after school tutoring program. As part of this project, somebody had written, in English, "It's all about the grades" on the blackboard in the playroom. Alycha sat down in front of the board with a pencil and paper and proceeded to write over and over "It's all about the grades" while practicing the pronunciation. (For those of you with kids in elementary school -- picture your kids voluntarily writing out their spelling words without asking just for the sake of LEARNING!) She is that motivated!


Alycha also enjoys dance classes, drawing, crafts, dressing up, and braiding everyone's hair. 


To hear Alycha's heart wrenching but triumphant story, click on the video below (her story begins at 4:26)


To contribute to my HikeFor campaign for Devoted to Children, click on the COOL CAUSES tab above or simply click here. 

June 24: Today was going to be a big day for me. Past the really big passes of the Sierras and so close to Yosemite's border, I wa going to strive for 25 miles today. With that damn near canister.

I had a early start, watching the light change and the early morning animals scurrying around and watching me like an animal in a zoo.

I had a couple smaller passes to go over today- the first not even feeling like a pass, but like a big valley between peaks. I was especially impressed while going through Island Pass At the number of older southbound hikers I encountered. I passed several couples on their 60s and early 70s, enjoying the view and proceeding at a comfortable pace. One couple told me how they met on the PCT 30+ years ago, when they were both doing section hikes. Happiness comes in many forms, and it's nice when he world gives you a glimpse of the kind of happiness that gels with your own kind. 😊

Donahue Pass was a bit more of a climb, but had a flat area up top with lots of rocks to sit on and take a rest. I came upon 5-6 hikers chilling out and eating so I joined the pass party. We were joined by several other hikers in the next half hour or so, and a whole bunch of sneaky marmots.

Marmots look a lot like the groundhog from Caddyshack, which is why the theme to Caddyshack, by Kenny Loggins had been on repeat on my head for a large part of the sierras. Now I was just keeping an eye on them, as they surreptitiously crept closer and closer to my food. Absolutely not! I will impale you withu trekking pole, you thief! Marmots also make this high pitched whistling/chirping sound, which I found disconcerting, because it seemed like the kind of noise you'd hear from a bird, not a rodent thief who hangs out with Bill Murray.

After lunch, most of my fellow hikers seemed set on securing their food and taking an 11,000 foot nap. I had 25 miles to complete. (Why is nobody as motivated as I?) So I said goodbye and started on the downhill.

I soon ran into some motivated peeps. There was a young couple from Korea who were backpacking for the first time. They were with a guide, who was also a bit of a Sherpa (carrying tent, stove, and much of the food) He was also a bit of a drill sergeant, pushing them to get to Tuolomne Meadows by evening. We leapfrogged past one another all day, jumping into rivers and lakes, as we needed to cool off.

The trail flattened out about 6 miles before Tuolomne Meadows- making the hiking go faster, but the last 5 miles into anywhere always takes too long! My leapfrog friends were stopping at the first TM resort, I was continuing to the second (free) area. So when the two first time hikers collapsed in the parking area and the Sherpa ran to get the car, I got myself a soda for a nice sugar fix to get through the final 2 miles.

These was a little confusing in this area, so I asked a staff member how to get to the next general store. Why, oh why, do so many places staff themselves with Jeff Spicoli clones? You'd think I just asked how to build a one man space vessel to fly to Mars! Fortunately, there were lots of other thru hikers around. They know how to give trail directions!

I hoofed it down the last two miles of trail and made it to the store a full 5 minutes before closing so k could get another soda and an ice cream cookie sandwich. And guess who was in line right behind me? Skyline! Sometimes "I'll catch up without in a couple hours" takes a week.

Peace love and trail Magic!

June 23: When hiking through wilderness areas, you start to notice that many of the natural formations contain the word "devil" in them. Devil's bathtub, devil's staircase, devil's archway, Devil's watchtower. And so it was when we left Mammoth (by way of 3 shuttles and 3 shopping areas). We walked through Devil's Postpile.

Much of the natural formations in this area are volcanic. Devil's Postpile is formed from basalt lava. Which cooled into uniform columns, hexagonal or octagonal or something-agonal in shape. It was truly one of the coolest things I've seen on this hike!

After which, as is always the case after a town stop, a big climb back onto the crest. Nice campsite with great stars!

Peace, love, and trail Magic!

June 22: I awoke right and early with purpose: only 11 miles to Red's Meadows, where idols get the shuttle into Mammoth. The day you hike into town is always since. Even when you take an unexpected detour into a resort and do laundry/ take a shower 2 days prior. Town is always a treat.

The miles on a town day take 4 times as long as the miles on a non town day. Even if the clock says different. So even though there was lots of downhill walking into Red's Meadowa and the clock said I wa doing faster than 3 mph, it actually took me approximately 150 years to hike those 10 miles. Fortunately I have good genes and I age well.

To make matters more complicated, the trip into Mammoth required not one, but three separate shuttles. One to get you from inside the national park to the ski\mountain biking park. You got dropped off near the chair lifts and shop. The next one to get you from the lifts to the condos/ shopping center at the edge of the resort. Near the shops. The third required a walk through the shopping center to the other side where you got the shuttle into town. Talk about exit through the gift shop! So, a mere 2 hours after reaching Red's Meadows, I had completed the shuttle ride into town.

Town, of course, was filled with all the town tasks: post office, find lodging, shower, laundry, charge the electronics, groceries, and replace broken/ worn out gear at the outfitter. And eat mass quantities. Town stops can be exhausting!

After Mammoth, I would be entering Yosemite, so I picked up my bear canister, that I had bounced ahead. And, go figure, when I had a bit of time after my bout of sickness, the canister didn't bother me nearly much! (I'm still glad I didn't have it going over all those passes) I left Mammoth full, clean, heavy with food, and ready to thwart any bears or marmots after my food!!

June 21: Just like going in the VVR, leaving the VVR has 2 options: 1) hike 2 miles down to the makeshift ferry port (with ferry resting on the lake bottom of the very low Thomas Edison Lake), pay $10 for a ride across said lake, hike another 2 1/2 miles to get back to the PCT, continue up and over Silver Pass, a very open, exposed section with very little shade. Or 2) hike .5 miles down a dirt road and pick up the trail to Goodale Pass, which passed over the back side of the mountain, was shady and covered, and rejoin the PCT after Silver Pass on the far side.

I had pretty much, by this time, made the decision that I was going to return in the future and hike the John Muir Trail. Which is the PCT through the Sierras, until the most north section when the JMT goes down to Yosemite Valley and the PCT stays up on the crests. Most people do the JMT southbound, starting in Yoselite Valley and ending at Mt Whitney. Even though it covered terrain I had "already hiked", it would be a different experience, as the JMT is shorter, allowing you to do low mileage days and spend more time exploring side trails or hanging out lakeside. Instead of just pushing out miles, as you need to when through hiking.

Anyway, this is just a really roundabout way of saying that I knew I'd do Silver Pass again I the future, so I wasn't missing anything by taking Goodale Pass. Plus, it wa shady.

As per usual, I wa the first one up and out of camp. I tried to be extra quiet, as I figured that many of my hiker buddies were going to zero in VVR that day.(the fact that they were up drinking around the campfire until midnight clued me in) it was a really cold morning and I actually started the day in hat and gloves!)

It was a quick walk down the dirt road to the trail head. Started climbing, and the hat and gloves quickly came off. ( that's tre other thing I had been noticing on the PCT- the PCT is so gently graded that oftentimes, I felt like I was on a garden stroll. A REALLY LONG garden stroll. But the alternates tended to be a bit more steep and challenging, and I actually felt like I was hiking!) So I had a nice climb through a wooded area in Ansel Adams Wilderness.

After the climb, I dropped down into a high valley with mountain lakes. Again- a bit cold for swimming. (Both the water and the air temp) but they were pretty to look at)

I passed a bunch of southbound JMT ers on the Goodale alternate, en route to the VVR (which I gave stellar reviews in our chats). Perhaps those hikers had reasoned that someday they'd do the PCT and they would hit Silver Pass then.

Lunch was in a spectacular spot. Right by a series of outlet lakes, surrounded by flowers, at around 11,000 feet. I ate with Shutterbug - a JMT hiker- and we enjoyed the setting together.

*note- this was the fourth Shutterbug I had met since Campo!*

After lunch, I reached the trail junction and rejoined the PCT. the terrain had degraded to my least favorite ground to walk on: loose rocks and scree. So I slowed my pace and tread carefully for the next few miles.

I met another southbounder a few miles later, and engaged in a little Abbot and Costello routine for a bit:

Him: "how far to Silver Pass?"

Me: "Oh. A while."

Him: "A mile?"

Me: "No. More than a mile. Much more. You have a while to go."

Him: "I thought it was a mile."

Me: "no. It's a lot further than a mile. Sorry. I wish it was shorter for you."

It went on like that for a mile- I mean a while- and I started wishing I had an extra Snickers to shove in his mouth. He needed it. But I had only one Snickers left and I wa eating that!

Ended the day with a respectable 21 miles under my belt, a mere 11 miles to Red's Meadow, where I would head into Mammoth the next day.

2 little girls we encountered on a trip up to the waterfalls - November 2014 in Jacmel, Haiti.

Click on the "cool causes" tab above to contribute to my Hike For find to help kids like this through the Devoted to Children organization.

Peace, love, and trail magic