DAY 0 | CALIFORNIA BOUND | JMT
Prior to starting the trail, I had a few days to explore and make my way to California. I have driven this way at least a half dozen times, each time things look a little different. First up: Bend, Oregon.
NIGHT 1 | CRATER LAKE
Bend has always been my half-way point for driving down the California. It is more like one-third, but it has always been a great place to break up driving days. My last day of work was best case scenario: low census, so I was able to sleep the whole night and leave first thing in the morning. The alternative was work a twelve hour night shift, take a short nap, load the car, then drive over five hours to Bend. Yay for sleep!
I made it to Bend early that afternoon in order to do some last minute gear shopping before the hike. Early dinner at Deschutes Brewery. Then off to Deschutes National Forest for the night.
It has been hit or miss with Crater Lake. Sometimes the lake has been in view, others it has been shielded by thick clouds. This morning I decided to take a chance at catching sunrise at the rim. I woke up at 0300 and drove the two hours to the lake. The sky was clear. I had the place to myself , aside from the thru hiker passing by just as color illuminated the sky.
NIGHT 2 | MONO LAKE
From there, I drove down through Shasta, past Burney Falls, and on to Mono Lake. Clouds filled the sky. Lightning flashed in the distance. Large drops of rain began to beat on my car’s windshield.
NIGHT 3 | ALABAMA HILLS
WHITNEY PORTAL | MONO LAKE | MEETING PARENTS
One of the challenging aspects of planning a thru hike is transportation (I later found out the reality of that statement). One of the least challenging aspects of planning THIS thru hike? Transportation. Before even looking into options for returning to Yosemite to pick up my car, my father offered to move my car to Whitney Portal for me. The benefit of having parent’s live a short (for our family) drive away from the Sierra. In the end, I drove my car to Whitney Portal, found someplace to park, and waited for my parents to pick me and my gear up. I loaded all of my food and other scented items, as well as camping gear into their car (bear safety). We then began our drive north towards Yosemite and made camp for the night. My mother had planned a “last supper” of filet mignon, corn on the cob, fruit, and drinks.