Day 81-84: Sonora Pass

June 24-27; Mile 1006-1031

Day 81

I left camp early, so excited was I to reach Sonora Pass. The trail left behind the clumps of trees and ascended into the alpine. I followed rocky hillsides past melting fields of snow. The peaks all around were still transitioning out of their winter coats, and I was reminded of early July trips to Marmot Pass on the Olympic Peninsula. I paused when I reached cell reception so that I could check-in with Dov as I ate my breakfast.

The trail wrapped around to the north side of the ridge, where two long snow traverses lay in wait. I went slowly, planting my poles and focusing on my balance. Once I was safely across and not staring at my feet, I gaped at the surrounding scenery. The land was transitioning away from smooth granite spires; the ridge lines were topped with textured black columns of rock – they looked like hardened magma chambers from long ago.

With only 2.5 miles between me and the highway, I stopped for a long snack break. It was only 10:30, and Dov and his aunt Brenda wouldn’t be there until noon. Spicy Batman, Snowshoe, and Sailor caught up to me, and the four of us hiked down together until the latter two decided to glissade down a gulley full of rapidly melting snow. It looked pretty thin and rocky to me, so I kept hiking with Spicy Batman. We flew down the hillside and reached the pass with ten minutes to spare. He got a ride immediately from someone doing a shuttle to Kennedy Meadows North, and so I reclined in the shade and did some stretching.

Before long a car pulled up with a face that I recognized. I ran up and hugged Dov for the first time in months, and then the three of us sat out in camp chairs eating peaches and a baguette with butter while hikers arrived and tried to hitch. Eventually we left for Bridgeport to check into our rooms, and I had a wonderful shower before we got dinner at Jolly Kone.

Day 82 – 83

After the rigors of the Sierras, taking two zeros in Bridgeport wasn’t just heavenly – it was necessary. Never before had my body felt such weariness, and my feet were tender from scrambling across sharp rocks for hours each day in shoes that were rapidly nearing the end of their life.

I spent the first day in town taking care of my food resupply and some logistics while Dov and Brenda went for a nice hike with her dog Koda. I wrote postcards to family and friends while enjoying a delicious barbecue lunch at the brewery. But mostly it was just nice to sit down for a change.

One of the best parts of reaching Sonora Pass was that I no longer needed my bear can. With it went all the other Sierra gear: my ice axe, microspikes, heavy rain jacket, heavy gloves, some other loose odds and ends. My pack weighed about five pounds less after the culling.

In the evenings we’d retire to the yard at Brenda’s inn and watch Koda zoom across the grass and stand at the fence to greet people as they walked past. Plus her place had a hot tub outside, and so we all enjoyed the hot, bubbling water as the sun sank below the horizon and the clouds were stained pink and orange.

On the second day we took a short trip to Mono Lake to see the tufa – a rock formation of calcium carbonate from spring water bubbling into the salty lake. We had a delicious lunch at Whoa Nellie Deli while sitting in the shade at a picnic table, and then we headed back to Bridgeport.

Day 84

I did my final packing in the morning before heading over to Brenda’s inn for breakfast. Too soon we were driving back toward Sonora Pass. I felt much better than before, but as I started walking north I thought to myself that every step was taking me further away from Dov once again.

The topography was beautiful from the start – dark rocky columns with wildflowers blooming everywhere. It transitioned back to towering granite, and the trail led up three short, steep climbs before reaching the creek where I’d planned to camp. There was a large group nearby, and so I pushed onward another half mile to the next spot. It, too, was full of hikers, and though I was in a mood to be alone, it was already 7:15 pm and there were no more camp spots on the map for a while. I set up my tent and had cold oatmeal for dinner, before retreating inside and watching the distant alpenglow from my sleeping bag.