This morning I got up and made coffee. Then I was packed up and walking right around 5:45 AM. I said goodbye to Cara who I won’t be seeing again. The JMT and PCT split off very soon. She’ll be heading into Yosemite Valley to finish her hike. And I’ll be heading into Tuolumne Meadows and continuing on the PCT past there.

I only had a handful of miles to do this morning before I would get to Tuolomne Meadows. There is a small camp store there and a restaurant. I’m pretty excited to be able to grab a drink and something to eat. Especially considering it’s right off the trail. Plus the entire first 12 or so miles up today are completely flat. So the hiking from my camp spot to the store is about as easy as it gets.

As I got closer to Tuolumne I started passing a bunch of hikers. Some were out doing section hikes and others were doing day hikes from the parking area. I wound up getting into Tuolumne Meadows and down the road to the store right as it opened. I was standing outside by 8:02 AM. But unfortunately for me, so were about 10 other people who had driven there in their vehicles.

I wound up waiting a long time to get to the front of the line and order. But it was still really early, so that was ok. I got a hot chocolate, a breakfast burrito, and a side of home fries. While everything cooked, I headed to the general store next door to grab a couple things. I got two Gatorades to pack out in my water bottles. I also got a soda to carry out and drink later today. And the store had two types of walk-in tamales that I’ve never seen before. So I had to try those.

By the time I was done in there, my food was ready. I stuffed down the home fries and drank the hot chocolate. Then walked out with the burrito and ate it along the road. I knew the trail would follow along the road for a while. Then it would pick back up onto dirt track before getting onto some actual trail again. I ate while I walked and this next section wound up being one of the busiest sections of trail I’ve seen a long time.

I wasn’t really prepared for it either. When I was here last time, Tuolumne Meadows wasn’t even open. I was so late in the season that everything was closed down so I didn’t see a soul. Apparently, though, the campsite about 5 miles north of Tuolumne Meadows is super popular. Because as I made my way there, I probably passed 50–60 people heading the opposite direction. They had all camped at the site last night. It’s right by a waterfall and apparently has running water and bathrooms.

I actually camped right by the waterfall and near the campground last time. I could see canvas tents, and other things set up. But things like that sort of give me the creeps when they’re closed. So I didn’t head over to investigate. This time around, it’s the middle of the season and there were tons of people utilizing the campground. It was a constant parade of large groups of hikers. Then I came to the junction for that campground and hardly saw a soul for the rest of the day.

When I passed the junction for the campsite, I began a long but very gradual climb. It went on for the next seven or so miles. Then over the course of the day I would have a couple more gradual climbs. It’s getting to be the part of this trail, though, where things really calm down. The climbs are just going to continue to get more and more gradual and also shorter.

Over the next couple hours, I made my way up to the top of that climb. It was scorching hot out already for the day so I stopped off a couple different times to grab water. At one point I was really thirsty and hadn’t seen a source in a while. Then I came upon a perfect clear puddle of snow melt. It was so clear and nice and cold. Not long after that I passed a couple hikers who didn’t seem to have the necessary maps or things. They had no idea where the next water source was and were asking me about it. Which is totally fine, and I always like helping people out. But it is a bit astonishing when you come out into the woods and aren’t even prepared enough to know where your water sources are. It always makes me nervous when people ask me questions like that. It’s very telling of how ill prepared someone is, typically.

Over the next couple hours, I had some more rolling climbs on and off. Then began making my way up the next pass. This would be my final big climb of the day. And one of the last passes in the Sierra. As they’ve gotten shorter though they’ve been a lot more gradual. And you barely get above tree line anymore. I listened to an audiobook as I walked and the time went by very quickly.

When I got up top, I ran into two other PCT hikers. But I was still hoping to go way further for the day, so I just kept on moving. By the time I was at the top I think I was over 32 miles in for the day. But was trying to go about 35 miles to set myself up for an early day into Kennedy Meadows north in a couple days. Originally I was planning on making it all the way off of that last pass and begin climbing up the next one.

But I wound up going by the next water source near a campsite and decided to stop off there. It was around 7:30 PM and I’d gone a little over 35 miles for the day. There were a few other people set up for the night at the tent site. But it seemed like everyone was already fast asleep. I grabbed water and then got my tent situated. Then boiled water and made dinner.

I picked up one of the stones from the nearby fire ring to hammer in my tent stake. The stone was still warm from the fire that the other 4 PCT hikers must have had before I arrived around 8PM. They were all lying in their tents, most of them sleeping. I could hear one or two of them roll over to peer out of their tents at the sound of my arrival. Last one in, last one out. That’s what I always recite to myself when I arrive late to a camp site with other hikers.

There are always exceptions to every rule. But generally this year I’m the last hiker to set up for the night if I camp with others. And usually I’m packed up and gone before the other hikers awake the next morning.

I quietly made dinner and thought about the day and the mileage. It’s so funny how much time I spent today thinking about mileage. I woke up this morning 81 miles out from Kennedy Meadows North. Yet was trying to work the miles regardless, and turn that 81 mile stretch into two days. But not just two days. Two days when, on the second day, I arrive at the highway early enough to hitch into Kennedy Meadows North. That was the center of the issue.

Doing two 40 mile days in a row wouldn’t have been that bad. But to ensure myself having enough time to hitch hike before dark, I’d have to do 45~ miles one day and closer to 35~ the next day. That’s the only way I could be certain to arrive at the road early enough to get a ride. And if I couldn’t get a ride then there was no point of any of it. That plan wasn’t working out. So instead I rolled back to my original plan, to arrive at KMN in the morning the day after tomorrow. It won’t be ideal to try to get in, eat, resupply, post a couple things, and get back on trail. But I don’t have to charge anything so as long as I get a fairly quick ride in, I think I should be able to get back out fast enough.

Every time I leave town with a loose plan of my intended future mileage. And it feels like every morning I wake up and slightly tweak that mileage to get to the next town quicker. Even when it appears that there is no way to tweak the mileage, you better believe I’ll try to find a way. Which usually involves some kind of crazy mileage. This time around though, logic won. Considering the fact that I really only have to average 26 miles a day for the rest of the year, I think doing 30–35 mile days is pretty great. Recently I’ve been doing a closer to 35 miles a day than the ladder. And yet even still, I can be hard on myself and try to push myself further. Every time I raise the bar, you would think I would be satisfied. Yet it just makes me want to raise the bar even higher. I suppose it’s a blessing and a curse.

If you enjoyed this blog and would like to support my hike by buying me a soda or a snack along the way, there is a “Tip the Author” button below! It links directly to my Venmo. Any and all support is incredibly appreciated!

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.