A note from Doolittle: As I mentioned at the beginning of this hike, there may be days when no post appears. I have been out of cell signal for eight days, and not in a town for the same length of time. I am OK and still on the trail. Posts should start appearing daily for a while. Thanks for hanging in there.
Bob and I spent two full days at Kennedy Meadows (KM) after arriving here cold and disheartened. Gradually our spirits revived and we looked forward to hiking again.
We learned after arriving at KM that the highway we used from the Sonora Pass had been closed by a rockslide. Only people who did not know about the closure were on the highway that day. As I let this fact sink in, I realize that we were very lucky to get a ride when we did!
Here is where we stayed at the resort.
And this is the nice man who put a blanket around me when I was cold and shivering. He also put his personal space heater in our cabin.
Ok and one more thing before I get back to hiking. This young lady finished her last PCT section this year to have completed the whole trail. I’m talking about the woman in red on the right.
Starting
This morning, Bob and I get a ride up to the trailhead and start hiking up the ridge that frames the south wall of Sonora Pass.
It’s 1200 feet to the top. We will be higher than at any time so far this hike (10,850 ft).
It’s the Friday before Labor Day weekend. We expect to see a lot of folks on the trail today. On our way up, this little feller begs for attention, too.
After climbing for a while I look back at the pass. You can see Highway 108.
On the other side of this ridge is an Emigrant Wilderness. Kennedy Meadows and s part of this area, but we are going farther east toward the Hoover Wilderness area.
A couple Forest service Rangers come by. One takes our picture.
We are well above the tree line here. The trail is mostly rocks. We will move over several ridges at this general height until we go down into the trees to camp.
Another view of the Emigrant Valley
This is our view as we eat lunch
More Fun With Balloons
We leap frog with the rangers until I see one of them below the trail fetching another one of those damn Mylar balloons. One of the Rangers says that there are supposed to be two stray balloons in this area. But they see only one.
I see the stray one about a quarter mile above the trail. No one else sees it. I point at it with my pole. The ranger comes over and looks down my pole. Oh, there it is. After taking a deep breath and dropping his pack, he starts up after it. I feel bad. Maybe he really did not want to see it. I was the dummy that made him climb all the way up to fetch it.
The next photo is an eye test. One ranger is on the trail center right. The balloon is in the upper left corner. The second ranger is close to retrieving it. And some idiot at a backyard party had no idea what work he was creating for people as he laughed at the balloon escaping from his pool enclosure and rocketing off into the air.
More Gorgeous Views
Today more than any other day so far, I sense the majesty of the Sierras. Sonoma Pass is the gateway to Yosemite and the southern Sierras.
Eventually we descend 1000 feet into the trees. It is fun to hike at high altitudes, but camping is better at lower altitudes among sheltering trees and warmer temperatures.
It was cloudy all day, but the rains did not come. Bob and I are so grateful to have a more normal experience today.
Tomorrow Bob has an idea for a route that leaves the PCT. He has been that way before and says it will be better. I am looking forward to it.
August 29, 2025
Miles hiked today: 13.3