We are up and gesturing instead of talking to avoid waking the others sleeping nearby. Meggie is with us today. She just wants to “tag along.” No problem. She is in for a treat as we go over the first of the big Sierra passes. Donahue Pass is 11,000 feet and the weather should be perfect if the smoke from the Garnett fire doesn’t drift over this way.
Go
This (Tuolumne) valley has become special to me after wandering through it yesterday for just an hour. It hides itself in mist this morning. I suppose it is best this way. The headwaters of the creek that winds through this valley lie above with the Lyell Glacier under the stern gaze of Lyell Peak. Donahue crosses the ridge east of Lyell.
This basin is full of water. Creeks with names like Kuna and McClure flow into the Lyell, spurring it on. The Lyell fork joins the Dana Fork in the valley below to form the Tuolumne River.
Donahue Pass
We reach the shelf where all the fun begins. We are at 10,200 feet. I camped at this exact spot three years ago before heading over the Pass. When I tell Bob, he says he has camped up here too. Oh, and up there, too, he says pointing a different direction. I suggest that from now on as we travel, we could save time if he only pointed out the places he HASN’T camped. He gets a devilish grin. I think I have created a monster.
In Lyell Canyon are several alpine ponds. I pivot on a rock in the middle of this pond to capture Lyell Glacier under Lyell peak at the top.
Near the top of the pass I turn for one last look at the Tuolomne Valley below. You can just barely see the golden meadow near our camp.
On the way up, I pass a lot of people with very small backpacks – like they just got off the tour bus. I’m confused.
It’s a lot of rocks up here. I am reminded of the narrow window of habitability on our planet and how oblivious we are of the fragile atmospheric conditions that allow life to flourish.
Mystery Solved
On the way down from the pass I see a mule train coming my way. Yep, mules can cross these passes. It’s one of the great features of the PCT. I ask the first rider where they are going. He says they are headed to the Valley. (I assume Yosemite.) He says they started south of Mt Whitney and are supporting the 11 hikers with tiny packs that I passed on the other side of Donahue. These three horses and 11 mules are carrying all the food and equipment for 11 hikers. I wonder if the mule drivers make their meals and set up their camp, too. Luxury tourism has come to the Sierras.
Island Pass
The land levels out and becomes filled with water.
We have lunch and look at the elevation profile for the next climb. It’s only 900 feet and actually has a name: Island Pass. It’s not all that fun. It feels more like work. But what can I say. Getting the miles in is a job. From the top of the pass, I have a good view behind me of the way up to Donahue.
I think this Pass is named Island because below it to the south is one of the more iconic places on the John Muir Trail – Thousand Island Lake.
There are dozens of camp sites there, and people can reach this lake in one day of hiking from Mammoth.
Parting
At Thousands Island Lake is also the junction of the PCT and the JMT. Bob and I will stay on the PCT. Meggie will continue on the JMT. It has been fun hiking with her, and I think she enjoyed our company and our hiking tips.
As we part, her eyes fill with tears. Hiking by herself has been hard for her, but she is stronger than she believes she is. Bob and I give her some encouragement before we split.
We hike in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts. We camp at lonely place called Badger Lakes. We are physically and mentally tired. Tomorrow we will hike into Mammoth Lakes for rest and resupply. It’s gonna be great.
September 4, 2025
Miles hiked 12.1
I could luxury hike…