Mile 931.2–942.5 (11.3 miles)

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Rose: beautiful river, hiker trash hangout outside Tuolumne Meadows General Store Thorn: getting off trail Bud: seeing Casey tomorrow!

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I didn’t realize how feral I’d become. Today was a collision of worlds.

It was cold next to the lake in the morning. I managed to successfully sleep in until 5:30 today and snooze until six. Although sunrise was at 5:30, the sun didn’t reach this high fold in the valley until almost eight.

I left camp around 7:30 with my hands in my armpits, trying to stay warm. Almost immediately I ran into weekend backpackers up and at ‘em. I remember when I was eager to get on with the agenda of the day. Now, I know the miles will get hiked whether I start half an hour earlier or not. I do miss the quiet mornings; there are too many hikers here. I miss the quiet, lonely pursuits in Yellowstone or the Wind Rivers, where you might be the only person hiking that particular route that day. The PCT and the JMT are highways of people and impact.

All too soon day hikers and trail runners were going up the valley (HOW did these day hikers get 9 miles into the backcountry by 8am?!). I’ve determined why I don’t like trail runners: they throw off the vibe on so many levels.

The trail descended off the river shelf down to beautiful, lush, wide meadows that reminded me of Wyoming. Lyell Canyon.

The hiking itself felt like a slog today. Feet tired, trail flat for 9ish miles, the regular presence and passing by of people. The views were better going the other way.

Knowing that I only had to get to the General Store by 4:20pm (my bus reservation time), I posted up at a beautiful creek area for an hour. If there had been less people, I probably would have gone swimming.

Initially, I had planned to get to the store early enough to catch the bus or a ride down to Yosemite Valley for some sightseeing, but I wasn’t in the mood for Disneyland crowds. Casey and I will make a trip of it another time.

When I neared the road, I sought out the nearest bathroom with running water. In the ten minutes I was waiting, some kids asked asinine questions of their camp counselor and a busker started strumming on his guitar, straight back from Lalapalooza. All I could think was, “Get me back to the woods NOW.”

The crowd at the Tuolumne Meadow General Store was a sight. 30 hikers all quarantined to a cluster of picnic tables under the tree island. A mixture of drinking PCTers, clean cut JMTers, and wide eyed weekenders. A load of them loaded the bus when it came, and it was just us dirty PCTers left over. The store’s beer was honestly some of the cheapest on trail, so we all drank and gorged on store snacks. I bought an ice cream sandwich and made some friends while I waited for the bus. It was a party that I didn’t entirely want to leave. The kind of party that fills you with the trail’s goodness and spurs you on to put in some more miles to continue the party down the trail.

Casey and I are meeting up in Carson City for a few days. It was originally supposed to be Tahoe and then Sonora Pass, but I’m only averaging 15 miles in the Sierra—if you don’t count my numerous zeros (yikes Kim). Today I’m taking the bus out of Yosemite to the neighboring town of Lee Vining and then I’ll hitch up to Carson City (or Casey will come get me if need be). There is a bus that runs along the Eastern Sierra, but they don’t run on the 4th of July (tomorrow). Classic. I’ll have to hitch.

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Our VRBO in Carson City cancelled. We booked a different one in Reno instead.

I’m staying at a nice car campground tonight. I put it on Far Out to see if anyone would split the cost of the site with me, but not many people exit at Tuolumne. I had one person text me, but they got a hotel room instead. It’s nice. The kind of campground my family would have stayed in on vacation when I was little. I am too tired tonight, but tomorrow I will do laundry and have a shower before I hitch up to Casey.

They do have a problem bear, though. I can see why. They have done nothing to encourage proper food storage. No bear lockers and the trash cans are just regular cans with lids that could easily be tipped over.