Sonora Pass

Below is where I camped the night before Sonora Pass.

It was high on a ridge with a near vertical drop, just three feet behind my tent. I used plenty of stakes and rocks to make sure my tent wouldn't blow away in a high wind. It turned out to be a cold, but relatively calm night, with no more rain! 

This is part of the trail I hiked north to Sonora Pass. It was a cold, windy, and overcast day. We stayed high on the ridge for most of the morning and then dropped down to the pass in the last mile. Although I camped alone, there were other thru-hikers also hiking to the pass and about 9 hikers arrived there in the span of about 2 hours. When I arrived at the trail head, where the trail crosses Hwy 108, there was trail magic in progress! The food included baked potatoes with butter and cheese, homemade mac & cheese, homemade baked goods, fruit salad, yogurt, and lots of candy. I had a huge portion of everything! As you can see in the picture, there was a massage table and hikers got a 20 minute massage for sore legs and backs from a certified masseuse. It was pretty amazing! 

After getting a massage and eating for over an hour, I dragged myself away from the trail magic and hitchhiked 10 miles down to Kennedy Meadows. I showered, washed my clothes, repacked my gear, and ate a big dinner at the cafe. (I was on my way to eat dinner, thinking to myself... if only I had a newspaper to read during dinner and BAM there it was sitting on the table next to mine.) The small resort advertises wifi, but it wasn't operational and there is ZERO cell service in the area, so I called Eva from the pay phone. I had a huge breakfast at the cafe and then hitchhiked back to Sonora Pass to meet friends from Modesto. Three people will be joining me on the hike from Sonora Pass not Echo Lakes/Lake Tahoe. It will be fun having friends to hike with.