PCT Day 86 – PCT Mile 1073.8 to South Lake Tahoe (1091.1)
June 29, 2026
Total PCT miles: 17.3
Non PCT miles: 0.0
Total: 17.3 miles / 27.8 km
Total elevation gain: 2927 ft
Total elevation loss: 3983 ft
Steps: 39899
It was another cold night but not as cold as last night. There was also no wind so I again slept with the door of my tent open. I wasn’t in a huge hurry to start the day and surprisingly I wasn’t overly sore from yesterdays efforts. I waited for the sun to start peaking over the mountains before I headed on my way. Today is a town day but before I get to town to enjoy all it has to offer I have 17.3 miles to hike. Less than ideal as it means I won’t get into town until the late afternoon. But the fact that I will have covered over 75 miles in two full days and 2 partial days of hiking is pretty darn good.
Today started with a climb up and over Carson Pass (9068 ft). Really it was less than 1000ft climb from where I was and I made pretty good time. On the other side I arrived at the Carson Pass Information Centre around 730. The volunteers that work here are amazing and provide trail magic to PCT hikers. I waited for them to open at 8 but one of the volunteers was there early and gave me a can of sprite!2 I was joined by the group I’ve been leapfrogging and a few other hikers here.
The trail from here to South Lake Tahoe is mostly downhill. It starts relatively flat through meadows of wildflowers and eventually joining the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT). The PCT and TRT follow the same path for about 50 miles. There were a few spots that provided amazing views of Tahoe – well mostly the lake and the airport far of in the distance.
The last part of my day was a steep 2000 ft decent on my way to the Echo Summit trail head. This was mostly stone steps and you really need to watch out for ankle busting rocks. I passed a few TRT hikers on the way and stop and chatted with Merlot who just got on the PCT as she is starting where she left off.
I arrived at the trail head at around 1400 and managed to get a hitch into town pretty quickly. I was dropped off near the transit centre and immediately spotted the Golden Arches and couldn’t resist.
Tahoe is really spread out But fortunately there is a free bus that takes you from one end of town to the other. But since there was a Big 5 sporting store here I decided to do one of my town chores before going to my hotel. Both my pairs of underwear have some significant holes in them and are now causing some significant discomfort so it’s time they get replaced. They didn’t have much to choose from but hopefully what I got will do the job. At least they had a July 4th 25% off any one item sale!
I hopped on the bus all the way to the other end of town where most of the hotels are. Tahoe borders Nevada and literally a few blocks from me are giant casinos and a lot of other touristic things. So this is where the majority of the hotels are. I splurged a little and got a hotel that has a hot tub because I deserve it. It was also one of the only ones I could find that had laundry on site. Fortunately it also has the most comfortable bed I’ve slept on this entire trip. Unfortunately there is also a full length mirror so I’ve finally had a good look at what Thruhiking and associated weight/muscle loss is doing to my body.
Im hoping I can get my resupply done early tomorrow so I can enjoy at least some relaxation. I don’t see to many zeros in my immediate future. Probably more Nero sandwiches (two Nero’s in a row where you resupply and get out of town faster).
PCT Day 85 – Sherald Lake (1050.1) to PCT Mile 1073.8
June 28, 2026
Total PCT miles: 23.7
Non PCT miles: 0.0
Total: 23.8 miles / 38.3 km
Total elevation gain: 4728 ft
Total elevation loss: 5036 ft
Steps: 55175
I was completely exhausted after today’s effort and didn’t write this post the same day. So I’m going a bit off my poor memory in the comfort of my hotel room in South Lake Tahoe. I think part of the reason I deferred was I really wasn’t sure what to write about today.
Today was a true test in if I made a horrible decision to send home my puffy jacket or not. It got down to near freezing last night but since there was no frost on my tent it must be just above. It was a rare night in that I slept with my tent door closed. I almost always sleep with it open to prevent condensation. But with wind last night closing it made for a much more comfortable experience. I put on my alpha fleece and my rain jacket and I was certainly more than adequately warm. Thank goodness! I slowly packed up my tent as the sun started to peak up behind the mountains and enjoyed a coke that I carried from the trail magic last night with breakfast.
I started on the trail at 0600 which meant the sun was already starting to warm up the crisp morning air. Within 1.5 miles I had taken the rain jacket and fleece off and was hiking in just my shirt. Better to be a little cool than sweating. I’m also not complaining about the cold. I know I’ve got hot weather coming in fast so I’ll enjoy this while I can!
I entered into the Mokelumne Wilderness and soon after passed the group of hikers I’ve been leapfrogging. They were camped just a bit higher in elevation than I and had frost on their tents. Amazing what a small difference can make.
The next section of trail was incredibly beautiful. The rocks and soil are remnants of an ancient volcano and the number of wildflowers was spectacular. I found probably the most picturesque spot to have an early lunch.
Lunch view!
From here the trail hugs the side of the mountain with steep cliffs. This is not a section of trail I would want to hike if there was still lots of snow. There is even a warning in FarOut about a steep traverse. Fortunately all the snow is gone from the trail and it was easy peasy.
The last climb of the day which brings you near Mount The Nipple and by the Lost lakes was gorgeous but it gassed me. From here I made very slow progress to my final destination. The plan was to get as close to Carson Pass as possible but I ultimately found a hidden campsite 0.7 miles before this that even had cell reception!
As much as it’s nice to get out into the wilderness and not be bothered by technology it was nice for a change to have access to some modern world amenities over the past two days.
PCT Day 84 – PCT Mile 1027.4 to Sherald Lake (1050.1)
June 27, 2026
Total PCT miles: 22.7
Non PCT miles: 0.4
Total: 23.1 miles / 37.2 km
Total elevation gain: 6440 ft
Total elevation loss: 5823 ft
Steps: 55175
Well I came a little short of my goal of 25 miles today. But when you consider the elevation change today and a wonderful surprise at the end of the day I’m happy with the distance travelled.
Either I slept through my alarms or I didn’t actually turn them on last night but I still work up at 0430 and was on trail by 0530. The low last night was 5 degrees and there was significant wind so the hiking was chilly but not overly cold. The majority of my day today was spent hiking in the Carson-Iceberg wilderness. No idea why it’s called that as there certainly are no Icebergs around these parts. It’s part of the Toiyabe National Forest.
In the morning I was treated to a sunrise behind the mountains that illuminated the clouds above it. The clouds were moving really fast and it made for a great Timelapse. I haven’t taken many timelapses because unfortunately I’ve had so few interesting clouds on this hike.
Despite the elevation changes I hit 10 miles by 1000hrs for the first time since the desert section of the PCT and I was on pace to do well more that my 25 mile goal.
I reached the Saddle Above Noble Lake (9347 ft) shortly after 1300 hrs and the wind was howling! The scenery from the top and the entire way down was breathtaking and full of fields of wild flowers. This whole section north of Sonora Pass has been incredibly beautiful. I passed a few PCT hikers and a number of day hikers or weekend backpackers. It’s the weekend so the trails get “busy”.
As I approached Ebbets Pass I saw the best sign a thru hiker can see! Trail Magic 0.1 miles! I can’t remember the last time I was lucky enough to be the recipient of trail magic! Low and behold it was One Way Mike who I met in the desert along with his wife. There was also a second group doing trail magic Lunchbox, Pretty Legs and his partner. There was everything a thru hiker could need and even more! The generosity of people on this trail continues to amaze me. There were several other hikers here I’ve been leap frogging with over the past while even two that were at Nitzys when I was there. I stayed here for almost two hours.
I didn’t hike much further after his As I found a great camp site that is reasonably protected from the wind. It’s going down to 0 degrees tonight and the wind is still blowing hard.
PCT Day 82 & 83 – Zero Day in Pinecrest Lake to PCT Mile 1027.4
June 25 & 26, 2026
Total PCT miles: 9.1
Non PCT miles: 2
Total: 11.1 miles / 17.9 km
Total elevation gain: 1588 ft
Total elevation loss: 3163 ft
Steps: 26316
Zero Day In Pinecrest
I have to say my zero day in Pinecrest was probably the most relaxing zero day I’ve had thus far on trail. I slept well, even had a mid day nap, and other than getting my resupply for the next section I did absolutely nothing. I have to give thanks to Rooster for cooking for everyone because that definitely allowed me more time to just chill.
It’s not like there was much to do in Pinecrest. There is a general store, a post office and a restaurant that was closed most of the time. The majority of the town is a giant campground next to a lake and many cottages. I wasn’t planning a zero day here but I’m glad I got to take one. Huge thanks goes to Cookie who opens up his cottage to PCT hikers. I’m surprised only 6 of us were there over the two nights.
June 26 – Back on Trail
I waited until High Stakes was done with her appointment and learned that she would be taking one or two more zeros in Pinecrest to recover from an injury. I wasn’t surprised by this and had been mentally preparing myself that I might be heading back on trail alone. I’m really hoping to get to Canada early September and that already means I need to hike 25+ mile days after Tahoe. I simply can’t afford to spend more time in town as I’ll probably have to skip a small section as it is to reach my goal.
I told her I would be heading out today and she understood. She came with me to the store and we had lunch and said our see you laters. Who knows it’s possible we meet up on trail again. We’ve hiked together since Wrightwood and been through some significant highs and lows together. Saying goodbye is never easy and I’ll absolutely miss having my hiking partner out here with me.
I made my way to HWY 108 to start the process of hitching back to the trail. Almost immediately I got picked up by Benjamin. He wasn’t going all the way but it was better than nothing. We talked a lot about hiking gear and my experience thus far on the PCT. The spot where he dropped me off wasn’t the best place to hitch in terms of safety but I wasn’t there long before I was picked up by a lady who was delivering mail. She got me to Kennedy Meadows North just in time to take the shuttle the rest of the way to Sonora Pass. It would have been nice to have had A few moments just to check out Kennedy Meadows north but that was not in the cards.
There were 11 of us in the van and we were dropped off at the trail at 1430. 15 mins later I was back at it Hoping to hike near 10 miles.
The trail started with a 1000 ft climb back up over 10500 ft. This is the last time I’ll be at or over 10000 ft on the trail. It also provided my last views of the Sierra behind me and incredible views of the valley in front. It was windy and cold a huge change from when I left trail 2 days ago. But at least there were zero mosquitoes!
From here I decended down into the valley along a reasonably graded trail. Im camped alone for the first time in a long time. It’s weird. I’m hoping tomorrow I can do 25 miles. Let’s see if I can ratchet up the miles to get myself home!
Today is a town day which means town food, town drinks, a bed, laundry and a shower that I most certainly desperately need. The only thing standing between me and all of the above is Sonora Pass.
The recent comments about Sonora Pass in Far Out were concerning. Multiple people mentioned lots of sketchy snow crossings on the switchbacks that were even worse on the north side going down to the hwy. High Stakes and I decided that we would start hiking at 0500 hrs in hopes that whatever snow there was would be firm allowing out microspikes to grip it better.
The climb up to the ridge was along the most gently graded switch backs I have hiked so far on the trail. As I hiked the glow of the rising sun began kissing the mountains behind me. As I started to reach over 10000ft I could see back into Yosemite Park and its the jagged granite peaks. Ahead of me the landscape was changing drastically. We reached the top at 10800 ft shortly after 0800 hrs and continued hiking around this elevation for 5 miles. The scenery ahead was green valleys and hopefully easier hiking ahead.
Surprisingly in all the videos I’ve ever watched about the PCT I don’t remember seeing much about this part. I’m not sure why it is honestly some of the most beautiful trail I’ve seen since starting the trail. I doubt my photos will do it justice.
Sonora Pass is widely considered the end of the Sierra Section of the PCT. Although depending on who you ask others may say South Lake Tahoe. Geographically speaking it’s not actually until PCT mile 1299 which marks the divide between the Sierra and Cascade mountains.
For myself I’m going with Sonora Pass and as such I have now completed the Sierra Section of the Pacific Crest Trail. I’ve been dreaming about hiking this part of the PCT for years and now I’ve done it. I’ve been to the top of Forester Pass, swam in an alpine lake, crossed rivers that took every ounce of strength and focus and been completely in awe of its beauty and its wildness.
The Sierra pushed me both physically and mentally to my breaking points but I’ve come out on the other side stronger as a result. Today walking out of the Sierra feels like closing one chapter of this crazy journey I am on.
Reaching Sonora Pass the plan was initially to go to Kennedy Meadows North then maybe to Pinecrest to a trail angles cottage that hosts hikers. We stood on the side of Hwy 108 for about 15 mins until we were joined by another hiker “Couscous” and shorty after we were picked up by someone on vacation who has been trail running various parts of the PCT/JMT. He was suppose to run a section with the hiker attempting the fasted known time but they are a bit off pace and he had to go back to work. Since he was driving all the way past Pinecrest we decided to just go there.
Pinecrest Lake is basically a giant campsite with cottages. Not much else in or around town. The one restaurant was closed but we got burgers at the lake snack shop before heading to “Cookies” cottage. I didn’t get a lot of time to talk with him as he was out most of the afternoon and evening but he seems like a very interesting person.
It’s a relaxing spot for sure and I am extremely grateful for the shower and bed. There are a total of 6 hikers here tonight and Rooster took the lead on making spaghetti for dinner. First home cooked meal in I don’t know how many miles.
I’m excited for a nice comfortable sleep in a real bed tonight 🙂
PCT Day 80 – Wilma Lake (988.1) to PCT mile 1007.1
June 23, 2026
Total PCT miles: 19.0
Non PCT miles: 0
Total: 18.4 miles / 30.6 km
Total elevation gain: 3461 ft
Total elevation loss: 2336 ft
Steps: 41967
After yesterday’s series of torturous ups and downs today seemed like a walk in the park! From camp the trail gained elevation gradually while following Falls Creek and even had significant flat portions. We must be getting towards the end of the Sierra section!
Today is our last day in Yosemite and it ended somewhat like it started with a long beautiful meadow. Fortunately there would be no “Golden Staircase” today! We made really good time up to Dorothy Lake almost completing 10 miles before 10! I was really tempted to go for a swim here but instead we just took a long break in the shade. Another mile and we reached Dorothy Lake Pass officially exiting Yosemite National Park and entering the Hoover Wilderness Area.
The difference was almost immediate. The winds picked up, there were suddenly no mosquitoes and I even found a rock overlooking the valley below with cell reception! Gone were the jagged peaks and granite ridges, replaced with more rounded mountains. Still technically in the Sierras just the beginning of its foothills minus the big climb tomorrow.
Then it happened! After 80 days I finally made it to the 1000 mile marker of the Pacific Crest Trail!
Five hundred miles ago, I stood alone at the 500-mile marker just after sunrise, listening to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. I danced my way into that milestone.
Today, I smiled as I played the same song again.
After all… if I can walk 500 miles, then I can walk 500 more.
It’s hard to put into words what 1000 really means. One thousand miles isn’t just a statistic, it’s 2.4 million footsteps, countless climbs, dusty mornings, freezing nights, sore muscles, spectacular sunrises, and memories that will stay with me long after this journey is over.
Looking back, it’s incredible to think about everything that’s happened since leaving Campo. I crossed the desert, battled relentless heat, rolled my ankle early in the hike, questioned whether I’d even make it to the Sierra, and then found myself standing on top of some of the highest and most breathtaking passes on the entire trail.
The Sierra challenged me in every way imaginable. It demanded patience, respect, and perseverance. There were days when every mile felt earned, but walking out of those mountains gave me a confidence I didn’t have when I walked in.
This trail has also taught me that progress isn’t always measured by how many miles you hike in a day. Sometimes progress is simply getting up, packing your backpack, and taking the next step, even when you’re tired, uncomfortable, or wondering why you signed up for this in the first place.
Reaching 1,000 miles feels like more than just a milestone. It feels like a reminder that impossible goals are rarely accomplished in giant leaps. They’re achieved one step, one day, and one mile at a time.
There are still many miles between here and Canada, and I know there will be more challenges ahead. But today I’m taking a moment to appreciate how far I’ve come. The person who crossed the Mexican border on April 5 isn’t quite the same person standing here today.
Here’s to the next thousand miles, the friends still to meet, the mountains still to climb, and the adventure that continues just beyond the next bend in the trail.
We continued along the rest of the day taking a long break after the “damaged and closed bridge I definitely did not cross”. We were joined briefly by another Canadian hiker Patrick for the next mile when he stopped to camp for the night.
We have an early start tomorrow to go over Sonora Pass which apparently still has some significant snow on it. It’s 11 miles to Hwy 108 where we will go to Kennedy Meadows North or the town of Pinecrest and finally have a shower I desperately need!
