PCT Day 76 – PCT mile 934.2 to Yosemite Backpackers Campground

June 19, 2026

Total PCT miles: 9.5

Non PCT miles: 1

Total: 10.5 miles / 16.9 km

Total elevation gain: 699 ft

Total elevation loss: 1171 ft

Steps: 27148

It seem my streak of not sleeping well continues. I was up multiple times last night for no real reason. I’m not sure why I’m not sleeping well. I’m not at high elevation, it was a relatively pleasant temperature outside (maybe a touch on the warm side), there was white noise curtosey of the nearby river and I was exhausted. Falling asleep was no issue but staying asleep seems to be the challenge.

We were on trail today at 0600 destined for the Tuolumme Meadows general store. Here the plan was to do a quick top up of the resupply and grab a delicious meal. The hike this morning brought us through Lyle Canyon and the biggest stereotypical Yosemite meadow you can imagine. The best part is that the trail was basically flat with a slight decline for the entire way! Along the way we saw 5 deer and enjoyed the views of the river running down the canyon. The closer we got to the store the more day hikers we saw.

We took a short break about 5 miles in. My legs were in pain. It seem I am reliably getting pain from both ankles up my calves into my knee after 4-5 miles. After a rest it goes away and then it starts all over again. I’m not sure if it’s getting worse day by day or just the same. It is something that is starting to concern me and I’m not sure if there is much I can do about it.

We reached Tuolumme Meadows General store around 1030 in time for breakfast. There were probably near two dozen PCT hikers there. Many I’ve met on trail and a few I had not. From here many PCT hikers side quest into Yosemite Valley and some even get permits to hike Half Dome. High Stakes and I decided to go into the valley and were joined by Patches who we met two nights ago on the trail.

There is a bus that comes once a day to Yosemite Valley from Tuolumme Meadows but it only comes at 1400 and takes about two and a half hours. So we decided to try our luck with hitching a ride. High Stakes drew up a sign that said PCT Hiker to Yosemite Valley and we set off to try our luck. It took all of 12 minutes to get a ride to Crane Flats gas station. Funny enough we had passed two of the occupants of the vehicle earlier in Lyle Caynon. From there the third vehicle that drove past stopped and gave us a ride the rest of the way. The driver Ed used to be an EMT and had just dropped off his son who was doing a day hike.

Yosemite Valley is everything I’ve heard that it is. It’s absolutely incredibly beautiful, probably one of the most beautiful places ive ever seen but it is also a zoo. It probably doesn’t help that we are here on the Friday of a long weekend. The drive into the Valley went past all the iconic places and I do really wish I had more time to enjoy it all.

As a PCT hiker there is normally a backpackers campground near Tuolomme Medows that we can stay at. It’s currently closed for reasons I have not been able to determine. But because of that we can stay at the backpackers campground in the valley without a reservation for 8$. We are only allowed to stay here for one night. The campsite is located pretty much as close to Half Dome as you can get. There are pit toilets, garbages and picnic tables. I mean what more could you ask for! There are probably 50 people camped in this area all have various wilderness permits and many are climbers. Suffice to say it probably won’t be a quiet night.

We walked into the village and thankfully got to the village grill just before it closed. I was also able to find a better ankle brace that will work much better until I get my replacement one in Tahoe. High Stakes and Patches took the bus back to the campsite but I chose to walk, take in the scenery and use the time to talk to Mel back home.

It really is a shame I won’t be able to stay here longer and I’ll definitely have to come back here someday.

I’m thankful for the low easy miles today and tomorrow should also be a relatively low and easy mile kinda day.