5/27 – Day 50 – Bishop Pass
I woke up late, as I planned, as yesterday’s off trail excursion was extremely taxing. My body hurts all over. I am super skinny. I don’t want to do this anymore. At least my deer friends are still hanging out with me keeping me company. I made pancakes, with blueberries and brown sugar.
I was warned that Muir Pass, the next pass on the PCT, was still too dangerous to attempt. I had already risked my life twice in the last three days. There was even a hand-written sign at the junction of the PCT and Bishop Pass trail, the last junction before Muir Pass, warning not to try it.
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The hike up from 8700 feet to 12,000 feet Bishop Pass was very difficult. The first several miles were steep switchbacks, and I moved slowly. The views were incredible which helped keep my mind from my sore body. The trail leveled off in the incredibly beautiful Dusy Basin. I stopped by a lake and ate my large bag of trail mix very quickly. I seemed to be starving, no kidding. I soon continued up to Bishop Pass.
Unfortunately, the snow soon covered the trail and finding my way became difficult. I back tracked several times, and consulted the map to make sure I did not go the wrong way like yesterday. I reached the pass and soon headed down through the snow and rock, often losing the trail. It became super steep, I was in a tight, steep switch back section that once again required cutting the very steep hard snow-covered switchbacks by vertically climbing down rock. I finally reached the bottom of the head wall, and quickly ate some lunch. The weather was turning nasty, looking like it would snow soon.
I continued hiking down, often through snow, to get to Southlake were I hoped to get a ride to Bishop. I soon met a day hiker, out of Southlake, Zinger, who agreed to give me a ride to Bishop, but he said he was going to hike to the top of the pass and meet me in the parking lot if I did not get a ride by the time he returned. I warned him that getting up there was hard. Anyway I hiked on down, and still encountered many large snow patches. And guess what, I got lost again. Weather was also moving in. I soon realized l was at a lake that was not on the trail down to the the parking lot at Southlake, so I turned around and miraculously met up with Zinger at the junction where I went wrong. He wisely did not attempt the pass. We hiked to the parking lot together and he gave me a ride to Bishop. That was lucky for me, and especially lucky given it was obviously snowing back up at the pass.
Zinger gave me a ride to the Comfort Inn in the gorgeous green oasis of Bishop.If you are ever in the Bishop area take a day hike out of Southlake. Really awesome scenery, and if you fish, I saw many trout jumping in the little lakes.
My feet are messed up again. With so much snow and water hiking, my feet always wet.
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