PCT from Tuolumne Meadows to Sonora Pass ..

“.....What a piece of crap!

Perhaps I'm spoiled because I spend all my time hiking in the High Sierras, but I just did the above section, and found it to be the most boring (except for the last few miles into the Emigrant Wilderness), and with some of the WORST trails I have ever had the displeasure to travel on.

Much of the hike is through forest, no views. Tramp, tramp, tramp, through the forest prime-evil.

The trail itself consists of horse tumbled rocks, and horse crap.

In many places the trail traverses steep canyons, up and down, down and up.

You gain elevation just to go and lose it all over again down the next side.

Gain 1,000 feet, lose 1,500 feet, and gain another 1,500 feet, and drop down 700 feet.

All over one ten mile section.

One spot, going north to Benson Lake in the Hoover Wilderness is only 4.6 miles long, but because of the steepness of the terrain, and the ruined quality of the trail, it takes nearly three hours to hike the 4.6 miles.

Out of all the nasty trails I have ever been on, and I have been on some REALLY nasty trails, this one is right up there in the top five.

Just spouting off on a hike from hell.”

“Sorry ...it wasn't a dream trip Melsie.
Where are you headd next?... south I'd bet.”

“Got that straight!

WE'RE GOING TO IVA BELL HOT SPRINGS!!”

“Interesting trip report! Thank!”

“Mel, I know exactly what you're talking about. I've done the section from Virginia Canyon to Upper Kerrick, most during the heavy snow year of '95 so horses and related issues weren't a problem but suncups were. Heading up to Benson Pass, Miller Canyon was obliterated by slides and dropping down to Benson Lk from Smedberg I never could find the damn trail. There are plenty of spectacular areas off the main route however. Matterhorn Canyon, Kerrick Canyon, Thompson Canyon and Stubblefield Canyon are awesome, the latter two being off trail. I still think Hoover is one of the most asthetically beautiful wilderness areas in Cal (Benson is actually part of Yosemite).”

“I hiked that section of trail beginning June 17th, this year, and took 8 days to reach Sonora Pass. Sure it was one hell of a hike, and a lot of mosquitos, but come on Mel it really wasn't that bad!”

“We took sort of an alternate route for the last couple of days. We left Yosemite via Bond Pass before Dorthy Lake. We then took that closed jeep trail from Bond Pass to High Emigrant Lake where we spent the night. From Emigrant Lk to Sonora pass, and Cross Country from Sonora Pass to Iceberg Meadows. I thought the trail was just fine, and the views were nice but definately better after Bond Pass.”

“Which route would be best for escaping a bear attack?”

“Don't you just hate when that happens. Had you been there before? I did not think there were any places new to you in that area.”

“Florida.
Perhaps Key West.

Kerrick Canyon was pretty. So was Matterhorn Canyon.

Poor beautiful Smedberg Lake had be TOTALLY trashed by horses.
There are very few places I have ever been where the damage, and horse crap were worse than what I saw there.
Every available campsite on the west end of the lake had been used as horse wallows, and manure was litterly three inches deep coating most open spots and low granite outcrops.
It stunk to high heaven.

Yeah, you can tell Benson is part of the park.
It's nice, but if I want to see Yosemite, next time,
I'LL DRIVE THERE!

TA....

No, I thought 98 per cent of the hike sucked.

Manzanita, steep tiny little rock switchbacks, hot dusty, trail is a piece of crap, 60 plus degrees up and down and going nowhere.

Now it is true that once you get near Bond Pass things improve.

The old emigrant trail is pretty interesting, and when you cross over Brown Bear Pass, with all the purple rocks and rock formations, the scenery is spectacular in it's own peculiar way.

Dunk...
you actually think that place has better looking wilderness that what we have up here?

What you been smoking, boy?”

“Mel, have you ever been up Kerrick Canyon to Peeler Lk, Crown Lk or atop Burro Pass looking down Matterhorn Canyon. Rainbow Canyon, Thompson Canyon and Stubblefield Canyon are all trailless and rarely visited. Better looking? It's close and Peeler Lk is one of my faves and you know I've seen many places. The thing with both Kerrick and Matterhorn is that they were sections of non-PCT trails and again, in '95 not too many people and even fewer horse were back there.”

“You must have gone at the wrong time then. In June, we spent many days seeing maybe only 1 solo hiker, and the only horses we encountered were 2 miles out of Tolumne Meadows. The sites that we stayed in haddn't a single horse dropping. There were only a few apples on the trail where a crew had been through clearing downed trees.

And Smedberg lake was vacant and pristine. Benson was the same. We saw numerous large bucks and deer, a bear, and lots of birds.

We hung our food the entire time, and that worked just fine.”

“Bears never were a problem.
Roy the Paranoid Llama was on guard the whole time.

The whole trip didn't suck, but most of the of the trail I hiked never even COMPARED to the trails in the Inyo.

At the Kerrick Canyon junction (leading down to the Valley via May Lake), there were the remains of a trail crew camp.

There will be pictures of all the above travesties.

The trail camp had been abandoned for several days.

Garbage in huge burlap bags were strewn over a 1/4 acre area. A bear had been at the trash.

It was obvious the site was trail crew.

There were three foot long topo maps in cases, earmarked for "Valley Lockers".

Small chain saws, day packs, folding tables, tarps (most markedly the large yellow one used to cover the camp kitchen), ice chests, propane cylinders....you name it, it was there.

The Park Service has the balls to demand all backpackers carry bear canisters, and then they don't even patrol and enforce their own demands in the backcountry.

Some wild bear got it's first lesson in eating human food.

I was appalled at some of the things I saw on that section of trail.

It was some of the worst damage I have seen anywhere in the Sierra wilderness, and I have seen a LOT.”

“Well, I do apreciate what the Trail Crews go through to serve us backpackers, I'm sure they packed everything out and cleaned up the mess.

I think I'll stick to early and late season travel to avoid the experience you had. Sorry it sucked!

I think the worst part of my hike was the skeeters, followed closely by a broken waterfilter.

Actually the waterfilter wasn't so bad, we had some backup iodine tabs to purify the drinks. We also drank from some springs. I think pumping actually sucked worse.”