CA PCT - Section J! 75 miles through the wilderness! A beautiful stretch of trail. I saw some of the most incredible vibrant flowers I have ever seen. Started at 5am at Sonora Pass at the PCT Trailhead, joined by Liz Wigylus and Henry Ryerson. We were greeted at the top of the first climb with a beautiful sunrise. Henry turned back to the car and Liz continued on for the first 30 miles to Ebbett's Pass.
Received aid at Ebbett's pass from Liz and continued to Blue Lakes Road where I received aid from Henry. Continued to Carson Pass to meet the crew at the next spot. Extremely windy all day. It was a gift most of the day because it kept us cool, but once the sun went down it was a menace. Made a rally to get to Carson pass before dark. It was getting cold and I only had a long sleeve. Made it just in time after a beefy climb up and out of the basin.
The crew at Carson Pass included: Liz Wigylus, Henry Ryerson, Chris Smallcomb, Helen Mino Faukner and Jacob Banta. Helen paced me the last 16 very slow miles. My quads were obliterated and the descent into echo lake was brutal. Our head lamps died because I kept running molasses miles so we finished using cell phone lights. Very dark with no moonlight. Finished at Echo Lake by touching the trailhead sign, where section J ends and section k begins.
An amazing adventure and it was a great time of year to do this route. Excellent water available. I used the Salomon filter cap and it worked beautifully. The snow was melted, no bugs (maybe because of the wind haha) and lots of friendly PCT thru hikers. Generally smooth trail to travel on. Highly recommend this route to anyone looking for a grand adventure!