8) Wild Animals and Cold Streams – Halfway Done

From Mammoth Lakes, we continued—still together with Oliver—to tackle the last section of the Sierras.

First, our path led us toward Donohue Pass, where the famous Yosemite National Park begins. On the way there, during a short break in the forest, I had an interesting encounter: About 30 meters away, I saw something move. Looking more closely, I recognized a coyote. Shortly after, it saw me too—and just like that, it disappeared.

When we reached the snow-covered Donohue Pass, we descended into a beautiful valley with a winding creek on the other side. In Yosemite National Park, there is a section where camping is prohibited. So we set up our camp just before it, right by the creek, among the trees. The weather couldn’t decide what it wanted: sometimes the sun shone, then snow fell briefly, then the sun again. A mystical atmosphere hung in the air.

After a short daily planning session with Oliver, I went into my tent to eat something. Shortly after, I had another incredible wildlife encounter: I turned to look out of the tent—and at that very moment, an eagle flew about 15 meters in front of me over the creek and disappeared into the forest. An unforgettable moment.

The next day, we continued. On this section of the Sierras, creeks must be crossed regularly. Due to all the meltwater, this can sometimes be challenging. But there is always a solution: either balance over logs or stones, or—if nothing else works—walk through the water.

The most impressive creek crossing we experienced was toward the end of the park: at 4 a.m., we crossed a particularly wide and deep creek. The water reached up to our hips. We carried our backpacks overhead—just don’t fall! I had waterproofed my electronics, especially my camera, beforehand. The current wasn’t too strong, so we reached the other bank safely. It was freezing cold, but I was glad we hadn’t done it in the afternoon—more meltwater would have made it much more dangerous.

Yosemite National Park is one of the most famous national parks in the world. It is renowned for its impressive granite cliffs like El Capitan and Half Dome, for massive waterfalls, ancient giant sequoias, and breathtaking alpine landscapes. Each year, around 3.5 to 4 million people visit the park—a true natural highlight in California.

Do you believe me if I tell you that during the entire crossing of the park, I didn’t encounter a single person—except my hiking partner Oliver? Having a world-famous national park all to yourself is something very special—and I enjoyed it immensely. The reason was that in this part of the park, the roads were still closed. A privilege to be in the right place at the right time.

The last Sierra section

On the last part of the Sierras, snow-free sections alternated with snow-covered traverses. It was constantly slightly up and down. Since we were still starting at night, we were regularly rewarded with breathtaking sunrises.

Exactly two months after starting on the PCT, I reached South Lake Tahoe—the end of the Sierras and the beginning of Northern California. There, we took a well-deserved break. It was a weekend and also Memorial Day in the USA—so many people were out and about. After more than three weeks with almost no encounters, it felt really strange.

From South Lake Tahoe to Sierra City

On the website postholer.com, you can check where there is still snow on the trail. After reviewing the current report, we decided to continue starting at night to avoid soft snow during the day. These approximately 4.5 days were mentally challenging—I was simply fed up with night hiking and the snow. All the more relieved was I to arrive in Sierra City.

This section ran partly through forests, partly over small mountains with views of Lake Tahoe, and past a ski area.

From now on, no alarm clock

From now on, I no longer set an alarm. How nice! I can take as much time in the morning as I want and start the day leisurely. The next stages often run through forests—or what remains of them. Unfortunately, this section looks quite sad after the Dixie wildfire in 2021: burned and fallen trees everywhere.

On a roughly 10 km stretch that has not been maintained to this day, we had to climb over hundreds of fallen trees, crawl under them, or detour around them. Over about 2 km, the trail was so overgrown that we could only find it by GPS.

On the 70th day on the trail, there was another incredible wildlife encounter. That morning, I was walking leisurely, eyes on the trail, when I suddenly heard a strange noise—a kind of hissing. I looked up—and about 30 meters in front of me, I saw a cougar running away. I froze on the spot. I knew there were cougars here—but I really didn’t expect one. What an experience!

Halfway!

Two days later, we reached the PCT Halfway Marker—the official halfway point of the Pacific Crest Trail! Hard to believe that half is already behind us. And at the same time, there is still a long way to Canada.

Just one day later, we crossed Lassen Volcanic National Park. The park is one of the few places worldwide where all four types of volcanoes occur: shield volcanoes, cinder cones, lava domes, and stratovolcanoes. Particularly impressive is the active Lassen Peak—a volcano that last erupted in 1915. Even today, steam and bubbling can be seen in some areas—a window into the geological past of the Earth.

Unfortunately, my body gave me trouble that day: my feet were swollen. In the morning it was still okay, but by afternoon it got worse—and by evening, I could barely walk. I had actually planned to hike another 1.5 days and then take a break in Burney. Now I had to take the break earlier and hope my feet recover soon.