PCT day 39 - mile 803 to mile 816 (Pinchot Pass)

"Trail magic should be renamed trail love. Magic is not real it's a trick, it's an illusion. Trail magic is real and it's not an illusion. It's the love of someone doing random act of kindness. Therefore it should be called trail love." Big Red

Very short day of hiking but with the way the snow covered pass crossing works it wouldn't be safe to go through them after midday, especially the next one - Mathers Pass. It is regarded as the toughest pass in Sierras, most of people recommend not only bringing along micro spikes but also ice axe (which I don't have). Therefore I decided to hold my horses and camp just a mile away from it tonight, it's 1pm and my job for the day is finished. Better safe than sorry, it's siesta time.

The Pinchot Pass I went over today was by far the easiest yet, it was way more difficult on the way up (few miles of snow beforehand) than down, Forester and Glen's passes were the opposite way around. 

Lots of stream crossings today as well and they are getting bigger and bigger, most people doesn't care and just walk straight through them but I still try to hop from one stone to the other or walk over the tree trunk. I think in couple of days this method won't work anymore and I will have to walk through them as well. My socks and shoes are getting soaked anyway, they've been in various degrees of wet since morning, but luckily they dry fast.

I chose a pretty desolate campsite today, which is not an actual campsite but rather a random place behind a rock I found. I somehow managed to walk pass the last available tent site and since it is mostly snow covered for few miles behind me, now I'm 'trapped' here as the snow is unwalkable in the afternoon (unless you want to bury half of your body inside of it with every step). 

Since I don't have anything else interesting to say.. few words about marmots: They are like the squirrels of Sierra Nevada, they are cute, they are only after your food and they are everywhere, so much so that you stop noticing their presence after a while. Still an adorable fluff balls though, today I've seen one running back and forth with its mouth full of dry grass, I think he was insulating his apartment.

Ah and before Glen's Pass I've stumbled upon a rodent called pika, it was giving me ferocious war cries, I nearly died of a hearth attack :) But seriously google them, they rock.

Elevation graph for the next couple of days, I'm camping at the blue dot tonight, orange circles is where I stayed previous nights. It's safe to say it's the highest I will be sleeping on this trip :)
Pinchot Pass:
marmots footprints:
river crossing:

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