Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California: From Tuolumne Meadows to the Oregon Border - Softcover

Summers, Jordan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0899978428 ISBN 13: 9780899978420

Publisher: Wilderness Press, 2020

Synopsis

The “PCT Bible” for More Than 40 Years

From the time the PCT leaves the Mexican border until it reaches Canada, it has traveled 2,650 miles through 24 national forests, 37 wilderness areas, and 7 national parks. In Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California, you’ll meet up with the PCT in Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne Meadows, then hike, climb, descend, and switchback your way to the Oregon border. You’ll discover rivers, peaks, forests, meadows, fascinating geological formations, and other natural wonders. You’ll pass through Emigrant, Desolation, and Marble Mountain wildernesses; Trinity Alps and Lassen National Park; and you’ll see Lake Tahoe, Burney Falls, Mount Shasta, and Castle Crags.

First published in 1973, this thoroughly updated edition is a trekker’s trusted companion. It helps you locate the PCT and side trips, find water sources, and access resupply routes. Information on camping, permits, and the best seasons to go is provided along with updated maps. The book also includes Jeffrey P. Schaffer’s rich descriptions of the geological and natural history of these mountains.

About this title

About the Author

Since he was six, Jordan Summers has had more fun sleeping on rock, snow, and dirt than any one person should be allowed, spending absurd amounts of time in mountains, forests, canyons, and deserts. Jordan’s newest guidebooks, Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California and Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington, are the result of Summers’ 4000+ miles trekking this national treasure.

Jordan’s passion for the outdoors and love for the Sierra Nevada range combined to propel his motivation in writing guidebooks: “to help hikers of all abilities get out there, have a great time out there, leave no trace there, and come home safely from there.” Summers is an alumnus of the National Outdoor Leadership School, a Leave No Trace trainer, and a NOLS-WMI Wilderness First Responder. Jordan lives in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Pioneer, California, and is a volunteer for the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Tuolumne Meadows to Sonora Pass

At mile 942.5, before leaving the parking lot below imposing Lembert Dome, look at the large feldspar crystals in the rock of the dome’s base. This rock, called Cathedral Peak granite, solidified as a single unit several miles below the earth’s surface about 80 million years ago. The large, blocky crystals make outcrops of this particular granite―a pluton―very easy to identify, and they give rock climbers holds on otherwise slick, glacier-smoothed rock.

From Tuolumne Meadows north almost to the park border, the historic and mostly ephemeral Tahoe-Yosemite Trail coincides with the PCT. On the Soda Springs road you go 0.3 mile west and reach a gate where a north fork climbs up to the Tuolumne Meadows Stable. On the closed road you continue west to a fork (943.2–8,590') just beyond a minor gap, from which the left branch―the John Muir Trail―traverses southwest to a bridge across the Tuolumne River, bound for Yosemite Valley. At the fork you keep right, climb a few paces, and take a shortcut trail due west to the road again, intersecting it at the Soda Springs area (943.3–8,626').

The effervescent, rust-tainted Soda Springs are obvious, and if you have some powdered soft drink along, you can stir up a soda pop. Nearby Parsons Lodge, once owned by the Sierra Club, is now park property.

From the springs area, our well-signed trail starts a rolling traverse northwest from the road. Just 50 yards before you reach multibranched Delaney Creek (944.1–8,612), a trail from the stable comes in on the right. No fishing is allowed here or upstream due to a planted population of endangered Piute cutthroat trout. Not far beyond the creek, near two small granite knolls, the Young Lakes Trail (944.5–8,650') continues north, straight ahead, but you turn west, then continue northwest. In about a mile your trail approaches the Tuolumne River and then parallels it, sometimes at a distance, eventually making a short but noticeable climb up granite bedrock.

In a gorge below, you may see, on the south side of the river, a dark mass, locally known as Little Devils Postpile―a remnant of a basalt flow that was erupted onto the adjacent granite 9.4 million years ago. If it had been a basalt plug or a volcanic conduit, the columns of lava would be essentially vertical, not nearly horizontal. Despite repeated attacks by glaciers, this flow remains. Now you descend north steeply to a forested flat and traverse southwest to bridge the Tuolumne River (947.0–8,310'). Continuing northwest, you pass Tuolumne Falls, some minor cascades, and then the high White Cascade, before your rocky trail meets a junction (948.1–7,977') with a trail to McGee Lake. Although it is easily reached, the lake is not worth the effort. The PCT bends north―a direction you’ll now pursue for miles―and descends to a bridging of the Tuolumne River. During maximum runoff, you may have to wade to reach the bridge. Just beyond it, the PCT meets a trail (948.3–7,881') that immediately bridges Conness Creek to arrive at Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp. Just north of it is the heavily used Glen Aulin campground. Only 15 yards beyond the Glen Aulin spur trail is the Tuolumne Canyon Trail.

Side route: When water is high, it is well worth your time to stash your pack and continue downcanyon on this trail to visit spectacular California Falls, LeConte Falls, and especially Waterwheel Falls, which is 3.4 miles from the PCT. Employ Leave No Trace principles and avoid encroaching on the view of features such as lakes or falls.

The PCT climbs north, sometimes alongside Cold Canyon Creek, to a forested gap (951.2–8,800'), then descends 0.5 mile to the south edge of a large, usually soggy meadow. Midway across it you’ll notice a huge boulder, just west. Its overhanging sides have been used as an emergency shelter, but in a lightning storm it is a prime strike target. Beyond it our distinctive route continues north, first for a mile through meadow, then on a gradual ascent through forest to a crest junction with the McCabe Lakes Trail (955.1–9,080')....

Edition details

• Publisher: Wilderness Press
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 0899978428
• ISBN 13: 9780899978420
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384