Pacific Crest Trail - Day 96 - Seavey Pass

Start: Mile 969.8 - Backcountry campsite - Smedberg Lake
End: Mile 989.8 - Backcountry campsite

4,600 feet up and nearly 6,000 feet down over 20 miles. This was probably our hardest day on trail yet. Steep up, steep down, steep up, steep down always in a cloud of mosquitos.

Smedberg Lake is beautiful. We cowered in our tent from mosquitoes 🦟 the entire time we were there.

Hustling to pack up and get moving out of the swarm.

People love buying Yosemite souvenirs, but nobody likes a front-runner. I’d suggest of those of you who like rooting for an underdog (underwater, actually) to rep Hetch Hetchy instead.

John Muir among many others fought until his dying breath to preserve Hetch Hetchy which is a glacial canyon on par in beauty to Yosemite.

In one of the most egregious violations of public land in American history, Hetch Hetchy was ultimately dammed and flooded following approval by Woodrow Wilson in 1913, delivering water to San Francisco about twenty years later. I’d argue it’s about time for tech-bros in San Francisco to start deploying technology to recycle water while Hetch Hetchy is restored instead of attempting to disrupt the shoe market with Allbirds and tracking every piece of data available to deploy more effective advertisements to us for crap nobody needs, but maybe that’s just me.

A lake at the top of Seavey Pass was the best swim on trail so far! Plentiful dragonflies kept the mosquitoes at bay long enough for a swim and a rest while drying off.

When the start of your 1000’ climb looks like this, you’re probably gonna have a bad time.

This metal Pacific Crest Trail sign has seen better days. Nature is unbelievably efficient at restoring itself given a chance.

Stopping to take this photo resulted in half a dozen mosquito bites.

Wilma Lake was beautiful as we rushed past it with a swarm of mosquitoes 🦟 behind us that felt like a scene straight out of Jumanji.

Everything is in bloom out here. It’s beautiful.