Trail Journal – July 31, 1979
Location: Sonora Pass to Wolf Creek Lake
Elevation: 9,630 ft to 10,200 ft
Weather: Clear skies, temperature dropped from 86° to 57°, barometric pressure variable
2:00 PM – Sonora Pass
Auspicious beginnings.
Three cowboys pulled over in their pickup truck. Dust clung to everything—the truck, their gear piled high in the bed, and their sun-worn faces where little canyons formed each time they smiled. Beer cans in hand, they offered advice and encouragement. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I hadn’t even begun my trek—they held such high regard for me already.
Two trail-weary hikers sat under sparse pines, packs dusty and worn. They assured me the trail to Wolf Creek Lake was well-marked and gentle enough to make time.
Sherry had dropped me off just an hour before, after a three-hour drive across the Central Valley. My plan: hike the middle section of the Pacific Crest Trail, from Sonora Pass north toward Beckwourth Pass—nearly 300 miles. I hoped to pause at each major pass to reflect on the emigrants who once faced this same eastern wall of the Sierra. Except, of course, they climbed up it. I’m starting on top.
The cowboys saw me surveying the trailhead, notebook in hand, eyes down the ridgeline that leads to the Pacific. I doubt they understood my purpose, but they recognized the intent. I reminded them—just a little—of the trail-hardened folks they knew. My only regret is that their offer of cold beer came today, not three days from now, when I’d really need it.
A red-tailed hawk dives from above like a WWII Stuka, screeching a farewell or a blessing. A good omen. I take it.
3:00 PM – Creekside, Deadman’s Creek
I’ve been on trail for about an hour. I’m already tired, short of breath, and experiencing mild intestinal cramps. Situation as expected.
This creek is the first I’ve come to that flows westward to the Pacific. Likely the same for emigrants—first fresh waters beyond the crest. “Deadman’s Creek” doesn’t exactly promise comfort, though. The trail now climbs up the ridge east of Sonora Peak, likely from a snowfield.
The air smells of pine and crushed granite. Wildflowers are everywhere. I take photos during a brief rest. The sun is warm on my knee, the creek cold at my feet. For now, I feel good again. Amazing what a little rest can do.
4:00 PM – Sonora Saddle, 10,440 ft
Met another hiker on the saddle between the Bay and the Nevada sink. Heavy accent, doesn’t listen much, but he’s courteous in trail etiquette. Heading to Echo Lake. I expect I’ll see him again.
The wind here is fierce—sharp gusts from the west. Only one cloud in a wide blue sky. Far south, Yosemite looms: granite towers and lingering snow above storm-worn pines. I press forward. A small lake is ahead; I hope to make camp above the shoreline.
5:20 PM – Wolf Creek Lake, First Camp
Set up camp on the western side of Wolf Creek Lake, beneath the shadow of Sonora Peak. Across the water, white-barked pines glimmer. I’ve picked a spot where the first light of dawn might strike my camp. The temperature has dropped over twenty degrees in just thirty minutes. The German hiker is gone—perhaps ascending Sonora Peak, as he mentioned. No sign of his camp.
Only four miles hiked in 3.5 hours. That math is sobering. At this pace, I’d reach Donner Pass in about 17 days—burning through my food supply six days too early. Not ideal.
Clearly, I need to adjust—to the altitude, to the rhythm. Tomorrow begins the real journey.
8:48 PM – Wolf Creek Lake, Nightfall
Dinner: curried beans with chicken chunks. Spicy enough to warm me against the cold. I’m lying on a poncho ground cloth beside a sun-warmed boulder, wrapped in my sleeping bag. The rock still radiates heat from the afternoon. It feels like lounging on the deck of a mountain resort. Room service courtesy of my camp stove.
Lonesome. That’s the word. The wind pours down from the peak, sweeping over the lake, replacing silence with a whisper—a sound that somehow deepens the quiet. I’m surprised by how quickly the loneliness settled in. I expected it, but not this soon.
I’ve decided: each day I’ll dedicate to a thought—a concept to ponder while walking. Something of importance. Tomorrow’s topic: relationships.
Coyotes are circling the lake. Their calls rise in the dark.
I close my eyes.
