All other things being equal, choose a john with a view.
—COLIN FLETCHER, The New Complete Walker, 1974
Ridge above Sonora Pass to Sonora Pass
7.5 miles
In all of my 20 years of backpacking our camping spot sitting atop the spacious and open ridge above Sonora Pass ranks among the best. Largely because it sports amazing sweeping views in all directions and feels like the hiker is looking down on all the surrounding mountain ranges and landscape. A true humbling experience when the reality sets in that you literally are a speck in the scheme of things! This is one thing I feel the trail gifts the hiker… the ability to get outside of one’s self and face the reality that the world really does not center around your personal life. Very refreshing. It is like a reboot and I treasure it. This vista for me also ranks #1 with the best john (or in this case cat hole) with a view and clean-up spot. Gotta love it!
The hike down to the car this morning lead us over frozen snow fields and through a memorable notch that continued to treat the eye. What a luxury to end a backpacking trip at a high elevation (9628 feet) with minimal downhill ending at an absolutely beautiful creek filled canyon.
After hiking this section I am still ever in awe of what the PCT hikers who traveled this section in early July faced with a plethora of deep, wide river crossings and snow fields that traversed for miles. I am jealous I have to admit.
One of my favorite snapshots of the trip:
Here is the Flickr slide show of good quality pics from this section taken with my Lumix LX-5. Enjoy!
View the slide show on Flickr
Again…awesome photos. Thanks for sharing. I was especially happy to see Dorothy Lake since my husband and I would like to take a trip there. Earlier in the season it was too snowy for us. Thanks again! 🙂
Dorothy Lake was pristine, had sandy beaches, and also sported amazing mountains towering around the lake. I loved it. It is a must do.