Day 42Kennedy Meadows North (Pinecrest, California)

Time deteriorated again after leaving François and Madeleine. Snow starts again and I’m almost all day in the footsteps of another hiker, Gavin, 23. My phone drops to 15% and then dumps abruptly, which deprives me of a map on an entirely white land. Walking with him then becomes particularly valuable.

We go up to 20:30 and clear the snow to install the tents. The night is probably the coldest since the departure, not far from -10°C: shoes, socks and bags are fully frozen at wake-up. Fortunately, the phone eventually accepts the charge and I can follow the GPS again.

The last step to Sonora Pass remains difficult: deep snow, fog, lack of traces and elevation. At times, everything is white and only the navigation on the phone allows you to keep the route. I open the passage alone to the road. This is the last major event in the Sierra.

At Sonora Pass, I find a car in a few minutes. The driver, whose trailer name is Houdini, has himself travelled through the PCT years before. He takes me to Kennedy Meadows North, where I can finally take a shower, do laundry, eat and sleep in a real bed.