Glacier Point - Tuesday, June 17

How well has my foot healed? Can it take the strain of hiking? It has felt pretty good the past few days, but it needs to be put to the test before we join the trail again. The next 120 miles of the PCT is really the JMT. In those 120 miles we cross Kearsarge, Glen, Pinchot, Mather, Muir, Selden and Silver Pass, all nearly 12,000' high. Each has a minimum 2500' drop between it and the next. If my foot is to make the trip with minimal pain it needs to be ready. So, today we decided to hike from the Valley floor to Glacier Point, a 3200' climb, 5 miles up and 5 miles down to see how it does.

This is a gorgeous hike. The trail winds up the near vertical south wall of the Valley, picking its way between cliff faces, always next to Sentinel Face. Fabulous views across the Valley to Yosemite Falls are constant with views up and down the Valley to El Capitan and Half Dome coming in and out.

The hike up took us 4 hours. We arrived at the snack bar at Glacier Point in time for lunch. I had carried tortillas and humus with cookies for desert. We scored pops at the counter and had a very relaxing lunch. It took us 2 &1/2 hours to descend, time enough to enjoy the pool before we returned to camp for dinner. We had reserved a campsite for Monday-Wednesday. Without a car we were a little out of place. Our neighbors in the campsite next to us invited us to their fire for the evening where we enjoyed meeting a couple from Switzerland, explaining the PCT and eating S'mores. We got to bed long after dark after a good day.

So how did the foot do? Pretty well. It was more sore at the end of the day than the beginning, but still far better than before the doctor visit. I give it the green light to get back on the trail.

The Valley is far removed from the PCT, both in culture and distance. Mobs of people with cars and trucks crammed with large amounts of camping gear are in stark contrast to the minimalist gear used by thru hikers. It is a great diversion to visit the Valley and get the rest my foot needed.