I hadn't been able to find a hitch-hike-free plan to loop-back from Sonora Pass to Tuolumne.
ML's proposed CNPSer's camping trip (possibly with Ann, Ben, Betsy, Betty, Mae, Pat, Peter, and Imp) to Woods Lake Campground just west of Carson Pass on Hwy 88 the weekend after Labor Day might yield a potential ride, although to Sonora Pass this would be quite out of the way.
But today I learned that Sandy was planning to head east over the Sierra this Labor Day Weekend, via Hwy50 she was saying, thinking of lingering around Mono Lake for a day or two, on her way to meet friends exploring Az & Ut for the coming several weeks. Hmm...
I thought I might try persuading her to take Hwy108 over Sonora Pass instead of Hwy50, a slightly longer drive, and indeed this afternoon she seemed to warm to the idea, provided I could find some on-the-way campgrounds and interesting short day-hikes we could do along the way. I immediately suggested the campground at Kennedy Meadows just west of the pass with a potential hike to Relief Reservoir or to Kennedy Lake, and later with a map I scouted out some short-ish two-car shuttle loops including bits of the PCT on either side of Sonora Pass, like south along the PCT to the junction with Tungsten Road then east to a 2nd car at Leavitt Lake, or north on the PCT then west to 2nd car at Clark Fork Rd.
But I was also thinking I really "should" get some hiking in before the Labor Day weekend, and I might be able to leave as soon as this Friday afternoon (after doing some chores for ML Friday morning) and checked a map to see what pieces of PCT north of Sonora Pass I could do. From Sonora Pass to Hwy4/Ebbetts Pass is 33 miles, Ebbetts to Hwy88/Carson Pass is 30 miles, and Carson to Hwy50/Echo Summit is 12 miles. All those 75 miles I could do in 7 or 8 days at my usual 500photos/day pace. Those 4000 Raw files would consume only 5 of my now 8 32GB CF cards, and now I have 7 camera batteries which should last me 8 or 9 days if I'm careful.)
So, I could head for Sonora Pass this Friday afternoon, begin hiking Saturday morning, and be at Hwy50 just about when Sandy was originally planning of passing by there! Although, I might try persuading her to take Hwy88 to the Carson Pass area which I think has more interesting camping & hiking opportunities (such as the Woods Lake campground, though unfortunately it would be a week before the CNPSers would be there) than does the Hwy50/Echo Summit area. That would give me at least one day of slack to meet up with her. I could then ride with her to the Mono Lake area, we might camp around there for a day before we part ways at Lee Vining where I would catch the YARTS bus to Tuolumne, then backpack 95 miles north to Sonora Pass, arriving at my car there just about when ML's planned CNPSer's camping weekend ends - I might be able to drive to Woods Lake before the last CNPSer has left, thus able maybe to persuade one of them to return home a bit circuitously via Hwy50, dropping me off at Echo Summit for a southbound day-hike or overnighter on the PCT back to my car left this time at Hwy88/Carson Pass. I would complete that hike with plenty of time to make it back to Santa Rosa for my Dr's appointment 9am Thursday Sep 12.
We'll see what Sandy thinks of this idea.
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