Day 19 - JOB DONE!! — Walking People Out of Poverty

We woke up and started to break camp, and it was by far the coldest morning of the entire trip.

There was no major rush to get on the trail this morning as we had a short day ahead of us. We actually made coffee and drank it before breaking camp. Before leaving, we all put on our warmest clothing, and we finally got away at around 7:10 a.m. Apart from a half dozen steps to climb up, leading away from the campground, our path was mainly downhill to Tuolumne Meadows. Woody took the lead, and after the initial climb, we hit upon a beautiful trail that was ideal for our walk. No rocks, scree, tree roots, etc.—it was perfect. We came upon a beautiful meadow covered in hoar frost, which explained the cool temperatures. We made pretty good time, and after 90 minutes or so, we stopped for a break. It wasn’t a long break, as we were anxious to get to Tuolumne Meadows, so we were off again. The sun had now joined us, but it wasn’t warm enough to take off a layer, primarily because there was a cool wind blowing. The trail led us through the forest and was mainly flat, although there were the occasional uphill sections of a few feet, but also a lot of downhill. We eventually arrived at a parking lot used by visitors to the area, and we sat and waited for Huckleberry and Traveler to join us. After a short break, we had just 2/10ths of a mile to the Tuolumne Meadows store. We rolled in at 11:15 a.m., and it was JOB DONE for the 2024 leg of the PCT. It had been a very positive experience, and I could not have asked for better companionship to share both the trail and the experience with. Three stats stand out: we climbed over eight passes, a number of which would be considered major; walked 168.10 miles; and accumulated over 28,684 feet in elevation gain. Oh, and my hip didn’t bother me once!

Huckleberry, Woody, and Traveler—I thank you for your companionship and laughs along the trail. Please know your friendship means the world to me.

In closing, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to all of the folks who continue to support my walks by making a donation. I would also like to thank those who may be sponsoring Walking People out of Poverty for the first time. Irrespective of which side of the coin you may be on, please know I greatly appreciate your support. The work Opportunity International does could not succeed without your donations. Thank you immensely.