Finally was able to get back on the trail after taking two weeks off the trail for the birth of our fifth grandchild, which went amazingly well. I also owe a huge thank you to the CBer who was so generous to drive me to Cottonwood Campground after dropping off my rental car in Bishop.

Cottonwood Pass. After two weeks off, and my legs felt like lead, but I still managed 22 miles. Most of the hikers that I started with got off the trail to hike Mount Whitney, and most of the hikers that I finished the day with were all sore from just having completed Mount Whitney. I chose to skip Whitney because I'd hiked it previously. Also, somewhere in this stretch the PCT became one and the same as the John Muir Trail (JMT). Probably my favorite part of the day was seeing a stream that was chalk full of golden trout.