After our zero yesterday it was time to get back to the trail. In order to get back we had to get from Bishop to Independence and from Independence to the trailhead and finally hike the 8 miles back to the PCT. This was the days plan.
We wanted to catch the 0845 bus from Bishop to Independence as this would leave us plenty of time in the morning for showering, eating breakfast, getting packed and getting to the bus stop.
We all seemed to wake up quite early and we were ready to leave. We managed to get a ride the 1 mile to the bus stop. Getting to Independence was really uneventful.
We had not really seen any of Independence on our first pass through as we went straight to Bishop. We checked the store and quickly realised why Bishop is recommended as the place to resupply.
We placed ourselves next to the road leading to the trailhead and started trying to get a hitch. Initially we were unsuccessful so we moved a bit up the road. As we were doing so a nice lady offered us a ride. She was not going there but seemingly did it to pass her time. It was very nice getting a hitch that quickly.
Upon arrival she would not accept any payment, so we thanked her and unloaded all our gear. We had an early lunch at the trailhead and made good use of the trashcans to not carry any unnecessary trash on the trail.
We had a short hike planned for the day that would take us back to the PCT. From that location we should easily be able to cross Glen Pass tomorrow, the first of six passes and hike far enough to get close enough to the next pass.
We made short work of the days hike and arrived at the PCT at 1500. We found some tent sites and setup our camp. We had dinner at 1700 where we discussed the plan for tomorrow. After dinner we went down to Charlotte Lake which was very close to our camp. Avocado proved himself a true viking and went for a swim, I was too cold to even consider that. After this we went to bed to relax as we were all tired after perhaps not sleeping enough at the hostel.
Our general plan for this section is to hike one pass a day as this allows us to cross the passes early while the snow is still hard. This strategy also allows time to really savor the Sierra.
Leaving Bishop is kinda sad as it was a really nice town and the hostel we stayed at was really good. However getting to return to the Sierra makes me really happy and I am sure we will have a good time in this section.