Sonora Pass to Bushcamp – 11 miles
PCT Mile 1018 – 1029
July 1, 2026
“Hike your own hike, but also don’t be a dick.” – Buffer
Well it took me a while, but I’m finally writing my blog for my section hike this summer. I hiked Nobo (northbound on trail) with Buffer, my friend from South Lake Tahoe that I met a couple of years ago when I took a trail maintenance course near Truckee. She and her partner Shawn are amazing people and I am forever grateful for their kindness and commitment to the hiking community.
I flew in to Reno a couple of days before our planned start date so I could acclimate to the altitude a bit. Coming from 400 feet in Austin to over 6000 in Tahoe and then 9000+ at the trail head means I needed to chill for a bit and Tahoe is a great place to do just that.
Luckily, with my fully remote work schedule, I was able to work from their house and not burn two extra days of PTO. It also gave me plenty of time to finalize gear and food, though I never get food right. I think I will forever tinker with my food system. I’ve always been picky and backpacking food seems to really challenge me.
Anyway, let’s get to the hiking!
We started on trail around noon after a Chik-Fil-A breakfast (I also got a spicy chicken sammich that I packed in for lunch/dinner) and reached our high point of just over 10,000 feet at Sonora Peak only a couple of miles in. After that, we headed down into a canyon for most of the day. The scenery was beautiful and we barely saw any other hikers past the trail head until we reached camp for the night.
There was still a bit of snow in places, though nothing that would have required micro spikes or ice axes. It was a pretty low snow year in the Sierra. Thanks to Buffer for the videos and pics of me hiking, which I normally don’t have many of.
As we wound down into the canyon, it was nice to have someone to chat with about life and hiking. It is quite different than being alone with your own thoughts.
Of course, marmots were about.
Water in the northern Sierra is plentiful. We really only needed a liter at a time, though I usually had 1.5 to 2 because I’m paranoid.
One of my favorite pics of the hike.
We climbed out of the canyon for another mile or so to get to a campsite on higher ground, but still sheltered. We met a thru hiker at camp named Shake, who we would leapfrog and hang out with for the next couple of days. He was one of the more interesting hikers I’ve ever met (aren’t they all?). It was a lovely first day and we both slept well, despite Buffer forgetting her tent stakes and having to make due with big rocks to keep her tent upright. It worked! 🙂
