Leaving Kings Canyon in the cold shadows of the early morning, we took a short detour from the PCT to Muir Trail Ranch. In the long stretch of trail between Independence and Mammoth, shipping a food bucket to MTR is one of the only options if you want to resupply. I collected my bucket (they don’t allow boxes because of the rough overland journey it takes to get there) from a shed near the entrance and we began the process of dumping trash and sorting food. While divvying up oatmeal and ramen packets we met a friendly family hiking the John Muir Trail, who offered us their extra oreos and non-perishable bacon (I had no idea this existed). We greedily scarfed down everything they were willing to give us, and with contentedly full stomachs left the Ranch to continue our journey.
The path back to the PCT proved difficult, as we earlier had descended to MTR and now faced a very steep, hot, and exposed trek up toward Selden Pass. Soon enough, however, we were back among the snowfields, waterfalls, and placid alpine lakes of the high mountains. After dealing with some slick ice on the north side of the pass I went on the hunt for a dry campsite next to Marie Lake. When I walked over to a promising spot near the water, I heard a piercing yell and glanced to my left just in time to see a pair of naked hikers leaping into the half-frozen lake. The hikers later joined us for dinner and one, a photographer from Bulgaria, showed me how to take photos of the perfectly clear night sky with his SLR camera, capturing the light of a million stars.
Russell on the Road 