The first step in starting my PCT section hike was to get to Yosemite. Based on my failure on this part of the PCT last year (I only made it slightly past Virginia Canyon), I decided to leave an emergency resupply package at Hetch Hetchy in case I had to abort the trek along the way. Two extra days of food and some all important cans of Diet Coke.

It was several years since I’ve been up here, but it was nice to see Hetch Hetchy. I never seem to get a lot of time up there. I took the time to walk out onto the the dam and take some pictures and hoped I’d not need to see that area again this year.

After the long drive back to Highway 120, I entered the main part of Yosemite and headed to Tuolumne Meadows to pickup my wilderness permit. I did have to sit in backed up traffic due to road construction around the Tuolumne Meadows area. Based on the curbs they are installing, they are trying to prevent all the people parking illegally on the shoulders that is way too common up there. Not sure if the plans included adding more legal parking spaces, since that’s the root of the problem up there: Not enough parking.

Unlike when I pick up my permit at 8am when they first open, there were no crowds and it was pretty quick to pick up the permit. I spent a little while to check out the long term parking situation and take a short walk around Tuolumne Meadows, but the construction didn’t really encourage me to stick around for long.

So, I headed east to Lee Vining and had my last real dinner and settled into the last bed I’d have for a while.