PCT Section K Hike September 2023 – Donner Pass

Goal for the Day: Donner Summit at I-80 to finish PCT Section K

After a night’s rest in a real bed and a continental breakfast at the hotel, I headed up to Donner Pass to finish the last 3.5 miles of section K. I didn’t quite get up early enough to see the sunrise from the Pass, but did get get nice views as I started the final 3.5 miles of this section.

While I could have done this part with just a simple day pack, I decided to wear my full backpack (minus the items I had trashed the day before) to keep myself honest.

On fresh legs, it was a pleasant hike through the little ‘island’ between Donner Pass Road and I-80. It seemed like no time before I saw I-80 nearby in front of me. In reality, it was a little over 3 hours.

After I passed through the first tunnel (although it was more of a drainage channel) under the eastbound lanes of I-80 and then the tunnel under the westbound lanes, I celebrated finally finishing PCT section K.

It may have taken me two treks to finish due to my left foot injury last year, but I could cross this section off my list.

And I could finally call a trek this summer successful. 1 and 3 is a horrible record, but it was better than 0 and 4.

After getting an Uber back to my Jeep (a fairly quick hop by car this time), I decided to check out the covered train tunnels near Donner Pass. Nothing to do with the PCT, but was an interesting historical remnant to see. Trains no longer used it, but there were a few spots you could reach it by foot.

I had seen it every time I had driven by this area on the freeway, so it seemed a good time to check it out. In addition to the parts dug out of the mountain side, there were also concrete covered areas to allow trains to get through this area in the winter. Built long before the highways, this was a remarkable achievement.