Carl in Tuolumne

On Thursday July 12 I met up with Carl in Tuolumne meadows, a section of Yosemite National Park known for its high alpine meadows and stunning mountain views. Finding Carl was surprisingly easy, I went where the food was. The first thing that struck me when I saw Carl was how clean he looked. I know that he had spent a couple of days in Mammoth with access to food and a shower, but he still spent the last two nights on the trail. The second thing that I noticed about Carl was how tan he looked. If it were not for him taking off his socks, you would have never thought that he was from the UK. The last thing about Carl that surprised me was how healthy he looked. I had read that he had lost 10 pounds on the trail, and to be honest I really felt that he should not be loosing that much weight. Whether he has lost that much weight or not, he looked great. He seemed happy, calm, and focused. His world has definitely become the trail, and there is an amazing bond that Carl has formed with his friends that he has met on the PCT.
Carl spent Thursday night with the group I was with, camping on the western side of the park. I had purchased a bunch of food prior to heading down to Yosemite, and gave him as much food as he could eat. The next morning we dropped him off at Crane flat where he continued on. He is planning on stopping off at Bridgeport, and then from there he will be heading towards the area of the Sierra that is home for many of his friends. I am guesstimating that Carl should reach the Tahoe basin by next weekend, or a few days passed. If anyone is planning on hiking any of the sections of the PCT with Carl, from Sonora pass to north of Tahoe, now would be the time to start dusting off your hiking boots and filling up your water bottles.