May 16, 2019 — Scodie Mountain seems to have two primary routes, the Pacific Crest Trail and a more direct, steep gully. I decided to head up the PCT and take the gully route down. I highly recommend this way because the views on the PCT are really nice, and the descent through the gully is sandy, fast, and fun.
I started at the Walker Pass Campground and followed the Pacific Crest Trail through the basin north of Scodie Mountain, with views of the ridgeline the PCT would later follow. Along the way, I passed a bunch of PCT through hikers as they were making their way north. The trail weaves behind a hump north of Scodie Mountain, where there are some great views to the north, before continuing to the beforementioned ridge, heading south. The PCT eventually heads west, but instead I located a social trail leading steeply up a sandy gully in order to get to the ridge northwest of Scodie. This ridge is long and forested and requires a little manuevering to get around some brush, but overall a pleasant off-trail route to the summit. The views are so-so, but it was a nice introduction to the southern Sierra Nevada, an area I haven't explored much.
From the summit of Scodie Mountain, I went back along the ridge and veered north, locating a northwest draining gully that had a clearly eroded social trail once I dropped in, and it led me back to the PCT, saving miles of trail walking and making the hike into a loop.
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