Why Are So Many People Hiking This Rustic California Valley in Mammoth’s Shadow?

A hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail passes signs near Red's Meadow Resort & Pack Station, located at an elevation of 7,500 feet on June 21, 2022, in Mammoth Lakes, California. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

By Christopher Reynolds From Los Angeles Times

Hikers dribble in to this Sierra crossroads from dawn to dusk, all sizes, ages and conditions.