The Sierra certainly is a distinct part of the Pacific Crest Trail! Beautiful in its own, austere sort of way, with its sheer granite faces, scraggly trees holding on for dear life to the wind swept cliffs, exceptionally high altitudes, and an abundance of water features. I am a little bit spoiled, having grown up backpacking in the Sierra, so for the most part this isn't new to me, but I still find it beautiful, and now I am looking at it as an adult, with better knowledge of the surrounding world, and the ability to appreciate it in new ways.