Thursday, August 23, 2007
Blog Comments / Future Postings
Washington: Last Leg of Journey
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Why No Postings?
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Day 96; Tues July 31 2007
This morning's hike was largely along hillsides though dense fields of wildflowers. I think we must be near or just past the peak wildflower display in this section. Cow parsnip is the dominant flower, but we are also seeing paintbrush, statis, purple aster, fireweed, sunflower, goldenrod, tufted loosestrife and ???
After lunch we headed on a downhill course toward the Siead Valley. The hiking here was through the woods with much vegetation closing in on the trail just like the wildflowers earlier in the day. We saw very little of the poison oak that was supposed to be such a problem in this section.
We leap frogged Old Corpus and Gary most of the day and are camped next to the Clider Creek, 10 miles from Siead Valley--a tiny town that the trail passes through. Gary is camped a few feet away and Old Corpus found a spot a few miles back.
We hiked about 27 miles today and my shins are feeling 100% better. Yeah!
Day 95; Mon July 30 2007
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Sunday, July 29, 2007
Day 94; Sun July 29 2007
We were on the trail by 6:15, and met Troll and Oblivious packing up about a mile down the trail. They were camped just past what the guilde referre to as the "glatial bowl". I was expecting a really cool granite formation of some sort, but it only seemed to be a big bend in the trail.
The morning sky was particularly beautiful and I took many pics to capture the moment. There semed to be a heavy haze layer and the smell of smoke which we learned later was due to a fire that has been burning for over a month in the town of Happy Camp. It's apparently under control and won't have any impact on our hike.
Dwight, Troll, Oblivious and I hiked together for the 5 miles to the road crossing where we hitched to Enta. Enroute we heard a lot of cowbells in the distance, that coincindentally were attached to a big herd of cows grazing trailside. They took off running as we approached and we continued to hear the sound of cowbells for the next 15 minutes as they fled the area.
The hitch into Etna was 15 mlies, and just before the road crossing someone had left a cooler of soda's, beer and fresh fruit. This has been a good section for trail magic.
We waited about 30 minutes to get a ride--and it was the second car by on a very lightly traveled road that picked us up. It was two guys who had been car camping and they had nearly the entire vehicle--a short bed pick up with extended cab--filled up with car camping equipment. Dwight bungied the packs to the luggage rack--one of those safari looking things--and the guys crammed into the pickup bed and I got into the cab where the driver had carved out a spot for me. The driver was playing a CD of hari chishna (sp?} music--the same song played the entire 15 mile commute..."hari chrishna, hari, hari chrishna; hari chrishna, hari, hari chrishna" was sung over and over again. The driver, a tennis pro named Don, was really getting into it--to the point he was continuously turning it up and by the time we got to Etna was clapping his hands along with the music. Hands are optional when drivng, right?
In Etna, a quaint town a few blocks long, we checked into the Hotel Etna (small, nice, family run place), ate a late breakfast, Dwight did laundry, ate some snacks, ate an early dinner, did our resupply at the grocery store, ate some icecream, brownies and fruit we bought at the grocery store and now are headed to bed...
Day 93; Sat July 28 2007
This was a day of climbing; I would estimate that 80% of the day was spent walking uphill, in the dustiest trail in memory. The good part was the views were spectacular. White granite with spare coverings of fur trees. Black volcanic mountains, red ultramafic mountains, and we climbed to many crests to get a look at them all. We walked out of the Trinity Wilderness and the Trinity Alps into the Russian Wilderness.
The Troll and his famous son Oblivious caught up with us at dinner time; Clair and Patrick joined later. We enjoyed their company; Troll always makes me laugh.
Water was not a problem today, there were plenty of springs and creeks, although they were not well documented in the guide book.
We hiked 25 miles today and have only 5 miles tomorrow into the town of Etna. This is exciting; I'm looking forward to this town stop.
Day 92; Fri July 27 2007
We camped less than a tenth a mile away from the creek we were trying to get to last night. This morning, while Dwight pumped, I stretched out my calves. We expected to pass Troll and Oblivious still sleeping but they must have gotten up early and down the trail in front of us.
We hiked until 1 pm with only 1 short break to get water. At one point the trail markers, which have been consistant in this section dissappeared and we thought we were off trail. We dedided to wait 15 minutes before backtracking and luckily saw a trail marker with 4 minutes to spare. Maybe we're finallly getting the hang of this trail.
After lunch we had a 1500 ft climb. At one point we heard some clicking to the left of us. I thought it was one of the many yellow and black grass hoppers the have been buzzing around us like helicopters the last few days. But Dwight jumped back a few feet nearly knocking me over like a bowling pin and said, "it's a rattler". A big, mad one too. It moved into the bushes but didn't stop rattling so we moved along quickly getting as far to the oppisite side of the trail as possible.
WeKd been seeing a lot of cow patties and finally the cows that went with them. As soon as they saw us, they took off running the opposite direction. (Apparently, they could smell us.) Curious thing: we have passed through dozens of stock gates on this hike, but none in this section. There is no fencing here whatsoever. What keeps these cows together?
Around 4 we stopped at a creek that had several nice pools. As we were washing up, another couple came along--Clare and Patrick. We'd seen them earlier, just as they were getting up for the day. They are also thru-hiking. Patrick just founf out he has "the G", or so he was told at the local hospital. It sounded like more of a guess on the doctors part who told him the Flagela (sp?) wouldn't hurt him if it really wasn't Giardia. They also told us Troll and Oblivious were actually behind us, but they caught up to us at dinner and we ate together.
We are camped at the side of a pasture where "eau d'cow pattie" wafts in the air. Dwight actually had to remove a few to make room for our ground cloth. I draw the line at picking up cow dung!
Troll and Oblivious are camped nearby. We hiked 26 miles again today and my shins feel much improved.
Day 91; Thur July 26 2007
Susan was walking better today. It seemed the vitamin I before bed helped.
We stopped around 9:30 to get water in a wonderful mountainside creek that had created a field of wild flowers: Canada Thistle, a blue flower (Hare Bell?) and many Pitcher plants.
It was day of climbing up to the point where the long rocky uphill trail was reminicint of a High Sierra mountain pass. There were many mountain side springs and creeks. We didn't stop hiking till 8pm. Got in 26 miles; not bad for a girl with bad ankles. Susan also found a great campsight where it was flat and the soft duff was thick.
Day 90; Wed July 25 2007
with the mice. Both my pack and Dwight's food bag had holes chewed in them and the mice got to my tortillas and pita bread and D's ramen. I guess we were lucky; the damage could have been much worse. So, before setting off, we hiked back down to the grocery store and replaced the food we had to throw out.
Once back from the store, we headed back to the trail using directions from our guide book. We got to he first trail intersection OK, but from there couldn't make heads or tails out of the instructions, even after we both read them about 4X apiece. Finally Dwight figured it out by studying the microscopic sized map for a while. In retrospect, the instructions, which covered several paragraphs of information, were as simple as: "Take trail A to trail B. This will dump you back on the PCT". What ever happened to the KISS approach? My two big beefs about the guide books: 1) maps too small, 2) words too many.
My right shin still feels like crap so we weren't moving too fast today. After last night and this morning's mouse fiasco, my attitude wasnKt the best, so it was nice to run into Troll and Oblivious who were taking a break in the middle of the trail. "I don't think I'm going to get in too many miles today...I just don't feel like hiking", Troll told us. They had gone into Shasta City last night; Troll's dad had met them there. So the 4 of us lumbered on together and eeked about about 20 miles.
Day 89; Tue July 24 2007
We climbed and climbed, then climbed some more today. The incline was managable, the trail was mostly pine straw and not rocky. Thank God it was mostly shaded by the large pines.
We stopped and washed at Squaw Valley creek around 10, lunch at 12 and a short break around 3. We got some great vistas of Shasta. This mountain is above 14,000 ft and is a 'cloud catcher', like Mt. Washington in the east. Weather seems to fly over the other lesser mountains, but hangs on Shasta and creates more clouds. It looks like it would be a technical mt. to climb.
Our decent to Interstate 5 and the Castella PO seemed like an eternity. High up, we could hear the traffic for hrs. before we got there, about 4 hrs. of walking.
We arrived at the interstate entrance ramp at 4pm. The PO closes at 4:30, and as luck would have it, the first car that comes by gives as a ride. We make it to the PO 15 minutes before closing. There we pick up two envelopes from Tim forwarded from Belden containing the maps and data book, plus extra food we mailed to ourselves from the extra big food drop (overflow) from Susan's parents and our friend Cindy Tufford. They also gave us a note on a yellow stickie from Charlotte and shirley, who had apparently driven through the area, to look for another note at the gas station/grocery next door.
So next it's over to the food market. The note from Charlotte and Shirley...had been thrown away. "We can't keep these [messages for hikers] forever", the manager said. Thanks, buddy.
We did, however, buy burritos and additional supplies for the next 99 mile leg. We were sitting on a picnic table eating, when a young guy joins us with his own burrito. Turns our he works for Clif Bar (we eat them on the trail all the time). Mike gives us 7 bars from his car! ahe especially like the story we told him about the John Muir Trail hiker we met near Mt Whitney that did the entire trail (JMT) on 4 Clif bars a day.
We ended the day with a shower in Castle Crag State Park 1 mile up the road and are camped at the site they set aside for PCT hikers. This was a pretty good day. We hiked about 20 miles to get to Castella. Susan is being a real trooper with the shin splits. I don't think it would possible without "vitamin I".
Day 88; Mon July 23 2007
The left shin is much better, but the right one is still swollen and painful. Toward the end of the day, when all the benefits of the ibuprofin had worn off, I was back to hobbling down the trail at snails pace. We were in a downhill stretch then and even though the grade was minor and the terrain good, I resorted to walking downhill backward to get relief from the pain.
It was hot, hot, hot today. Even the breeze blew hot air. We did pass a fair amount of water today, and I twice soaked my shins in ice cold water. That was nice.
I passed up the last opportunity of the day to get water and that was stupid. Didn't feel like carrying it up hill, and for that I got a dry dinner and left both Dwight (since he shared what he had left) and I thirsty at days end.
Day 87; Sun July 22 2007
The terrain is very interesting, rolling hills which don't seem to roll in any one direction, like you would expect. The trees are white pines and douglas fur. (The Native American guy we met yesterday referred to the as "the dougs".) The understory is covered with brush and it is lush green. This all seems to indicate that this part of the state gets more rain than any we have traveled thus far.
We see Mt. Shasta at at every turn where there is a vista. It is a snow covered granite monolith towering over the rolling pine covered mountains.
The afternoon sun is now very hot but thankfully there is plenty of shade and up hill walking is not that difficult.
I saw a same bear in the afternoon. He must have just been kicked out by mother this year. He seemed somewhat confused. He first started to climb a tree. Then surveyed the situation and slowly backed down the tree, and finally ran like hell.
Later in the evening, as we were walking the trail I noticed a blast of cold air and mentioned this to Susan. she said, 'Yea, I think we have been passing water we can't see all day'. She was reading my mind. To me, that cold blast ment a spring was below the trail in the dense brush... I guess we both have been out here a long time.
We hiked 22 miles today and I know it was painful for Susan. One ankle is getting better, the other is not. We stopped walking abouut 8pm.
Day 86; Sat July 21 2007
colors", he said. "I've been lower than the lowest rung on the ladder and was the town drunk for 14 years." More recently he'd represented the Pit River Nation in congretional hearings where several different native american tribes were going up against commercial interests to fight geothermal development at Medicine Lake. I recalled later that he never used the term "Native American" during any part of our discussion which was much more lenghty than what I have witten here. You meet some interesting people on the trail.
The ~7 mile hike to Burney Falls State Park was nearly flat. I took 3 ibuprofin (600mg) just before we left, and the shins didn't feel too bad--certainly better than coming into Burney a day and 1/2 ago.
At the State Park we had lunch at a picnic table next to the new general store--a nice log structure. The park was busy with weekend tourists. Dwight got a couple of hotdogs at the store (since we planned to have lunch there--but I had plenty in my food bag so I just ate out of it). We both got supersized soft drinks and icecream since we just can't seem to get enough of this stuff on the trail.
After lunch the terrain was more rolling. I took another 3 ibuprofin (the pharmacist advised me not to take over 2400mg per day). Once we got to the dam at Britton Lake we reached the section of the trail where we have no maps or data page. Are only reference is Yogi's pages which just briefly mention water sources along the way. But this section is well marked with triangular metal blazes, so we have not had problems with route finding.
I'd guess we hiked about 20 miles today.
Day 85; Fri July 20 2007
Because of Susan's shin splits we are going to take the day off and stay at the Green Gables Motel in Burney one more day.
The day started with a trip to the barber shop for a trim of the beard. Then a trip to the Safeway for food for the up coming 90 walk to Castella. Then back to the motel to get Susan and lunch at the pizza place. Then shopping at Rite - Aid for last minute items. A call to sister Sharyn for medical advice about Shin splits and a call to brother to ask for the data book to be mailed to Castella. After all this we when for a swim in the pool and then to the BBQ place for dinner. I didn't get much rest but Susan stayed off her feet most of the day. This is a typical 'day off' the trail.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Day 84; Thur July 19 2007
Tried stretching out my shins and took 2 ibuprofin before getting out of my sleeping bag this morning. As I headed down the trail working on my power breakfast of a Lucky Charms & Honey Nut Cheerios, I could tell the shin situation was only getting worse. I hobbled along slowly with Dwight patiently behind or in front. It's no fun dinking along at a slow pace when you feel great, but Dwight has been a real sport about it. Over the past few days we've taken several breaks and he's massaged the lower part of my legs--concentrating on the calves as Anneki (Heidi's sister) suggested. Anneki played college basketball so I figured she knew what she was talking about. Massage doesn't seem to relieve much pain, but it feels good while in progress.
We ran into Hell on Wheels (Helen) and Stormin' Norman mid morning when they were taking a break. They slept at the water cache (Cache 22) last night and Norman said he woke up with a dead mouse under his sleeping bag. First I've ever heard of that happening. Since both Norman and Helen have battled shin splints, they gave me some tips for how to deal with mine: 1) take ibuprofin (check) 2) take small steps downhill (helped Helen, but didn't help Norman 3) get Super Feet inserts for shoes (helped them both) 4) wrap shin in ace bandage (helped Helen but Norman said it made it more painful. Mine already has the sensation of wearing boots that are too tight around the ankle, so I think I'll skip that.) 5) Massage (check) 6) taking a day off 7) shorter hiking days and 8) Once it starts getting better, taking breaks as soon as the pain starts to return.
It was nice hiking today; not too hot, mostly level trail through oaks and pines. The trail was still a bit wet from the previous days' rain and it really helped keep the dust down. For the past 2 days we had our first reprieve from "the pigpen effect"--no dust cloud following us down the trail. Had it not been for the shin situation it would have been an enjoyable day.
After 14+ miles of hiking, at highway 299 we started to hitch into Burney--what some described as the hardest hitch on the trail. But a woman turning onto 299 from a nearby crossroad spotted us--and give us a quick ride in. She even gave me an ice pack for my shins in spite of me trying to tell her it wasn't necessary.
We checked into a local motel--the Green Gables--where the manager gave us an on-the-fly hiker discount. We were able to do a lot of our food resupply at the nearby Rite Aid and ate dinner right across the street at the recommended Outpost Restaurant where they had a filling prime rib special.
Just before dinner we called my sister-in-law Sharyn--a physical therapist--for advise on the shins. She suggested RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) as well as stretching. She thought the change in shoes may have been the cause since I described the arch as more pronouced than the running shoes I'd been using which have nuetral arch support. I had been icing and elevating since we'd arrived in Burney--so I also did the stretching Sharyn described before heading off to dinner.
Tomorrow we'll take a zero here. I know the recovery won't be immediate, but maybe I'll get lucky and will push through it in a week to 10 days. It sure makes me more sympathetic toward other hikers with the problem and also wonder how folks live with constant pain.
Day 83; Wed July 18 2007
So, Susan had a great idea yesterday: use one of the guest tents at the Heitmans. We did, it rained all night, our tarp didn't get wet (a plus), the old tent we chose leaked like seive and much of our gear got wet (a minus).
It was still raining when we got up. I was antzy and did not want to wait for breakfast from the host. There were 12 hikers there and things seemed very disorganized.
After saying goodbyes and a worthless lecture from Georgi about thunderstorms (it was a gentle 'lady rain'), we left. Got coffee and a pastry at the general store, talked to Heidi, Troll and Oblivious who were both just arriving as we were headed out. Good to see them all, we were wondering about how they were doing.
At 9:30 we started hiking in hard rain. By the time we reached Hat Creek Rim, the rain was slowing. It rained on and off until lunch at about 1pm. This is normally a very hot and dry hike, but the cloud cover made it easier. The cloud cover was very dramatic and we had a great view of it from the rim.
We needed to walk about 18 miles to the water cache. This took all day and we arrived at about 6pm. Susan's shins were hurting bad and the walking was painfully slow. Stopped a few times during the day to massage her legs; don't know if it helped.
After dinner the trail dropped down to flat valley and we found a great camp site in a grove of pines. Despite bad shins we managed to hobble 24 miles today. When we get to Burney, Susan will need to rest.
Day 82; Tues July 17 2007
We arrived in Old Station around noon and had lunch at the deli/small grocery next to the tiny PO. A retired couple, Georgi and Dennis Heitman, live here and open up the home to hikers. We happened to be at the deli when Dennis stopped by to pick up some other hikers--Rest Stop, Hell on Wheels and Stormin Noreman--so we went along as well. Dwight would have preferred to stay in the small hotel there, but I'd read and heard so much about the Heitmans, I wanted to come here. They have a log home that Dennis built, along with several other outbuildings including a very cool tree house which has cots for hikers. They also have some tents set up in their back yard that hikers can use. We were able to shower, do laundry, and use the internet. They have a refigerator full of free soft drinks and they fed us a dinner of chili, salad, rice and corn. I soaked my feet and ankles in the ice cold creek running through their back yard for as long as I could stand it. All of the He!
itman's services are free but tips are accepted. It continues to amaze and puzzle me that folks do this for hikers.
Besides the hikers mentioned above, the 4 Bears, a family from Alaska section hiking, are also here, as well as a thru-hiker named Chigger who is trying to recover from bronchitis and strept throat. (Chigger is friends with folks we hiked with on the AT: Shera and Just Another Joe. Amazing how small the long-distance hiking community is.) Riley also arrived later in the day. Georgi Heitman takes pictures and keeps an index card of info on all hikers that stop by--and they've had around 45 thru-hikers so far.
Day 81; Mon July 16 2007
Walked about 25 miles including most of Lassen National Park. Took a side trail to Terminal Geyser, ate our dinner by a beautiful lake in the company of a new and very young park ranger. Walked through some very unspectacular forest. Missed an all you can eat lunch at the Drakesbad (Dude) Ranch, and treked over some of the dustiest trail you could ever imagine. Washed myself twice today (rivers and lakes) and still I am covered with multiple layers of dust.
Day 80; Sun July 15 2007
To celebrate reaching the halfway point, we hitched 8 miles into Chester to eat dinner. We got picked up by a local couple that first drove by, then turned around and came cack and got us. They dropped us off at a local burger joint and we got a burger, fries and soft serve dip cones. We first tried to order an 8 piece bucket of chicken (I had talked Dwight down from 12 pieces) but they said it would take 1/2 hr to make. Then Dwight ordered a jumbo burger, and that was going to take 20 minutes, so we settled for the regular size burger just to get the food faster.
Riley came in while we were there and sat down and ate with us.
The hitch out took longer, but just at dusk a young mother in a compact car, with her 6 or 7 yr old daughter in back, gave us a lift. She said she picked up hikers last week hitching into Chester after dark. "If I didn't pick them up, who would have?" What a trusting person.
About halfway back to the trailhead, the little girl pinched her nose, and with a wrinkled up face said: "Mommy, something stinks in here". She got no reaction from her mom who was engaged in conversation with Dwight in the front seat. As kids tend to do, she repeated herself, and I said: "Sorry, that's probably me". But she repeated herself again a few more times getting louder and whinier, at which point her mom finally glanced in the rearview mirror and calmly said: "Honey, they're hikers". This answer apparently satisfied the child, and she went back to watching a movie on her portable DVD player without another word.
Back at the trail head, we hiked on a few miles until we reached Clear Springs. We washed up a bit, found a flat spot a few 10ths of a mile down the trail and called it a day. The new Smartwool socks my mom sent in the Beldon mail drop, which I've only worn for 2 days, are already full of dirt. And my feet are filthy black. Unavoidable on this trail. Somehow you hope the new socks will act like a talisman--keeping away all the dust and dirt the trail coughs up. Dare to dream.
I think we hiked around 26 miles today.
Day 79; Sat July 14 2007
There was a great breakfast at the Braatens. Susan cleaned the hiker kitchen and Brenda Braaten shuttled us to the post office. We had a great food resupply from Mr & Mrs T. A supprise package of goodies from Cindy and Dan Tufford and Susan got a new hiking skirt from her always resourceful sister Cathie. What was lost in the mail was the maps for northern Calif. from my brother Tim. He sent it on 6/28 but the package is AWOL.
The Belden Postmaster was nice enough to come to the PO on her day off, Saturday, to double check! The PO was a tiny little red stain washed wooden building, with the charm of an old timey general store. I don't think the Post Master would mind if I described her as a northern California hippy. She even had an accostic guitar behind the counter - I guess things could get pretty slow there. The maps were not located, I filled out a forwarding request. This was the smallest of towns (pop. 14); the people were wonderful.
The trail followed a fast running stream called Chips Creek for miles. At one point Susan was sure we were lost and worried about it for the next two hours. We walked for about 7 miles before seeing a trail marker and that drove her nuts. Meanwhile the creek was feed with many streams and springs. We enjoyed them all, dipping our bandanas in the cold water, then securing them around our necks to keep cool. We took an early lunch by one stream. The trail is now extremely dusty and we wash our legs whenever possible. Although the afternoon was warm, we stayed relatively cool as the trail wound though spruce, ponderosa and lodge pole pines. In the morning there were some black oaks but they faded away as we gained elevation. We crossed Milkhouse flats - an upland meadow, and filled our water bottles in the fridged Frog Springs. Around 5:30 we stopped at Cold Springs for dinner. This area had a brand new corral, hitching posts and water trough for the equestrians.
We hiked an additional 3 miles before making camp short of Humbolt Peak around 7:45 pm. We hiked 22 miles today.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Day 78; Mon July 13 2007
It was an uneventful day, and another day where we had no human contact until we got near Beldon, where we ran into a section hiker from Las Vegas named Death Valley Bob. He's been biting off small sections of the PCT for 10 years and said he'll probably still be working at completing it for the next 10 years to come.
We went through an interesting mix of environs today--kind of like yesterday, but in reverse. Pine and cedar woods gave way to an open area of mostly low manzanita and other dense shrubbery with sweeping view of the next section we'll be hiking in. In many places the shrubbery was so thick it had grown together to totally obscure the trail. This worked out pretty well for me because my mosquito bite covered legs got a free scratching.
Beyond the manzanita was more pine and cedar, then the addition of hardwoods (live oak, black oak, dogwood, big leaf maple) as we descended on 36 switchbacks to Beldon and the Little Feather River. Poison oak as well. I may be just one big scratching machine.
The 15 mile stretch we were doing today ended at a railroad track with a stopped train blocking our route into Beldon. Our guide book said to either go over the stopped trains or wait for them to move--so we quickly went up and over the connection between two cars--which was a little unnerving to me.
We reached Beldon around 1pm--and the entire town seems to be in one building--which looks like it was part of the set of a old west movie. Nothing (saloon and restaurant) was open and apparently there is no fixed schedule there.
Some very nice trail angels that live nearby and open up their home to hikers--Brenda and Laurie Braaten--came and picked us up at the trailhead. (We called them from a pay phone as instructed in Yogi's book). They had also picked up our mail at the post office: a food drop from my mom, a new hiking skirt from my sister Cathie to replace my favorite Kelty skirt that shreaded back in the desert section (even though Cathie had done a great repair job on the old skirt, she found a new one on EBay), and a very generous "goodie box" from our friends Cindy and Dan Tufford. Between the box sent from my mom and Cindy, we were able to combine the next two legs (so we won't be getting off the trail at Chester) PLUS we will be sending enough food on to resupply a future leg. Thanks so much to all!!
Our maps for the next section didn't arrive, but the post lady is going to make a special trip into the PO in the AM to open up for hikers--so we hope to find that the package was possibly missplaced and wil be found in the morning.
Day 77; Thur July 12 2007
This forest looks alot different at night; low intensity lighting, shadows. I had a hard time finding the hang. Then I realized - forgot my glasses. No wonder I was having vision issues. Besides, I wanted to see the fear in that bears eyes when I appeared wealding this telescoping, ultralight, hiking pole\weapon. After all it has a titanium tip!
Back to the sleeping bag I went. It was harder to return than I expected! But eye wear was retreived. Now that I could actually see, I'd be at the scene of the crime in no time. Well, not really. Things still look different in the dark, even with corrective lens. ...one big tree, turn left, another big tree...(gee, all these trees look big - should I be going north or east?). Oh! There's the bag, right where I hung it. Susan was right, must have been a tree branch. Oh well, back to sleep. Let's see, go south, big tree, more big trees, unfamiliar dead tree, a bunch of little trees, never before seen, hummm, "WHERE AM I?"...."Susan, where are you?". "I'm over here honey", she replys in a normal tone of voice that implies 30 feet distance. (Good, now I can protect her now that I know where she is...)
With my berrings corrected, I return to a warm sleeping bag after placing my trusty titanium tipped hiking pole at my side. Food safe.
We started hiking about 7 today. Wandering around in the dark stole some of my beauty sleep. After about 4 miles we reached Feather River, a good size rocky river in a deep gorge. Susan and I climbed down, took off most of our clothes and Susan went swimming. I washed myself and some clothes. The 10am sun was warm and it felt great to be clean. We ate a second beakfast, then started the uphill hike out of the gorge.
The ground was covered in oak leaves for the first time I could recall. Susan said they were live oak. There was also copious amounts of poision oak and after yet another lesson in identification, I decided the best thing for me to do was avoid all contact with plant life for the entire day. Poision oak is the "shape shifter" of plants. A little while later Susan spotted a dead bear. It looked young, maybe a year or two, it was sad.
After up over and down, we crossed Bear Creek. This started a seven mile up hill stretch. It sounds worse than it was; the forest was shaded, oaks, pole pines and later white pines.
There was an upcoming section of 12 miles with no water. I was constantly referring to the maps, making sure we were to fill up before that stretch.
At the end of the day we climbed Buck Summit. The view of the surrounding forest was comprehensive. Mansenita, white pine, spruce. The vegetation was very thick. We camped on the top of the ridge and hiked about 25 miles today.
Day 76; Wed, July 11 2007
It tried to rain several times in the AM, managing to spill a few drops here and there. Finally around noon, it lightly rained for about 15 minutes. Because it was so overcast, it was the first time, since the beginning of the hike, that I hiked without a hat on. Then it cleared up, the sun came out, it heated up again and the hat went back on.
The route today was mostly through pine forest and much of it appeared to have been selectively logged in the last few years. Lots of slash on the ground. The grade was pretty easy, which accounts for us hiking about 30 miles today
Some flora and fauna notes: yesterday I saw some white lilies on the trail--one with an albino spider on it. Is there a California day lily? Also, we saw some magnificent ground cover late in the day today. Gave some thought to sleeping on it. Thick, green (no flowers) and very low to the ground; leaves 1/2" X 1/4" and shaped like holly at the end. In some places it completely covered the trail.
We didn't see another person all day today. I believe that's only the second time thats happened since we've been on the trail.
Day 75; Tue July 10 2007
There was plume of smoke in the distant north - guessing it was lighting at this point.
The trail was spruce, pole pines and white pines; the flowers were still colorful but parched and dusty. The mountains and soil mostly volcanic. Some of the taller volcanic buttes still had some snow on them. They looked wonderful, the white soft snow contrasting with the jagged black rock.
We started to hear and see prop planes in the sky. At first I thought it many, then decided it was only two that were circling. The plume of smoke grew only so slightly. We comtinued to walk toward the smoke on the mountain side. Then we saw the helicopter. It circled, dove and tightly circled the smokey area. We hoped out loud that this was not a fire started by a careless hiker.
We skipped lunch - the Ben and Jerry's for breakfast factor. It rained ever so slightly. The trail carried us closer to the fire. At the closest point we could see two planes circling, copter moving in low, about 20 vehicles on a dirt road about a mile from the blaze. I had wondered out loud if there was proactive procedures for fires this small. This was my answer.
Later in the late afternoon as we hiked over more ridges we saw three more lighting fires. Two smaller fires that were yet to be attended to, and a third which may be about 5 miles northwest of our camp site. The copter worked until dark, then silence in the air. Maybe here in the west, after a very dry spring, lighting storms are very dangerous things.
We hiked about 19-20 miles today. It was good walking; we were energized by the town stop and the excitment in the air.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Day 66; Sun July 1 2007
I retreived the food sack from the hanging spot in a large sequia tree approximately 80 steps north of or camp. I try to note land marks and count steps when hanging food. Embarassingly, I have wandered the woods in the past, attempting to retrace the path to our well concealed food.
I used the light cotton cord to hang the food. It's longer than the poly yellow rope. I was happy it did the job.
The morning walk was alternating forest and traversing steep open canyons. The mountain side was step, loose volcanic gravel. The path was narrow but not truely dangerous.
As the day progressed we dropped into more dense conifer forest with an occassional accent of a volcanic ridge. This became a busy area with clean smelling day hikers as we approached Carson Pass: a trailhead with a thru-paved road and a visitor center. Enroute we saw a group of rock climbers on a mountain called Elephants Back.
There were picnic tables and a group of thru-hikers at the visitor center. The center didn't have any food, only water, maps and guidence for tourists. This was the 15 mile mark. We ate dinner at picnic tables, a real treat to be able to sit and eat.
The 5 mile hike after dinner was not difficult - only one hard uphill climb at the end. The mosquitos were bad as it was mostly pleasant meadow walking. We met some trout fisherman along the way.
We camped with a big pod of hikers: Helen Wheels, her husban Norman, Riley, Billy Goat and late arriving Heidi and her dogs. They had a camp fire and that was nice.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Day 67; Mon July 01 2007
We were on the trail by 5:40. This was due to our anticipation of the coming day. Today we were going to meet friends in Echo Lake. Shirley and Charlotte are long time friends of Susan's family. Chalotte and Mrs T have known each other since they were 15 yrs old. Along with my brother in Hemet CA, they have been supporting us from the Sacramento area.
The trail around Showers Lake showed that we were already in a higher use area. There were many well established camp sites along the lake and lots or side trails.
I think, as a couple, we are now offically 'spooked' about getting lost on a side trail. We now pause at even well marked junctions, consulting the map, and consider the possibility that even the the most unlikely spur trail could be the PCT. If you can imagine a well rehursed comedy team, debating over unlikely logic, with incorrect results, you've got the picture. But somehow, we progress foreward.
The ten miles we covered today were completely under the canopy of large moss covered pines. We had some rocky scrambles, but generally, this is the most top soil I can remember seeing on this trail. The flowers are still in bloom, however they are less dramatic dotting the forest understory rather than the covered volcanic hillsides of the Sonora and Carson-Iceberg Wilderness.
We ambled in to the Echo Lake Resort area. Two familiar faces sat at the picnic table outside the general store: Helen Wheels and Storm'in Norman. Two of the nicest people we have met on the trail. They call northern England their home. I love their accents and would be pleased just to listen to them read a phone book. But they are wonderful folks to talk to and I'm glad they are having a great trail experience. Just before we arrived a gentleman drove by and offered our british couple the night in his cabin complete with food and beer. It seems his son thru-hiked in a past year and this was his way of giving back. This thoughtful piece of trail magic could not have happened to a nicer couple.
Our personal trail magic was just starting. Shirley and Charlotte arrived in their camping van loaded with big hugs and more fresh fruit than two people could eat in a week.
Our drive, talk and eat-a-thon was followed by lunch at a restaurant Placerville. Five trips to the all-U-can-eat soup and salad bar, and we were back on the road to Sacramento. For some reason hikers have a reputation for an unsatiable hunger and the ladies continued their hospitality by preparing a wonderful home cooked meal. Steak, green beans, sauteed onions, mushrooms and a green salad. Top this off with apple pie al-a-mode and you have two bloated but happy hikers. Add warm showers, fresh clean cotton Hawaiian shirts and real cotton sheets and the day was a thru-hikers dream.
Day 64; Fri June 29 2007
It turns out KMR is like a little village. Cabins, dinning hall, generate their own electicity, fire engine, saloon, barns and 150 head of horses and mules. The cabins are booked 1 and one half years in advance, sending horses out almost every two hours, a farrier and about 70 employees. We really enjoyed our stay there.
Well, I made a bonehead move right at the trailhead. There were two trails and I impatiently choose the wrong one. Not the PCT, but a trail that when straight up the mountain to a peak on the PCT. It was very steep. I climbed to the top, but Susan turned back. It was not an easy hike down for her; she spent some time on her butt. I took the PCT back down and we eventually rejoined back at the trailhead 2 hours later--about noon.
Interestingly we found a container of camp stove fuel at the trailhead. We left it there.
After hiking 2 hrs. we got back to the spot in PCT we had tried to short cut to. There was a hiker named Riley. He had lost his fuel bottle. We knew where it was. Susan offered him our fuel. He followed us like a puppy dog the remainder of the day.
The trail was relatively easy and Susan and Riley talked for hours while I hiked alone. Later in the evening at Boulder Creek we all had dinner. Susan and I hiked on for another mile.
Despite getting off track we hiked about 16s mile on the PCT and ended our day around 8:30 pm.
Day 52--Sand in my shoes; Sun June 17 2007
These days I'm a man who walkes 10 to 12 hrs a day. I guess this is part of the job.
Day 63; Thur June 28 2007
Today was a special day--interesting trail and an abundance of trail magic. Yesterday as hiked into and camped in alpine area unlike any other we have seen to this point. It has that "Sound of Music" feel. There are even tufts of small white flowers--could they be Edleweiss (sp)? The vegatation here gives the mountains a velvety look in the distance with granite outcroppings that ring the mountain summits like the hairline of a monk. Our campsite was was near the top of treeline where the substrate had chaged to volcanic gravel.
We had a fairly short distance to go today--8 or 9 miles--to get to Sonora Pass. The trail across the pass was mostly above treeline and consisted of a footbed volcanic or granite gravel. At one point it had the appearance of walking a rime trail in a big gravel bowl. In a normal snow year, this is apparently one of the hairier passes that many have to take an alternate trail around, but (of the snow remaining), we only had one difficult snow field which I rock scrambled around and Dwight glissaded down.
On the way off the pass we met a buff looking 21 year old guy named Frank that was a couple of days away from entering the San Jose Police Academy. He was having problems with the elevation and was moving a bit slowly and was ending his weekend hike earlier than planned. Besides elevation sickness, his sleeping bag wouldn't zip and animals had gotten into his food bag--so it just wasn't his weekend. We hiked for a while together and told him about our thru hike. Although he took an altenate trail down to the highway crossing, he waited for us at the road side then gave us a ride to Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station where we had a planned resupply (trail magic #1).
This was the second "Kennedy Meadows" of the trail--the other being at the south end of the high Sierras. This place is a pack station (similar to Red Meadows). They have a number of charming cabins built in the 30's or 40's, a restaurant/office/grocery store, saloon and the neatest horse facilites I've ever seen. Although no cabins were available, they rented us a room over the store for $35. The second floor of the restaurant/office/grocery store is like an old boarding house with small rooms and shared bathrooms. It is generally used for seasonal employees, but they will rent out extra rooms from time to time. It was actually very quiet and we seemed to have most of the floor to ourselves. Also, the showers had great preassure and they let us use their laundry facility for $1.
We ate lunch just after we got there. Later in the day we went to the grocery to resupply and after getting all our groceries, the clerk asked if we had looked in the hiker box. Turns out a guy who'd abandoned his hike due to the fire in S Lake Tahoe (which did not impact the PCT), left all his food for other hikers. We were able to to put back 95% of the food from the store and resupply out of his box. (Trail magic #2) Also, a young fellow named Flow Easy who thru-hiked in 2006 came by with stove fuel, duck tape and fresh fruit. (Trail magic #3)
We also had dinner in the restaurant and have found out about an employee there who might be able to give us a ride back to the trail in the a.m. So has been a good day.
Day 65; Sat June 30 2007
Today was an odd mix of meadows, pine forest and areas of intesrting volcanic rock formations that seemed to erupt from the earth. We hiked along with Riley much of the day, at 27 yr old CTo for a small firewall co in Vancouver, BC. We also saw Sun Walker who is sufferung from shin splints but still probably managed to get several miles on us, and Lthe other Bily Goat--a fellow in his 60's from near Eugene, OR. He wears a shirt with Meals on Wheels logo to promote the organization and carries informational cards for anyone interested in helping our. He said the organization has lost a lotof government support--money that has been diverted to the war in Iraq. when at home, he dlivers meals to 25 needy folks a day.
Wev also saw many ay hikers the day; many be most we have seen on any. It loks like we may have come close to our goal of 25 miles today. We are camped on a very windy ridge in a grove of pine trees. Dwight was just comenting hoe he eil miss cowboy amping whe we get to WA and it will likely be more rainy-but then again, we seem to bring droght wheree er we backpack..so time will tell.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Day 62; Wed June 27 2007
The remainder of the afternoon was pleasant canyon walk. Stopped at the north fork of the Walker River to do laundry and relax. The mountains have changed character. They have become smoother, and warm green rather than the cold grey of lifeless rock. We slept on one of these mountainsides tonight over looking Kennedy Canyon.
We have not seen another human for 1 and a half days.
It is late June and spring has finally come to the Sierras. High in the mountains, for the past few days, the trail weaves between beds of small purple and blue flowers. The mountains have changed to volcanic. The rock is polverized, giving it smoother lines from a distance and allowing hardy plants to survive. We walked through a mountainside of 10 inch high plants with broad leaves and yellow flowers at days end.
We probably walked about 19 easy miles today. Tomorrow is 8 short miles to hwy 108 and a hitch to more food at Kennedy Meadows Resort.
(Stud) This is the first day we can recall that we have not encountered another person on the trail.
Day 61; Tues June 26 2007
Perhaps because we stayed up until 10:30 sharing a fire with Suess and Chickadee, Dwight and I were both total slugs today. It was like a plug had been pulled, and all the energy I had yesterday had drained out of me. I was particulary lagging behind Dwight on the downhills, where I kept sliding on the loose gravel--twice falling on my butt and both times using the same spot on my right had to catch my fall..ouch! A not so subtle reminder that granite is hard. (And, Yes, I'll take some cheese with that whine.)
Around 11 we were both out of water, but decided we could wait for a noon lunch break before making another stop. I lost sight of Dwight due to my slow pace and walked for what seemed like 2 hrs with no sign of him. I had decided I would stop at the next water crossing and eat lunch with or without him.
The next water was at a ford just past a trail crossing. Achilles, Yetti, Suess and Chickadee had all forded and were having lunch on the other side. I asked Achilles if they'd seen Dwight and he said they hadn't. He asked if I thought Dr
Bug had taken the wrong trail at the crossing. "Unlikely", I told him. For one thing, Dwight had the maps and also I didn't think he'd go past the crossing without waiting for me to catch up. Dwight and I always waited for each other at trail crossings just to make sure we headed down the same path.
I started across the river and lost my footing, and decided to just get water and return to the trail crossing. I made my lunch and waited. Dwight must have stopped somewhere along the trail and I must have passed hie without knowing it, I hoped.
Some time passed and here came Dwight. He'd stopped to get water at a creek. He said he thought he heard me pass but didn't yell out. He also broke our rule of leaving your pack at the side of the trail if you stop. I would have gotten into him over it, but he'd already gotten his due. Just after heading on the trail with his 3 liters of water, he yanked at his water tube thinking it had a kink in it, and he immediately felt water down his back. Before he could get his pack off, almost the entire 3 liters was emptied--with his sleeeping bag getting the worst of it. Needless to say, he wasn't in the greatest mood. He dumped out his pack at the trail crossing and we stayed there until his sleeping bag was nearly dry.
We shuffled on to Wilmer Lake battling it out with the mosquitos enroute. We stopped for dinner a hr or so before this and I nearly fell asleep sitting against a rock before Dwight finished up with the stove. He shared his dinner with me since I didn't have enough water to cook and was too tired anyway.
We slept cowboy with the netting having between trees. It still amazes how effective this is at keeping he mosquitos out--even though it is pretty disturbing to watch them all hovering aroung just inches away and buzzing up a storm.
Day 60; Mon June 25 2007
The morning hike was relatively easy, a pass would come in the afternoon. Lunch was by a roaring river. We ate, washed our feet, and our sox, and relaxed. We had lunch with Achillies, Yettie and Ghost. I guess her name is Ghost because she covers every part of her body with white clothing an her skin is very pail white.
We made a steep mile drop down to Matterhorn Canyon. There by Wilson creek we found three hikers we had never met before. Billy Goat #2, Helen Wheels (pronounced hell on wheels) and Storm'in Norman. They were very happy-go-lucky folks in their mid to late 50's. Helen and Storm'in Norman are British and Helen was smoking a cigarette!
After walking though the yet another lush green meadow, the accent up Benson Pass was a long one. It was miles up hill with many false summits. Unlike passes before, this was wooded and green alost all the way to the top.
When we reached the barren summit the cool wind blew hard and we thought we could cook dinner mosquito free. But no, these guys were drafting and hiding behind any object to escape the wind and attack us. It is funny to watch them as they line up against the wind looking like a squadron of planes. Suess and Chickadee showed up and we swapped mosquito stories.
We hiked farther down the trail looking for a more hospitable place to eat. Found a open high area near a small creek, but the bugs were relentless. STUD built a small fire to try and smoke them away. Was not very effective. We ate and moved on. We finally reached our 20 mile objective, Semdburg Lake, about 8pm. Found a nice place to camp. The trout were literally jumping out ofthe water, trying to catch mosquitos. Suess came by and borrowed STUDs fishing gear. STUD and Chickadee started a camp fire. Nobody caught any fish but we had a great time telling stories by the camp fire. We got nto our sleeping bags at 10:30.
Day 59; Sun June 24 2007
From our campsite the trail dropped quickly down to the Llyle (sp?) river. There was a challenging rock hop across the river to the trail--and I went across in my normal slow mode--working myself up to jumping to the next rock. When I'd gotten nearly to the other side I looked up to see a man coming toward me. "I saw you from my campsite and it looked like you might need some help. My wife has trouble at river crossings so I thought I might lend a hand". By then I was past the difficult part so I thanked him. We chatted for a while--he was there with his grandkids--then headed down the trail.
It was a level hike along a meadow into Tuoleme Meadows, that generally followed the river. We went directly to the Tuolomme General Store and Grill and got a late, second breakfast. I had some delicious buckwheat pancakes with strawberries, which the cook/mamager gave us for free because we'd placed 2 orders for pancakes but they only had enough batter for one order. I'm not sure why this warrented a free order--so I guess we'll just chaulk it up to trail magic.
We hung around the picnic tables in front of the general store until late afternoon eating and chatting with other hikers gathered there. We met a few new folks: Mr Parkay-a guy around 30 and Yetti--a 69 year old who was averaging 25 miles/day. He is also a rock climber and gymnist. Both are very nice guys. My Parkay entertained us with Chuck Norris jokes. Eg: Normally the grass is greener on the other side...but on Chuck Norris' side it's just full of blood and tears. On second thought, this entertained some more than others.
Other hikers there there were Jeb, Speedstick, Voyager, Galahad, Suess, Chickadee and Safari Bill (who was finishing up his hike of the JMT there).
In mid afternoon we resupplied at the store, then ate dinner at the deli and finally headed out around 5:30. Dwight had figured out an "easy way" to get back to the trail but it wasn't long before we were standing at a trail intersection wondering which direction the PCT was. We happened to be near the historic "Parson's Lodge", a stone structure built as a meeting place for the Sierra Club in the 1930's. So while Speedstick (she'd lost the trail as well) and Dwight pondered over the map, I went to check out the lodge. It was locked up, but a door was open at a nearby log cabin. I walked in, thinking it was a tourist attraction as well, but it was actually a Ranger's private residence. Her husband was very nice about my mistake.
Back on the trail, Speedstick and Dwight thought [emphasis added] they had it all figured out. But it didn't make sense to me. The ranger is 1/10th of a mile away... why don' I just go ask her. Speedsick, satisfied that she had it figured out, went on. I went back to the Ranger cabin, and she headed us in the right direction--too late to go after Speedstick who was well down another trail. Enroute to the high Sierra camp at Glen Aulin, our stop for the day, we stopped to dump the sand out of our shoes from the beachy trail...and here came Speedstick. She figured out her mistake when she got to a sign that said "Maintenance Area". She then bushwacked her way in what she figured to be the general direction of the trail. Until she met up with us, she really didn't know for sure that she was actually on the PCT. I wish I had her moxy.
We arrived at the Glen Aulin Camp just before dark. Voyager, Galahad, Suess, Chickadee and a hiker we hadn't met before--Ghost--were already there. (Speedstick had gone on to get a few more miles in.) We thought Glen Aulin was just tent camping spots with some food lockers (which it did have)--but it was also a staffed camp with several platform tents, and a small mess hall. For $148 per person/per night, you could stay in a small paltform tent replete with a woodstove, small dresser and two single beds. I believe this price also included breakfast and dinner. You could also get just breakfast for $12pp and tent camping was free. Since space was available, Dwight told Tom, the site manager, that we'd take a tent cabin. "Reeeaaally?", Tom said, his eye wide in disbelief. Clearly, no thru-hikers ever stay in the tent cabins. "Just kidding" Dwight said--pleased he could keep a straight face while saying we'd take a tent cabin. But we did spring for breakfast.
I think we did 16 miles or so today. Not bad for spending so much time hanging out at Tuolome Meadows General Store.
Day 58; Sat June 23 2007
There was a choice of trail to take - PCT ridge or JMT river and lake. We took the ridge. There were some spectacular views of the mountains across the canyon. Snow covered black volcanic rock with pockets filled with glacier melt - lakes and ponds. Then these roaring waterfalls from the mountain lakes into the green canyon below.
Of course, we were too absorbed watching this and we got lost. I was in the lead and got off trail, on to a spur trail to a spring. STUD was behind and started backtracking to the actual trail. By the time I worked my way back she was gone. This is a dilema I face often. First I wait for her - 5 minutes, no show. Now I must determine where she went. I choose forward at the trail junction we missed, thinking she found it and went ahead. This is what I hate more than anything. I don't know whether she is in front or behind me on the trail. It is a gamble to try and catch her. I turn a corner with a great veiw of the trail in front of me for 1/2 mile and I don't see her. This is where I get nervous. Luckily I hear her voice from down below the mountain ridge. She had gotten off trail where we were originally lost looking for me. This could have been much worse.
At lunch STUD tried to grill cheese on toast over a small fire and a rock pile for a stove. The fire was nice but the cheese didn't grill. Lunch was still good.
We hiked to spot on the map that looked above tree line and away from water, between two lakes.
Day 57; Fri June 22 2007
We had a quick 14 mile hike into Reds Meadow today. It was an easy trek--and the small restaurant the was calling..."double cheeseburgers and chocolate milk shakes..come and get it".
The last few miles before getting to Reds Meadow was a burn area with just the burned trunks of the pine trees remaining. The fire occurred in 1992 due to lightning after a 7 yr drought. Only the grasses and low scrubs seem to have come back. A local told us it would take 150 years to recover because of the low amount of rain here.
There is a family owned pack station at Red's Meadow. In addition to providing pack services where they will take you and your gear into the back country on horseback and mule, they also will provide a cook and whatever related services you need. They also have a small grocery (where we resupplied).
We spent much of the day at Red's Meadow--hanging out with Suess, Chickadee and Speedstick (who we first met at Kennedy meadows). Besides buying groceries and eating at their restaurant twice, we took at showers there. They're free and the water comes directly from a hot spring. It was actuaaly too ot to stand directly under.
We left late in the afternoon and stealth camped on the border of Devils Postpile National Monument--which we knew because "Border" signs were stapled to all the trees. Devils Postpile is an interesting rock formation which we thought we would be able to see from the PCT but could not--we'll have to save this for another trip.
Two reminders today that life and death go on in the world even though our isolation often make us detached from events around us. When we got into Red's Meadow, a couple day hiking with their son stopped to chat with us about thru-hiking. The woman was so happy to meet thru-hikers you would have thought we were a celebrity couple. When she found out we were from SC, she told us that 7 or 8 fire fighters had died there while fighting a blaze at a furniture store. She couldn't remember the town.
And on a more personal note, while calling home today, I learned of the passing of my Aunt Pris--my father's oldest sister. Aunt Pris was a super cool aunt who was talented at many things: she was a generous hostess, great cook, talented seamstress and other types of hand work such as knitting and crochet (which she taught me). She was an avid reader and artist--and I am lucky to have one of her paintings--which is a favorite of mine. It was a gift for helping with the book she wrote out my grandfather. She was really fun to shop with, had a great sense of humor and a wonderful laugh. I loved her and she will be missed by all.
Day 56; Thu June 21 2007
At the landing on the othe side on Edison Lake, STUD and talked to some section hikers names Suess and Chickadee-guys in their early 20's. They were knowledgable fisherman and gave STUD some good tips. We would see them throughout the day and talk to them alot more. A neat piece of gear that Suess had was a Big Buddy wood stove. It looked like a small coffee can with internal chambers. You could cook using small pieces of wood.
There were many river crossings in the next section. This is not STUDs favorite thing to do. She hates to get her feet wet. Because ofthe light snow season, fords that are normally thigh or waist deep were ankle or calf deep. We were very lucky with the lack of snow. The north fork of Mono Creek and Silver Pass Creek were easily forded.
Our next obstacle was Silver Pass at 10,895 ft. The climb to the pass was long and rocky. There were small patches of snow to negotiate and we either walked though them, or boldered around them. In the afternoon the softer snow made for easier walking. We were never going to go over a pass in the morning if at all possible. This was all very tiering because we basically climbed over or around piles of rocks. The trail wasn't much different from the surrounding terrain. We rested at the top and enjoyed the views of both the valleys in the north and south. Suess and Chickadee showed up as well as Hiker Jan. I think we sat on this ridge for an hour and talked to these folks.
It seemed like we couldn't get going after that. I always think it is important to try and camp in a high place. I had a spot in mind and we had ten more miles to go after lunch. I like high ground just aound the tree line where there is no water because 1) there are less mosiqutos and 2) I hope the higher you go, the less bear activity. We were shooting for a high and dry spot on the map between Lake Virginia and Purple Lake. Prior to this we stopped and ate dinner. Eating dinner miles before your intended camp site is a good practice in bear country so you do not have food smells in camp. This is a practice we have used thoughout the Sierras. We ate one of the expensive dinners Mom sent us, Mountain House chicken terryaki. It was the best dinner I have ever eaten on the trail.
Eventually we made our camp destination between the two lakes. For the first time we hung the mosquito neting directly from a string; we did not sleep in the tarp. It worked great.
We 14.8 hiked miles today. Not bad considering we did not start walking till 10:45.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Day 55; Wed June 20 2007
We arrived at the ferry landing about an hr early. A JMT hiker named Graham from England arrived shortly after us and told us about a combined hiking and cycle touring trip he did in Scotland last summer. It sounded like a great adventure--a trip inspired by the book "Hamish's Mountain Walk", by Hamish Brown.
Vermillion Valley Resort is a remote, campy outpost on Edison Lake. There is a small general store & restaurant, a few hotel rooms, some platform tents, a couple of campers, some fishing boats and one yurt for rent. The free platform tent for hikers was full (it only sleeps 4) so we decided to stay in the yurt. A yurt is a small, free standing, round tent-like structure. This one is outfitted with a small fridge, microwave oven, campstove, bed, built-in table and a couple of chairs. It's quite cozy and appears to be brand new.
My mother-in-law sent us our food drop here. It was a 2 day resupply and she sent us enough food for 4-5 days (and then some) plus lots of thoughtful extras like disposible razors, towelettes, bandanas and sun screen. We took out what we needed for the next leg (plus today's snacks) and had the remainder mailed ahead to another resupply town. Thanks Mrs D!
Easy came in on the 5:30 ferry and the 3 of us had dinner together. We last saw him in Independence--and enjoy hanging out with him. His trail name fits him perfectly--although (as a New Yorker) he was disturbed to see on the TV that the Mets are 4 and (for?) 14 this month.
Day 54; Tue June 19 2007
ains and maps to determine his heading. The only ice equipment he had was an ice axe. We listened to Joe's fascinating stories for 2 hrs, and before we knew it we were standing on the top of Sheldon Pass. Joe left, we sat down, enjoyed the view and ate lunch.
There were times when we walked through dense clouds of mosquitos. It twirled my hiking sticks like a majoret to try and beat them back. Later in the day we gave up and spraid our legs with a deet replent.
At the Bear ridge trial junction we stoped to camp and found, to our suprise, the hiker Old Corpus. He is a neat old guy. He had spent two days a Muir Ranch. Said nobody else was there. The staff treated him really well.
The Bear Creek ford is traditionally very dangerous. Because of the low snow year in the Sierras, we lucked out. I was only ankle deep.
We walked 22.6 miles today from the falls at Evolution Creek to Bear Ridge Trail junction of the PCT.
Day 51; Sat June 16
Leaving Upper Rae Lakes today we met 2 thru hikers breaking camp: Voyager, 55ish and Galahad (25ish)--both guys. We will likely not see them again as they both started about 2 weeks after us.
We ran into Hiker Jan not too far down the trail and the 3 of us hiked together for a while. We had one challenging ford--and got pummeled with mosquito's looking for the easiest way across. Jan had some deet handy and though we both prefered not using--we sprayed it on liberally.
We all took a break together at a cool suspension bridge. I took a picture of Jan in the same spot she was photographed 5 years ago when she hiked the John Muir Trail. (The JMT and PCT overlap here.)
The 3 of us leap frogged for a while--until D and I got ahead while crossing Pinchot Pass. We had no trouble on the way up or down the pass. When we got to the top of the pass a marmot was perched on a rock waiting for us--as if standing sentinal. We sat down to have a snack and when we turned around 4 marmots were gathered around our packs and Dwight's food bag which was laying on the ground next to is pack. We shooed them away and they hadn't seemed to have gotten into anything.
This is the first day we drank water from streams unfiltered and untreated. Tto this point we have filtered al ater with our pUR Hiker water pump. But there are seasonal streams everywhere--with the sun quiokly melting the remaining snow--so we're thinking everything above 10,000 ft should be ok? I hope we're not making a bad decicion here because I sent our medicine for "the G" (Giardia) back with my Golite pack and 30 degree sleeping bags when we left Kennedy meadows.
We hiked about 20-21 miles today.
Day 50; Fri June 15 2007
On the trail at 8:30 and hiking the 4.7 miles back to Kersearge Pass. It was a warm morning, but after a full zero day we were energized and made that streach swiftly. It was another 9.6 miles to Glenn Pass. We had heard from other hikers that the north side of Glenn had the most snow, so we were anxious about the upcoming 12000 ft pass. The approach to Glenn was gourgeous. Pristine alpine lakes surrounded by the now familiar huge rock mountains reaching to the sky. The climb was long and virtually snowless.
After ooohing and ahhhhing over the view from the top we started down the snowy north side. There were two dicy spots. One was crossing a steep snow field; if you slipped it would be a long slide down. The other was an extended descent by bolder hopping because the trail was hidden under snow for a very long stretch. There was too much loose gravel and we slid more that we wanted. No one got hurt so there another sucessful High Sierras pass assent.
We stopped at 3 by a crystal lake and finally ate lunch. Then it was a short hike to a series of lakes called Raes lakes. They are very famous because of their beauty. We made a tactical mistake and got off the trail to check out the camping areas at the second lake. It was enchanting. We found a Hiker Jan there who we haddn't seen in weeks. We were very tired (Susan was up until 2am the night before getting town chores done). That was it, we were camping there that night. STUD tried her hand at fishing with the drop line, but she didn't get any nibbles. I was asleep by 7pm. We only hiked 11 miles today. Feeling guilty about that, but it still a great day.
Day 49; Thur June 14 2007
Our "to do" list included: doing laundry, going to the library to use the internet, buying a new filter for the water pump and new fanny pack and socks for Dwight (he left a brand new pair of Smartwool socks drying on a bush and remembered when it just wasn't worth it to go back and the fanny pack has a broken zipper), a Father's Day card for my dad, groceries for the next section of trail, some basic fishing stuff for me (to try my hand at fishing in the Sierras where trout are supposed to practically jump on your line). And of course we also wanted to eat. We accomplished most of these things and even managed to work in a visit to a small museum on local mining history. Dwight couldn't find a suitable replaement for his fanny pack--so we bought a zipper and seam ripper and I replaced the broken zipper when we got back to our hotel room in Independence. It's not the neatest sewing job, but the new zipper is functional and Dwight is happy with it.
While waiting for the bus back to }ndependence, we hung out in the local saloon. It was 4 pm in the afernoon when we got there and it was just us, a couple of locals and some very load music on the jukebox. The female bartender was very entertaining--and it's possible she'd been into the hooch herself.
Dinner was at the only open eating establishment in Independence--Subway. I can't believe how much I'm eating these days. I ate so many ribs last night I set a PR. At Subway I ate a whole meatball sub, a supersized lemonaide, a half bag of freetos (and we're talking the large bag you get at the grocery store--not the single serving size) and 3 cookies. It's possible I may gain weight out here.
Day 53; Mon June 18 2007
From our campsite in LeConte Canyon, it was 7 mile uphill hike to Muir Pass; an elevation gain of 3,250 ft. Muir Pass has a reputation for having the appearance of a lot of false summits, so I tried to memorize landmarks on the map so I wouldn't get let down every time it looked like we were near the top of the pass.
The trail up to the pass was beautiful and the now heavily melting snow was turning the trail into a stream in places. In one arewa, the trail was now part of the adjacent lake. Trail side creeks and streams were gushing. I kept wondering how much electricty could be generated if the force of this water was harnessed. Even smaller creek crossings--where we were rock hopping to avoid fording--were intimdating with the large volume of water. I am often getting a steadying hand from Dwight who deftly crosses streams on narrow and slippery logs and unsteady rocks with complete deftness.
For the first time going up a pass we were workimg well as a team. Snow patches were still covering much of the trail on the south side of the pass but if I lost the trial Dwight managed to find it and visa versa. In some cases we followed footsteps across snow fields and in other cases we made our own path or bouldered around them. Going over passes continues to be exhausting even though we feel we should be in better shape by now. We attribute it to both the elevation and the physicality of the process--and that you must do this totally mentally engaged. I figure with all the bouldering, we were only on actual trail about 50% of the time on the south side of the pass.
We stopped a few 10ths from the summit to eat lunch--which seemed like a good decision when we arrived at the top to find a scanky marmot hanging around for handouts. Muir Hut sits at the top of the pass--a small, stone octigon shaped building built in 1930 by the Sierra Club. It's almost behive shape reminded me of a french boree (sp?). Very cool.
On the north side of the pass some movement caught my eye--a snow grouse. White with brown flecks, it was easily camoflouged among the granite boulders. It's nearby partner was brown in color and nervously clucking when we came by--even though they didn't bother to fly away. I love that about grouse--instead of flying away, they simply seem to move a few feet into a slightly more camoflauged location.
In late afternoon we pased by McClure Meadow. I commented to Dwight how beautiful it was--with the lush grass and meadering creek--only to realize he was being so eaten up by mosquitos so he wasn't paying any attention. That's when we finally pulled out the deet. We both hate using the heavy duty bug spray, especially when you might get it on your drinking tube, etc, but the mosquitos we kept hearing about have finally made their appearance.
"ate in the day we did our first big ford at Evolution Creek. With the low snow this year it wasn't bad at all. About knee high for me. I went across in my socks and Dwight went barefoot moving cautiously across the river rock. The water is so clear you can still easily see the bottom even in the faster moving water.
We camped about 1/2 mile shy of the San Joaquin river crossing having hiked about 19.5 miles today.
