July 28th: Road Trip to Mammoth Lakes
Jumped out of bed early raring to go when my hiking buddy Bob called to say he was really sick and had to stay home. He hasn't been feeling well for over a week from when he went on a training hike and found himself very dehydrated. He didn't tell me until a few days prior to launch day - I recommended he get checked out by a doctor since severe dehydration can damage the kidneys. Off he went and discovered that his kidneys were okay but he was enemic. Doctor thought he should stay home and get another blood test on Monday. We touched base late afternoon and his fever was worse and he had terrible chills and sweats. I hope it is just a summer flu. So Bob is going back to the doctors on Monday and if he makes a swift recovery, he will try to meet up with me at our first resupply at Red's Meadows.
After recovering from the shock of having to do the hike on my own, I decided to go for it but to adjust the plans slightly. Rather than making my way to the Whitney Portal, stopping at Red's Meadows to drop the resupply bucket off, dropping the car off, hitching a ride to Lone Pine, staying the night and then figuring out the bus system to get back up to Tuolumne Meadows by Tuesday, I decided with the help from my husband, to make hotel reservations at Mammoth Mountain for Monday night drive up the few miles to Red's Meadows and drop off the food bucket, and catch the shuttle to Tuolumne Meadows on Tuesday. Doesn't that sound like an easier plan? Then there won't be any pressure to be on time at Tuolumne to start my hike. Whew. I hate to admit it but I was an emotional mess on the drive down to the State Park here where I'm spending my first night on the road. I've never driven long distances by myself before so will be a big learning experience. I hope my mom won't wig out about the change in plans!
The drive from Bend was very pretty. The further south I drove, the more barns started showing up. One in every yard. I wanted to stop at every one and snap picture. More cowboys and cowgirls too, cowboy hats everywhere.
July 29th: Second Day of Driving
Goose Lake State Park is a nice, clean, and well maintained campground. The moon was very bright and I could see it through my new shelter. I watched a herd of deer with their babies while I ate breakfast just a stones throw away. On the road by 8:30am. Had lunch in Reno - staying on Hwy 395 bypasses the downtown casino area.
By 4pm I was getting tired of driving and started looking for a campsite. I didn't realize how few and far between they are. I finally found one on Jane Lake, sheesh, they charge $23 a night. And showers are extra. Many people in the campground appear to be fisher people and look to be here for the week. Brings back memories of our vacations in our motorhome, long since replaced by a 5th wheel. And here I am in my little tent happy as a clam.Tomorrow I roll into Mammoth Lakes and then up to Red's Meadows to drop off the food bin. Check in, take a much needed shower, and pack my backpack.
That's about it - just a long drive, although the scenery was great, especially coming off the pass, rounding the corner and seeing the jaw dropping view of Mono lake!
July 30th: Arrived at Mammoth Lakes
Talked a retired gentleman last night before bed. He is very familiar with the whole Sierras area and camps yearly at Grant Lake (I made a mistake in yesterday's report). He said this year it is so dry that there are no berries for the bears and they are starving. Same with the deer. Up at June Lake, four miles away, a few nights ago there were three bears demolishing the trash bins. These are not bear bins. Just those huge containers that you lift the lid and throw your garbage in. The bears also ripped open and trashed two cars. In another incident up the road from here, one bear attacked and killed another bear and ate almost everything except the innards. Apparently there is very little water to be had, especially the last part of the hike, which is the hardest part. He recommended that I keep every water vessel I had completely topped off. Off course by now I was getting pretty concerned. I asked him if I should cancel my trip and he said no, just be very aware of the bears and the water situation. He also said that Mammoth Lakes is having a terrible problem with bears in town so don't keep a scrap of food in the car. The bears are being forced out of the mountain/woods in search of food.
Arrived at Mammoth Lakes and stopped into the visitors center. Had a nice discussion with a ranger about bears and water. Made my way up to the Mammoth Mountain ski area where the Inn is. The place was a zoo, but very well organized. Tons of mountain bikers and road riders everywhere. Bought a ticket for the Red's Meadows shuttle as I needed to drop off my resupply at Red's Meadows - the shuttles run every 20 minutes. Nice bus ride, saw a does and two babies. She stopped off the side of the road and the babies immediately started nursing. The bus driver stopped so we could snap some shots. Couldn't get off the bus so we had to take the pics through the dirty windows. Hope they turn out. Got my food can delivered to the proper place and had lunch at the cafe. I was surprised to see I had full cell service.
Back at the ski resort I checked in early at the Inn. I glad I could as I was pretty stinky. Sorted out my backpacking stuff - somehow it has gotten heavier! Will finish the final packing in the morning. Taking the opportunity to watch some Olympics - synchronized diving and beach volleyball. I do have a slight headache from being at the 9,000 ft level. Been drinking a lot of water - I hope I acclimate soon!
July 31st: Bus Ride to Tuolumne Meadows
Caught the bus to Tulumne Meadows and was dropped off near the ranger station. Checked in and got my hiking permit. Caught the local shuttle and was deposited at the store. Walked up to the backpackers campground, paid my $5.00 night fee and made camp. My permit said I can start on August 1st so I checked out the local scene, then walked a couple of miles north on the trail to see the river and see the natural soda springs.
August 1st: Miles 12.7 Lyle Forks, First Day
Up early after a pretty good night sleep. It was in the upper 40's. The campground was very noisy last evening but I put in an earplug and fell right to sleep. I was packed up and ready to go by 7:30am. It was two miles from the actual JMT trailhead so I hiked over 10 miles today. The first 8 were fairly easy but the last 1.5 miles went straight up to Lyle Forks. The scenery is gorgeous. I was a little nervous about meeting a bear on the trail but I got into an easy rhythm until I stopped to talk to a small group who had stayed at Lyle Forks the night before. Apparently the guy in the group forgot to take out two Cliff Bars and of course a bear found it and dragged the guy's 50 lb backpack up the hill. Apparently people were yelling and chasing the bear to get the pack back. Of course I triple checked every pocket and jammed everything into the bear canister, even the two tiny alcohol wipes. Apparently they are so desperate they have been going after those too.
There are a wide variety of people of all nationalities here. Some can't speak English and only know how to say 'hi'. It was a surprise to see most of the hikers going northbound. It has been a very pleasant surprise to see so many young kids hiking with their parents and having a great time.At lunchtime I was asked for my wilderness permit from a national park ranger. He was really nice. Glad I was legal!
It's funny though, I have just one gripe so far from the past couple of days. I have asked many questions on where things are and the park service people don't know. Simple things like, Where is the water spicket. Or, is the JMT trailhead just ahead? Or, where are the Wag bags to haul used toilet paper? We were told at check-in that we had to pack used TP out. So the ranger I asked said, 'just burn it'. I stated what the check-in people said and he shrugged his shoulders and said he just burns it. So what is a person to do? I would have thought they would have a training session for every employee.So I roll into Lyle Forks and didn't want to look around too much as I was pooped. I should have continued a bit further. A group of seven Koreans camped right next to me. Oh my gosh, their dinner was nasty smelling. And then they burned their garbage. I asked them how long they were going to have their campfire because the smoke would smell everything up. They didn't get it. I was already settled in but now I'm worried about bears arriving tonight. Stay tuned....
August 2nd: Miles:12.7 Follow the Poop
It's amazing how many horses are on this trail. It's true, you can't get lost because there is a constant line of horse manure the whole way. I ran into several parties who were slack packing, that is, they hike the trail with a light pack while pack horses bring up the gear. It's spendy but but I have to admit, after a hiking day like today, I wouldn't have minded a horse bringing up my stuff over two passes.I started the hike this morning again at 7:30am. I can't seem to get going any earlier. Right out of the starting gate it was an uphill hike for about 1,500 ft. Doesn't seem like alot, but then add in the altitude. I started at about 9,657 ft and crested Donahue Pass at 11,073 ft. Took me three hours. I leap frogged with the Koreans the whole way. Once over the pass the views were amazing. It really slowed me down taking so many photos. It was very hot too, with the sun baking us at that altitude. I stopped midway to soak my feet. It really helps with keeping the blisters down. Unfortunately I did get one blister but in a place I've never had one before. The big tendon that goes from the foot at the ankle had a blister where the tongue hit. But was I ever glad I went with a 1/2 size larger shoes. Feet were sweltering. I'm sure people who were watching my SPOT were wondering what the heck I was doing. Once I dropped below treeline, the wildflowers were out in all their glory.
So far there has been no issue with lack of water. I think I drank four gallons today. At this altitude I usually walk uphill 20 steps and then take a one minute break.
The most popular trail is starting at Reds Meadows and coming out at Tuolumne meadows. That way they can catch the bus back to Mammoth. Only ran into one group, five women, who started northbound at Crabtree Meadows and were in their 19th day. I talked to one of them and she said I will have a blast, the views are fantastic. Okay, if I can handle these high elevations. I seem to be doing fine, but I sure feel it with the sun beating down. There's no relief from the sun above treeline.
My goal today was Thousand Island Lake but first I had to get over another pass, Island Pass. That was only at 10,208 ft. I met an English couple coming down and they said that a storm was brewing for tonight. I look out east and sure enough, here are these huge thunder clouds bearing down. Nothing scares a hiker more than thunder and lightening, even bears. Finally reached the pass and I had to take a moment and soak my feet. Filtered more water and then downhill to Thousand Island Lake. On my gosh, it's a zoo here. There are people everywhere. Its a huge lake but it was tough to find a site. Boy was my body tired, and I still had chores to do. Wash clothes, wash body, dunk heat in lake, charge phone, prep the bear canister, make dinner, and then get ready for bed. There are so many people one can't even find some privacy for toiletry business.
August 3rd: Miles: 8.3 Shadow Lake
Decided not to rush today so didn't get on the trail until 8:30am. Got things organized and sorted out. So off I go, merrily tramping along when I realized I missed the JMT and I was on the PCT. The trail splits at this lake. Dang, I went about a mile and had to backtrack. Of course my hubby and friends are watching the SPOT and they probably wondered what the heck I was doing. Finally got on track and spent some time taking a lot of pictures. Ran into a man and woman and they heard thru the hiker grapevine that I was going all the way to Mr Whitney. They were too. Yay! Someone to connect with. The gal's husband got altitude sickness and had to leave the trail. The other fellow was from Minnesota. But unfortunately they had big packs and were really slow and I had two choices - stick with them or move out. So I moved out. They are supposed to get to Red's Meadow tomorrow but I don't see how. It's over 10 miles from where I am. Where they were going to stop for the night was about 5 miles back. Anyway, I ran into another young gal who was also leaving the trail due to altitude sickness. She lives at sea level and didn't take the time to acclimate and was pretty sick. Met another lovely couple at the top of a ridge and we must have talked to 30 minutes. I took their picture and then they wanted one of me with them. We should have looked for shade as my arms and legs fried in the sun. I finally had to put on long pants and shirt. Then I was roasting. A nice long downhill brought me down a beautiful valley below treeline. The clouds were really moving in by this time and they looked thick and dark. I hustled on passing several good campsites along a river with waterfalls, but the sites were too close to the trail. No cover for morning business. On to Shadow Lake where I found was hit pretty hard from the 180 mile an hour wind storm this area was hit by last November. We are lucky it's even open. Finally found an acceptable campsite for the night. As I was rinsing off all the dirt accumulation of the day, there I was standing in the lake sans pants and, BOOM, thunder right overhead. Man oh man, I was out of that water in a hurry, frantically thinking, now what am I supposed to do while in the woods during a thunderstorm? Don't get in the tent, squat on the balls of the feet hunched over in a depression. Well, I got those pants back on and huddled under a tree instead. Raindrops came down but nothing to make an impression. So back to chores and dinner. I was so hungry I ate two dinners tonight.
I seem to be missing a day or two of my Journal entries. I'll have to sort it out when I can as I seem to have lost my writeups on my phone. Oh well...
August 5th: Miles: 12.5 Purple Lake
What a wet night! Got up about 6am to clear skies and cold temps, about 42 degrees. Made coffee and watched the sunrise. Got a very late start this morning as everything had to be cleaned up and dried out. I wasn't the only one. Seems like quite a few people had issues with their tents. The dad and two boys I'm handing with, Tom (dad), Mathias (14 yrs), and Jason (11 yrs), also had issues. The boys tent is only water resistant so they were very wet and miserable all night long. Tom left a air port open and had a nice pool of water in his tent. Fred, a fellow who was tenting next to us was in such a dither about how to dry his Tarptent Rainbow tent. I said that I typically set up my tent at lunchtime and let it dry while eating lunch. Moaning and groaning he packed up his tent, said his goodbyes and left about 9am. I got most of my stuff dried out - wasn't too hard since the sleeping bag has a DWR ( or is it DRW?) coating on it. Everything else was in waterproof bags. Just had to deal with the tent. I finally was able to hit the trail at 10:10am. Oh, although we were aways from Reds Meadow I still had a strong cell service, so had a nice chat with my husband. I also let him know there wouldn't be any service until probably Muir Trail Ranch, five days away.There was a long dry section on this part and everybody said to fill up water containers at Duck Creek. We thought it was only two miles from where we camped but it was actually over 4 miles. I hiked ahead of the guys. It seemed to take forever to get to Duck Creek so I kept checking the GPS on my phone. Works awesome by the way. It didn't lie, it was right where it was supposed to be. After filling up, it was a looong 5.5 miles to the next creek, all uphill. It wasn't the prettiest section of the trail, quite boring actually, so out came the ear buds and music. Listened to Great White (makes me want to dance) and Cars on the way up, and when I hit the downhill, Nickel Creek was perfect.I didn't really need water at the creek but spent some time soaking my tired feet. The views were starting to get better so put the music away. Thought we were done with the uphill but the worst was yet to come. So we had already put in 9.5 miles and we still had 2.2 miles to go. The first part was so rocky and steep, all you can do to slowly navigate around everything. Going downhill isn't much better, you're so tired and its very easy to take a misstep. Ran into two guys and then one other guy with similar stories. While we had the thunder/lightning/big rain, they got hail the size of marbles. All three said they were terrified and were worried their tents wouldn't survive the assault. The one fellow said that when he left camp this morning, he walked three miles on ice pellets. Amazing.Arrived at Purple Lake about 5:30pm. Set up camp and then tried to rehydrate my dehydrated lasagna. What a disaster! I've had great success with my homecooked dehydrated meals so far, but this turned out uneatable. So I ate my PocketFuel instead.
August 6th: Miles: 14.5 Lake Edison Trailhead
Tried to get an early start this morning but didn't get on the trail until almost 8am. There were a lot of people camping here overnight. It was about 42 degrees at 6am. Seems to be a familiar story - every morning we start out with a hill climb. This one was for about 400 ft and once over the ridge lay Virginia Lake, sparkling like a jewel. If I had realized how beautiful it was, I would have made the extra push last evening to camp there. One of the hikers I talked to said the sunset was spectacular. Stopped and got water and then pushed on for the big climb over Silver Pass. It was long and steep. Once over the other side I tried to pick up the pace going downhill, but the rocks on the trail made it impossible. It was more dangerous than going uphill. By 11am I was really hungry, especially since I didn't eat my yucky lasagna. Lunch was good though!
As I was picking my way down through the boulders a few miles from Lake Edison Trail, I looked up to the southwest and I could see a wildfire. It looked like it was burning right where the PCT trail goes. I stopped at Pocket Creek trying to decide what to do. I sure wasn't going back up that grueling mountain. Three older men were making camp and i asked them if they knew what was going on. They said they had just started and had asked a forest service employee and it was reported that the fire was actually between Florence Lake and the town of Hooper. So we were not in jeopardy. So I continued on down. It took forever. I started not believing the maps so fired up the cell phone to verify my location via GPS. Rats, the maps were correct! Finally made it to the campsite off the Lake Edison Trail at 6:30pm. Whew, am I beat. That was a 14.5 mile day full of rocks and switchbacks!
August 7th: Miles 6.5 Vermilion Valley Resort
After a very short discussion after breakfast, we decided to do a zero day at the Vermilion Valley Resort. It didn't take any convincing on my part - I wanted to take care of two blisters in a cleaner environment, plus the back of my right knee is slightly swollen. It doesn't hurt, just can't bend it all the way back. Could be from all those nasty steep, twisty boulders placed for erosion control. Some of them are so tall, one has to be creative on how to navigate them.
Usually a ferry is available to pick up hikers from one end of the lake to the other, a distance of 5.1 water miles, but there isn't enough water in the lake to run the ferry. Apparently this lake is a reservoir for drinking and irrigation for some communities down the way. Of all the reservoirs around this one was considered the least impact to recreation so they started to drain it. Of course if the hikers want to get their resupply or stay overnight at VVR they have to hike in 6.5 miles, or 7.1 miles, depending on which sign you read. It definitely has impacted the volume of hikers visiting VVR.
As we were heading out, a northbound hiker stopped to chat and introduced himself as Monty. I asked him if he was the famous Warner Springs Monty and he said yes. I told him my trail name of Gadget Girl and from there we had a great discussion of the PCT, kickoff, how many times he has hiked the PCT, etc. It was fascinating stuff. The boys were a little bored but patiently waited for the adults to finish and move on.
We all thought the trail to VVR was going to be easy, or at least easier than what we had already been through. Of course not - this is the Sierras! We finally arrived around 1pm and first thing on the agenda was the Hiker's Special - double bacon cheeseburger with fries. Originally I was just going to camp in the backpackers camp for two nights but after additional consideration decided to get a yurt instead. A great decision - it is so cute! Has a small kitchenette, microwave, gas stove, queen bed. Privy is just outside, very clean. Here at the VVR, electricity is solely generated by a huge generator. It runs from 7am to 10pm. After that you're on your own for lights, usually a headlamp works perfectly. After lunch had a shower and then spent the rest of the time washing clothes. Took three determined washings to get the dirt and grime out of two pair of socks. Boy, were they dirty. Had dinner at the restaurant, prices weren't out of range of what is usually charged back in Hood River. Had a great dinner of roasted chicken, rice pilaf, and broccoli. They have a great chef here! Wanted to watch the evening Olympics but couldn't keep my eyes open so off to bed I went...
August 8th: Miles: 0 Zero Day at VVR
Not much to write about today. This was our down day where we didn't do any hiking. Ate a big breakfast of sausage and eggs,and finished up the laundry chores. Went to collect my resupply bucket and they couldn't find it for about 15 minutes. I was getting a little worried! Sorted things out and refilled the bear canister. Had a little nap, then lunch. Since I had such a large breakfast I ordered a small salad and some fries. That plate was mounded with salad fixings, so much that it difficult to eat without everything falling off. Watched a bit of the Olympics, women's wrestling, wow, I didn't know it was an Olympic event now. Back to organizing gear and analyzing maps. VVR will give you a lift to either the Bear Ridge Trailhead or the Bear Creek Trailhead. I asked at the office what the difference was. The Ridge trail is the fastest route back to the JMT at 5.1 miles, but it is tip toe steep. The Creek trail is longer at 7.8 miles but it is more casual, it follows a creek, and comes out 1.6 miles south of the Ridge trail at a 1,000 ft lower elevation. The Bear Creek trail is a win, win situation for me!
After some emails back and forth from my hiker buddy Bob, I mailed a package home and reduced some of the weight out of my pack. It really wasn't critical to do so, but I found that I only occasionally was using the zoom lens so no need to haul its one pound weight around the rest of the trip. By that time it was 5:30 and time for dinner. Had the ribeye steak. It was most excellent! I gave my compliments to the chef and found out he went to culinary school, had worked for a large corporation but found out he really enjoyed a better quality of life working for the mom and pop type restaurants. I told the owner he was a keeper. All fresh ingredients and perfect made to order food. I ate a lot here, it was so good!
Finished up the evening reading my September's bookclub book about Albert Einstein. The physics part is a little over my head but I'm enjoying learning about his life and his thought processes.
We leave in the morning and I don't know how far cell service will carry from here. This could be the last update until I finish the trail. We do stop at the Muir Trail Ranch two days away so I'll see if they have cell service there.
August 9th: Miles Somewhere on Bear Creek
Later night I woke up worried I was carrying too much food. Of course I'm carrying too much food, that's just my nature, be prepared! Another reason is that I am not sure if I put a seven day or eight day supply in my next resupply.This morning was a rush job getting ready for our ride pickup to be dropped off at the Bear Creek Trailhead. Got packed, had breakfast, paid the bill, and jumped into the truck. I am so glad they had this service as it was at least a four mile drive to the trailhead. Off we went, uphill of course. Didn't get very far when Matthias's pole snapped in half at the bottom. Jason and I slowly moseyed along the trail until the other two caught up. They repaired the pole by cutting off a piece and then jamming the bottom in the rest of the pole and duct taping it. Worked well! The trail meandered around and just didn't seem like we were going in the right direction so I pulled out my phone and checed the GPS. Well, we were on the right track but it was the Bear Creek Cutoff. That trail was about 2.5 miles and then connected into the proper Bear Creek Trail. I'm uncertain how long this trail was but we didn't hit the PCT until 4pm. We leapfrogged Peter's group of friends all day. The winds were fairly strong and we could see the helicopters working dumping huge buckets of water on the fire. It was miserably hot and completely wiped me out. We were supposed to go another 4.5 miles but I couldn't do it today. Too hot. So we made camp on Bear Creek. Unfortunately that means we need to do a minimum of 12 miles to make it to the Muir Trail Ranch.Early to bed tonight...