Sunday, June 23, 2013

Mile 893- 907 Purple Lake to Mammoth via Reds Meadow

What a beautiful day. Cool but sunny.  We stopped at creeks for breakfast and lunch and Mave, Katie, Tracy and I were having such great conversations it was hard to leave. Delaware Dave caught up with us at lunch and joined our group. He's a lovely guy. Once we got to Reds Meadow store we all got milkshakes and waited for the shuttle bus to take us down into the town of Mammoth. Being on a bus with so many clean, nail-varnished, shiny, tourists was an eye opener. I saw a little boy on the bus look at me carefully up and down, we all looked filthy. 

The gossip was that Motel 6 was the place to stay, but when we called there were no rooms, several events were happening in Mammoth over the weekend. We ended up at the campsite, but it has no showers. We just had time to drop our bags and grab a couple of pizza slices before heading to the Lutheran Church to hear a cello concert by a fellow PCTer. He is a gifted player and played a great variety of short pieces. All the hikers in the audience chose to sit at the back, perhaps to avoid offending the olfactory senses of the Mammoth locals.

Tracy discovered early on that in the women's bathroom a door led to a small room with a shower. When she disappeared for a few minutes and returned with damp hair and smelling of tea tree oil we were both shocked and impressed. Over the course of the concert three of us returned to the room with smiles and wet hair. We were all quite giddy with the naughtiness of it. We made sure to leave a donation.

At the end if the concert Katie spoke with some other hikers and found that they were renting a nearby condo with jacuzzi. We could have it the following night if we liked...so the five of us went there to check it out.  They offered us drinks that they "had to finish" before they left for the trail. Very strong Margaritas....Fun night. Fortunately Tracy's hunger got us out of there before midnight, and before I got anymore theatrical, and we had the last McDonalds order of the evening, walking through the drive through with Mave.

Good times.




Mile 879 - 893 Vermillion Valley Resort to Purple Lake

By Tracy:

We got up at 7,  just before the Kennedy Meadows' generators started up. We probably should have packed up everything at this point but I thought we'd have a lot of time before the 9am ferry left to take us across the lake. Instead we went for breakfast and coffee. Everyone had the same idea and soon 6 of us were all seated  in front of the wood stove, relishing a rich and full breakfast, slurping down coffee and completely forgetting about the time. 

At 8:45 the ferry guy comes in and announces, 'ferry leaving in 15'. In seconds there's a scramble as everyone flees to pack their stuff. Pandaemonium for a while but soon we were off and on the ferry heading across the lake. 

From the landing it was 3 miles back to the PCT and then 14 to Purple Lake.  We wanted to get as far as we could so that tomorrow's hike to Mammoth would be shorter.  Along the way we met Songbird and Banana Ripper and together with Ingrid, Katie, Mave and I we did our miles. 

We arrived at the lake in the evening and celebrated the solstice with a fire. The moon was almost full above the pine trees and Songbird serenaded us with beautiful songs on the ukulele. The six of us shared a beautiful evening.

Mile 864-874 Sallie Keyes Lakes to Vermillion Valley Resort via Bear Ridge Trail

A big river crossing today and after yesterday's lesson I ignored the logs across the river upstream and actually got my feet wet. It was scream- out -loud cold on the feet, at least for me. 

I never expected this to happen, but those sunglasses I lost on the trail... Lunchbox, the guy who once hiked up a giant bladder of wine for people to share, he found them and delivered them to me personally! He is my PCT hero.

The lure of freshly prepared food and a free. beer at VVR was to tempting to miss, especially as we were getting short on food. Yogi's guidebook had put us off going there as it suggests it is overpriced. We found it cheaper than Kennedy Meadows and the food was great, the cooks clearly cared about what they served. All the staff were very friendly, great bathrooms, showers, and a hiker box from which we got enough snacks to last till we resupply in Mammoth.

Met Mave and Delaware Dave whom Katie knew from earlier on the trail. Had dinner together. River also joined us. Sadly she had just found out that 2 family members had passed away during the time we've had no cell service. Nice group. 












Mile 831 - 846 South Fork of Kings River near Bishop Pass Trail to Evolution Creek

by Tracy

Another great day on the JMT (John Muir Trail) part of the PCT.  However, we realized this morning that we miscalculated the number of days it would take to get to Mammoth and we will be short of food.  The main reason is that we are stopping a lot to take pictures and this is having an impact on our daily mileage. If we don't pick it up soon we may need to leave the trail before Mammoth and stop in at VVR (Vermillion Valley Resort). 

Anyway, today started out with deer eating by our tent again. They hung out with us while we did our morning tasks. One thing I love about being in this place is that all of the animals don't see us as a threat. They are cautious like pigeons would be but don't run away.  

Our goal today was to get up and over Muir Pass.  In short we went up 7.5 miles to the pass and then 7.5 mikes down the other side.  At the top was a beautiful stone stupa built in commemoration for John Muir that you could go inside and stay in if the weather was bad. We hung out a bit. Ingrid and Katie took more pictures and I amused myself with a curios marmot living in a pile of stone, the marmot's own stupa, next to the Muir hut. 

We found a great camp site next to a large stream in a open area with high mountains above us. We all did some laundry at the stream before dinner. A deer came by to check us out.  Another fantastic day. 












Mile 799.9-814 River near Paradise Valley Trail to Upper Basin next to South Fork of Kings River

Last nights cowboy camping didn't work out for me. I was too hot and didn't get much sleep. The one wee negative about the High Sierras and the plentiful water supply is the existence of mosquitos. We had been attacked earlier in the day, so I didn't want to stick my leg out of my sleeping bag to wake up in the morning and find my leg looking like a pepperoni pizza. Neither did I fancy taking my leggings off in case I had to run away from something in the middle of the night. As a result my beauty sleep was less than adequate.

From our camp at the bridge it was 7 miles uphill to Pinchot Pass at over 12,000 feet. Like yesterday we were amazed at some of the beauty that we came across. 

The Sierras make for very slow hiking. Each of us continuously stopped to take photos or wander off the path a little to get a better view of some amazing sight. Right at the start of our climb we came across a river cascading down a wide bed of flat rock. Then we had the first of many river crossings. This also takes more time, figuring out where to cross. Fortunately the air is dry and warm, so after changing socks our shoes were dry in about 15 
minutes. Another factor slowing us down a little, compared with the desert, is the trail itself. This trail is very rocky, and often has steep steps which are hard on the feet and knees, especially when going down. 

So many lakes today, and each of them a very different color of blue or green. The mountains were equally spectacular in greys, browns, rusts and charcoal. Saw marmots, chipmunks and caught a deer grazing in a beautiful meadow of purple flowers. 

Now camped in cozy tent next to a stream in the upper basin under Mather Pass. It has been nice being able to wash everyday and go to bed clean.





Mile 788-799.9 Onion Trail to River near Paradise Valley Trail

Slept in, got on the trail by 8am. Today's hike took us up and over Glen Pass. The views were stunning, Rae Lakes were spectacular. It was like watching Disney's Fantasia on acid. I imagine. I found myself grinning from ear to ear as we'd turn round a bend and Wham! another breathtaking view. Only negative was foot pain. Carrying 7 days food in a 2 lb bear canister is not fun and both Katie and I had bad arch foot pain. We stopped early, 4:30ish at a nice camp spot next to a wooden bridge and had an early dinner. Cowboy camped. 




Mile 788 Bishop to one mile before PCT on the Onion Trail

Said a fond farewell to Bishop after packing up and taking a few things to the post office. Waited for the twice daily bus outside JC Penneys that took us to Independence. Thought the hitch up the 18 mile road to the trailhead might be difficult, but thanks to Tracy it didn't take long. A truck going in the opposite direction stopped nearby and Tracy noticed the 'Chico State' sticker, where she went to college. She remarked on this to the guy with the dog in the truck, and within seconds we were in his truck on the way up to the trailhead. 

We hiked with Katie again and it was a very pleasant hike, surprisingly cool and made interesting by the conversation. There would be a lull in our chatter every now and again just to remark on the beautiful scenery. We made it up over the pass quite quickly despite the weight of our packs laden with 7 days food and a bladder full of beer. Ran into Goku again and Kazu a young Japanese woman who studies at Kyoto University where I used to teach. Camped at a idyllic spot overlooking bullfrog lake on the onion trail a couple of miles from the PCT, which we'll rejoin tomorrow. 






Thursday, June 13, 2013

Mile 788 Bishop for 3 days

Great town. Along with the usual tasks of laundry, resupply and post office trips we also:

- Ate at least 5000 calories a day
- Went to the California State High School Rodeo finals at the fairground with Katie, Billionaire, BoyScout and Jorge
- Happy hour at the Whisky Creek Inn with Filthy, Junko, Garret, Dingo and Mud
- Photography exhibition of Galen Rowell
- Bought a few items at the hiking stores.
- Went to a movie.




Mile 788 Bullfrog Lake Trail via Kearsarge Pass to Bishop

It is always hard getting up when your tent is went and its really cold, however, we had only one thing on our mind. Today we were going to town! Where things like bacon cheeseburgers, half pints of ice cream and beer exist. We bombed it up the pass and down the other side. It was stunningly beautiful as we passed creeks, lakes, waterfalls and the odd marmot. The only rub was knowing that in a few days well be climbing up the same long path back to the PCT. 

When we arrived at the trail head we were concerned about getting a ride down the 18 mile quiet winding road to Independence. Fortunately a fantastic couple on holiday picked us up. At independence we hit the Subway immediately and ordered foot long sandwiches to tide us over till we got to Bishop 40 miles away.

Though it was cool up in the mountains we were shocked at the 90 plus day down below. We stood in the baking sun for a while as trucks and cars passed by, unaffected by our combined beauty. We were eventually picked up by an ex Marine who served in Vietnam who was coming back from his granddaughters high school graduation. We all got in the back seat and were treated to the Beatles "Obladee oblada life goes on..."at full volume as we sipped cold icy water from his cooler on the front seat. We were in heaven.

We had a great conversation and learned a lot about his time in Nam and his unwelcome return to the US. Great guy.

Got fantastic rooms and deal at the Elms motel. Ramilla , the owner has a great place. Comfy rooms overlooking a park and a copy of the teachings of Budha in the room.










Mile 771- 788 Wright Creek Ford to a mile along the Bullfrog Lake Trail

At about 3 miles into our hike we stopped at a creek to fill up our water bottles and we ran into other hikers. Tracy asked one of them for some 'feminine hygiene products' and a friendship was born. We immediately hit it off with Katie, a photographer from North Carolina. We hiked the rest of the day with her, walking through amazing scenery, and up and over forester pass the highest official point in the PCT (13,200 ft). I nicked named Katie "Walky talky" cos together with Running Commentary (Tracy) the conversation never ceased. It was nice having a new person to walk with. 

We stopped for lunch after the pass and noticed the clear blue skies had quickly changed to a forboding grey. We had the sense to put out rain gear on 'just in case', and just as we'll for 10 minutes later we were walking through snow. It was fantastic to see the colors become more vibrant. It was truly enchanting to be walking in the snow through pine trees and creeks as we descended. The snow became rain but eventually stopped.

At mile 788 we left the PCT to take the bullfrog lake trail over Kearsage Pass in order to hitch to Bishop for our next resupply. We camped just after Bullfrog lake as we were all starting to get very cold from our wet day.


Mile 766-771 Ranger Station to Mt Whitney Summit to Wright Creek Ford

Written by Tracy:

The big day finally arrives, Mt Whitney. (14, 500 ft highest mountain in the US outside of Alaska.) Though not on the official PCT trail it is only an 8 mile detour from Crabtree Meadow and too tempting to miss.  

We decided to do the summit via a night hike, timed to be at the top by sunrise, avoiding the final part of the ascent in the heat. Also, we have been wanting to experience a night hike and this seemed the ideal time. 

So by 2am donning head lights we set off on the trail. It would have been really helpful to have had a full moon because our ultra lightweight Petzel headlights just barely illuminated the trail and several times we lost it when the trail went over large slabs of stone,  or a fallen tree blocked it. 

The 7.5 mile hike up for me was especially hard as the altitude affected my lungs, arms and legs. Ingrid wasn't affected but together we made it to the top just a little after sunrise. Going up was amazing as we watched the light slowly illuminate the mountains around us.

There were only a few patches if snow to walk through. The top consisted if grey slabs of rock and boulders and a small hut. It was a beautiful day, no wind, just clear views all around.

We hung out for about an hour and a half and sent a few texts. Our first cell phone service in over a week! Available only by standing on certain  rocks. 

After the 15 mile round trip we had something to eat and took a couple hour nap before doing another 5 miles along the PCT where we camped with our first mosquitos next to a creek. It was during these last few miles we met Beads, who is doing a challenge to get photographed naked at every pass in the High Sierras. She asked us to take a picture of her lying naked on a rock.