Month: August 2017

We did not sleep very well last night at all but we were so excited to get to town and to be done with our flip and the Sierras that we didn’t care. We woke up at our usual time of 6AM and packed up. We met the guy we camped next to and apologized for coming in late last night and making noise. He didn’t seem to mind at all and in fact was excited to almost be done with his JMT hike himself. He had a fall on his hike and broke his hand but was continuing on even with a hand in a cast! After chatting briefly we said our goodbyes and set off for our 8 miles to town. 

We have been excited to hike this 8 mile side trail over Kearsarge Pass for a while now. The reason for our excitement besides the fact it means we are done our flip is that this is the only section of the Sierra that we will have seen both in June and in August. Thus it will be our only opportunity to firsthand experience the difference in conditions and truly know just how much the snow and water levels have changed over the last month and a half. 

Although we already are aware that our experiences in the Sierra stand in stark contrast to those who went through a month earlier, this section we hiked today really made that sink in. I vividly remember hiking this side trail back in June after falling through a snow bridge in the frigid river at 5AM. The entire section was snow covered and we moved so slowly as we had to be constantly checking our phones to see where the trail was and which way to go. It was so cold and also exhausting walking through the snow, and even once we reached the top of the pass it was slow going as we had to cross steep fields of snow and walk carefully so as not to fall down the steep slope. 

This morning was so different. There was no snow in sight! It was all dry trail that we were able to easily follow and walk our normal pace. We walked alongside Bullfrog Lake, which was serene and reflecting the surrounding mountains, but only a month and a half before was frozen over and snow covered. As we walked we recounted where we must have deviated from the actual trail months before and remembered where we took breaks and ran into other hikers. 

We began climbing up to the top of the pass and climbing switchbacks and as we did I grew more and more excited. This was our last pass in the Sierras, the final marker of our southbound flip. We finally trudged our way up to the sign marking the top of the pass and we touched the sign at the same time. I couldn’t help but tear up a little from my excitement and feeling of relief and pride at being done this section. We high fived and took some photos and then set off downhill with town (and food) on our mind. 

What was once a steep snowfield was now just dirt and actual trail. We flew down the trail, propelled by our excitement. We had a good time listening to some music on the way down and even met some hikers that knew of us from Carly!! WhiteWalker and Muffin Teaks. It was great chatting with them and we told them to tell Carly we say hi again! We made great time on the downhill, partially now motivated by the need to use the outhouse in the trailhead parking lot. Finally we made it down to the parking lot, used the bathroom, and started looking for a ride. 

What a different scene! The parking lot had been empty when we were here before, as the road was closed for the last half mile due to potential for flooding. This morning though it was full of cars of people out hiking. We had to wait about an hour until someone was finally leaving. A nice couple from Canada, Russ and Valerie, drove us down to the main highway where we then hitched north to bishop and got a ride in a Hummer with Craig for the last leg. We had him drop us off at the brewery in town where we pigged out on burgers and fries. 

We spent the rest of the day doing town chores and figuring out a plan to get back to Ashland, Oregon so we can hike our remaining 937 miles north to Canada. There are some wildfires in Oregon that have closed some parts of the trail so it will be interesting to see how that affects our hike. Regardless, we are excited for Oregon and Washington and are so happy to have made it 1716 miles so far! 

Brrrr last night was cold and so was this morning! It was tough finding motivation to get out of our sleeping bags and it took us longer than usual to get walking this morning. We had a couple miles of climbing up to Muir Pass. There was an alpine lake that was still mostly frozen over and we walked over a largely snow covered trail as we ascended the pass. It felt very wintery! I was glad we only had a short ways to go because hiking was feeling tough at this altitude. At the top of the pass was Muir Hut, a stone building that offered shelter to hikers caught in bad weather. It was surprisingly clean inside and offered protection from the cold wind. Wolf Bird had spotted a couple hikers below us when we were ascending he pass and we suspected it might be Yote and 2.Toe so we hung out for a while waiting for them. Soon enough the two of them appeared! They also introduced us to Wes, a guy from Asheville hiking the JMT that they’d met. After a while a couple girls section hiking the PCT also showed up. We all hung out and chatted in the shelter for a bit and snapped some photos making for a long leisurely break. Eventually we bundled up and set off to descend the pass. It was mostly snow for a couple miles and then transitioned to dry trail and then hot trail as we got to lower elevations and the sun beat down on us. Wes’ hiking pole broke on the descent which was a bummer as he didn’t plan to go into a town for the remaining 80 or so miles of his JMT hike, so he didn’t have a way to fix or replace it. 

As soon as we got to the end of the downhill from Muir Pass we began climbing uphill again and would do so for about 11 miles until we reached the top of the next pass, Mather Pass. Wolf Bird and I took a lunch break about two miles into the uphill. Wes caught up to us and was excited to tell us that he had run into a guy who just so happened To be carrying an extra hiking pole and lent him parts from it to fix his broken pole! The trail provides. 

After lunch we had 9.5 miles to the top of Mather Pass. I mustered up my mental strength and did my best to walk a steady pace for the next 3-4 hours. The climb started gradually and then changed into switchbacks and a steeper climb after a while. I was feeling pretty good but started getting tired about 3 miles from the top of the pass. It was getting late in the day, around 6pm and I was feeling a time crunch as I wanted to get to the top of the pass while it was still early and light out.

Wolf Bird started walking with me and telling me about ideas he had for a book he wants to write. Listening to him helped distract me from my growing exhaustion. As we walked we passed many (mostly JMT) hikers with their tents set up already. One group asked if we had enough water to get over the pass and another group told us there weren’t any good campsites before the pass. It felt a little strange to be getting unsolicited advice and also their words made me feel worried about our plan for some reason even though we definitely had time to get over the pass before dark. As we neared the final two miles of the pass, a dark cloud appeared over the top of the pass. I got worried that it was about to thunderstorm, and was especially worried that we’d be on the highest elevation in the area in an open exposed section. I started walking as fast as I could to try to get up and over the pass quilt. That didn’t last long as soon I ran into snow. 
I waited for Wolf Bird and we navigated he snow together.  Well more like he went in front and I followed. There were a couple really scary and sketchy areas with steep snow and also loose rocks but we got through it just fine. The last switchbacks to the top of the pass took every ounce of eedfort we had. Luckily the dark clouds cleared and I felt less pressure to get over quickly. Finally we reached the top! We felt so accomplished… What a long climb! We later would decide this pass and Benson Pass were our two toughest passes, at least going southbound. 

The view from the top of the pass was beautiful and also startling. The other side of the pass revealed a starkly different terrain. It was much flatter and open on the other side. It looked like the moon! Everything was illuminated by the setting Suns rays and it was just beautiful and peaceful. 
We descended down the switchbacks on the other side of the pass quickly and had to also do some scrambling down loose rock and sand which ended up being fun. It was growing  late and darker out and we were aching to get to camp after such a long day. We finally reached the flat open terrain at the bottom of the hill and began looking for campsites. We ran into a group of young guys who were hiking the High Sierra Route and chatted with them briefly. Finally we found a place for our tent and set up quickly as it was growing cold. I cooked dinner and set up the tent while Wolf Bird got us water. It was one of our later nights, as we didn’t arrive at camp until almost 8 or so. As I was about to get in the tent for the night I heard a howling shout from up on the pass. This is the classic noise that Yote and 2.Toe do to us from far away! We were wondering if they’d make it over the pass tonight as we hadn’t seen them since noon or so. Guess they made it! Wolf Bird howled back at them and we snuggled in the tent until Yote and 2.Toe arrived about a half hour later. I was super impressed, as 2.Toe is coming down with a cold but still managed to do a huge 27+ mile day!! We chatted with them through the tent walls, as it was cold out already. We went to bed late after a long and tiring but rewarding and beautiful day. 

This morning we had a big climb up Silver Pass that I was somewhat dreading. In the end, it actually was not bad. We passed a couple of beautiful alpine lakes on the climb up to the pass–Purple Lake and Lake Virginia. There was some snow on the way up to pass but only near the very top. It is interesting how in the Sierra our days are shaped by these passes. We are either on an approach to one and walking uphill or coming down from one walking downhill. It is definitely a different way of hiking than other parts of the trail in that there is a clear goal for the day (a pass) whereas most other parts of the trail are much more gradual. At least for me this equates to a different mental approach where I have to prep myself for these big climbs whereas on other parts of the trail the challenge can sometimes come from the monotony of the trail. 

After Silver Pass we had about six miles of downhill which went by quickly. At one point we had a crazy creek crossing where we crossed right next to and almost under a waterfall!! It was pretty wild to stand next to a monstrous flow of water. I was very grateful to be doing so now when the water level is not as high rather than a month or so ago when it was higher and peak snowmelt. As we continued downhill, dark clouds started rolling in and it began thundering and drizzling a little. Wolf Bird and I planned to have lunch at the bottom of the downhill before we had to climb uphill again. Luckily it wasn’t really raining too much and we were able to find a dry and protected spot under a tree to eat, right next to a junction that led to Vermillion Valley Resort, a place many hikers stop by to resupply but one that we opted to skip since we are hoping to make good time through the Sierra. During lunch we chatted with a JMT hiker named Jared, a young guy from Ohio heading to college in the fall.  

After lunch we had four miles of uphill and of course as soon as we put on our packs to start walking it began raining pretty steadily! Yote and 2.Toe also caught up to us right as we started to climb. The four of us climbed and climbed up many switchbacks as the rain poured down on us. After over an hour of climbing we were pretty soaked but also finally at the top of the climb. As the trail flattened and then went back downhill, the rain finally ceased. Unfortunately since we were no longer walking uphill and thus working a little less hard, we all got pretty cold since we were wet and the sun was still behind the clouds. We walked quickly to try to stay warm. 

All of a sudden we heard the noise of helicopters and looked to the sky to see where it was coming from. We noticed two helicopters flying pretty low following a river that wound through the mountains. They kept flying up the river away from us and then turning back around to fly toward us and then doing it all over again. We wondered what they might be doing. We thought they might be looking for signs of fire from  a lightning strike from the storm that had just happened. But they kept circling the area and then started flying very low that we thought they might be looking for someone. We hoped no one was hurt or lost! We kept walking but the loud noise from the helicopter blades was very distracting and soon the helicopters were flying insanely low, just barely over the tree tops! They were so close we could see the pilots! I was freaking out wondering why they were so low and seemed to be circling us! Wolf Bird said that the Garmin GPS that I was carrying must not be waterproof and must’ve been short circuiting and somehow triggered the SOS function and these helicopters were responding to it. A joke of course but he freaked me out because it was uncanny how closely these helicopters were following us! He freaked me out so much that I made him check the device to ensure it wasn’t actually sending some type of SOS! After a while we passed a family and we asked if everything was ok and if they knew what the copters were for. Apparently the dad had twisted his ankle badly and they’d called for help! They didn’t seem too worried and the guy was actually standing on both feet when we saw him so my guess is he will be okay. 

As we continued on the sound of the copters faded away. We had a creek crossing ahead of us that our app stated was “one of the wildest crossings” of the trail. I was slightly nervous but heard there was a log over the creek so was hopeful it wouldn’t be too tough. We arrived at the crossing and Yote and 2.Toe seemed like they were going to cross in the water right at the trail crossing. It looked a little too fast for my liking, especially if there was a log option. Wolf Bird and I set off downstream to find the log which was not far. Wolf Bird went first and helped me over the sketchy part at the end. Not bad at all! Again I was grateful that we were here now and not at peak snowmelt. 

We decided to camp right after crossing and as we set up our tents it started thundering again. We rushed to get our camp chores done and were glad to be in our tent when it eventually started raining. 

Today was an exciting day because we were doing a shorter day and ending our day at Tuolumne Meadows, which is a place in Yosemite National Park with a general store… Which means.. You guessed it, unlimited food!!! We had the promise of that food in mind all day as we hustled to get to the store by 5pm when it closed (although we discovered it actually closes at 8 once we got there). 
Yote and 2.Toe got an earlier start than us this morning. We headed out and had an uphill that was only a mile or mile and a half but felt really tiring for some reason. At the top we came across a beautiful serene lake. Everything was so still and quiet. We then had a few creek crossings. These were crossings that were difficult earlier in the season but for us were easy and none higher than knee deep. I was very grateful for that! 
We had a long flat section through a beautiful meadow where we finally caught up to Yote and 2.Toe. We also passed some new SOBOs, Captain Bubbles and Tin Man as well as a large group that we didn’t get any of their names. We passed a couple trains of pack horses too which was cool to see. 

Soon we descended and came across Tuolumne Falls, a huge rushing waterfall. We also started encountering a lot of day hikers and Yosemite tourists from this point on. Luckily because we were now on well travelled trails in Yosemite, the walking was pretty flat and easy. Although we were doing a shorter day with easy terrain we were still feeling tired by the time we neared Tuolumne Meadows. Just before we got to the turnoff to the store, we stopped at Soda Springs. This is an amazing spring where water comes up from the ground and is carbonated!! We tried it and it was just like soda water, perhaps even more carbonated! They don’t know what causes the carbonation still. 

After our detour we then headed to the Tuolumne General Store. There were so many people everywhere! We had a bit of a culture shock since we are so used to being alone in the woods and now were inundated with hundreds of people and cars and noises. We entered the store and proceeded to buy lots of snacks and drinks. There were some picnic tables just outside the store and we set up for the afternoon. There were a bunch of other day hikers and PCT hikers and JMT hikers also hanging out at the picnic tables. It was like a little hiker colony. 

We ate a ton of food and also drank some beers. Wolf Bird opted to drink a bottle of wine since he is a classy gentleman. Finally after hours of hanging out I was ready to head to the campground where we’d spend the night. It was just down the street from the store. Wolf Bird and Yote and 2.Toe decided to hang out at the store for a while and I headed to the campground, mostly because they’d closed the bathrooms at the store and I needed to go! I walked to the campground with my bathroom needs turning to an emergency and was upset when the bathroom closest to the campground entrance had a sign that it was closed due to a water mane break. I then had to go find another bathroom and was power walking through the huge campground in my flip flops when I stubbed my toe on a rock. It hurt SO bad. My toe then started bleeding but I still needed to go to the bathroom so I kept walking as my flip flop grew bloodier and bloodier. I Must’ve been quite the sight to see amongst all these nice families with their campers out for a quality family vacation. Alas finally I found a bathroom and also was able to wash off my foot. 
I then set up our tent and cooked dinner and finally the other three arrived. They had met a couple that took them to a whirlpool area of a nearby river. Crazy Wolf Bird and Two Point Toe took a dip even though the sun was setting and it was getting chilly out! We all hung out for a bit before heading to bed.