JMT Day 15: Sapphire Lake to Middle Fork Junction

July 18, 2008

My feet hurt! We hiked about 14 miles today. Granted most of it was down hill. It seemed like it took us forever to to walk from Big Pete Meadow to the Bishop Pass junction. 2 miles down hill took us almost 3 hours to hike, then we turn around and hike 3 miles in an hour and a half. Somewhere the mileage had to be off. It just doesn't make sense. It almost reminded me of when we went over Donohue Pass to Garnet Lake. That was a long down hill also.


Muir pass was cool. It's weird to see pictures in books of the Muir hut that's on the pass and then I am really there. Same with when I was checking out the JMT website and saw the hut. I guess I never really thought I would have a picture of me in front of the hut also. It just make me more excited to summit Whitney. I am so looking forward to that. Only one more week left. Hard to believe that it's a week away.


Time to read the trashy novel and hit the sack. I made an awesome supper tonight; beef strogenoff with real beef (thanks to the hiker bins at muir ranch) and fresh wild onions. Good stuff!!














Pictures:
1. Wanda Lake, north of Muir Pass
2. Me taking a break on the steps of the Muir Hut (11,980 ft)
3. Mugs looking for the trail in the snow. Helen Lake in the background
4. Helen Lake
5. Looking back (north) to Muir Pass

mileage: 14.9/142.5
elevation: 11,000 to 8070 +980/ - 3910

JMT Day 14: Goddard Creek to Sapphire Lake

July 17, 2008

3:30p: We made it to Evolution Lake. I've been hearing a lot about it and how pretty it is up here. Everyone is right. Again it's something you just have to see. A camera can capture it, but it doesn't do it justice. We have hiked about 9 miles already today but we are going to keep going. Too early to stop. I like to hike until at least 6p. We are going to try to make it to Sapphire Lake, about 2 more miles. The original plan was to get over Muir Pass, but that would be 6 more miles up hill and I would be hiking in the dark. Yeah, if you know me that not a good combo. I would rather do the Pass in the morning when I've had a good nights rest. We have five more passes left to go over before the summit of Whitney. Now I've gotten into the count down of the passes rather then the mileage. Ok I just like to count things down; days, mileage, hours, rice packets left to eat...

7p: According to the book, there is suppose to be campsite around sapphire lake. We saw them but there was no way I was walking down the side of a mountain without a trail. Mugs and I took off our packs and tried to find the safest way down and we decided that even if we could make it down, there was no way we would make it back up with packs on. We decided on a ledge just off the trail to spend the night. Just big enough for the tent. We had to use rocks to stake the tent down because of the lack of space and the sand isn't very deep. We are praying that there is no lightening tonight since we are the highest point.

Oh I also heard my first rock slide tonight. Mugs saw it.

Pictures:

1. Me crossing evolution Creek (I didn't fall in this one!)

2. McClure Meadow looking at were we are going...south

4. McClure Meadow again looking south

5. Looking north down at McClure Meadow

6. Shadow of the mountains on the westside on the mountians to the east

7. Evolution lake

8. Sapphire Lake

9. Evolution lake with mts in background

10. Our campsite. It looks flatter then it really is, but where i was standing it slopped down to the tent.

mileage: 10.1/127.6

elevation: 8480ft to 11,000 ft +2500ft/-0

JMT Day 13: Piute Creek to Goddard Creek

July 16, 2008

Wow, nine more days and we still have 100 miles to go. We took it easy today--hiking only 5 miles. Mugs has a friend who is a cook for the CCC (California Conservation Corps) crew stationed at Goddard Creek. We stopped to visit with her for a bit and she invited us to stay for supper. It's taco night, I'm not going to pass up tacos and it beats having rice and tuna. Mugs and I have been slacking a bit with hiking these past couple of day so we are in for some long and bigger mileage days ahead of us. Staying tonight at Goddard Creek a good idea since it will put us at the passes in the mornings or evening. You don't want to go over the passes during the afternoon because there is a greater chance of storms at that time.



I also had some time to soak my feet in the river. It felt so good! The cold water rushing over them. All I can say is it felt wonderful to get all the tape and mole skin off and to let them air out. I have noticed that my feet are getting better. I'm still going to lose two more toe nails, but my heels are not blistered anymore. They are still are tender but new skin is growing and getting tougher. They haven't bleed yet. I don't want that to happen. I can deal with the blisters and nails falling off, but that's it. I'm determined to finish this trip. Too many people have told me I won't make and I've doubted myself at times, but I'm going to summit on the 25th.



Being that we ended early today (2pm) I got a chance to finish the book I brought along. I have been looking for the book "Prayers for Bobby" for a couple of years and could never find it. I was told by a friend of mine that I should read it. Well I found the book at Barnes and Nobles in San Fran so I bought it. The time must have been right for me to buy it, because there was only one copy. Anyway I finished the last two chapters tonight. I just couldn't put it down. The book brought tears to my eyes and at one point I thought I woke Mugs up with my sniffling but she never heard me. I mean it's not even woman's week and I got emotional over a book. Weird things happen out here on the trail.



Time for bed. We need to get camp packed up by 6 and bkft at the CCC camp with Kim at 6:30 then back to the trail.

Picture:
1. View of the trail. I was waiting for the Ewoks and speeder bikes to come out. I can't believe I only took one picture today. I thought I took more. Must have been to busy hiking.

mileage: 5.5/117.5
elevation: 8050 to 8480 +430 ft/ -0

JMT Day 12: Marie Lake to Piute Creek

July 15, 2008

HALF WAY TO WHITNEY!

It was raining this morning so we slept in until 7a. We still made it over Seldon Pass, but we're an hour and a half behind schedule. We did have a nice surprise this morning, we got passed by Bob and Andy. We hiked with them most of the day since they are also going to the Muir ranch to resupply. It also rained on us again this afternoon. Only an hour this time and we were dry by the time we got to Muir ranch.

Our packs are heavy again. They don't seem as heavy as day 1, so I must have gotten a little stronger. I'm just happy we have a full food supply and more calories. My energy level should go up now because I'll be consuming more calories and I get to eat good snacks! You don't know how much I've been craving fruit! Even though its dried, it's still good. It's weird because I'm craving steak, sushi and lettuce. I can understand the sushi and lettuce, I crave those things when I'm in civilization. The steak worries me because I don't really care for steak and maybe eat it twice a year. But like I said before this trip has changed me and maybe this is just another way that it has. I'm becoming a red meat eater!

Tonight we camped along side of the river, about a mile from Piute Creek. We are camping with Bob and Andy. We've been hiking with them all day and decided why not. They found a really nice place to camp off the trail. Mugs and I usually camp not too far from the trail. It has always been within sight. We made a camp fire and played spades until 10:30p. Another late night, but we are in good company so it's worth it.

Pictures:

1. Marie Lake from our campsite

2. Mugs on the trail in front of me as we left camp that morning

3. Sunset over the Mts at our campsite with Bob and Andy (camara couldn't capture how beautiful it really was)

4. Amber glow on Mts

mileage: 7.5/112

elevation: 10,540 to 8050 +350 ft/ -3000 ft

JMT Day 11: VVR junction to Marie Lake

July 14, 2008

A long day of uphill and when we finally get to the downhill it starts to rain. So for three hours we got to wear the rain gear. First time I've worn it in the rain (the very first time I wore it was at VVR when we were doing laundry, that way we could wash all of our clothes and still have something on. PE majors are smart sometimes!) The rain was nice, but it brought the mosquitoes. I think I swallowed about 100 of them. Can you get west nile from swallowing them or do they have to bite you? Something I may have to look up when I get back to civilization. Another fun part of the day, other then the fun with mosquitoes, was that as the rain was starting to lighten up, we got to wade across a creek. I enjoy wading across the creeks since it gives me a chance to get out of my boots and the water feels good on my feet. However today as I was just about across the creek, only a couple of feet from shore, I tripped over a rock and fell in. Now I got to enjoy the rest of the hike cold and in wet clothing. The best part of my fall was not only did I manage to soak myself, my boots that were around my neck also filled up with water. I had to dump the water out of them when I made it to shore before I put them back on. I did make it to the campsite at 6:30p and the rain had quit by that time. Overall still a pretty good day. Got in 3 extra miles.

Pictures:

1. a deer that followed me hiking up bear ridge. He was about 6 feet in front of me at one point.

2. Flowers on the trail

3. More flowers

4. View of the mountains form our campsite at Marie lake

5. A little lizard on the rock

Mileage: 12.9/104.5

elevation: 7,900 to 10,504 +2990/-0, but we did drop 1000ft after bear ridge only to hike 1000ft back up towards Marie Lake

JMT Day 10: Vermilion Valley Resort

July 13, 2008

Yesterday was wonderful!!! It was fun to hang out with the guys we've been leap frogging with along the trail. Ok, really they pass me every day. I have even met some more people from Minnesota. I'm beginning to think that this is the year for Minnesotans on the trail. Oddly I haven't met anyone from California yet.

Last night, Mugs and shared a combo platter of protein. BBQ chicken, ribs, tri-tip, and a hot link. Not to mention the macaroni salad, baked beans and a slice of homemade peach pie. It tasted so good. I am so glad we split a plate because I would have never been able to eat that much.

We got to VVR around 2 yesterday and mostly just sat at the restaurant/bar until 10:30 last night. The resort is not what you would think a resort is. The "cabin" we are staying in has 4 sets of bunk beds and it's just a big tent with a wood floor. Reminds me a lot of girl scout camp. We shared a cabin with Alex and Justin and then two other girls, Jess and Kaylyn who we met yesterday. It was nice not having to pitch the tent and sleeping on a mattress, a very old mattress.

More hikers showed up throughout the day, including Bob and Andy, who we have met many times on the trip and ate lunch with on our way to Duck Pass. Bob and Andy thought we missed the boat since they didn't see us at all on the trail. Little did they know that as they were sitting in the rain waiting for the boat, we were drinking our free beer at the resort nice and dry.

Yesterday (Saturday night) after we were done eating we stayed at the restaurant/bar and talked with all of the hikers. This is just what I needed to recharge my batteries. In all my life I don't think I have ever sat with a group of guys and drank beer and talked. I've done this with women, but then again I know more women than men. Fun new experience for me. I had to step outside my comfort zone and experience something new. That's what this trip is about, doing something new.

Today, Mugs and I decided that we were not going to spend an extra night here. We decided that we will catch the boat around 2p and just hike the 2 miles out to the junction of Bear Ridge. This way we can get an early start and hopefully end closer to Muir Ranch were our resupply is.

My feet are getting better. I think taking the past 24 hours off has helped them. I won't know for sure until I start hiking again later this afternoon. Everyone we met last night took off this morning. Mugs and I are hoping we'll catch up to them eventually. I guess we'll just have to see. We have more uphill days ahead of us, but we can sneak in a few extra miles on the downhill days. But then again, it all depends on how we are feeling.

My attitude is still positive, although I have had my moments where I've wanted it all to be over. That's mostly because of the blisters I've had. The trail it's self isn't all that difficult. I probably won't do this trail again. I would like to come back and do some parts again, but not for 20 days. It gets a little long. I have fallen in love with hiking/backpacking and want to do more. I just don't want to enjoy nature for 20 days in one shot.

Well got to get my feet taped up so we can head out of here. Almost half way done. I'm hoping for less mosquitoes, but tougher elevation lies ahead...

8p: We finally left VVR at 4p. There were thunderstorms and rain so they weren't running any boats. Mugs and I only hiked the 2 miles to the junction. We'll be up early tomorrow and hike up Bear Ridge then hopefully get about half way to Muir Ranch. We are going to try and hike a few extra miles tomorrow since most of our uphill will be in the morning and the rest of the day will be down hill. Possibly an eleven hour hike tomorrow. It make me laugh when I start thinking about counting my days in the hours I hike rather then the mileage. Jess and Kaylyn said they treat every day like a job...thy only walk for 8 hours a day. I guess that wouldn't be too bad, but I don't think I would want to be out here for 30 days. As long as I can average 10 miles a day I doing fine.

As for me I feel refreshed. It was hard leaving VVR, but I'm also glad to be back on the trail. Mugs and I made a campfire tonight and we got a new book...a smut book. Ten chapters, ten days, coincidence? I think not. Ahhh how sisters bond on a 20 day backpacking trip...they read smut books...

Pictures:

1. Me in the "limo" heading back to the trail

2. Our campsite at the junction, our tent is the yellow dome in the back

Mileage: 2 miles/ 91.6 miles

elevation: not much

JMT Day 9: Squaw Lake to Lake Edison, Vermilion Valley Resort

July 12, 2008

On the trail by 7 and made it to the boat by 1p. Pretty good for a 10 mile day! We were actually lucky to get to the boat just as it was about to leave. Mugs an I didn't have to wait. We literally walked from the trail right onto the boat without stopping. We also caught up with Alex and Justin, who we have been leaping frogging with since Reds Meadows. We shared a campsite with them and got to know them a little. We also camped by them at Squaw lake. So it was nice knowing at two other people there. Our boat captain, Phil, told us that tonight is "protein night" and that we have the option of staying in a cabin with a bed for free. That's it for now. Time for a real shower and laundry.

Pictures:

1. Sam at Silver Pass (10,750 ft)

2. More Mountains from Silver Pass

Mileage: 10/ 89.6

elevation: 10,300 ft to 7,900 ft +450 ft/ - 2850 ft