(
click on any photo to enlarge) When I applied for our wilderness permit in February, I envisioned a two week trip with just the two of us. As the year progressed our desire to use all two weeks of our vacation hiking diminished. So as our trip approached we decided to do a week of hard hiking (hence the 'Boot Camp') and then a week of hanging out at the lake, paddleboarding, drinking beer, etc. So on Saturday, Aug 13, we drove to Tuolumne Meadows and left the 4Runner in the parking lot. We had arranged a shuttle to take us to Independence, Ca. where we were dropped off at the Onion Valley/Kearsarge Pass Trailhead. Thus began our one week boot camp. Our plan was to average 20 miles a day for a week and come out at Reds Meadows (Mammoth) the following Saturday evening. The trip encompassed Kearsarge, Glen, Pinchot, Mather, Muir, Seldon and Silver Passes. A pass a day, or so I thought. We arrived at the trailhead around 3pm, unloaded our gear from the shuttle hoping to make it over Kearsarge Pass before dark. As soon as our shuttle drove away, I realized I had forgotten my sleeping pad. The morning was a blur of trying to get everything organized (house sitter, doggie daycare, food drops, etc.) and I'd put Christi's pad in her pack but forgot to put mine in my pack. Doooh! Standing at the trailhead with 150 miles of walking ahead of us, there was nothing I could do but suck it up. We made the pass in a couple of hours and headed down the other side to look for a spot to spend the night. Since we've been here many times before, we knew there were some good spots at the first of the Kearsarge Lakes about two miles below the west side of the pass. We found a nice spot and I took our packs, clothing, and everything we had to put under my bag to try to offer some comfort from the hard ground under the tent. First day under our belts. Tomorrow is when the real 'Boot Camp' begins.
(click on any photo to enlarge) When I applied for our wilderness permit in February, I envisioned a two week trip with just the two of us. As the year progressed our desire to use all two weeks of our vacation hiking diminished. So as our trip approached we decided to do a week of hard hiking (hence the 'Boot Camp') and then a week of hanging out at the lake, paddleboarding, drinking beer, etc. So on Saturday, Aug 13, we drove to Tuolumne Meadows and left the 4Runner in the parking lot. We had arranged a shuttle to take us to Independence, Ca. where we were dropped off at the Onion Valley/Kearsarge Pass Trailhead. Thus began our one week boot camp. Our plan was to average 20 miles a day for a week and come out at Reds Meadows (Mammoth) the following Saturday evening. The trip encompassed Kearsarge, Glen, Pinchot, Mather, Muir, Seldon and Silver Passes. A pass a day, or so I thought. We arrived at the trailhead around 3pm, unloaded our gear from the shuttle hoping to make it over Kearsarge Pass before dark. As soon as our shuttle drove away, I realized I had forgotten my sleeping pad. The morning was a blur of trying to get everything organized (house sitter, doggie daycare, food drops, etc.) and I'd put Christi's pad in her pack but forgot to put mine in my pack. Doooh! Standing at the trailhead with 150 miles of walking ahead of us, there was nothing I could do but suck it up. We made the pass in a couple of hours and headed down the other side to look for a spot to spend the night. Since we've been here many times before, we knew there were some good spots at the first of the Kearsarge Lakes about two miles below the west side of the pass. We found a nice spot and I took our packs, clothing, and everything we had to put under my bag to try to offer some comfort from the hard ground under the tent. First day under our belts. Tomorrow is when the real 'Boot Camp' begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment