Summer Boot Camp Day 7

(click on any photo to enlarge) I got up before the alarm and fired up the coffee. We were packed and walking by 5:15am. It was an incredible morning and we felt we had the mountains to ourselves. We crested Silver Pass by 5:30am and were cruising down the other side as the sun started to rise. I shot my favorite photo of the entire trip just on the North side of the pass.

After navigating some rotten snow that had frozen overnight, we strolled by Squaw Lake. I wish we could have made it here last night but it was just a little too far and as it was we set up camp in the dark. We knew today would challenge both of us, so we didn't linger too long and made good time down to Tully Hole. We then climbed 1000ft up to Virginia Lake, down 500ft to Purple Lake then back up to the Duck Lake Trail. Whew! Around Noon we were at the 15 mile mark with still 12 to go. We stopped and ate the last of our snacks, filled our bladders up for the last time and settled into a 4mph pace to try to get to Reds Meadows before 4pm. The rest of our day was a lot of sandy, energy zapping trail.

We did have some great views of Ritter and Banner with about 4 miles to go. The last mile was the longest of the trip. Finally we saw the store and all the people hanging around waiting for the shuttle to the Mammoth Mtn Ski Area. We went in to get a cold drink. After taking the shuttle down into Mammoth, we scrubbed off the trail patina and walked across the street to Miguel's to have Mexican food and beer. Another trip comes to an end. Boy - After a week of Christi mileage, I'm glad to be done!

Summer Boot Camp Day 6

(click on any photo to enlarge) I slept very well last night. Christi was sick of listening to me bitch and let me sleep on her pad. We packed everything we had (packs, clothing, etc.) under her sleeping bag and she was fine. She said she slept the same as if she had a pad! I felt like a puss but it didn't prevent me from taking her pad! Today we had to cross Bear Ridge and descend the 72 switchbacks down to Quail Meadows, then climb as far up Silver Pass as we could before dark. We started early as we knew we were in for a pretty long day. We crested Seldon Pass after less then 30 mins. On the way down the other side of the Pass we entered one of the buggy-est areas on the JMT, Rosemarie Meadows.

Rosemarie Meadows

The bloodsuckers were out in full force so we hurried along without getting to enjoy the green, lush meadows. As soon as we got to Bear Ridge the mosquitoes were less prevalent, and enjoyable walking ensued.

Mt Humphreys

At one point I turned around to see Mt. Humphreys peeking through the trees behind us. From the top of the ridge, the trail drops very steeply down to where Mono Creek enters Lake Thomas Edison. Some hikers will take the water taxi across Lake Thomas Edison to Vermillion Resort for their mid-way resupply. We prefer Muir Trail Ranch as there are less people and the staff at the Ranch are always so friendly.

One of the 72 Switchbacks of Bear Ridge

We tramped down the switchbacks (which incidentally are far easier going down!) and made it to Quail Meadows around 4pm. We filled our bladders in Mono Creek, soaked our bandanas and started the 7 mile 3000ft climb to Silver Pass. This afternoon I felt way better than yesterday and the climb was almost enjoyable.

We started to get close to the Pass right around dark. We found the last campsite just before the Pass proper. We ate by headlamp and crashed out in anticipation of the 27 mile hike out to Reds Meadows tomorrow. The alarm is set for 4:30am!

Summer Boot Camp Day 5

(click on any photo to enlarge) Today we had a lot of forest walking which was a nice change compared to the above treeline hiking we have had for the last 4 days. Today we started off walking slightly downhill through McLure Meadows and the entire Evolution Valley. It was very quiet and beautiful first thing in the morning. We didn't see anyone until we came to the crossing of Evolution Creek. The crossing wasn't too deep but it was big enough for us to take our shoes and socks off. We waded across and sat on the other side to dry our feet and have a few snacks to get us to Muir Trail Ranch. Once again we mailed a food drop to the Ranch and planned on being there around 2pm.

When we came to the bridge that crosses the S. Fork of the San Juaquin River, we knew we had about an hour to go until we arrived at the Ranch. We rolled in just before 2pm an collected our bucket that we mailed two months ago. Tradition has it that we put in extra goodies for eating while we are resupplying. Christi always has Pringles and this year I went for Honey Mustard Pretzels. Oh my- were they great! We stuffed ourselves while we got rid of our garbage, refilled our sunscreen, deet, hand sanitzer, water treatment drops, ibuprofen and our TP kits. With full bellies and heavy packs we set off up the climb to Sallie Keys Lakes. In the years past we have stayed across the river from Muir Trail Ranch, gone to the natural hot springs and made it a destination. This year we are on a mileage kick so we had 5 miles to go after picking up our food. MTR sits at 7790ft, the lowest altitude of our whole trip, and was easily 10 degrees warmer then what we have had the last few days. We immediately started climbing, after resupply and lunch break, and had a little over 2500ft to climb before we could stop for the night. I really suffered this afternoon. Maybe I ate too much at lunch or the heat got to me, I don't know, but I was immediately dragging ass.

Christi left me for dead on the climb as I was left in my own personal purgatory. Notice the lack of photos from the afternoon/evening hike as I was in no mood to take any! I was so thankful after three hours of climbing when we came up on the first of the Sallie Keys Lakes. We walked all the way to the end of the furthest lake and made camp less than a mile below Seldon Pass. Today was my worst day as I really was slow after lunch. Hopefully I can get some sleep and feel better in the morning. Two more long days and with any luck we'll be in Mammoth on Friday night!

Summer Boot Camp Day 4

(click on any photo to enlarge) We woke to a deer sharing our campsite. She wasn't the least bit shy of us and continued feeding while we had coffee and packed up. Yesterday was a big day but we had another one today. We had the mighty Muir Pass (11,956ft.) on the docket today and from the South no less. We started our day at the entrance to LeConte Canyon (8095ft.) which is 10.3 miles from the Pass. The climb was as expected early on, we've done this climb four times so we know it well. Big and Little Pete Meadows are beautiful especially in this wet year. It is late spring in the High Sierra. Lots of water means lots of flowers. The lower part of the Pass is really beautiful. As we got above treeline, we didn't expect the amount of snow we encountered in the last two miles to the top.
Climbing the South side of Muir Pass
We had fun with the snow and the conditions. Since it was about 2:30pm when we were on the Pass, the snow was soft enough to get purchase. We have never seen this much snow on Muir and none of the other passes this year have been much more than a short snowfield crossing at the top. We arrived at the hut and believe it or not we had the place to ourselves. Every other time we've been here, the pass has been a bustling beehive of hikers taking photos and comparing war stories from the climb. It was a bit eerie to be alone up there. You feel so small and insignificant. We checked out the inside of the hut and took a few photos and headed down the other side toward McLure Meadows. The landscape is almost lunar on the North side. Just granite, sand, water and snow. It was about the only place that hasn't had mosquitoes!
Walking on the Moon

The afternoon walk was slightly downhill and pleasurable. We passed lake after lake and crossed the inlets and outlets that were swollen with snow melt. Finally we came upon the highest of the Evolution chain of lakes. This is a gorgeous part of the Sierra and were came through in late afternoon and the light was just right. Our stop for the evening is at the lowest Evolution Lake, right at the outlet. We scored a great campsite that was secluded and provided a great area for cleaning up. As I set up camp, Christi went to the waters edge and did her chores. I went to join her as soon as I finished. Man I love this area!  I hung out on the rocks until sundown. This was one of those afternoons that you never want to end. As the sun went down I took a photo that captures the beauty of this area. Another long day but tonight I don't feel tired. Christi is sawing logs as I take the last photos of the day.

Summer Boot Camp Day 3

(click on any photo to enlarge) After a poor night of sleep I got up with the sun and started the water boiling for coffee. Christi slept better than I did and was packed and ready while I was still drinking my Joe. We still felt like we could bag two passes in a day and set off to tackle the south side of Pinchot Pass (12,130ft.). Within an hour we were on top. There were no real difficulties on either side of Pinchot and we set off down toward Lake Marjorie. The JMT drops down to the South Fork of the Kings River here and then starts the long climb to Mather Pass (12,100ft.). Mather from the North is, in our opinion, the second hardest Pass on the JMT. A tie for first is Muir from the South and Forester from the North. Luckily today our approach to Mather was from the South. We (I mean Christi) set a good tempo through Upper Basin in the shadow of Split and Cardinal Mountains. We were on top of Mather Pass at 2:30pm. Then began the LONG descent down Palisade Creek to the Middle Fork of the Kings. This downhill really enforced how long and difficult the North side climb is. From the top of the Pass, it is 10.2 miles to the entrance of LeConte Canyon and the Middle Fork of the Kings River.
The first part of the descent after Palisade Lake was the famous 'Golden Staircase". This was the last section finished on the JMT. It really is an engineering marvel. The trail builders managed to build a trail directly up an otherwise unusable, steep ass chute. When we climbed this a few years ago a deer climbed the whole Staircase about 100 yards in front of us all the way to the lake! We weren't so lucky today as it was the heat of the afternoon and the only company we had on the trail was the suffering Southbound JMT hikers that were climbing the Staircase late in the day hoping to make it to Palisade Lake. We managed to hike the entire way to LeConte Canyon making a daily total of 22 miles. Quite a day. Pretty tired tonight but we both hiked well today.

Summer Boot Camp Day 2

(click on any photo to enlarge) Today started with blue skies and mild temperatures. Our goal was to get over Glen Pass (11,978ft.) early and get close to Pinchot Pass by the end of the day. We got up and packed early as usual and after only a couple of hours we were standing on top of Glen Pass ready to descend down to the first of the Rae Lakes. This is a very scenic area between Glen and Pinchot Passes. As I've said before - this area is very popular and can be crowded. There was only a small snow field on the North side of the Pass. Once we got into the Basin we cruised by the four lakes and surprisingly didn't see anyone. There were a few people on the top of the Pass but very few in the basin. Fin Dome resides next to the second Rae Lake and acts as a gendarme for the whole basin. Once we got to Dollar and Arrowhead Lakes we knew the bridge and our turnoff for Pinchot Pass was coming up. The Woods Creek Bridge is often referred to as the Golden Gate of the Sierra. Upon crossing it you immediately turn right (east) and follow the creek up to treeline. The creek was flowing like crazy! We have never seen it this big. This could mean that our stream crossings coming up will be difficult. We walked for the rest of the afternoon and settled in at about 2 miles below the Pass. The bloodsuckers were out in full force so we retired to the tent to stretch and eat. Our first 'real' day on the trail was good and aside from hip soreness from sleeping on the ground, we were no worse for wear. Tomorrow will be a little longer with possibly two passes - we'll see how we feel in the morning. Cheers.

Summer Boot Camp Day 1

(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.