Month: July 2016

I snapped a quick pic as this couple went to the shoreline to check out the view.

I slept in a little since I knew I had Forester pass coming up at the end of the day and there would be very little chance I could tackle it today.  I was off at 6:15 and the trail was pretty much the same as yesterday.  A little climb,  little level, a little down.

Mt Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, but I did not have enough spare food to make the 8 mile side trip.

I was dragging early in the morning, so I made some coffee and that helped quite a bit.  I stopped by a stream at 11 to have first lunch and break for an hour.  Shortly after the climb up from the stream I got tired and lazy.  Not sure if I need more sleep, more food, or just some rest.  I could have rolled out the mat and taken a nap, but it was just a perfect day weather wise.  The temperature must have been about 70 and a gentle breeze blowing steadily.  Perhaps I was just sleepy from eating.

There are lush meadows, good trees, and outstanding views around Mt Whitney.

Around 3 PM it started to cloud up.  I thought I better stop and cook second lunch before the rains came because cooking in the rain sucks.  My timing was good because about thirty minutes after starting up again, it started to rain.  Wait, no, that’s not rain, it’s sleet.  Big mushy ice blobs splattering all over the ground and rocks.  After five minutes it turned to hail.  It continued to hail off and on over the next hour.  It made the hike interesting, but it was very loud under the umbrella.  I kept leapfrogging three other hikers as they sought refuge under large trees.

This is just a small patch of snow, but it’s obvious that more is coming soon.

The view during the latter stages of the hail was breathtaking.  We came to a high Alpine meadow that was almost tundra like.  There were snow drifts here and there and a lake right at the top.  The distant range still had lots of snow cover and was illuminated by the sun.  I snapped a picture as a couple I was hiking with went down to the lake.  I spent my idle time playing in the snow.

The first “Sound of Music” moment came shortly after the hail stopped.

I wouldn’t trade being here for anything in the world.

As I neared the last camp before Forester pass, there was another stream to cross.  This was probably the fourth one of the day.  All of the others I was able to rock hop across them and only get my toes wet.  This one, however, was a wader.  The rocks to hop across were a foot under water and the base of the river was over two feet deep.  Since I was less than five miles from Forester pass, I decided to take my shoes off to keep them dry for tomorrow.  I waded across and the water was so cold, it was extremely painful on my feet.  This is definitely a snow melt fed stream.  I suspect from Forester pass itself.

I camped early,  just on the other side of the river so I could wash some socks and do a little housekeeping.  There are no more tent sites between here and the pass itself other than a flat spot by some lakes that are at about 12,200 ft and very exposed to the weather.  All the terrain from here to there is steep, and finding a campsite is unlikely.  I don’t want to get too close, either, because the snow could ice over during the night.  If I leave around six, I should get to the pass around nine, so that should be good timing.  The North side has far more snow, so descending at ten should be about perfect.  My campsite is at about 11,000 ft and Forester pass is 13,200, so 2,200 ft of climb in the morning is not too bad.  I should get some coffee ready now.

The meadows are giving way to the higher mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

Today I officially entered Sequoia and Kings Canyon national park, so the bears are for real, and so are the rangers.  All overnight hikers are required to carry a bear canister for food storage in these national parks and Yosemite.  Five miles before I even got to the border of the park, a ranger was there on the trail to check my permit and bear canister.  I passed with flying colors.

The morning started out like they all do, wake up at five and hiking by 5:45.  I had some uphill to contend with, but the mosquito’s were not as bad as they were the night before.  I passed several hikers still in their tents until nearly 8 am. Don’t they know they are missing the best part of the day?

Looking east towards Independence, CA. Apparently AT&T is there, but not Verizon.

The trail skirted a high point that had a view of a valley to the east.  The AT&T folks had signal, but not Verizon.  One of the rare service inversions. I tried several times from several vantage points and actually did get a signal a few times, but never got data or could send out texts or make a call.

Later in the day, we passed a junction that led East to Independence, CA that several folks were stopping at to resupply.  I tried to get a signal there, too, with no luck.  We are so deep into the Sierra that there are just no towns within eyesight.

There were several water sources that I passed today, so I think I never carried more than three liters and typically just two.  Sometimes when you come to water, there is a small side trail that is easy to miss.  In these cases, people make signs in the trail with stones or sticks.  I typically see something like this nearly every day.  It does help keep you from missing something like water that might be critical at the moment.

Some kind soul has marked the way to water,

The real excitement of the day was a rescue helicopter that flew overhead in the afternoon.  He came from behind me and flew almost directly overhead.  just after he passed me, he started playing siren noises like a cop car.  Can’t say that I’ve ever heard that before.  I could hear them speaking on a PA system to people on the ground, but could not make out what he was saying.  About twenty minutes later, I heard a boom very close to me in the woods to my right where a meadow was that had water.  In fact the picture is from that intersection.  It took me a few seconds to figure it out, but the boom was the helicopter igniting it’s engine so it could take off.  I watched it thru the woods.  It lifted very slowly then took off in the direction it had come.

A few minutes later, some hikers passed me and we got to talking about the helicopter.  Apparently a couple who were hiking the PCT had the wife twist her knee a few days ago and they kept hiking until the swelling got so bad, that they activated their Spot device to be extracted.  They were only two miles from the intersection that would have taken them to the trailhead and into town, so they must have been in a bad way.  They also mentioned that the altitude was so high, that they could only take the wife and even had to unload some equipment from the helicopter into the field.  The husband ended up having to take the side trail into town.  Poor guy.

Later in the afternoon the wonderful clouds that shaded us all afternoon finally turned to rain clouds and let a light rain sprinkle on us for about an hour.  I could see lightning way off in the distance but none struck anywhere near us.  It was cool but not cold.  My umbrella kept me dry, but my shoes got a little damp.

Rain clouds are approaching

I wanted to hike a little later than yesterday, but still camp with daylight left, so I found a decent spot to stop at 7:30.  I pitched the tent quickly so that I could get started on dinner.  I had not eaten enough during the day and I was hungrier than usual.  I found a good rock to cook at that was 100 ft away from the tent and proceeded to cook mashed potatoes that were more than the normal size I cook.  And as luck would have it, I boiled over the pot and got milky water all over the stove and ground.  The first time I have a cooking spill would have to be my first night in bear country.  At least it’s pretty far from the tent.

The pines are a welcome sight, but California just simply does not have undergrowth the way the east coast does.

I am camped at 11,000 ft and I’m only ten miles from the junction to the Mt Whitney trail.  The side trail to summit is 8.6 miles, so to try to summit would be a 27 mile day, which doesn’t sound doable.  I’m not a peak bagger, so missing Mt Whitney is not that big of a deal, even though it is the highest peak in the continental 48 and over 14,000 ft high.  I am camped in its shadow right now and can see it well.  Perhaps I’ll hike the John Muir trail some day, which ends at the peak of Mt Whitney.

Today was a day unlike any other day so far on the trip.  It started the same.  Wake up at 5 and start hiking at 5:45.  But today I’m not supposed to see any desert.  And at no point during the day was I hot.  Sweaty, yes.  But hot, no.

About thirty minutes into the morning, I come across a woman and two young boys about ten years old.  It is very odd to see weekenders out hiking before 9 am.  I knew something was up.  Apparently one of the boys was having altitude sickness and they had run out of water and were heading back to town.  I barely had enough for myself since I had twelve miles to water and had just camped dry, but I gave them a liter.  They were only about three miles from the Kern river, so they should be fine.  The woman started crying as I gave them the water.

After talking with other hikers later in the morning, apparently they had been out of water last night, too.

Trees are the ideal hiking location when the weather is still hot.

The morning was mostly climbing, but it seemed like as we got higher, we just kept coming out into meadow after meadow.  I don’t know how many we hit today, but it had to be at least six.  I am camped right now in a place called Death Canyon Meadow.  Nice name.  It’s a nice site, just a bit heavy on the mosquito’s.  Maybe that’s where the death reference comes into play.

An endless supply of meadows all day long.

About 10:00 I came upon the main water source, another branch if the Kern river that had a bridge over it and a very large Beach.  When I got there, about eight hikers were already there.  By the time I left 45 minutes later, there were eight new hikers there.  The vortex of Kennedy Meadows has concentrated the hikers.  It was a nice stop for first lunch.

Hikers taking a lunch break along the Kern river.  Notice the abundance of birds in the air by the bridge.

More climbing was in store, but it was not steep.  I had loaded up with three liters of water, so I was a little on the heavy side.  We still have ten to fifteen miles between water sources for the next day or two before it becomes a stream fest.  About half way up the climb, dark clouds started to roll in all around us.  It looked as if we got over the pass we were headed to, we might be able to skirt the rain.  But each time the trail moved away from the clouds, the clouds followed us anyway.  Eventually it did start to rain, so I put my poles up and got the umbrella out.  It kept me dry and only my pants legs got any wetness to speak of on them.  It rained on and off for about two hours.  In the forest, it made the pine needles come to life.  In the meadows, it made the sage come to life.  Rain always brings out new smells.

Rain was very welcome this day, too. Two straight days with rain!

I was planning on hiking until close to seven, but as I was leaving Death Canyon Meadow, I remembered I still needed to repair the seam on my pack.  So I decided to stop early (about six) and do the repair before making dinner.  The mosquito’s were relentless and it was a little harder seeing with a head net on.  I finished the repair in about an hour, and while its not pretty, it should hold just fine.  It would have been nice to get access to a sewing machine in Kennedy Meadows, but my hand sewing will have to do.  I hope the cotton thread holds under the strain.

Leaving Kennedy Meadows in the afternoon during a gentle rain shower.

I left Kennedy Meadows today as planned, but slightly later than I expected because it started raining.  Yes, raining.  And I also ate too much ice cream.  🙂

It was a nice casual morning.  I slept in as late as I could tolerate, which was 7 am.  I gathered some of my paperwork and went up to the deck to use some of the tables.  Achilles was sleeping up there.  It was then that I noticed that the water report doesn’t even report on the Sierra section.  I guess the water is so good here, they don’t bother to collect the data.  That’s good to know, I guess.  I went ahead and perused the portion that they do report (up to Cottonwood pass) then cruised some of the register entries in the Guthooks app.  For the most part, it looks like I can rely on the Guthooks reporting of next reliable water and not bother with the water report until I get out of the Sierras.  I went ahead and scribbled notes for the next 80 miles since there are a few 10 to 15 mile carries in there.

The store down the road that has wifi and serves breakfast was closed on Mondays, so no shuttle to breakfast, and no hope for wifi.  So who knows, it could be two weeks before you read this if you are a regular follower of the blog and you probably already think I burned to death.  Well, no such luck.  I’m alive and well, just out of touch with modern society.  There was a pay phone at the general store, so at least I was able to call Karen and let her know all is well and not to freak if it takes up to two weeks for me to get a signal again.  I’m really glad I have the solar charger now.

Since there was no breakfast on Mondays, one of the local couples actually opened up the grill and had either egg or pancake breakfasts available.  It was pretty decent.  Most of the morning I just vegged out and chatted with other hikers.  Several more came in during the day and many also left.  There were probably 20 at any given time.  One of the locals said that a week ago, there were 120 there.  That’s a lot of ice cream and beer.

One of the hikers I chatted with was the person that I had noticed in the photo albums from The Grind in Wrightwood several weeks back.  He was the guy with the red vest and dreadlocks.  He was easy to spot because he was wearing a red vest and had dreadlocks.  I mentioned to him that I recognized him and noticed one year he was hiking with a girl and one year he was not.  Apparently they split up.  It seemed as if he had been there for quite a while and he looked to be in no hurry to leave, so I’m not so sure he was hiking this year.  I suspect he is one of the semi-permanent semi-hikers that take up seasonal residence on the trail.  A true vagabond.

I had one of their Italian sausages for lunch and it was actually quite good.  Much better than their hamburgers.  Since I wanted to leave at five, I cooked the rest of my hot dogs and spaghetti at about three, then went back to take a quick nap and finish packing up.  I also tried on the microspikes to make sure they fit and they fit perfectly.  I was able to get the bear canister in the pack no problem, but I noticed one of the seams that had been weakening has now split.  Rut roh.  I bought a sewing kit at the store but it’s intended for clothes not gear, so I found a roll of gorilla tape that I will use as grosgrain reinforcing and sew the seam with dental floss.  If I am able to do a good job, it should last quite a while, but if not, it might mean having to get a new pack.  That will suck.

I packed up and drug everything up to the deck to have one last Gatorade and ice cream.  I’m carrying seven days of food in the bear canister and one day outside the bear canister, so I wanted to be sure I had enough to eat before leaving so I did not have to eat from the extra day tonight.  I want to see if I can make 200 miles in eight days so I don’t have to get off at one of the crazy resupply points.

Well, it turns out you should not eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and a quart of Gatorade two hours after eating five hot dogs and a pot of spaghetti.  I had to sit a bit and let it settle.  And as I was chilling, it started to rain.  Not the ten drops like in Mount Laguna, but real actual rain.  It was not heavy.  No one bothered to try to get out of it, as it actually felt good.  It cooled the place off quite well, too.

Well, after 5:30, it was finally time to go.  I said my goodbyes then headed back to the trail in the rain.  It probably rained a total of an hour and wet the soil about 1/8th of an inch.  That’s not much, but I bet the plants loved it.  I loved it, too.  I didn’t bother with rain gear or anything, I just walked.  And five minutes after it stopped, I was dry.

The beginning of the National Park/Forest hike.

The trail out was sandy, but nicer than I expected.  We were back in the trees within two miles.  The next twenty miles or so will be a steady climb to higher elevations.  Kennedy was at about 6000 and I’m already at about 7000 and only six miles from town.  Tomorrow should be a fun day.

Today marks a big day.  I have finally made it to Kennedy Meadows which is the portal into the Sierras.  So after about 20 more miles to get out of town, I should officially be out of the desert.  Hurray.  The bad part is it is very, very hot here.

Water is finally starting to become a regular occurrence.

I got up nice and early and left about 5:45, hoping to get to Kennedy Meadows in time for lunch.  The first three hours were through burned out forest which were not pretty, but a cool breeze kept it nice hiking.  There were a total of three Rivers to cross today.  The first one was just puddles, but the second one was an actual river.  I found several places deep enough to swim, but I only washed my face and back and let my clothes dry out a short while while I snacked.  I think I spent about 45 minutes there.

Taking a break for a drink and a snack.

Leaving the river, the trail started to climb and even though there were a few trees, it was extremely hot.  I’m guessing close to 100.  I’m glad I had restocked on water because I drank nearly all of it on the last five miles to the trailhead.  The town and store is actually a mile off trail, so I had to add a 20 min roadwalk to the endeavor.

The last few miles into Kennedy Meadows actually do turn into meadows.

Kennedy Meadows at last! You are looking at the entire town.

Once I got there, I dropped my pack, rested ten minutes chatting with other hikers, then straight into the store for a Gatorade and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  Quite delicious and quite cold.  I let that settle an hour, then it was off to the grill for a hamburger and a beer.

I took a hot shower, changed into the town clothes then did laundry.  I like showers, but laundry is divine.  My shirt gets so stiff with sweat that it could stand up by itself.  And each laundering sees it getting less and less white.  I doubt it will ever be clean again.  I am certain thus shirt will see a trash can before the end of the hike.  One pair of socks and one pair of shoes already have.

I bought some hot dogs and a few breakfast things before the store closed.  The store is open 9 to 5 but the grill only 11 to 4.  There is a restaurant down the road with all you can eat breakfast pancakes that will shuttle hikers to and from the store, so I might hit that in the morning.  I bought hot dogs at the store and found half a jar of marinara and angel hair pasta so it was spaghetti and hot dogs for dinner.  It was better than it sounds.

Another milestone – 700 miles completed!

This is the last stop before the Sierra mountain range, so I had a resupply box waiting for me that had my bear canister already packed with 7 days of food, my down jacket, and microspikes for my shoes for the snow ahead.  All food from 20 miles ahead for the next 200 miles is required to be carried and stored in an approved bear canister.  It adds 2 lbs to the weight of my pack, but it’s required.  The spikes and jacket weigh a little over 1 lb, and I’m getting rid of two water bottles, so it evens out in the worst case (carrying 6 liters or more of water).  Most of the time from now on I will only need to carry 2 liters, but I’ll be ready for 4 with capability for 3 more in the bladder.  [Post hike:  You really only need one liter in the Sierras to carry water up the long climbs of the passes and to have for camping, but it helps to filter 2 liters at a time so you only have to stop for water half as much.  A sawyer squeeze has a big advantage here, as you can just scoop it up and filter it as you drink it.]

I am planning on making tomorrow a nearo, and hiking out from town about 5 o’clock so I don’t get sucked into the Kennedy vortex too long.  Hopefully I can get some good sleep finally, then I will be rested for the Sierras.

On a side note, the cell reception is horrible for the next 200 miles so don’t be surprised if it takes up to two weeks for the blog posts to come rolling in again.  For that matter, I hope I’m able to get this post out soon so two weeks don’t pass by before this one gets out.  [Post hike:  It was close to 10 days without sending updates, the last one being the fire notification, so the live readers were a bit freaked out after a week with no updates.  I had gone two days without updates to this point and had over a week to get to Red’s Meadow where I could get into Mammoth Lakes – the first real town at the north end of the Sierras.]

I think today may have finally put the desert behind me.  There have been lots of trees since the climb out of walkers pass yesterday and today I passed three actual streams.  I got water from the first one, got water and took siesta at the second one, and motored on past the third one.  There are more actual oak trees now, too, and not just pines.  I saw many birds and several squirrels today.  I don’t think squirrels live in the desert.

I slept in a little and got going about six.  I cowboy camped again last night so it was a quick breakfast and getaway.  The trail had a significant amount of trees and decent shade so I used the poles all morning to my first water stop in about five miles.  Water was 100 yds up from the trail and flowing well.  I ate a snack and cameled up for the next stretch of about twelve miles to the next water and my siesta point.

Actual oak trees lined the trail for long stretches.

It started getting quite warm on this last few miles.  I decided to keep using the poles and not resort to the umbrella to see how it went.  My hands started getting sunburned so I stopped to put sunscreen on them.  I have so much covered up that I haven’t used sunscreen in over a week.  When I’m holding the umbrella my hands are shaded, so this was a first.

I did not get to the siesta stream until 1:45.  First order of business was to get the water filter going, then get set up under shade.  I found a great thick and wide pine tree that would shade me for hours without moving.  I drank a little, then immediately took a quick nap.  After an hour I cooked lunch and drank some more, then napped again.  I like napping.

I left siesta at 5 and decided to try to get to the top of the next climb as my stopping point.  There were 22 miles to Kennedy Meadows and I wanted to knock out five to seven of those tonight.  As luck would have it, the top of the climb had some good flat spaces for camping and I got there about 8, so it was a perfect stop.  This was a burn area, and there were some cut trees to sit on while cooking dinner.  I ate dinner first, hung the food, then set up cowboy camp.  I saw at least one desert rat, so let’s see how this goes.

I am quite far away from the smoke now.

Tomorrow is about 15 miles downhill into Kennedy Meadows where I should be able to get a shower, laundry, and possibly some real food.  If it’s nice enough, I might take a full day off Monday to rest.  Kennedy Meadows is where my bear canister and snow equipment is waiting for me.  The next 200 miles are at higher altitudes and will be considerably colder and have significant amounts of snow.  I think I climb to 10,000 ft in the first 25 miles.  I am camped right now at 8000 ft, which has been the usual highest so far except for two or three jaunts to 9000 ft.  I also should be able to discard two of my water bottles since I should not have to carry water further than 10-15 miles from here on out.  The weight I will save in less water will be offset by the bear canister, down jacket, and microspikes.

I know its been a long time since the last post.  Everything is perfectly fine.  I have entered the High Sierra and there is literally no Cell coverage for over 200 miles.  I was supposed t get WIFI in Kennedy Meadows, but it was down, so I ventured ahead as scheduled.  I am currently in Vermillion Valley Resort using a Satellite computer.  I should have full access in two more days when I get to Mammoth Lakes.

Talk to you all soon!