Location: Bishop, CA
Today was a much needed zero. I ate tons of food (as you can see by
our table pic), drank coffee, copied photos to CDs and mailed them
home, hung out at a bookstore, resupplied at the outfitter, and
watched NBA finals game.
Tomorrow, I need to buy food and take care of one other thing...and
sit in the pool. I'm sharing a room with moleman, crowdog and Kerry,
so it's cheap. Glad I took this break. Needed it. Had an enormous
milk shake today...it was fantastic.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Day 48: Mile 789.5 (1.5)
Location: Bishop, CA
Hiked the 8 mile bullfrog lake side trail, got a ride down the 13 mile rd, and hitched the 41 miles to bishop. Tonight I'll sleep in a soft bed, andI've resupplied at the outfitter. I bought new poles, a good set of maps, and some other odds and ends. I feel a lot better today. It feels good to forget about the snow for a few days.
I looked up the latest snow reports and it turns out that the 10 day heat wave actually brought the snowpack down to average levels now. The problem is that too much melted too fast...causing the the crazy fords and flooding. Next week is actually supposed to be cooler which is in a sense better. I'm gonna deal with snow regardless , I'd
rather not deal with swollen rivers too. I've lost a lot of confidence
on fording. Going to go grocery shopping tomorrow and get food for the
next 7-8 days. I should arrive in mammoth right as the roads open for
the season.
Zero tomorrow AND Friday. Everyone is very beat up and bruised from
the post holing. We all need it.
Hiked the 8 mile bullfrog lake side trail, got a ride down the 13 mile rd, and hitched the 41 miles to bishop. Tonight I'll sleep in a soft bed, andI've resupplied at the outfitter. I bought new poles, a good set of maps, and some other odds and ends. I feel a lot better today. It feels good to forget about the snow for a few days.
I looked up the latest snow reports and it turns out that the 10 day heat wave actually brought the snowpack down to average levels now. The problem is that too much melted too fast...causing the the crazy fords and flooding. Next week is actually supposed to be cooler which is in a sense better. I'm gonna deal with snow regardless , I'd
rather not deal with swollen rivers too. I've lost a lot of confidence
on fording. Going to go grocery shopping tomorrow and get food for the
next 7-8 days. I should arrive in mammoth right as the roads open for
the season.
Zero tomorrow AND Friday. Everyone is very beat up and bruised from
the post holing. We all need it.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 47: Mile 788 (16.5)
Location: Junction up Bubbs Creek
The good news is that today I summited forester pass, the highest
point on the trail. The scenery is amazing. It was a intense pass
and it was crazy sitting on top. That's where the good news ends. Of
all my days hiking, today was bar far the worst ever. The kind that
really makes one reevaluate hiking. Let me take you through it...
I started my day fording a raging Wright Creek and my trekking pole
slipped. I went in completely and it was terrifying. I frantically
grasped for plants growing on the farside and managed to stop myself
about 20 feet downstream. In the process I lost a trekking pole, and
most importantly my 300 dollar GPS. This was devastating. The snow
is insane here and I had all of the trail waypoints on it. Luckily I
was smart enough to pack my camera and iPhone into my pack before the
ford. I crawled out of the creek at 5 am completely wet in 40 degree
weather. Hypothermia was coming quick. I put on dry clothes fast and
crowdog lent me his extra fleece. I warmed up but was miserable. The
entire day today involved hiking on snow...it was terrible.
Postholing, sunburn, bruised shins, all around nasty. I ripped my
rain pants, and had my alcohol fuel spill in my pack onto my sleeping
bag. Seriously, today nothing went right. I'm now in a very bad
place mentally. I've decided that I'm going to go into the town of
bishop tomorrow with the 7 people i've been hiking with. It was not
part of my plan, but I need a mental break, I need new trekking poles,
and I need high quality topo maps since I don't have a gps now. I
also need better food, a hot shower, and to desperately make some
phone calls to people that i really need to talk to. Today was a 13
hour day and it was after doing Whitney. My body hurts.
There are still four 12,000 foot passes to do, and they will all be
snowy. There is solid snow everywhere above 9500. Bishop is a tough
town to get into. It requires hiking 7 miles on a side trail, and the
hitching to independence, and then taking a bus to bishop. I don't
care. I need to get there.
The good news is that today I summited forester pass, the highest
point on the trail. The scenery is amazing. It was a intense pass
and it was crazy sitting on top. That's where the good news ends. Of
all my days hiking, today was bar far the worst ever. The kind that
really makes one reevaluate hiking. Let me take you through it...
I started my day fording a raging Wright Creek and my trekking pole
slipped. I went in completely and it was terrifying. I frantically
grasped for plants growing on the farside and managed to stop myself
about 20 feet downstream. In the process I lost a trekking pole, and
most importantly my 300 dollar GPS. This was devastating. The snow
is insane here and I had all of the trail waypoints on it. Luckily I
was smart enough to pack my camera and iPhone into my pack before the
ford. I crawled out of the creek at 5 am completely wet in 40 degree
weather. Hypothermia was coming quick. I put on dry clothes fast and
crowdog lent me his extra fleece. I warmed up but was miserable. The
entire day today involved hiking on snow...it was terrible.
Postholing, sunburn, bruised shins, all around nasty. I ripped my
rain pants, and had my alcohol fuel spill in my pack onto my sleeping
bag. Seriously, today nothing went right. I'm now in a very bad
place mentally. I've decided that I'm going to go into the town of
bishop tomorrow with the 7 people i've been hiking with. It was not
part of my plan, but I need a mental break, I need new trekking poles,
and I need high quality topo maps since I don't have a gps now. I
also need better food, a hot shower, and to desperately make some
phone calls to people that i really need to talk to. Today was a 13
hour day and it was after doing Whitney. My body hurts.
There are still four 12,000 foot passes to do, and they will all be
snowy. There is solid snow everywhere above 9500. Bishop is a tough
town to get into. It requires hiking 7 miles on a side trail, and the
hitching to independence, and then taking a bus to bishop. I don't
care. I need to get there.
Day 46: Mile 771.5 (5.2)
Location: Ford of Wright Creek
Today really can't be described in words. I woke up at 4 am and
headed up the 4000 ft climb up to the top of the highest peak in the
lower 48: mt Whitney. I summited around 9 am with crowdog. There
were fields of snow everywhere but it was all still solid early in the
day making it easy tobwalk across. The were a lot of very sketchy and
scary sections that required me using an ice axe. I was glad I had
one. Some honest mountaineering sections. When I reached the top I
stopped, looked around at my 360 degree view and it literally brought
me to tears. There are some places in this world that when you work
to get there and then stop to look around, you know it's just a
magical place. I stayed up there for an hour, soaked it up, waited
for everyone else to summit, took a ton of pics and vids, and then
headed down. I wanted to get down before the snow got soft and id be
dealing with intense postholing. I made it back to camp at about 1:30
after a lot of fun ass sliding down snow fields (glisading), and
relaxed for an hour. Eventually, everyone left and hiked 5 miles to
wright creek. We wanted to go 3 miles further to tyandall creek, but
the wright creek was raging too insanely to ford at 5:30 pm. We are
all waiting to cross in the morning when the flow is less. All the
snow is making for some crazy river fords. Tomorrow is another big
day. We summit forester pass...the highest point on the PCT. It's at
13,200. (Whitney doesn't count, as it's not on the pct)
Side note: We are all now on the John Muir Trail too, and will be for
200 miles.
Best day on the pct so far, and it wasn't even reall on it. Tomorrow
forester will be epic, and I plan on glisading down the back
side...woo hoo.
Today really can't be described in words. I woke up at 4 am and
headed up the 4000 ft climb up to the top of the highest peak in the
lower 48: mt Whitney. I summited around 9 am with crowdog. There
were fields of snow everywhere but it was all still solid early in the
day making it easy tobwalk across. The were a lot of very sketchy and
scary sections that required me using an ice axe. I was glad I had
one. Some honest mountaineering sections. When I reached the top I
stopped, looked around at my 360 degree view and it literally brought
me to tears. There are some places in this world that when you work
to get there and then stop to look around, you know it's just a
magical place. I stayed up there for an hour, soaked it up, waited
for everyone else to summit, took a ton of pics and vids, and then
headed down. I wanted to get down before the snow got soft and id be
dealing with intense postholing. I made it back to camp at about 1:30
after a lot of fun ass sliding down snow fields (glisading), and
relaxed for an hour. Eventually, everyone left and hiked 5 miles to
wright creek. We wanted to go 3 miles further to tyandall creek, but
the wright creek was raging too insanely to ford at 5:30 pm. We are
all waiting to cross in the morning when the flow is less. All the
snow is making for some crazy river fords. Tomorrow is another big
day. We summit forester pass...the highest point on the PCT. It's at
13,200. (Whitney doesn't count, as it's not on the pct)
Side note: We are all now on the John Muir Trail too, and will be for
200 miles.
Best day on the pct so far, and it wasn't even reall on it. Tomorrow
forester will be epic, and I plan on glisading down the back
side...woo hoo.
Day 45: Mile 766.3 (16.1)
Location: crabtree meadow ranger station (Whitney setup camp)
Awesome day today. Probably my favorite of the entire trip so far.
Started early and walked across the snow before it got soft. Walked
an amazing 16 miles and am camped 7 miles from the summit of Whitney.
The views today were indescribable. The north faces of all the mtns
are still completely covered and the river fords were really scary.
The Sierra mtns are amazing. Tomorrow it's Whitney. There are 12
people here all going up tomorrow. Should be awesome.
Awesome day today. Probably my favorite of the entire trip so far.
Started early and walked across the snow before it got soft. Walked
an amazing 16 miles and am camped 7 miles from the summit of Whitney.
The views today were indescribable. The north faces of all the mtns
are still completely covered and the river fords were really scary.
The Sierra mtns are amazing. Tomorrow it's Whitney. There are 12
people here all going up tomorrow. Should be awesome.
Day 44: Mile 750.2 (21.8)
Location: Chicken Spring Lake
Sierra day 2
Well I'm tucked away near a beautiful alpine lake that's sitting in a
cirque. Breathtaking scenery at 11,200 feet. The bad news is that
the snow today was brutal. Lots of route finding, and losing the
trail. Even up here at the lake the trail is nowhere to be found.
I'm glad I have my gps for the tough spots and I was glad to have some
hiking buddies. I hiked with moleman, crowdog, guthook, motor, joker,
and Carrie. Good group. 21 miles today took all day, and we really
didn't hit bad snow until mile 14 or so. The Sierra is going to be
slow, but worth it. Tomorrow I'm shooting to hit crabtree meadows,
the staging spot for the Whitney hike. Then Monday, will be dedicated
to making the 16 mile round trip up and back. Should be intense. The
pack is getting lighter, but still super heavy.
Sierra day 2
Well I'm tucked away near a beautiful alpine lake that's sitting in a
cirque. Breathtaking scenery at 11,200 feet. The bad news is that
the snow today was brutal. Lots of route finding, and losing the
trail. Even up here at the lake the trail is nowhere to be found.
I'm glad I have my gps for the tough spots and I was glad to have some
hiking buddies. I hiked with moleman, crowdog, guthook, motor, joker,
and Carrie. Good group. 21 miles today took all day, and we really
didn't hit bad snow until mile 14 or so. The Sierra is going to be
slow, but worth it. Tomorrow I'm shooting to hit crabtree meadows,
the staging spot for the Whitney hike. Then Monday, will be dedicated
to making the 16 mile round trip up and back. Should be intense. The
pack is getting lighter, but still super heavy.
Day 43: Mile 728.4 (26.2)
Location: Year Round Creek
Today was a long day with a ridiculously heavy pack. I wanted to get
in a big day to set myself up for a few shorter days. Today, like
clockwork, also started the Mosquitos. I haven't seen one yet, and
the day I enter the Sierra, they start with fury. In two days I'll be
camped at the foot of Whitney. Can't wait. Hiked on and off with
moleman and guthook (two guys I hiked with on my first day). Hit
10,500 feet today, and hit plenty of snow patches.
Today was a long day with a ridiculously heavy pack. I wanted to get
in a big day to set myself up for a few shorter days. Today, like
clockwork, also started the Mosquitos. I haven't seen one yet, and
the day I enter the Sierra, they start with fury. In two days I'll be
camped at the foot of Whitney. Can't wait. Hiked on and off with
moleman and guthook (two guys I hiked with on my first day). Hit
10,500 feet today, and hit plenty of snow patches.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Day 42: Kickin' It in Kennedy Meadows
Location: Kennedy Meadows
Zero Day #6
Today is all about staging. I spent the early hours today sorting my
food box and arranging my bear cannister. Let me just
say....dammit!! The cannister itself weighs 2 lbs, and I'm carrying
11 days of food to get me through most of the Sierra. Years ago when
I bought my golite jam 2, I also bought a pinnacle, which is a larger
version of the same pack. I had it shipped here and I'm glad I did.
The cannister fits in it sideways, so I'm excited....and the pack has
load lifters too. Even still, my pack is going to be ridiculously
heavy. I'm not alone though. Add in extra clothing, an ice axe, and
my pack is almost a joke.
Got new shoes, but my old shoes are still really good, so I'm torn
about ditching them. I might mail them ahead and reuse them later.
Otherwise all is pretty good. It's been very hot and it's not
changing. Lots of melting snow, lots of raging river fords, and lots
of Mosquitos. Can't wait.
This will likely be my last post for a while. Wish me luck.
Zero Day #6
Today is all about staging. I spent the early hours today sorting my
food box and arranging my bear cannister. Let me just
say....dammit!! The cannister itself weighs 2 lbs, and I'm carrying
11 days of food to get me through most of the Sierra. Years ago when
I bought my golite jam 2, I also bought a pinnacle, which is a larger
version of the same pack. I had it shipped here and I'm glad I did.
The cannister fits in it sideways, so I'm excited....and the pack has
load lifters too. Even still, my pack is going to be ridiculously
heavy. I'm not alone though. Add in extra clothing, an ice axe, and
my pack is almost a joke.
Got new shoes, but my old shoes are still really good, so I'm torn
about ditching them. I might mail them ahead and reuse them later.
Otherwise all is pretty good. It's been very hot and it's not
changing. Lots of melting snow, lots of raging river fords, and lots
of Mosquitos. Can't wait.
This will likely be my last post for a while. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Day 41: Mile 702.2 (29)
Location: Kennedy Meadows!
Well I did it. I powered out almost 29 miles so that I could make it
to Kennedy meadows before the store closed....and I did! It was
great! I had a great dinner, picked up all 7 of my packages (yes
that's right, I had seven...don't ask). Took a shower, talked with
the guy across the street and scored a small trailer with a bed.
Definitely good karma today. The 28 miles were tough though. Lot of
very hot open stretches. Going to take tomorrow to set up all of my
new gear, prep my bear cannister, and set up my Sierra strategy.
There are about 15 peeps here all wanting company for the snowy 200
miles. Looks like I'll have some good company. The trailer here has
Internet too, so I can post a few last updates before going off the
grid.
Some milestones:
25% of trail done.
Finished "southern California"
Passed 700 miles
Well I did it. I powered out almost 29 miles so that I could make it
to Kennedy meadows before the store closed....and I did! It was
great! I had a great dinner, picked up all 7 of my packages (yes
that's right, I had seven...don't ask). Took a shower, talked with
the guy across the street and scored a small trailer with a bed.
Definitely good karma today. The 28 miles were tough though. Lot of
very hot open stretches. Going to take tomorrow to set up all of my
new gear, prep my bear cannister, and set up my Sierra strategy.
There are about 15 peeps here all wanting company for the snowy 200
miles. Looks like I'll have some good company. The trailer here has
Internet too, so I can post a few last updates before going off the
grid.
Some milestones:
25% of trail done.
Finished "southern California"
Passed 700 miles
Day 40: Mile 673.2 (21.2)
Location: Ridgetop campsite
Today was a good first day back on the trail. I finished up in town
and took the bus out to onyx, halfway to the trailhead. I stood
waiting for a ride for a while but finally got a hitch out and was
back on the trail at noon. With two zeros under me I powered out 21
miles before 7pm. I'm camping tonight with Pat and we spent time
discussing the impending Sierra. Kennedy meadows is one to two days
away. Getting excited.
Today was a good first day back on the trail. I finished up in town
and took the bus out to onyx, halfway to the trailhead. I stood
waiting for a ride for a while but finally got a hitch out and was
back on the trail at noon. With two zeros under me I powered out 21
miles before 7pm. I'm camping tonight with Pat and we spent time
discussing the impending Sierra. Kennedy meadows is one to two days
away. Getting excited.
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