6/17/20; mile: 818; elevation 10,981 ft.
Once again, I’m waking at o’dark-thirty on my “vacation” so that I can make my miles. And what I thought was the moon shining was actually the light from Joshua and Ya packing up their stuff as well. Pied Piper on the other hand, hasn’t moved. He’s told me he doesn’t have the warm clothes to hike in, so he just waits. This lightweight hiking thing hasn’t sunk in with me, but I’m starting to see the light….after sunrise.
Yup, the trail is just as I remembered it from yesterday; uphill. And despite eating a dinner and breakfast, my pack doesn’t feel lighter. What am I doing? My only saving grace is the morning sunshine on the mountain peaks and the wildlife awakening. Birds, deer, chipmunks, marmots…
As the trail climbs, the valley opens up and the trees get smaller then disappear. There are multiple ponds/lakes everywhere, and the only people in sight are Joshua and Ya behind me now. They walk slow, take lots of pictures and videos, then walk late in the day and then repeat. Their stamina is amazing. And they’re always together, side-by-side. Well, I don’t know their “bathroom” habits.
The freeze-thaw cycles on these trails is interesting to see. The water freezes overnight, making these water crystals that come out of the mud, then melt during the day to make mud again and then repeat. Fascinating, and something to take my mind off of my slow climbing pace. As the trail climbs in elevation, my rest breaks become more frequent. I try eating some snack food, but that doesn’t energize me either. The only thing that lifts my spirits is making the pass.
The north side has some snow, but it’s an easy walk. With my summit high, I storm down the mountain until I can’t help but taking a tuna wrap break at Lake Marjorie. The water is crystal clear, the fish easy to spot, and the water is deep enough off the rocks for diving….should you have the cajones when you see snow fields touching the water. Plus, I just don’t have time. I still have another pass to hit today.
But I’m losing the heart for this. I’m exhausted. Another lake looks promising for warmer water and a bath. The indicates a ranger station is nearby so I go to check it out. Instead of what I saw before, this one is a tent cabin that isn’t set up for the season. Not enticing enough to stay for a nap or the night, plus there’s no water nearby. So I carry on reluctantly, pretty much on autopilot.
Once I get to the bottom of our downhill hike, it’s time to cross the South Fork of the Kings River. No logs or rocks look comfy enough for me, so I don my sandals and do a wet foot crossing. It’s only knee deep and not very strong, so no biggy. On the other side is Joshua and Ya again….side by side. We chat a bit and they tell me Pied Piper went onwards to Mather Pass, 6 miles away…uphill. It’s getting late, its uphill and I’m not motivated. Yet I continue. After a couple of miles, I’m yawning and barely making time. I look at the app for a break spot, maybe a campspot, anything. I just want to sit. I make some hot food, set up my solar panel and take a nap for about 30 minutes. I awake when I get cold from the shade shifting, and soon enough here comes Joshua and Ya, together still. I saddle up and we hike onwards. The sun is getting lower now, and I’m getting apprehensive about climbing a pass in the afternoon. The two hikers who turned around and tell me their fears don’t help me.
This pass is one of those like Forester where you can see the entire trail from a long way off…and a portion of the switchbacks are covered in snow. Once there, it’s kinda sketchy. The snow is too soft to climb without postholing, and cutting the corners is very steep loose scree. But that pales in comparison to the north side. What trail? It’s all snow covered. There are footprints in the snow everywhere. Using my phone I try to follow the proper path, or at least beeline to a spot I know where the trail is. The snow is soft, so I try to scramble over the boulders, using footprints in the snow to connect the boulder dots. It’s slow going, it’s getting late and I’m just feeling done for the day. I posthole a couple of times, but fairly successful with not overexerting myself. I’m pumped up because of the double pass day, but I know the adrenaline will wear off. I rush down trail to find the first campspot near a water source.
It’s quite a nice spot, though a bit exposed to wind. Thankfully the winds this week have usually stopped soon after sunset, so I don’t worry too much. I make water, eat, dry some clothes and climb into the tent to get warm. What a day. I just don’t know if I can keep this up. Do I need a trail zero? Should have carried less food and just did a resupply at Kearsage? What was I thinking? I’ve been emotional, especially later in the day. Am I pushing too hard or just not in shape for this? These aren’t pleasant thoughts to have out here where the only option is to keep walking…oh and don’t run out of food.
But hey, tomorow’s hike doesn’t include a pass! So I got that going for me.
Savior out.