September 6, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 982.1) to bushcamp (mile 1006.9)

Miles: 24.8

Out total miles: 2365.6

We slept surprisingly warm through the night, which made it much easier to get up and start moving. At 6:00 when we opened the fly it was still dark out. 

We were walking by 6:30. We dropped down about 300 feet into Stubblefield Canyon. It was light enough to see without headlights but only the tips of the mountains around the canyon received the warmth of the sunlight.

We got water and continued on. For most of the morning the trail was flat. We cruised along, enjoying soft dirt and easy walking.

We walked through more beautiful meadows, past small creeks with cascading waterfalls ending in pools of clear cool water.

All morning we walked through valleys surrounded by granite domes. 

Laurie woke up with pain in her SI joint. As she walked it got more aggravated. We stopped on a rock and she tried stretching to alleviate some of the tightness. 

She leaned on her trekking pole, trying to use it for a trigger point release. All of this helped a little but the discomfort remained.

She hiked through the discomfort, distracting herself with podcasts. This issue has happened before and usually self corrects. We both hope her body fixes itself again this time. 

We got to Dorothy Lake around 1:30. It is a large beautiful lake with granite mountains on one side. We found a sandy beach and took a long relaxing break. 

We both rinsed off in the lake, Laurie washed her socks (wash is a generous word- she rubbed them together in the water to get rid of some of the dirt), we ate lunch and Laurie took a nap. Leaning against our backpacks, letting the sun warm our bodies felt glorious. 

This is the best part of backpacking – hiking many hours to get to unfamiliar, beautiful places and having the time to sit and soak up the beauty.

Finally around 3:00 we gathered our belongings and continued to hike along the northern aspect of Dorothy Lake toward Dorothy Lake Pass. 

At the top of the short climb we walked out of Yosemite National Park and into the Hoover Wilderness.

Immediately we felt a difference. The trail was more gentle and less rocky.

We saw less than 10 people today! Just like in major cities, if you travel far enough the crowds eventually thin out.

Laurie listened to podcasts to tune out the pain in her hip. She’s a trooper!

We’ve noticed that if we continue to push large mile days eventually our bodies start to protest. But, if we have experienced the pain before and know that it will go away, we tend to disregard it and just keep walking.

We descended past many small lakes, then gently climbed a few more miles to camp.

Once again we were treated to a glorious sunset. Orange and pink sky dominated the cloudless horizon. 

We never tire of beautiful sunsets. They are nectar for our souls.

Tonight we’re grateful for our body’s healing capabilities and glorious sunsets.

September 5, 2016

Miller Lake (mile 959.7) to bushcamp (mile 982.1)

Miles: 22.4

Our total miles: 2340.8

We were both glad we put on the rain fly. We woke up with frost on the tent and bear cans. Even with the fly Laurie whimpered as she got out of her sleeping bag. It is definitely Fall.

We were walking by 7am. The sun was out but had not yet hit our campsite or Miller Lake. The meadow next to the lake was dusted in white and there were ice crystals in the sand. 

Today was a day of hard ups and downs. The elevation gain and loss was no harder than what we faced in Washington but the trail was much more rocky. 

The rocks made for slow going as we navigated up big rock steps and down the steep granite cobblestone trail.

The climb up to Benson Pass was beautiful but unrelenting. We walked though green and yellow meadows, finally ending in a basin of granite and yellow grass. The marmots were the only other creatures we saw all morning.

We dropped down, climbed up and dropped down some more. The trail never seemed to take a direct route.

We spotted a family of deer, 2 adults and 3 little spotted ones. They are amazing creatures, turning their necks 180 degrees to watch us walk by. 

Laurie talked to them as we passed but the little ones were skittish. Everytime the trail took us close, they bounded off. It looked as if they had springs under each leg. We both wish we could run with such ease and grace.

We walked by mountains made out of granite. Their sheer walls shone in the evening light. Shadows and trees gave the granite ledges distinction and perspective.

The trail led us along Kerrick Creek. Where the trail crossed the creek we were astonished to see it dry. It is hard to believe that 3 months prior it was raging and taking people down with it!

We ran into 4 SOBOs and 5 older men within a span of 5 minutes. We hadn’t seen a soul all day and then all of a sudden it felt like social hour.

We climbed up and over our last little hill of the evening. We talked about camping up high, away from the river and meadow, in an attempt to stay warmer. 

We had just enough water to do so but also wanted to get as far as we could so as to make the following 2 days shorter.

We climbed up, looking for potential spots but with the agreement to stop only if the view was so epic we couldn’t pass it up. We didn’t find any said spots so we crested the hill and started down.

About 0.3 miles from the bottom of the canyon and creek, we spotted a fire ring and a few flat spots.

It was right around 7 pm and we were tired. We decided to call it for the night and went about setting up our home. 

By 9 pm we were fed, warm and sleepy. It never felt particularly cold and we hope it stays this way during the night.

Tonight we are grateful for solitude and a warm campsite.

September 4, 2016

Tuolumne Meadows (mile 941.7) to Miller Lake (mile 959.7)

Miles: 18

Our total miles: 2318.4

When we woke up it was still dark. We had agreed to aim to leave at 6:30am to beat the crowds in Yosemite. 

We were on the road by 6:45 and watched the golden morning sunlight spread across the high desert plains around Mono Lake. 

We found a parking spot at the Lembert Dome/Glen Aulin trailhead and sat in the RV eating breakfast. It was cold outside, the car temperature gauge read 37 degrees, and it was much more comfortable eating inside the cozy van than outside. We take advantage of these comforts when we have access to them.

Our socks weren’t fully dry from yesterday’s washing so we draped them over our backpacks in the sun while we ate.

Laurie’s socks were still damp when we walked out of the parking lot at 9 am. There was a chill in the air and Laurie placed Andy’s fleece around her arms and chest.

We stopped at Soda Springs and watched the carbonated water bubble out of the ground. Sue pointed out where she had camped as a child, back before Yosemite required permits for backpacking.

The trail was flat initially. We walked through dusty sand, following the horse prints toward Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp.

Neither of us have hiked north of Tuolumne Meadows and were excited to see new terrain. 

We walked past large slabs of granite, meandering streams over granite or sandy banks and large yellow meadows. It is beginning to look like fall.

We walked on rocks assembled like cobblestones and used our poles to keep from slipping.

We crossed beautiful bridges and stopped for lunch at Tuolumne Falls. We hugged goodbye with Sue, grateful that we will see each other again in less than a month.

We continued on toward Glen Aulin camp and Sue returned to her van.

The trail dropped down to a river which we crossed via a large steel bridge. The water below us cut through the slabs of granite and fell off into the valley below. 

The trail gradually gained in elevation as we walked through a quiet forest. Clouds of dust were generated by Laurie’s steps and Andy patiently walked through them all afternoon.

We strolled through large meadows and met a number of hikers, including Cakes whom we first met outside of Chester, then again at Timberline Lodge and now going southbound to finish her hike. It is fun to see familiar faces and smiles.

We ascended our final climb up to Miller Lake. Laurie was feeling sluggish most of the day but once plugged into an episode of a ‘Dear Sugar’ podcast she steadily climbed to our destination. 

We set up our tent on a little dome above the lake to avoid condensation and to enjoy every last bit of sunshine.

We went to the lake with the intention of cleaning off but the sun dipped behind the horizon and it got cold immediately. 

Laurie sat on a log picking out dried cherries from our trail mix and talking with another hiker as Andy got water.

We retreated back to our tent, which still had sunlight, and went about our nightly routine.

It was cold by the time we got out of the tent to brush our teeth at 8:15pm. Laurie ambivalently requested we put on the fly. 

We both love seeing the stars, but the nights have been cold lately. We stay warm in our 20 degree bags with silk liners and hats but lately Laurie also sleeps in her fleece. We figured we should put up the fly and sleep warmer. 

Tonight we are grateful for the warmth of the sun and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.