September 3, 2016

Lyell Fork (mile 931.3) to Tuolumne Meadows  (mile 941.7)

Miles: 10.4

Our total miles: 2300.4

Dawn breaks later as autumn draws nearer, making it that much harder to wake up every morning.

Perhaps that’s just an excuse. Our bodies are tired and it’s hard to motivate to get up before 6am.

We’re tired but that’s just an excuse too. Getting up early is a mental challenge. If we had to hike 23 – 27 miles you bet we’d wake up early. But as of late we’ve been hiking less than 20 miles per day.

Today was no different. Although we were meeting Laurie’s mom Sue at Tuolumne Meadows, we weren’t in a rush because we told her we’d be there between 10 and 11am.

The morning air was cool but not very cold. As we descended into Lyell Canyon however, it got colder. 

Cool air settles into this beautiful meadow and it can be downright bone chilling cold.

We passed many hikers camped in various places along Lyell Canyon as we descended the rocky steps and dusty trail.

No matter how many times we visit this place, the beauty never ceases.

Belding ground squirells darted in and out of their holes as we walked by. We stopped and smiled as one stuck it’s head out, saw us and retreated inside. These little rodents were so cute!

Just after 10am we recognized a woman with curly hair wearing a blue jacket standing next to the trail. It was Sue!

Laurie loves bumping into her mama on the trail. It brings a smile to both of their faces. 

The three of us walked almost 5 miles to a beautiful meadow where the Lyell Fork once again intersects the trail. This is one of Laurie’s favorite places. In fact, she has talked about wanting to get married there! 

As we soaked our feet in the cold water we noticed dark clouds gathered above. There have been signs of a low pressure system approaching the last few days (Andy’s had his eye on the clouds) but there was no rain in the forecast.

We laced up our shoes and braced ourselves for what was to come. Labor Day weekend is probably the busiest weekend for many places – including Yosemite. 

Tuolumne Meadows and the few miles of the JMT near it were busy with day hikers, backpackers and people out to get a moment of fresh air.

In the parking lot Andy felt like he was back in college. Whenever someone came off the trail motorists asked them if they were leaving in hopes of snagging a spot.

Needless to say we got outta there quickly.

Sue had secured a campsite near Virginia Lakes 20 minutes north of Yosemite. But before we went there we stopped at the Mobil gas station in Lee Vining to meet with Laurie’s friend Colleen, eat and do laundry.

Colleen was in Lee Vining on her way to Mammoth for a 3 day backpacking trip. We hadn’t planned it but happened to be in the same area at the same time. 

We really couldn’t have planned it any better! Colleen is a very sweet, thoughtful and generous person. It was nice catching up over lunch.

After saying goodbye we drove to the campground. Sue and Laurie went for a ‘short hike’ which turned into a 2.5 hour adventure. 

In the meantime Andy got to relax at camp, set up home, do his resupply, listen to music and chat with people camped nearby. 

After the sun set behind the jagged peaks it got cold. We all piled into Sue’s van, drank hot water and ate dinner. The packaged saag paneer with chicken was good but we were both looking forward to the salad.

Salad!!

Oh how we miss the taste (and crunch) of fresh greens with avocado, sprouts and other veggies.

After dinner we relaxed, looked at maps and drank more hot water.

We were in bed before 10pm, determined to leave camp by 6:30 the next morning to get to Yosemite early enough to get a parking spot at the trailhead.

It’s going to be cold tonight, especially without the fly on, but we’ll be cozy because we are sleeping in cotton tshirts and sweatshirts. Oh the luxury! 

Tonight we are grateful for impromptu rendezvous with good friends and time with family. 

September 2, 2016

Iceberg Lake to Lyell Fork (mile 931.3)

Miles: 17.8 (15.4 PCT/JMT miles)

Our total miles: 2290

Laurie was up past 10pm fiddeling with the star mode on her camera. With a clear sky and no moon, it was the perfect time to play. 

Unfortunately she was too stubborn to watch a video we had downloaded on how to use the star features on the camera; she preferred trial and error.

Tonight, error was victorious. At least initially. 

Laurie went to bed discouraged. We were both tossing and turning and Andy suggested Laurie try again.

It was 3:30am but the stars were bright and Laurie was wide awake. She put on all of her layers and ventured out into the windy, stary night. Learning from her mistakes earlier in the night, she played around and got some fun shots.

Laurie napped for an hour between 5 and 6 but once the morning light hit the Minarets she was wide awake again with camera in hand.

We drank hot water and ate breakfast staring at the Minarets. We watched as orange light washed over the top of the peaks and then faded.

We packed up our belongings and were walking by 8 am. We hiked down through an alpine meadow and dropped into the southern side of Lake Ediza.

We continued to descend, past the Lake Ediza outlet and followed the Shadow Creek trail back to the JMT. This is one of the few places where the JMT and PCT are not the same trail (Mt Whitney and Yosemite Valley are the others).

Once back on the JMT we climbed up toward Garnet Lake. The sun was warm and the trail quite dusty. 

Garnet Lake is exceptionally beautiful. It is a large, clear lake with Mt Ritter and Mt Banner towering above. Laurie took Andy to a rocky outcropping with a wonderful view. 

This was one of her favorite campsites during her JMT hike. Here we ate lunch and Laurie fell fast asleep. 

It was noon before we were moving again. We walked around Garnet Lake and climbed again toward Thousand Island Lake. This lake was similarly spectacular. Little granite islands popped out of sparkley blue water.

We stopped again, this time for Laurie to go swimming. After a quick dip we climbed up to Island Pass.

We walked through large granite boulders mixed amongst yellow grasses and occasional puddles of water. Island Pass doesn’t feel like a true pass but it is a high point between Thousand Island Lake and Davis creek.

The descent to Davis Creek felt long. We were both hot and tired and knew that we still had to go up and over Donahue Pass. 

We got water from Davis Creek and Laurie sat for 2 minutes psyching herself up for the final push of the day. We both prefer climbing to descending and once we start moving we are fine, but that first step is sometimes very difficult.

The climb up Donahue was gradual but long. We made our way up large steps, crossed dry stream beds and wound our way through large granite boulder fields. 

It was nice to be back in the land of granite but our feet felt the difference. Both of our feet ached at the end of the day. Rocks are much less forgiving than dirt!

We had planned for a cheese break at the top of the pass but changed our minds as the wind had picked up. We were tired, Laurie had a headache and was getting grumpy and we just wanted to get to camp.

We dropped down to Lyell Fork and found a nice spot in the trees. We ate our remaining cheese while enjoying the last bit of sunshine. 

As soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains the temperature dropped and we quickly erected the tent and Laurie climbed inside.

We ate dinner and were asleep by 9. 

Tonight we are grateful for afternoon naps and plentiful sunshine.

September 1, 2016

Crater Creek to Iceberg Lake

Miles: 12.8 (4.1 PCT/JMT miles)

Our total miles: 2273

As long as it isn’t raining we enjoy sleeping with no rain fly so we can gaze at the stars as we fall asleep.

Laurie tossed and turned all night like a rotisserie chicken. She got all twisted in her silk liner which made matters worse. 

At 2 am it got cold. Laurie was half asleep and too lazy to get her hat out of her sleeping bag at her feet. So instead she continued to toss and turn. 

At some point Andy woke up and offered Laurie his fleece. She put it over her head and instantly was warmer. We both slept better until 6:30 when our neighbors started rustling around.

We packed up with gloves and down jackets on and were walking by 7:30. It was at least 10 degrees warmer when we got into the trees and away from the creek.

Andy realized last night as we descended into camp that it might be cold. We would be near a meadow and a creek. Cold air tends to sit in these places. Next time we should look at a map instead of just mileage to prevent camping in an ice box.

We switchbacked down the dusty trail watching the morning light illuminate the hillsides on the other side of the valley. As we neared the bottom of the valley we entered an old burn area.

Majority of the burned trees were missing their tops. In 2012 there was a huge wind storm that tore through this area with winds up to 150 mph. We assumed these topless trees were a result of that storm. 

We got to Red’s Meadow around 8:30. Andy found a table in the restaurant next to an outlet and we set up shop charging all of our electronics. 

Because it had gotten so cold, our camera and Laurie’s iPhone had considerably less charge than they had the night before. 

We enjoyed hot water as we ate our eggs, potatoes and sausage. The food was ok. While grateful for freshly cooked food, we’ve had way better for much less!

At 9:45, while working on the blog we shared a vanilla milkshake. Laurie had been looking forward to this milkshake for days but because this morning was so cold she had started to change her mind. Once warmed by many cups of hot water however, the twinkle in her eyes returned.

At 11:00 we left Red’s Meadow heading for Minaret Lakes. We took a detour up to the top of Devils Postpile. The Postpile is a rock formation consisting of many hexagonal rocks. The top looked like a honeycomb. Nature is so cool!

From here we left the day hiking crowds and headed north on the JMT. Big Red had suggested an off trail route from Minaret Lakes to Lake Ediza that we wanted to try to see something new.

The hike up to Minaret Lakes took longer than either of us expected. We hadn’t planned well and were both hangry by the time we reached the lakes. With a short break, and tuna and countless other food items in our bellies, we were happy again.

Minaret Lake was spectacular! 

We walked around (well scrambled is a more fitting description) the northern part of the lake. By this time it was 3:30. It was later than we would have liked to begin a backcountry adventure but we figured we had 4 hours of daylight and could always turn back.

We followed an obvious use trail past the second lake up a meadow. The trail became more faint as we got higher and were walking up loose scree. The faint trail switchbacked up and we followed cairns hoping they were made by people who knew where they were going.

Our calves burned and we were breathing heavily; both of us a little nervous but excited. We communicated well, checking in with one another frequently and decided together which would be the best route to pursue.

We made it to the top of the first climb in 30 minutes. From here we skirted around a puddle and climbed up another shorter incline.

At the top our mouths dropped. There in front of us was a huge beautiful lake set in a bowl of boulders. The clear blue water  of Cecile Lake glistened in the sunlight.

There was one person setting up camp and a family with 2 kids under the age of 5 scampering up the rocks toward us.

Laurie told the youngest one she was doing a great job. She smiled and said thanks. When asked where they were coming from she replied “Portland.”

Gotta love how literal kids are!

We were utterly impressed by this family. It helped settle our nerves to know that kids did what we were about to do.

We boulder hoped around the east side of the lake. It was difficult to choose a path but we took our time using our hands more than our poles.

As we neared the outlet we found a faint trail and followed it down a massive scree field. Below us was Iceberg Lake. Quite possibly our new favorite lake in the Sierra.

Unfortunately we couldn’t admire the lake as we stared at our feet as we mindfully placed each foot to prevent from sliding on the loose rock. We could see a trail in a meadow at the far end of the lake.

Looking at the trail was not helpful since there was at least a half mile of loose rocks between us and the trail. Laurie kept reminding herself to focus on the 10 feet in front of her. 

Like in life, it is nice to have a goal or direction but often all we can change is the near future. And today in this boulder field, the near future were the rocks 10 feet in front of us.

Eventually we made it through. The sun had dipped behind one of the rocky spires of The Minarets, creating sections of shade. 

Once in the meadow we looked back at where we had come from. It looked like a scree wall, not something either of us would consider attempting to scramble up had we not known there was a trail.

We had planned to hike all the way to Ediza Lake but this lake was too nice to leave. Plus, we figured Ediza was easier to get to and would probably have more people.

We washed our feet and faces in the lake and since the water wasn’t too cold, Laurie dunked her entire body in. While initially chilly, a quick dip at the end of the day is quite refreshing.

We ate dinner on a rock watching the last evening light leave the western tip of the rocky spires.

This lake is magical. Laurie felt happy and carefree. We wish there was a way to come to this happy place more often. 

The fresh air, stary sky and quiet days have a way of making our hearts feel full and spirits high. We both hope we can hold onto a little bit of this when we return to jobs and city life. Or perhaps, we may end up moving out of the city to a place that allows us to feel this serenity.

Who knows. As for now, we will savor these sensations and emotions.

Tonight we are grateful for unexpected cross country adventures and new lakes.