June 2, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 789.8) to bushcamp (mile 801.5)

Miles: 11.7

Today was an ass kicker.

We woke up at the usual 5:45am but gave ourselves permission to sleep in until 6:30.

The last 2 nights had resulted in minimal sleep and our guidebooks warned about climbing Glen Pass too early and encountering lots ice.

We also figured the descent down Glen Pass would be icy since it was north facing so extra time would only make the snow softer and more enjoyable.

Boy were we wrong!

We left camp at 8am. It was already warm and the snow was getting slushy. We followed footsteps to the bottom of what looked like a loose rock wall. From there our path alternated between loose dirt, rocks and snow. At times the switchbacks were visible but most were hidden under a wall of snow.

It was not fun. And Laurie had no energy today.

We both felt like it was hotter than it had been in the desert. We were sweating and smelling ripe! It was only half a mile to the top but it felt like an eternity!

We took many breaks and slowly made it to the top at 9am. We enjoyed the views, took a few pictures, celebrated our accomplishment and headed down.

There were good tracks to follow but the snow was soft. We started postholing immediately. Sometimes as much as thigh deep.

It was exhausting.

With every step we didn’t know if we would sink or if the snow would hold or weight.

After about 400 ft Laurie saw a glissade track. Tired of postholing she gave it a go. She slid very slowly due to the wet and soft snow.

At the end of her first glissade she stood and walked about 30 ft to another glissade track. This one was much faster.

She was headed for a pile of sharp and exposed rocks.

She attempted to slow herself down by self arresting using her ice axe.

The ice axe would did not hold in the snow well but it slowed her enough to stop short of the rocks.

Laurie was ok but the snow gashed her nuckles in the process.

Andy, who had continued on in the tracks above, saw Laurie sliding on her side and then she was out of sight.

He called to her and only after she had stopped was she able to respond.

It was scary for both of us and made for an even slower descent now that Laurie preferred walking over glissading.

We postholed our way down. Going less than 1 mile per hour we eventually made it down to Rae Lakes around 12pm.

Towards the bottom and on a much gentler slope, we both glissaded. Andy went first and Laurie followed. It was important to her to have a corrective experience since glissading is the best part of hiking in the snow!

Laurie is such a strong person. You’d have to be strong to attempt something again that led to injury only a few hours earlier!

We hiked down towards Woods Creek Bridge. Once we dropped below 10,000 feet the trail was mostly snow free. Our new challenge were the streams which had turned into rushing rivers!

Andy walked across one with boots and gaiters after getting soaked feet scoping out where it would be easiest to cross. Laurie wore the crocs but the strong current took one about half way across. She was able to snatch it again before it floated away as it rested on a downed log.

A few miles up the trail Andy attempted to walk across White Fork, a ‘creek’ that was gushing, without shoes but the current was too strong and the stones too sharp. He turned around midway.

The streams swell with snow melt and are largest and strongest at the end of the day. We discussed camping and wait until morning to cross but there were no flat spots other than the trail. And it was not wide enough for our tent.

We decided to try again above the trail where the current didn’t look as strong. This time Andy wore his shoes for protection from the rocks.

Laurie again wore the crocs. She again lost a croc, this tome towards the end of the crossing but we both made it across safely.

Andy’s chin got scratched from a tree we both used to help stabilize us toward the end and strongest part of the “creek.”

We were cold and wet but relieved. We hugged and both took a large sigh of relief.

We were prepared for the snowy passes, but not for these small streams turned into rivers.

At least not this many of them.

Bear Creek and Evolution Creek are notoriously difficult on high snow years. And they are days away. However in the blogs and pictures we have seen of hikers ahead of us, even these crossings seemed manageable.

Things change in a hurry out here!

It makes us wonder what other hikers are doing that we aren’t? Do they just walk across and deal with wet soggy feet? Do these crossings scare them? I guess we will have to ask!

We were hoping to hike another 1.5 miles but there were two more “stream” crossings between us and camp. We opted to camp early and see what the streams are like in the early morning. Hopefully they are less intense.

We have learned from today’s posthole hell that we need to start early – no matter what the guidebooks say.

We have crampons and if we encounter ice we can manage. It will be easier and faster than postholing. Plus, there are at least 8 “streams” tomorrow so the earlier we cross them the better.

We have decided that we would be better off with trail runners rather than our waterproof boots. The boots are great on snow but once they get wet they don’t dry quickly.

We hope to find a way to get our trail runners sent or brought to Mammoth. It is nice that we can adapt and learn as we go.

We got to camp around 7:40pm and it is now 9:45pm.

Today was demoralizing.

Glen Pass was sketchy going up, long and arduous going down and the scary creek crossing at 7 pm was the icing on the wet cake. Neither one of us talked about getting off trail but today as a whole was not fun.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Time for sleep since our alarms are set for 4:45 am. Ouch.

Tonight we are grateful for each other and bandaids.

June 1, 2016

Kearsarge Pass Trailhead to bushcamp (mile 789.8)

Miles: 8.2 (0.8 PCT miles + 7.4 miles from Kearsarge Pass Trailhead to PCT)

The alarm went off at 5 am. Unable to open her eyes Laurie asked to reset the alarm for 5:30 am. Andy obliged and we both immediately fell back asleep.

At 5:30 am we reluctantly got up. We had things to accomplish before Strider picked us up at 6:30 am to take us back to Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass Trailhead).

Laurie showered, Andy tried uploading blogs unsuccessfully, we spoke with family and ate cold pizza for breakfast. It was delicious!

The Mt Williamson Motel offered a wonderful 1 night respite from trail life.

We scored and did most of our shopping yesterday in the hiker box (toothpaste, aluminum foil as a wind screen for cooking, face sunblock (which Laurie squeezed into a ziplock) and Chapstick! The only thing we had to buy was fuel.

We got to the trailhead around 7 and started the climb up and over Kearsarge Pass.

It was already warm. The trail switchbacked up, sometimes covered by snow. It was slow going. Our packs were heavy with 7 days worth of food. The snow was already softening in the sunlight so we had to be careful where we put our feet to prevent post holing.

We climbed up snowy inclines, placing one foot in front of the other and using our poles to prevent slipping.

We climbed up and up. We had been down this trail the day before and knew what to expect.

After 2 miles we stopped in a boulder field to finish uploading our blog posts. We knew this was the last reception we would have for a week and wanted to finish everything on our town list.

We reached the top of the pass around 10:30am. Just as we turned the corner 2 hikers joined us from the other direction.

They were Bourbon and Chris. Moments later Krispy and Pancakes came up the trail. We first met them in Warner Springs (mile 107) and have seen them sporadically since. It is feels like running into old friends and is fun to see how people have changed after 2 months on the trail.

We chatted for a while and then parted ways. We headed down more switchbacks to a junction. From here we took another trail that would lead us back to the PCT.

It stayed higher than the Bullfrog Lake trail we had taken the day prior. We admired the views from above and walked/glissaded our way down.

About 0.7 miles from the PCT we stopped for lunch. We sat on a large granite rock and watched ants crawl up our legs as we ate.

From here we continued on another 1.5 miles to camp. The snow was soft and the post holes deep. We were both tired and ready to be done hiking for the day.

There were 2 established campsites on this side of the pass and we had planned to camp at one of them. Unfortunately, as the trail crested over 11,000 ft the trail turned to snow. The campsites were there but covered by at least 2 feet of snow.

We found a flat spot amongst a bunch of rocks and decided to set up camp. We were happy to find something off the snow in hopes it would be warmer and drier.

We set up the tent, Andy went to fetch water and Laurie inflated the air pads. We tied our emergency blanket to the side of the tent to act as a sun shade and crawled in. We snacked, blogged and both took naps.

When we awoke 30 minutes later the bottom of our tent was wet. Laurie unzipped the tent to find a puddle of water in front and under our tent.

Apparently we were either camping on a spring or our body weight disrupted some normal flow of snow melt. Either way, we were now camped on a puddle.

We placed the emergency blanket under our sleeping pads as an additional layer of protection. Hopefully that helps keep us warm tonight and tomorrow we will dry everything on one of our breaks.

We also built a dam out of rocks to keep water from coming onto our ground sheet. We will see how it all turns out in the morning!

We ate dinner outside as we watched the sun fade. We ate 2 mystery meals we got from the hiker box at the Mt Williamson Motel.

Supposedly they were lasagna and tacos. They were cheesy (of the artificial variety) and meaty. It provided nice variety to our typical meals but not something we could eat every night.

As soon as the sun set the temperature dropped. We organized our food for tomorrow, dividing it between our bear cans and “smelly proof” bags since we can’t fit it all in our bear cans.

We crawled into our tent, organized and stored gear and clothes in stuff sacks to keep them from potentially getting wet and wrote/edited blog posts some more.

The Sierras are draining and we are tired. We know if we slip and fall behind on blogging it will be really hard to get caught up again.

We really enjoy blogging and it’s important to us to continue to document our adventure. We work well as a team and will have to continue to do so if we want to stay up to date.

Time for bed. Goodnight.

Tonight we are grateful for emergency blankets and flat camping spots.

May 31, 2016

Kearsarge Lakes to Kearsarge Pass Trailhead

Miles: 5.3 miles

It was a hard night. Our slanted spot seemed to get more slanted as the night progressed. Andy, whose sleeping bag is lined with Gortex slept well in one place. Laurie, who is sleeping in a silk liner inside a sleeping bag made of Pertex fabric, spent the whole night pulling herself up towards the head of the tent only to slide down moments later.

We slept without the fly to enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains. The clouds had parted and the temperature felt reasonable. It was nice to see the Milky Way and thousands of other stars while readjusting positions in the middle of the night.

The temperature dropped and Laurie woke up cold around 1am. Our sleeping bags were wet with condensation and the tent had frost on the outside. Andy wrapped Laurie and her sleeping bag in the emergency blanket. It warmed her immediately and allowed for another 4 hours of sleep.

Laurie got up at 5 to set up a time lapse of the sun’s reflection on the jagged snowy peaks above Kearsarge Lakes. She crawled back into her now warm sleeping bag and we talked until 6:30 am when Andy got up to make Matcha tea and hot chocolate.

We were eager to get into town but enjoyed the serenity and beauty of our camp spot.

Andy threw rocks into the semi frozen lake, fascinated with the traveling air bubbles they created. It was like he was 5 again, excited to see which rocks would penetrate the ice and create ripples.

Once the sun reached our tent we sprung into action. We were walking by 8:10am and reached Kearsarge Pass by 8:40am.

Initially the trail was covered by snow but as we neared the long and gently graded switchbacks our path was clear.

The view looking back from Kearsarge Pass towards frozen Bullfrog Lake and Kearsarge Lakes was specacular. The snow added immense depth and beauty to an already gorgeous area.

After a short break we headed down the trail towards Onion Valley Campground and Trailhead. The trail switchbacked through boulder fields, past gushing creeks and Indian Paintbush.

Much of the trail above 10,000 ft was covered by snow. Again we followed footsteps, checking our position from time to time. Sometimes we were right on the trail, other times we were 200 ft off of it.

Near the pass Laurie had reception and called what we thought was the Courthouse Motel in Independence. We had shipped our packages there and had planned to stay the night. After calling for a second time to organize a pickup from the trailhead we realized we had called the Mt. Williamson Motel instead.

We cursed the other hiker who had given us the wrong number.

Our packages were at the Courthouse motel but we would have to pay $50 for a ride from the trailhead.

Another motel would give us a ride but then we would have to pay $10 to pick up each of our 3 boxes. Oh conundrums of the real world!

After a bit of a discussion we decided to stay at the Mt Williamson Motel and we are so happy with our decision.

It is nice when mistakes turn into good fortune. Andy believes that even in odd and whacky ways we meet people we are supposed to meet.

Strider picked us up from Onion Valley Trailhead at noon and drove us to her motel, first making a pit stop for us to pick up our packages.

The property is quaint and has a lot of charm. But the rooms were the biggest surprise. Very clean, comfy beds and modern bathrooms with great water pressure in the shower!

We loved it. It’s the best place we’ve stayed on our trip thus far.

After we got settled, showered, and gave Strider our dirty laundry, we walked over to the Owens Valley Growers Coop for pizza. We had heard they make great pizza and had been talking about it since Lone Pine.

We even called from the trail to make sure they had gluten free pizza today, and they did!

It was a three block walk to the Coop and on the way we picked apricots from a tree next to the sidewalk.

They made for a great appetizer.

Our pizza was ready when we got there. A steaming, medium size, gluten free pizza with mozerella, grilled onions, basil and sautéed mushrooms. We ordered a salad to go with it.

They were delicious! And were devoured in 5 minutes!

We had planned on staying at the Coop to figure out the details of the next section of our hike but Laurie kept people watching. Other hikers there were very dramatic and distracting. We elected to get another pizza to go and work from the comforts of our bed.

On the way back we picked more apricots. It was really hot in Independence – around 90° with a heat wave coming the next few days.

We usually don’t like air conditioning but it felt good to sit in a cool room and relax.

Time really does fly when we’re in towns. Making plans for the next section, uploading photos to Instagram and posting on our blog take a lot of time. Not to mention the other chores – cleaning pots, checking credit card statements, catching up on email, and  checking in with family and friends.

By the time we uploaded a few blog posts it was 6pm. The Coop was closing at 6:30 for a special event so we hustled over there for more food. Laurie ordered another gluten free pizza while Andy ordered a turkey sandwich for dinner and a pizza to be shared for breakfast. We also bought coconut milk and chia seed pudding and a pint of coconut ice cream.

Hiker hunger must be kicking in.

After dinner we went back to town chores. It was 9pm when we finally turned our attention to our resupply boxes. By the time we sorted all the food and other items and packed our backpacks it was almost 11pm.

Laurie tried to blog a bit more but fell asleep shortly after. Andy stayed up until almost midnight reading blog posts from those ahead of us to get intel on trail conditions.

Our alarms are set for 5am tomorrow because Strider is taking us back to the trailhead at 6:30am.

It’s been a long, fulfilling, and delicious day. Tomorrow morning is going to come too soon.

Tonight we are grateful for gluten free pizza in small towns and air conditioning.