May 30, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 775.7) to Kearsarge Lakes

Miles: 12.5 (10.7 PCT miles + 1.8 to Kearsarge Lakes)

We woke up at 3 am. There was a slight breeze rattling the rain fly. The light of the crescent moon illuminated the foot end of our tent.

We groggily opened our eyes. Laurie was the first to move. She peered out the rain fly and remarked excitedly, “Only one cloud and lots of stars, it’s go time!”

We packed our backpacks, took down the tent and were ready to go by 4 am. Right on time!

The stars were amazing! Normally we are asleep before the sky gets dark enough to see the Milky Way but this morning we were up early enough to enjoy its grandeur.

We didn’t know how long it would take us to get to the base of Forester Pass. We started early to ensure we walked on stable snow on the ascent and hard enough snow to avoid post holing on the descent.

We succeeded.

We reached the base of Forester Pass a little before 6 am with lots of breaks to take pictures, shed layers and take in the views. The snow was hard and easy to walk on. It felt like walking on hard sand. The snow crystals glistened under the light of our headlights. It was a magical morning!

We walked past 3 sleeping hikers (2 cowboy camping and the third in a tent) and started up Forester Pass.

Andy led and we followed tracks straight up. The snow was hard but sticky. We could see the switchbacks above us, heading straight up the rock wall. Right before the first visible switchback we sat down on some rocks to put on our crampons.

The snow had become a little more icy and the slope more steep so the extra traction was greatly appreciated.

Once with crampons, Laurie took off walking sideways up the slope to meet the other footprints. She is comfortable in the snow. Andy, however, was less comfortable and had trouble making his way out of the rocks and up to the switchback. With time and encouragement he did great.

We zigzagged our way up towards the infamous Forester Pass Chute. The first 4 switch backs were snowy, before transitioning to bare rocky trail. We didn’t want to stop to take off our crampons so we chose our steps with care to minimize scraping the teeth of the crampons on rocks.

After about 45 minutes we made it to the chute. This is a section of trail that is particularly exposed. Ned Tibbits, a mountain educator, comes out in early April to cut steps to help hikers safely cross the chute. Thanks to Ned and the many hikers ahead of us the chute had well defined steps.

We both crossed with ease.

All that worrying for nothing! (Laurie is the worry wort; Andy believed we would be fine).

We completed another 3 switchbacks and vertically climbed the last 10 ft to the top of one of the more difficult early season passes of the Sierras.

It was quite amazing to reach the Pass and peer over the snow to an expansive view of snow capped mountains and still frozen lakes.

We hung out at the top for about 30 minutes, taking pictures and celebrating our success.

And then we started down. Down, down, down to the valley below. Since everything was covered in snow we could choose our own path.

We followed the other footsteps down the ridge, sliding down on our bottoms when we could. Other times we ran, walked and even ended up on our bottoms by accident.

It was a long descent but much more fun in the still hard packed snow. We took a break on a large rock and the 3 people that were sleeping when we past them earlier this morning caught up to us. They were Sue, Reuben and Bernard! We thought we wouldn’t see them again, but the trail has a way of bringing people together.

They joined us on the rock and admitted they were running out of food and were heading to Independence today. We gave them our extra food and we all headed down the trail together.

We followed dirty footprints as the trail was hidden under the snow. We got way off trail numerous times but used the gps to reorient us back to the trailm

We crossed many steams, swollen by melting snow; rock hopped, log walked and gingerly walked across snow bridges hoping they would not break.

Around 11am, the sunlight reflecting off of the snow was intense. Laurie overheated, got quiet and grumpy. A short break in the shade helped revitalize her.

We stopped for lunch near Middle Vidette Meadow with Ruben, Sue and Bernard. They took off 20 minutes after we arrived, motivated to make it over Kearsarge Pass and get into town.

We lounged around and had a snow ball fight – started by Laurie throwing 3 snowballs at Andy and missing each time. Good thing she played soccer as a teenager!

We were tired but wanted to get a little further before calling it for the day. We climbed up towards the Bullfrog Lake junction.

One mile and 900 ft up.

No easy task for legs that had already hiked for 11 hours on snow!

We climbed up and up, stopping periodically to take pictures of the stunning views.

“This never gets old,” remarked Andy. “When people ask me what slowed us down in the Sierras, I’m gonna tell them it were the views, not the altitude.”

At the junction we headed east toward Kearsarge Pass. The trail was covered in snow so it took more time to find our path.

We hiked past a still frozen and quite stunning Bullfrog Lake towards Kearsarge Lakes. Once in the bowl beneath the pass we went off trail and onto snow towards one of the lakes.

We looked for level spots to put our tent but couldn’t find anything not on snow. We settled for a slanted spot near the lake.

Oh but what a spot this was.

Our view of the lake and Kearsarge Pinnacles were spectacular. Tonight we chose beauty over function.

We also watched hikers go up and down the switchbacks to the pass throughout the evening. Laurie was hoping that they were her friends visiting from Davis, but no such luck.

We ate dinner sitting outside watching the sun kiss the mountains around us.

“This might be my new favorite place in the Sierras” remarked Laurie.

Shocked, Andy asked, “What place topped your list before? ”

“Evolution Valley” said Laurie.

On this trip we get to rank them. What a treat!

We’re exhausted, humbled and need to rethink our Sierra strategy. We hiked 12.5 miles in 13 hours today. No way we’re gonna make it to Mammoth in 7 days.

We can accept that. It’s ok. Or at least, it’ll be ok.

Goodnight.

Tonight we are grateful for our intuition and morning light.

May 29, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 768.8) to bushcamp (mile 775.7)

Miles: 6.9

We slept hard last night. Both of us were spent from yesterday’s hike and needed the rest.

We knew we had another short day so we let ourselves sleep in until 6:30 am. We didn’t want to wait too long knowing we would have a lot of snow walking in our future and afternoon sun equals posthole hell.

We were walking just before 8 am. We had camped amongst trees on a large plateau. It was beautiful and there was not a soul around.

We walked down about a mile to Wallace Creek. The trail was mostly covered by icy snow which made Andy uncomfortable. Laurie loves walking on snow and enjoyed slipping about.

We walked slowly and carefully so as not to injure ourselves. Both of Andy’s knees have been sore with steep downhills, particularly on snow, so he was particularly cautious with his steps.

At the end of one snowy section Andy stopped to eat a bar. He had discovered that eating while walking on slippery snow was too difficult and was greatly looking forward to a treat. As he tore the wrapper the bar slipped right out and onto the ground.

Andy stomped, threw down his poles and had a little temper tantrum in the middle of the trail making Laurie laugh. It didn’t last long and soon he was smiling again too.

Wallace Creek was our first ford of the Sierras. There is much talk of when is the best time to enter the Sierras… Too early and you have a lot of snow, too late and the creeks are running high from snow melt and can be dangerous.

We like to believe our timing is just right – a little challenge on both ends but nothing too dangerous.

Laurie rock hopped across Wallace Creek like a pro and Andy took off his shoes and waded across in Crocs. The water was COLD but Andy was a trooper.

We walked another 0.7 miles to Wright Creek where we both waded across. The water was only knee deep and cold but bearable.

The trail then climbed up 699ft to one of Andy’s favorite places in the Sierras – the Bighorn Platueau. We could see Forester Pass in the distance amongst many dark clouds.

We walked on snow for about half a mile, rarely post holing and taking in the expansive views. 270 degree views of snow capped mountains… It was idealic!

We continued on and dropped down to Tyndall Creek. Laurie camped here on her 2012 JMT hike but could hardly recognize the area now covered in snow with a rushing creek. Some of the rocks were covered in at least 2 inches of water.

We both rock walked across, praising the waterproof nature of our hiking boots and gaiters.

We walked a little ways up the trail and stopped for lunch. We aired out our socks and boots, unclear if the dampness inside Laurie’s boots was due to sweat or creek water.

While eating, the clouds above us darkened. It started to snow very lightly as we packed up our bags. We continued on uphill towards Forester Pass.

We walked in a spot of sunshine as dark clouds hovered above where we were heading and off to our right.

We walked on patches of snow, post holing frequently and consequently bypassing the snowy patches for dirt.

Around 1:30pm we decided to call it a day while still amongst trees. Even though the ominous clouds on top of and around Forester Pass were beginning to part, we didnt know if they would return tonight.

In 2012 Andy got caught in really foul weather when camped around 12,500 ft near the base of Forester Pass. We figured it wasn’t worth the risk with weather in the area.

We will simply get up at 3 am tomorrow and be on the trail by 4, making up the 2.9 miles (we didn’t walk today) on sturdier snow.

The rest of the afternoon we spent lounging about, going through our photos from the day before, napping (Laurie), stretching (Andy) and eating (both of us).

Laurie kept going back and forth about whether we should have kept going. She has trouble with just sitting around.

“What should I do?” Asked Laurie after being reassured by Andy for the umpteenth time that we made the right decision to stop early.

“Meditate” Andy replied.

“I can do that” said Laurie a moment before reaching for more candy. She decided to ‘calorie up’ for the hike tomorrow instead ☺

The temperature quickly dropped as the wind picked up and the sun set. We ate dinner inside the tent in our sleeping bags. Not the smartest idea given we are in bear country but we were careful to clean up all the crumbs!

It is 7:45pm and we are all ready for bed. At least stopping early allows us to go to bed early!

Tonight we are grateful for waterproof boots and trekking poles.

May 28, 2016

Guitar Lake to bushcamp (mile 768.8)

Miles: 14.4 (1.8 PCT miles + 12.6 Whitney miles)

Our story began on August 23, 2012. We both hiked the John Muir Trail and met on top of Mt Whitney on the last day of our respective hikes.

Today we summitted Whitney for the fourth time. For Laurie this was special because it was her first ascent in the snow.

For Andy it was special because we hiked from the Mexican border to get there.

For both of us it is special because the mountain brought us together.

Our alarms were set for 3am but we woke up at 2:48 am from our rustling. We had placed a space blanket under our air pads for additional warmth and the noise our air pads made was astronomical (pun intended).

Laurie was bright eyed and eager to look out the tent to check the weather. Andy was not so quick to move as he had a headache. Andy kept pleading for another 5 minutes of sleep but Laurie knew if she lay there any longer she would lose momentum and never want to get up.

We were dressed and out of the tent by 3:30am. Andy didn’t get water last night, electing instead to get water this morning. We brought our shoes in last night and Andy didn’t want to get them wet again.

In hindsight that would have been the better choice instead of scooping and filtering freezing water in the middle of the night. This delay didn’t sit well with Laurie as she secretly hoped to get to Whitney for sunrise.

We woke up earlier than we expected to but not early enough to catch the sunrise. We would have had to start hiking around midnight to make that happen.

Once we started walking we warmed up quickly. Initially we had every layer on but after 45 minutes we were hiking only in our baselayers.

The air was cool, the wind nonexistent and the snow just hard enough to not need crampons. The Brits (Josh and Tom) hiked with us briefly. They disappeared into the thin air when we stopped after the 5th or 6th switchback to put on our crampons. The temperature was dropping as we climbed and the snow was more slippery.

We loved the traction the crampons afforded us. Even Andy was enjoying himself with the added reassurance of pure grip.

We enjoyed daybreak as we hiked, stopping many times to take photos. This mountain and the views it affords does not lose its charm. It’s simply stunning.

Around 7:15 we reached Trail Crest.

“Let’s be there before 8” Andy challenged us.

We continued on, only to be slowed about a quarter mile later by tricky and narrow chutes. A few places called for practically leaning into or hugging big rocks to get around them.

Laurie did great while Andy took his time, slowly getting around the tricky crossings.

We were almost at the first Window when Laurie said to Andy “smile” as she pointed the camera in his direction.

“NO, just keep hiking will ya?”

Andy later explained to Laurie that he was not comfortable waiting on the exposed ledge longer than he needed to be and wanted to get to more stable ground.

After what felt like an hour we finally made our way across the long traverse and made the final push to the top.

We got to the top of Mt. Whitney at 7:57am! There was no one in sight. We took in the views, keeping a watchful eye on the grey clouds to the northeast. After signing the register, we went into the hut for warmth. Inside were Ruben and Sue, Josh and Tom, and Berbard – a French hiker we met a few days ago.

No one looked very happy. It was hard work getting up there and everyone was cold and tired. It didn’t help matters when we got socked in fifteen minutes later.

Most everyone decided to make their descents after the clouds rolled in, leaving the summit for just us to enjoy until 9:45am. We took photos, time lapse videos and watched the clouds cover massive mountain ranges only to expose them moments later.

We tried calling family and friends before leaving but much to our surprise neither ATT nor Verizon worked.

On the way down we passed many day hikers and other thru hikers. A lot of the thru hikers had camped at Crabtree Meadow and had a longer hike to Whitney and back.

We purposefully chose to camp at Guitar Lake to make the trip to Whitney shorter. Storms usually come through in the afternoon so we wanted to be down as early as possible.

Unfortunately that didn’t happen because it started snowing (albeit lightly) around 11:30am. We switchbacked down and down some more, saying hello to the multitude of hikers still heading up.

After our last major switchback we chose to glissade down about 300 ft. It took us longer to get ready than to actually glissade. We had to reposition the tent on Andy’s backpack, collapse our poles and get the ice axe out.

Laurie slid down the hill like a champ, managing to record her descent with phone in hand and not falling over. Andy’s descent wasn’t as graceful. He barrel-rolled and even slid right over an exposed rock, but he made it down with a smile on his face.

The snow accompanied us on and off until we got back to a Guitar Lake.

Our plan was to pack up our tent and hike to Wallace Creek but just as we got to Guitar Lake the wind picked up and it started snowing heavily.

Tired and hungry we decided to wait out the storm. The last few days it would snow for a few minutes and stop. Today though, the snow just kept comin’.

We hunkered down for about an hour and a half until we got restless. We packed up and waited for our window to pack the tent up and go. Laurie sat with backpack packed, shoes and gaiters on with her feet sticking out of the tent for 10 minutes. Finally, we gave up and emerged despite the light snow.

We’re glad we did though because we didn’t want to be at Guitar Lake any longer than we had to be given the conditions.

We hiked down around 4:15pm, still running into many thru hikers making their way back to camp from Whitney. These guys had a really long day.

At the Crabtree Meadow junction we continued on for another 1.8 miles, where we decided to stop for the night. We were tired, hungry and cold.

Just as we set the tent up, we saw a few flakes of snow. An hour later lightning and thunder passed through, bringing more snow.

We’re cozy in our tent and happy with how today went. We are confident we can make it up and over Forester Pass in two days time. For now though, it’s time to rest our tired bodies. Goodnight.

Tonight we are thankful for sunny mornings and crampons.