backpacking – Page 5 – Russell on the Road

Day 27: Glen Aulin to Stream Confluence

A bright morning walking through wide, grassy meadows led me up to Miller Lake, a crystal clear pool complete with tiny beach! Tossing my shoes aside I stepped in to the cool water to soothe my calloused feet. Digging in to a tortilla sandwich with my toes in the sand, I mentally prepared myself for the pass ahead.

The approach to Benson Pass looked simpler than many of the previous hair-raising passes I had crossed farther south. Despite the apparent ease, I still managed to make it into a challenge by losing the trail and having to shove my way through thickets of manzanita bushes until I eventually found it again. The path followed a small creek through a canyon before making a sharp turn to the west and over the pass. The top offered some nice views but the real prize was another gorgeous lake just below, where I took off my (by this point probably very smelly) clothes and attempted a swim. Mosquitoes swarmed as soon as I revealed my bare skin, cutting my time sunbathing on the rocks short.

A short distance down the trail from the lake I found a copse of trees with some nice flat tentsites. The streams on either side meant more mosquitoes though, and both I and a Japanese couple camping nearby dove straight into our tents after dinner. Little did I know this was just a taste of the true horror the next day would bring.

Day 26: Donahue Pass to Glen Aulin

Entering Yosemite National Park along the meandering Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River, I found it difficult to enjoy the lush green meadows and beautiful alpine scenery surrounding me. Meredith and I had gotten into a heated argument that morning, and emotions were raw as we slowly descended from the snowy heights of the pass to the high plateau of Tuolumne Meadows. I got a cheeseburger from the campground store but didn’t really taste it as we sat at a picnic table outside, not talking much while the bustling tourist hordes flitted around us. After two weeks hiking together this was her last stop, and while she caught a ride down to the valley I got back on the trail to continue my journey north.

Feeling dejected due to our fraught departure, it took some time for me to look up and pay attention to the mountains again. When I finally did, I was rewarded with a view of the Tuolumne River roaring over a 50-foot drop in the granite, the mist from the falls casting a rainbow inside the narrow canyon. As I stood there on a rocky outcrop above the tumult, icy mist droplets peppering my face, a strong sense of calm washed over me. Refreshed by this visceral reminder of where I was I continued along the path, taking in the simple beauty of walking in nature.

Day 25: Rosalie Lake to Donahue Pass

It is very easy to lose track of the days when thru-hiking. Almost every day has the same pattern: wake up, eat, hike, eat, hike, eat, sleep. This tendency can have a meditative effect as you lose yourself in the trail, but can also lead to trouble when you have shipped a box of food ahead to a small-town post office, end up getting there at 5:01 pm on a Friday and are then stuck waiting until it opens again Monday morning to retrieve your box.

Thankfully I never had this issue, but as we approached Garnet and Thousand Island Lakes on the JMT we started seeing inordinate numbers of backpackers, many fresh-faced and with dogs in tow. As I happily watched the dogs rollick around in the snow, I wondered aloud, “Wow, there really seem to be a lot of people on the trail today.” Duh, of course, it must be the weekend! On this sunny Saturday in late July the trail was filled with weekenders, out on two-to-three day treks to enjoy the alpine lakes.

They chose a good spot to visit. We sat down at the narrow end of Thousand Island Lake to eat lunch, gazing across the serene blue water to the granite islands and snowy peaks on the other side. A few fishing lines broke the surface, as intrepid hikers cast about looking for mountain trout. Lying down on the grass in the warm sun, I dozed off in alpine paradise.

Day 24: Red’s Meadow to Rosalie Lake

After a leisurely breakfast at the eponymously named Breakfast Club, I loaded up on tortillas and ramen at Grocery Outlet and we caught the bus back to Red’s Meadow. A slight detour led us through Devil’s Postpile National Monument, a large jumble of hexagonal basalt columns jutting out of the landscape akin to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Feeling slightly out of place with our big backpacks amidst the crowd of car tourists, we didn’t linger long and quickly crossed another swollen creek back into the wilderness.

Since Mount Whitney, the PCT had traced the same route through the High Sierra as the shorter (but no less famous) John Muir Trail. Just north of the Postpile, however, the two trails split for about 14 miles with the PCT following a higher ridgeline and the JMT plunging along a lower route next to a series of lakes. As Meredith had a JMT permit and the lake route appeared to offer more interesting scenery, we chose to take it and were rewarded with a beautiful campsite atop a rocky bluff overlooking Rosalie Lake. It was the perfect place to watch the sunlight fade over the granite dome across the way, fish leaping into the air for an insect dinner below.

Day 23: Duck Lake Outlet to Red’s Meadow

The way to the small resort at Red’s Meadow led past a friendly trail crew clearing downed trees and into a large burn zone, the result of a fire sparked by lightning back in 1992. Between the burnt out husks of pine and fir a colorful milieu of purple lupine and white and yellow flowers bloomed, attracting a somewhat alarming number of bees. Hustling under the hot sun, we arrived at Red’s Meadow just in time to enjoy a delicious pastrami and swiss sandwich, the start of a hedonistic bender that would define my time in Mammoth.

Ten days in the mountains can really work up a hiker’s appetite, and as soon we got set up with a room at the Motel 6 in town I proceeded to gorge myself on a truly disgusting amount of food and drink. Coffee, pizza, donuts, beer, whiskey; everything was fair game in my rush to enjoy the fruits of civilization. Unfortunately for my stomach, the extreme mix of foods, caffeine, and alcohol had a rather unsettling effect and I spent most of the later evening in the hotel bathroom. But for those few hours hopping through town from cafe to pub, I was in heaven.

Day 22: Mott Lake Junction to Duck Lake Outlet

In the morning we were immediately treated to the Silver Pass Creek waterfall, a brilliant cascade falling across a series of granite steps right above the trail. The aptly named silvery water flowed directly over the path for about 20 feet, soaking my feet but inspiring sheer joy as the cold spray reflected the bright morning light in a million different directions.

From the creek we made the climb up to Silver Pass itself, where a giant snowfield obscured the path ahead. Lucky for us, previous hikers had blazed a long chain of glissades across the snow and straight down the mountain. Nothing for it, we hitched up our trekking poles and gleefully slid all the way to the small lake at the bottom of the pass, bypassing a solid mile of postholes and half-melted snow.

Arriving at our planned campsite we found most spots already taken, but I managed to set the tent up on top of a granite slab using large rocks for anchors in place of the usual stakes. We spent the evening around a fire with a group of young John Muir Trail hikers and a couple of southbound Danes, who had braved Forester Pass during an intense snowstorm back in May. The group’s energy was infectious, and after more than a week in the wild I was very glad for the company.

Day 21: Marie Lake to Mott Lake Junction

An early start from the serene Marie Lake led us down to the ford at Bear Creek, regarded as one of the most dangerous crossings on the PCT. Around 9am the current was flowing strong, but after surveying the scene and noting that the closest log crossing was a quarter mile downstream, we decided to try crossing at the trail. At midstream the chilly water rose almost to my waist, threatening to push me over and into a long, unfortunate ride down the river. Taking it one slow step at a time I managed to withstand the flow and reach the opposite shore, soggy but safe.

Once we strapped our packs back on and dumped the water out of our shoes, however, we were immediately set upon by a horde of mosquitoes. Walking fast kept some of the supremely annoying insects from landing on me, but I couldn’t outrun them all. Luckily I had brought a head net and quickly slid it over the brim of my hat. As we passed along Bear Creek down toward the turnoff to Vermilion Valley Resort (a popular hiker stopover), I noticed a single solid hiking boot left abandoned on the side of the path, and could only assume that its owner had succumbed to the cloud of mosquitoes relentlessly chasing me into the hot afternoon.

Day 20: San Joaquin River to Marie Lake

IMG_3490(1)

Leaving Kings Canyon in the cold shadows of the early morning, we took a short detour from the PCT to Muir Trail Ranch. In the long stretch of trail between Independence and Mammoth, shipping a food bucket to MTR is one of the only options if you want to resupply. I collected my bucket (they don’t allow boxes because of the rough overland journey it takes to get there) from a shed near the entrance and we began the process of dumping trash and sorting food. While divvying up oatmeal and ramen packets we met a friendly family hiking the John Muir Trail, who offered us their extra oreos and non-perishable bacon (I had no idea this existed). We greedily scarfed down everything they were willing to give us, and with contentedly full stomachs left the Ranch to continue our journey.

The path back to the PCT proved difficult, as we earlier had descended to MTR and now faced a very steep, hot, and exposed trek up toward Selden Pass. Soon enough, however, we were back among the snowfields, waterfalls, and placid alpine lakes of the high mountains. After dealing with some slick ice on the north side of the pass I went on the hunt for a dry campsite next to Marie Lake. When I walked over to a promising spot near the water, I heard a piercing yell and glanced to my left just in time to see a pair of naked hikers leaping into the half-frozen lake. The hikers later joined us for dinner and one, a photographer from Bulgaria, showed me how to take photos of the perfectly clear night sky with his SLR camera, capturing the light of a million stars.

Day 19: Sapphire Lake to San Joaquin River

By the morning Meredith’s leg was feeling better and we set out into the valley, passing by the very serene Evolution Lake and watching fat marmots pop in and out of nearby jumbles of gray rocks. I had been warned that Evolution Creek posed a potentially dangerous crossing at the trail (hikers have been known to get swept away by the current, especially in high snow years) so we took an alternate route through a mud-filled meadow to cross at what turned out to be a relatively deep, but wide and shallow, section of the creek. The other side proved to be equally muddy.

A long, steep descent past gnarly old juniper trees followed, until we arrived at the valley floor and a pair of bridges across the South Fork of the San Joaquin River, which eventually flows all the way into San Francisco Bay. We camped next to the river, and as this would be our final night in Kings Canyon National Park I decided to build my one and only campfire on the trail to celebrate.

Day 18: Grouse Meadow to Sapphire Lake

The approach to Muir Pass was long, but mostly it was snowy. For almost three full miles leading up to the crest, we tramped past frozen lakes and infrequent rock outcroppings through deepening snow. Bubblewrap, Pioneer, and an Australian friend played catch up with us as we took turns hiking past each other. At last, after a final push up a steep snow hill, we reached the stone beehive-esque shelter at the top. Having been assaulted by blinding light reflecting off the snow for much of the morning, the inside of the hut appeared pitch dark. Soon my eyes adjusted, and together with a large group of international hikers I put my feet up and enjoyed a well-deserved bag of peanut M&Ms.

The trail north of the pass looked straight from the planet Hoth. Glinting ice and snow surrounded us as we slogged our way along the melting boot track, trying to make it to a flat, dry spot to camp before sundown. Beautiful icicle blue water peeked out from the completely frozen Wanda Lake. We crossed sketchy snow bridges, hoping that they wouldn’t collapse and send us into the freezing water running underneath. The sun was approaching the mountain peaks to the west when Meredith started complaining of a sharp pain in her leg. We slowed our pace and took several rest breaks, aiming to get to the next campsite at Evolution Lake. But the pain grew worse, so I decided to set up an emergency camp on a tiny ledge overlooking Sapphire Lake. The view was breathtaking, and while Meredith rested in the tent I watched the last rays of the sun disappear while the moon rose behind Mount Huxley, feeling the cold seep in.