This week has been a little anticlimactic after the adrenaline fuelled adventures of last week. We reached the halfway point of the Sierras and took a zero in Mammoth. Our progress is slow, but steady. Towards the end of the week we began wondering if we were coming out of the honeymoon phase of the PCT. While still enjoying trail, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, some things are becoming a little mundane.
Day 64
We woke early and headed up trail to summit the last of our high altitude passes, Muir Pass. It was a long slog, and due to the heatwave the path was flooded with snow melt. It was the first time we got our feet wet from a river crossing so early in the morning. With cold wet feet we hit 5 miles of compact snow. Half way through this stretch Muir Hut came into view marking the summit.
The team powering on up
The hut was a circular stone structure with benches on the inside and a closed-off fire place. On the bench was a Hiker Confession Book. Paige and I flicked through giggling at the entries. Many of which started with “Dear Daddy Muir…” which truly tickled us.
The iconic Muir Hut
We struggled to navigate the descent with widespread snow patch’s, multiple unmapped streams, and melting snow bridges. We ditched any attempt to find trail, creating our own path, essentially rock hopping until below the snow line where the trail became visible again.
Nothing but grey, white and blue
The walking that afternoon was easy, a combination of steep descents or flat. We forded rivers, meandered down steep stone switchbacks and followed a raging river in the side of the rock face next to it.
After a long day we arrived at camp where mosquitos descended. We ate fast and as soon as camp chores were complete hid in our tent. Around us the light changed, the mountains becoming hazy in the evening heat before losing all colour.
Day 65
The day started with an intense climb to summit Selden Pass. It was the first pass with greenery breaking the norm of bleak grey and white summits. Dan seemed to fly up this pass, and I silently resented his vanishing pack as I panted my way up forcing stubborn legs to move.
View from Selden Pass
It was cooler today, despite being at a lower elevation. The heatwave was dissipating and in its absense the conditions felt more typical of the snowy environment we found ourselves in. Even with the effort of climbing Selden I kept my jumper on.
The river crossings were particularly fierce. While the water only came up to my thighs, the strength of the current threatened to pull me under. Even on some of the smaller crossings it felt as though an invisible force was grabbing at my ankles. The two weeks of river crossings had began causing a permanent white discolouration on the base of my feet. They felt simultaneously dry yet macerated, looking like dried white prunes.
Gas Man navigating Bear Creek
We turned off the PCT at Bear Ridge Trail, taking 7 miles down to reach Vermilion Valley Resort. This is a small resort beside Lake Thomas A Edison. Our already abused joints cursing the road walk for the final couple of miles into camp.
The resort is hiker friendly, but costly, and the campsite was saturated with hikers. On arrival we reunited with Kaleidoscope, Twister, Frodo and Sam-Wise. It was the first time we had seen them without Dizzy, but they still seemed to be on great form.
Unwilling to pay $10 just to shower, Paige, Sussie, Ruth, Kara and I opted to bathe in a deserted corner of the lake. We stripped off and began our wash. Unbeknownst to us was the fact that the ferry came in to the exact spot we were swimming at. Sure enough, mid-wash we noticed a boat heading our way and before long it pulled up next to us with about 20 surprised hikers loaded on board. What a greeting we must have given them.
I suspect we are still in the hiker bubble considering the lack of available campsites at VVR. We stayed up beyond hiker midnight with so many people to catch up with. We ordered pizza and brought ice cream sandwiches which we washed down with a free drink. Eventually we did make it to bed knowing we had an early start the next day.
Day 66
With backpacks donned we snuck out of camp with Sam-Wise and Kaleidoscope while the rest of the campsite was still sleeping. To save money we had decided against ordering breakfast and getting the ferry across the lake. Opting instead to walk the 7 miles back to trail.
Trail limbo
It was a bitterly cold morning in which a freezing fog sat limply, causing me pain to hold my metal poles without gloves. The trail skirted the opposite side of the lake to the one we descended the day before. Luckily it was reasonably flat, but was speckled with blowdowns and boggy patches.
The waterfall whose pool we walked through
Once back on trail we began the gruelling climb to Silver Pass. The path offered spectacular scenery, whereby we crossed rushing water coming directly from a towering waterfall which we then followed upwards. The higher I climbed the more the landscape continued to change. Stones have taken on a more smooth, curved appearance to the jaggered crags we had become accustomed to seeing.
Lake at the top of Silver Pass, the most enticing blue
Once up and over the pass summit we took refuge from the nippy wind behind some rocks overlooking Nüümü Hu Hupi Lake for lunch. This morning someone had put some Peak Re-fuels (an upmarket and highly calorific dried meal brand) into the hiker box. Sadly none were veggie but I managed to grab Dan a couple. He munched down on beef marinara while I polished off rice and tuna.
Lunch with a view
We continued on down only to ascend once again. This climb was shorter but steeper. At the top the wind hit, an icy blast instantly cooling my sweaty back. Ahead I could see camp, but blocking me from it was water. The lake had overflown, flooding the path. As it wasn’t a river crossing I swapped into my sandals and waded into the murky waters. The crossing was about 30m wide and the icy water came up to my upper thighs. Any drastic movement and I risked it lapping at my hips and pack. Once across I continued the short distance to camp in the wet sandals, convinced if I stopped moving I would freeze to death.
Nothing like a dance party to warm up!
Luckily camp was better sheltered from the wind, but Garmin told us it would reach below freezing that night. Ironic considering it was summer solstice. A large group of us pitched our tents together. Everyone complained about the cold water crossing before consuming hot food then quickly retreating to the warmth of their sleeping bags.
Day 67
It had been a turbulent night of interrupted sleep. It certainly got below freezing, as evident by our frozen water bottles. To keep warm I had submerged my head under the sleeping bag, fighting feelings of claustrophobia in an effort to trap my warm breath.
Following a rocky, cold path first thing in the morning
Dan and I didn’t bother with breakfast – what was the point when our water was frozen and oats solid. We didn’t even change out of our thermals. We had a 15 mile hike to the trailhead where we could get a trolley into Mammoth. As always, town propelled us forwards, somehow covering the 15 miles in 4.5 hours and even finding time to finally eat breakfast.
Hiker trash awaiting the trolley
“These yams, they’re barking” – Paige referencing her aching legs
The trolley was the cutest form of transport I think I’ve ever had the opportunity to ride. It looked like an old train carriage with wooden benches and large windows. We dominated the back of the trolley like the cool kids we were, giddy with anticipation of town.
To town!
Mammoth village is a typical ski resort, although the car-less gondola indicated we were way out of ski season. We jumped on another free bus and arrived in Mammoth town. With a coffee and pastry in hand we sat in the laundromat dressed fully in rain gear watching our machine churn filthy water.
When it comes to town chores, Dan and I tend to have designated jobs which play to our strengths. Just like in everyday life, Dan would do the washing and cleaning while I tackle planning and logistics, suiting us both. So while Dan and Sweet Rolls got excited over the extra rinse and heavy duty features of the washing machine, I drew up a resupply plan for the next section of trail on the back of my pastry bag.
Peak organisation, not that any plan is stuck to!
Our AirBnB was exactly what we needed. It had a full kitchen, a communal lounge with reclining leather chairs, two balconies and two bath tubs! As we had gotten into town early there was enough time to hit the shops to do our resupply before chilling out that evening. We quickly fell in love with Mammoth, an adventure town surrounded by mountains and pine forest.
Once back, Dan made a dinner of roasted vegetables with pesto pasta. While simple, it satisfied a need to eat food that was homemade and wasn’t cooked on our camping stove. Still hungry and with the discovery of a great Domino’s deal, we put in an order and we demolished second dinner while watching The Road to El Dorado. To conclude the day we ventured out to the hot tub where we soaked for an hour talking about nothing and everything with Sweet Rolls before turning in for the night.
Please note the half completed resupply in the background
Day 68
It was a luxury to cook breakfast for myself, and to have something other than oatmeal. After some scrambled eggs with avocado on bagel I ran off to the post office returning with our bounce box. Paige and I took control of the remote, putting on various throwback chick flicks while sorting our resupply.
As we have shorter food carries, I’ve been a little overzealous, probably allowing for more food than actually needed. Two weeks ago I gave an overview of what a poor resupply looks like, so I thought this week I would demonstrate a bountiful one.
The only difference to breakfast is the addition of a Breakfast Essential packet to my morning coffee. This is essentially a protein shake with about 12g of protein per portion. Also making the cut is a protein bar which is normally consumed as a mid morning snack.
Breakfast: chia seeds and oats, electrolytes and a breakfast essential with coffee
Lunch varies, but this week will include two wraps, one savoury with either tuna or cheese and crisps, and one sweet with chocolate-peanut butter spread. An assortment of biscuits normally follows lunch, and a cereal bar as a mid afternoon snack.
Lunch
Dinner is some kind of pasta or Mac and cheese with baby-bells added to the mix. Dessert includes a hot chocolate, and we splurged buying the brand which comes with mini marshmallows. We’ve also both been craving something chocolatey to eat with the hot chocolate, but find that the chocolate just melts. Problem solved with these Nutella bars, where the chocolate is encased in wafer.
Dan and I are becoming experts in box Mac and Cheese. We’ll never need to make a roux again
We couch rotted for the rest of the afternoon. Come evening we made an effort to be social, heading out to the Warming Hut for dinner. Three tables of hikers happily chatted while tucking into plates of food.
After dinner we headed over to Gas Man and Arena’s AirBnB for a Float Party. This was a notion that started on trail after Paige and I confessed to never trying one. While walking over we both felt anxious at the anticipation we wouldn’t enjoy the floats, considering they sounded kind of gross. Not a huge fan of root beer, I suggested mixing Dr Pepper with sour cherry ice cream, which thankfully, was quite tasty.
Gonna miss him!
Three large trail families had crashed together in the lounge. Tomorrow Sweet Rolls would be leaving us for two weeks to see his family before getting back on trail. It was a great way to see him off and to celebrate halfway through the Sierra.
Day 69
That morning we said goodbye to Sweet Rolls. This would be the first time we’ve hiked without him since Big Bear, over 600 miles ago. As we headed out to trail it felt like something was missing, a sensation that lasted the whole day.
Not quite the same without a fourth family member!
The trolley was rammed with hikers and bikers. It reminded me of my commute in and out of London with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the aisle. While the squished sardine feeling may be similar, the views certainly were not. Blue lakes encased in granite and trees flashed by out the window.
As we arrived at the trail head I noted how different these trees looked: skeleton-like without their pines, and several had fallen. In fact, greenery seemed non-existent at horseshoe lake. We hypothesised the cause for this, someone guessed fire another landslide or flooding. A local informed us it was from a build up of carbon dioxide from Mammoth Mountain.
Walking was easy today and we quickly reconnected with the PCT. For the first time we saw ferns on the trail, their vibrant green contrasted heavily with the splintered tree stumps. Soon we veered off the PCT arriving at Red’s Meadow Resort. We were told that due to the road closure it was not open for business but when we arrived they were serving burgers and had a fair resupply selection in the general store. We bought cold sodas to accompany our wraps for lunch. Cheeky chipmunks darted up onto our table attempting to join us when our backs were turned.
Carbon dioxide poisoned trees amongst thriving greenery
We continued to follow a PCT diversion due to a collapsed bridge on the actual trail. The diversion was beautiful and clearly signposted. It took us past a series of lakes, through boggy green meadows and into the coolness of the forest. There were a series of closed campgrounds along the path with plenty of picnic benches, fire pits and bear boxes. Even though we felt good to keep hiking we saw the opportunity for what it was and decided to stop for camp. Before long Twister, Kaleidoscope, Frodo, Samwise, then Gas Man and Arena came to join us.
Poor Paige (who you can see on the left) didn’t realise the trail stayed on the right hand side, she crossed the raging river only to re-cross again
Soon the fire was lit for protection against the mosquitos. We discussed that the trail had become a little monotonous in its routine. To help combat this, it was mentioned that we needed to keep the trail interesting by undertaking various side quests. I hadn’t considered how things like the Hiker Olympics, bowling and the Float Party all played a role in keeping us on trail. It was essentially the work-hard, play-hard strategy and we all considered what we could do in the latter stages of the Sierra to keep morale up.
Day 70
The 5 o’clock morning alarm was perhaps one of the repetitious aspects of trail we were discussing the night before. This morning, in honour of Dan’s birthday, I silenced the screeching phone to wake an hour and a half later.
We headed on out following the trail upwards and traversing several green fields. Dan and I came across a little lake with a beautiful backdrop of the mountains and no one around. We broke early for lunch enjoying a meal of tuna wraps. I did consider swimming in the crystal lake, but as I approached I was put off by a snake which occupied the water.
Another day, another traverse
Soon after we summited Islands Pass, a view point of the Thousand Islands Lake, so named for its many rocky islands in sapphire blue water. We tried to enjoy the view, but the mosquitoes were horrific. It was a good thing we broke for lunch early because after then the critters would descend without warning the moment we stopped. We tried to have a relaxing break before the climb up Donahue Pass, but we were too overwhelmed with the black insects buzzing in our ears. In defeat we carried on.
Thousand Islands Lake
We summited Donahue pass easily, marking our entry into Yosemite National Park. Dan has always mentioned a desire to visit the park, so crossing into its boundary on his birthday seamed ideal. We camped at the base, instantly feeling the wrath of the mosquitoes. After battling them while cooking dinner we retreated to our tent frantically itching and zipping the bug net up.
While still enjoying trail there has been a shift in the way we view trail routine. The discipline needed to hike feeling more demanding now we’ve been on trail for two months. However, even when trail seems tough I imagine what I would be doing back at home. I envision being at work squeezing patients onto my clinic due to a never ending demand, expected to work through my lunch breaks and am instantly appreciative to be here and not there. Next week we spontaneously ended up in Yosemite Village, another side quest to shake up our routine and help us combat feelings of tedium.
