Day 0 – Mammoth to Cottonwood Pass Trailhead
Not quite planes, trains, and automobiles, but close. I had a hard time sleeping last night and eating this morning. Nerves, altitude, not sure, but probably nerves. We hiked half a mile to the ESTA stop where we would get our first bus. My pack felt too heavy. On this bus, I calculated that my pack was at least 10 pounds heavier than the heaviest it was on the AT. Microspikes, bear canister, 2 more days of food.
We switched buses in Bishop. We were just about the only ones on the first bus, this one is jam packed with PCT hikers. I sat with two who had recently bathed and really enjoyed talking to them. This is their first long distance hike, one had never backpacked before, and they are having a blast. I got some good trail info from them.
We got off the bus in Lone Pine and sought out the outdoor store. It turns out we need more gear. Packs are not quite heavy enough. I had read online and Meriwether got first hand information that snow baskets would be exceedingly well worth it. In the deep snow coming down Mather Pass our legs may posthole, but the snow baskets would prevent our trekking poles from post holing.
From the outdoor store we found a coffee shop where the local hardware store owner provided a good history lesson on the area. We had been wondering why the area is called the Alabama Hills. Of course there is a Civil War reference, as well as with Kearsarge. Look them up, the story is interesting.
Coffee shop to deli, the Alabama Hills Cafe, for lunch. More PCT hikers, must be a good place. The portions were huge and and the conversation fun. We actually met another PCT hikers that we will probably meet up with again in a few days.
Deli to the outdoor store to hang out in the hiker lounge. We continued our conversations with the same folks from lunch.
We met our shuttle driver at two. Rebecca would be driving us up to the Cottonwood Pass Campground, right next to the trailhead. I was so glad she was driving, not me. The local chamber arranged the shuttle.
We met two other PCT hikers camping near us. One grew up in Blacksburg, 30 miles from us, and lives in Richmond now. We traded contact info so that we can connect after the trail.
So many good memories of today and we have not even started hiking. Thanks!
Day 1 – Cottonwood Pass Trailhead to Rock Creek Camp – 13.8 miles
I am exhausted. Did not sleep well last night, however I did feel good when we woke. Much of the anxiety has dissipated.
The hike today started beautiful. Early morning sun kissing the tops of the mountains. We started in a pine forest, I don’t think there are any other types on this trail. Climbed to Cottonwood Pass, our first pass, but we are not officially on the JMT yet. The views were hypnotizing. Massive mountains, green meadows thousands of feet below in the valley.
We stopped for a break and water at the outlet of Chicken Spring Lake. While stopped we met several other hikers doing the same trip as us. We kept frog with two of them a few times. Hopefully we will see more of them over the coming days.
My pack did not feel heavy this morning, but the trail took us away from the views and my shoulders and back started getting tight. I am pretty sure the same was happening to Meriwether.
Fortunately the second half of the day was all down hill. We had planned to camp here tomorrow night, so we are actually a day ahead. Tomorrow is a short day, only 7 – 9 miles. The next day will be long, but our packs will be mostly empty.
Sleep is calling.
Day 2 – Rock Creek Camp to Crabtree Meadow – 6.8 miles
Meriwether woke in the middle of the night feeling nauseous and having a hard time breathing. Worries. I had a hard time getting back to sleep, having to rework all the different potential options.
Needless to say, we slept in. Today is going to be a short day no matter what, so we might as well enjoy the sound of Rock Creek and the warmth of or bags a bit longer.
When she woke, Meriwether was feeling fine. All that extra planning last night was for naught. One day I will learn. The morning was nice, a bit overcast, but very nice temperature wise.
We started the day with a barefoot creek crossing. The water felt fine initially then turned bitter cold. It felt like someone was hitting my ankles with a hammer. Fortunately it only took about 10 steps to cross the creek.
After the creek we had a long climb up to Guyot Pass, our second pass for the trip and we are not even on the JMT yet. After the pass we were once again rewarded with beautiful view after view. The views are amazing and we haven’t even gotten to the good parts yet.
After crossing Whitney Creek a couple times and walking next to some gorgeous meadows, we arrived at Crabtree Meadow where we planned to camp for the night. Already there were several parties we had met during the day. A father daughter due and two friends. The father and daughter are only going to Onion Meadow, the two friends are going to Yosemite then hiking back south to Mammoth.
The sky has been getting more ominous as the day has gone. We ate early to support our 3 AM wake up time. The sun is still shining but the thunder has started and the wind is picking up. Hopefully it will stay in the distance.
The 3 AM alarm is so that we can summit Whitney in the morning and be back down before any afternoon thunderstorms. Hopefully the clouds will thunder themselves out this evening.
Day 3 – Crabtree Meadow to Crabtree Meadow via Mount Whitney – 14.6 miles
The coyotes woke me last night. As did Meriwether during her two bathroom breaks. The 3 AM alarm came early. We were on the trail at 4:30, I am not sure why it took so long to get moving.
After I quit writing yesterday everything the rain and hail started. Not too hard. I fell asleep watching the patterns form and grow and eventually slide down the rain fly. Everything was perfectly dry this morning.
Hiking pre dawn was nice. We could see some stars and the silhouette of the mountains against the sky. Gradually the sun kissed the mountain tops. There were a lot of us on the trail, we watched headlamps bobbing down the trail in front of us and heading up the mountain we would soon encounter.
We drank and refilled our water bottles at Guitar Lake along with friends we had made yesterday and new friends we would see throughout the day. There is nothing like a shared experience to bring people together.
The climb was harder than I expected. Not physically, my breathing was normal, no signs of the high elevation. The dropoffs were long and steep. Parts of the trail were much rockier than expected. The sandy parts were steep and prone to sliding. The snow traverse at the top was, perhaps, one of the easier parts of the trail.
The top of Mount Whitney is amazing. 360 degree views that go forever. So many people, though. It was easy to find someone to photograph us. At times I felt like I was tripping over people.
We did not linger too long on the summit. The forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms and the sky indicated this too. Coming down was not much easier than going up. It was a bit unbelievable how many people were still climbing up. Many of the climbing the mountain were day hikers coming up from the east. They would have over 9 miles back down. Some had started at midnight and we’re a mile from the summit at noon.
Back in camp we saw a friend from the trailhead and spoke to him for quite some time. He is planning to summit Whitney tomorrow and was drilling us for information.
Hopefully the few photos here from today will make up for the poor prose. I am exhausted again. Tomorrow will be a short easy day. No passes or mountains. Goodnight!
Day 4 – Crabtree Meadow to Tyndall Creek Tentsite – 8.0 miles
We slept in. Well, we slept in as well as we could, getting up about 7 AM. We said farewell to Marmot and his breathing specialist buddy, we will likely see them again as they will be hiking back 60 miles after getting to Yosemite.
We had a leisurely morning with only about 8 miles of hiking planned. There were some logs we used to cross the creek a couple times yesterday. When we set out a 9, those logs were plastered with ice. So we waited in the sunny meadow for the ice to melt.
About a half hour later a younger couple found a different place to cross the river. We had seen the place, but it required two very large steps. He crossed there with no issues, then helped his partner cross, then motioned for Meriwether and I. With some coaching, I was able to make the steps. He then helped Meriwether and they were on their way.
As usual the views were stunning today. I took a lot of photos, but after looking at yesterday’s photos I know I will be disappointed. The photos may be stunning for someone who hasn’t been here. They don’t do the views any justice.
Our campsite is very close to a pond which I took the opportunity to wade in and rinse the dust off me. The temperature was great until the wind started blowing. I wanted to completely dunk, but the shallow end was not deep enough. Perhaps I will gain the courage to enter the deep end before the end of the trip.
The mozzies started bothering us while preparing dinner. We had seen them at a creek earlier in the day. We walked quickly past the creek and escaped. I understand they will get worse as we get further north, right now they are just a minor annoyance.
Tomorrow is another big day, Forrester Pass. The highest pass on the JMT and apparently about a mile of snow on the descent. Wish us luck!
Day 5 – Tyndall Creek Tentsite to Vidette Meadow – 15.2 miles
We got up early, 4 AM, and were on the trail by 5:30. I’m not sure why it keeps taking us 90 minutes to get ready. Perhaps it is the lack of privies and having to dig a hole each morning. Perhaps it is trying to organize getting everything in the pack. Having a huge bear canister does not make it easy.
I might have mentioned the views. Today they went on forever in all directions. I can understand why John Muir spent so much time in this area. McAfee Knob and Dragons Tooth are in my backyard, I absolutely love those places, the Sierra Mountains are in a different class.
The climb up Forrester Pass was difficult for me. There is nothing technical about the climb, it is just walking. The drop-off is steep (understatement) and there was no way to hide it from my view. Fortunately the climb was short.
Going down the other side was no where near as steep, but it did have other sketchiness. There were short snowfields that were either easy to cross or navigate around. Just when we thought we were clear of all the snow, the final snowfield appeared. We had to choose between a bolder field like the Abol trail or a slushy snowfield. We donned our micro spikes and took on the snow. Half way across I was wishing we had chosen the boulder field.
We have met some great people. Peter and his daughter, Bryn, have been so enjoyable to talk to. Bryn is starting a PhD soon, she wants to figure out how farmers make decisions. I have no idea what Peter does, but he sure did raise a nice young lady and knows how to make those around him feel good.
Two former Tufts students, Becca and Simone, who have hiked a bunch in New Hampshire. They are badass, scrambling over refrigerator sized boulders, hiking over a pass twice in the same day for a resupply. It is amazing that we have become best friends with these four people in such a short time.
Tonight we are nestled between two streams. The breeze is keeping the mozzies at bay. We have two very short days coming up and I am looking forward to taking in more views.
Day 6 – Vidette Meadow to Flower Lake – 6.4 miles
We slept in this morning. There was only 1 “easy” pass, then down to a beautiful lake to spend the afternoon and night. The pass was easier than Forrester, there was no snow. It was terrifying steep over the edges and difficult to shield my eyes.
There was a pretty good crowd on top. Sara and Jessica, a bunch of PCTers coming from or going to a resupply, a couple a bit younger than us trying to decide if she would continue, he was just providing support.
I held onto a large rock, trying to enjoy the views. When I let go of the rock, as was necessary to start our descent, we realized that the woman was very concerned about Forrester Pass and was considering quitting her SoBo JMT attempt. She had horrible experiences on the last two passes. I explained my fears and our experience. Her husband caught up to us later and said she decided to continue.
We got to camp very early. I was happy to watch the mountains change as the sun moved across the sky. I was even happier when Becca and Simone showed up. I thought they would have been on their way back up the mountain before now and was concerned. No reason, they really know how to enjoy the backcountry and were taking full advantage of it.
Tomorrow is a very short day into town. Resupply, shower, and some real food. This trip is so amazing!
