Nancy, Carolen, Di, Don and I met up at Red's Meadow planning to do a backpack trip on the PCT up to Tuolumne. Carolen and Di would continue on after that on their thru-hike to Canada.
Red's Meadow is a mule pack station and resupply stop for some thru-hikers. The area is very remote and takes a bit of doing to get down to it. It was so beautiful and peaceful there. We stayed in a cabin the first 2 nights to acclimate a bit to the elevation. The cabin was an old rickety thing that had animals skittering about in the ceiling. Nancy and I slept up in the loft right below the ceiling and could hear whatever it was running around up there. Nancy said it sounded like they were playing soccer. The cabin was also infested with ants the size of a plymouth. We took all those things in stride and had a great time- honey bourbon included.
Di had boysenberry pie with ice cream for dinner Saturday night.
Honey Bourbon time!
Sunday we did a little tune-up hike out to Devils Postpile. I've wanted to see this monument for years so it was a really special experience for me. Here's a blurb from www.nsp.gov on how the Postpile formed:
"The Postpile begins as a lake of lava
An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 years ago a lava vent began spewing hot basaltic lava into the Reds Meadow Valley near present-day Upper Soda Springs, a few miles north of the Monument. Basalt lava is rich in iron and magnesium and is typically much hotter than other types of lava. Because of these traits, basaltic lava tends to have a lower viscosity and will flow more quickly than other lava types. The lava flowed down the valley like a river until it was blocked by a natural dam, probably a glacial moraine left down-valley by a receding glacier during a previous ice age. The lava began filling the valley behind this dam, creating a lava lake 400 ft. deep in some areas. Such depth is uncommon among lava flows and plays a crucial role in the formation of the long columns we see today.
The lava cools and cracks reach deep into the formation.
As the lava flow ceased, the molten rock began cooling into solid rock. Shallow parts of the lava flow would have solidified first, with deeper parts of the lava lake requiring much more time to release the massive amount of stored thermal energy. As the lava lake cooled and solidified from a molten soup to solid rock it began to contract. Contraction stresses developed because the cool solid form of basalt has a lesser volume than the hot liquid form. Cracks, also called joints by geologists, began to form. Jointing releases internal stress created by the cooling and associated contraction. In some locations, such as at the Devils Postpile, the jointing formed columns. Jointing would have begun at the top, bottom and all around the edges of the lava lake where the lava made direct contact with a cooler surface. The cracks would have extended inwards over time as the more insulated locations within the lava lake finally released enough thermal energy to change from a liquid to a solid state."
After we visited the Postpile, rather than spend the $15 per person for the dinner in the café, we thought we would be smart and go up to Mammoth Lakes and get a frozen lasagna at the grocery store so we could cook it at the cabin. On the way up, we picked up two thru-hikers hitching a ride. They were Freckles and Jawbone and they were from Grants Pass, Oregon! We dropped them off at the Motel 6 so they could take a zero day.
We got a veggie lasagna, garlic bread, ceasar salad kit, and wine. We were entirely pleased with our ingenuity and savvy money-saving skills. We got back to the cabin to bake the lasagna and realized we didn't have an oven! Doh! Well, that didn't stop us. We procured some brickettes from the little store at Red's and barbequed that sucker! And it was really good!
Monday we geared up and started hiking. The first day's goal was 8 miles to Agnew Meadows. The elevation change would be 7500 feet to 8400. My pack was heavy with the bear can. Luckily we only had to carry about a liter of water at a time since streams were so abundant. Big difference from hiking in the desert and having to carry 7 liters of water! Walking that first day was very pleasant and views were unbelievable. I drank in the fresh air and peaceful solitude. We stopped every couple of hours for a snack break- lots of energy gets used as the elevation increases.
We made it to Agnew Meadows and saw that the campground was closed so we walked around for a bit trying to decide where to pitch tents and not get in trouble. We ended up pitching tents right next to the parking lot. There was a bathroom, a garbage can, and a bear box there so that made things a bit easier with having to get everything into bear cans. Man, those bear cans are a pain in the ass! Everything with a smell has to go in there. We filtered water from the stream for dinner and tried to sit and enjoy the wilderness and each other's company but the dadgum mosquitos made it impossible. I had not been able to find my mosquito headnet before I left and I really did not want to use Deet on my face so my neck and face ended up getting chewed to bits. Mosquitos were swarming so bad, the likes of which I haven't seen since growing up in Oregon. As we were eating, who walks up but Freckles and Jawbone! They walk really fast and it was nice to see them. I dove into my tent soon after because I couldn't stand the mosquitos anymore. I had these grand plans when I started this trip to write some poetry or jot down my thoughts at the end of the day. That did not happen. I was so pooped that I just snuggled in my sleeping bag and read my kindle. I had no kind of brain power left whatsoever after hiking all day.
Does my hair look okay?
View from my tent the first night.
Tuesday we got packed up and started walking again. This day is a blur to me. I remember it being very hard. We were supposed to get up and over Island Pass at an elevation of over 10,000 (I think). It was just a lot of up and up and up and up. Stop and breathe over and over again. I ate Sunflower Salad from Outdoor Herbivore for lunch and it sucker punched me right in the gut. I had to take a giant crap almost immediately. We stopped again so I could unload. LOL. A couple hours later, we had to stop again so I could drop a deuce. At this point, I had used up my allotment of toilet paper and would have to bum some off Nancy for any future pooping.
We saw lots of thru-hikers and stopped to talk to most of them. I can't remember all their names but here are a few: Goat, The Professor, Lingo, Quinoa, Soapbox and so many more.
Don started having trouble with the elevation. We were all pretty worried about him because he didn't have all his wits about him. When we made it to Thousand Island Lakes (elevation 9833) we decided to stay put for the night instead of pushing to Island Pass (elevation 10,000 +).
The views at Thousand Island Lake were stunning. Words can't even describe the beauty of these mountains. John Muir had it right when he said "The mountains are calling and I must go." We had a thunder storm rolling in behind us and got to witness the raw power of thunder and lightening. Luckily the storm skirted around us and we just got a few raindrops.
Di scouted out a stellar campsite for us and we pitched tents. Don was breathing heavy just sitting still. We were worried.
We filtered water down at the lake for dinner and had to contend with the mosquitos again. Mosquitos on steroids! I got all my chores done and tried to stay outside and chat but I couldn't take it! I dove into my tent early again and just read my kindle. I heard Nancy and Di talking about the beautiful sunset so I scrambled back out to look and take pictures. Can't miss that Sierra glow!
Don, Carolen, Nancy, and Di
Shadow Lake
It's hard work going up!
Carolen fending off mosquitos with her buff.
Bear paw print!
Storm following us.
Thousand Island Lakes
We decided that we needed to turn around and go back to Reds Meadow rather than continue to Tuolumne. We had Don's health in mind and that was more important than continuing up. We made good time that day since it was mostly down. We ended up with 12 miles on the day and camped at Soda Springs. My dogs were barkin' though! Phew, I was tired.
Di is very sad because I beat her packing up in the morning (only because she had to dry her tent). She's very competitive!
Thursday we only had 4 miles to go to make it back to Reds. We took our time and I personally walked very slow. My legs were so dead. I probably needed more calories.
Climbing over a fallen tree.
We saw two beautiful horses. Rocksanne, these pictures are for you! A Tennessee Walking Horse and a Missouri Fox Trotter.
At last we made it to Reds Meadow. Nancy and I decided to change our clothes in the bathroom before we got in the car. I personally smelled like a petting zoo. We washed our feet and legs in the bathroom sink. We pulled out our clothes that we had worn on the drive up to Reds Meadow that first day and they smelled so good even though they were technically dirty. I pulled out my dirty underwear, took a whiff, and declared "These smell delightful!" Funny how your perspective changes when you don't take a shower for a week.
We shuttled up to Tuolumne where we had left Nancy's car and had a burger and fries at the grill. I got myself all worked up when I saw a thru-hiker I recognized from her blog. Rambling Hemlock! I approached tentatively and asked if she was Rambling and she said Yes and seemed delighted that I read her blog. She was very nice but had a sore foot so I hope it heals and she's able to continue walking. She's already mentioned me in her blog too. She says "One hiker recognized me from my blog which was so cool and cheered me up considerably." Here's her blog: http://ramblinghemlock.blogspot.com/
Di and Carolen got their resupply boxes at the post office and they continued on.
That's it. I'm looking forward to our next big adventure when Nancy, Laurie, and I do The High Sierra Trail.
YEEHAW! Livin' the dream, baby!
