The High Sierra Trail - Day 3

Morning came at Hamilton Lakes.  We took turns filtering water since one person needed to stay with the packs at all times in case of bears.  I lost myself sitting on the edge of Hamilton Lake, gazing into the water, admiring the sheer granite cliffs and Angels Wings- granite outcroppings that look like the wings of an angel. I came out of my daydream and realized Nancy was probably wondering what the heck was taking me so long. 

We had 8 miles to go for the day to reach Big Arroyo Junction.  I had the beginnings of blisters on the inside of each big toe.  I have never gotten blisters wearing these boots.  We hypothesized that it must be the pack weight (although Nancy didn't get any blisters).  We had to climb up 2500 feet over the Great Western Divide and Kaweah Gap.  This section of trail is extremely rocky and has many "step-ups" that work the quads and glutes to exhaustion.  We climbed and climbed and climbed, switchback after switchback.  When we reached Precipice Lake, I had to sit down and eat a bar.  Truthfully, we should have just eaten lunch there but my thought was that we needed to get up and over this thing and then we would take a nice break for lunch.  Unfortunately, that thought process doesn't work in the wilderness.  2 miles could take you more than 2 hours. 

We saw Nate (a guy we met the first day) emerge from behind some rocks and he was limping.  He was going to Mt. Whitney and hoped to be there by Friday.  Despite his twisted ankle, he was still faster than us.

From this point forward, we would only see 1-2 people a day until we reached the John Muir Trail.  None were women.

Anyway, we sat down to eat a bar.  Nancy sat on a rock and promptly fell over sideways.  I just sat on my rock, munching my bar, and watched her struggle to get her hip belt undone.  I made no move to help her.  When she had herself upright, I asked if she was alright.  She said yeah and sat in the middle of the trail and ate her bar.

Precipice Lake was stunning.  I could see it's beauty shimmering through the haze of my pain.  I thought about Ansel Adams carrying all his camera gear out here to take his famous picture back in 1932.

We continued on, only to stop again about 15 minutes later to eat lunch.  We rested at a no-name lake and soaked our feet.  I had blisters that needed attention so I engaged in wound care, filtered water and ate.  It was a wonderful delight to soak the feet.  How refreshing!

All told, it took us about 6 hours to climb 2500 feet over a 5 mile pass.  We finally made it up and over the Great Western Divide and Kaweah Gap at 10,700 feet.  I count this as one of the hardest days.  My legs were toast.

We descended the east side of the Divide and had nice easy, winding trail that re-entered us back into the trees.  We walked alongside the Big Arroyo Creek for awhile, enjoying the ease of the terrain. 

We made it to Arroyo Junction in time to do some laundry.  Since we smelled like a petting zoo, we thought it was a good idea.  We had to sit on a log first to rest because our legs and feet were so tired.  I tried to stand up and immediately fell over the log with my pack.  This sent me into fits of laughter that I couldn't control.  This laughter phenomenon occurred several times during the trip and I can only attribute it to exhaustion.  It was either laugh hysterically or sob uncontrollably.  

I did all my laundry and, of course, none of it dried by the next day.  I wore my running shorts and borrowed a pair of Nancy's socks because she was smart enough not to wash everything.  We truly looked like vagrants with all our crap hanging off our packs to dry.

We slept at 9600 feet.

This is my "What did I get myself into?" face.



Hamilton Lake







Bear poop















Precipice Lake

















Coming down the east side of the Great Western Divide.





Our laundry hanging off tree branches.

The High Sierra Trail - Day 2

We awoke the next morning at Merhten Creek to discover that Laurie was having extreme nausea.  She was not able to hold down any food at all.  She would try and then throw it up.  Not even coffee would stay down.  We took our time getting ready to go, hoping as time passed, she would be able to eat.

We started walking at about 10am with 8.5 miles to go to get to Hamilton Lakes.  As we were climbing down off our high perch above Merhten Creek, my feet slipped out from under me and I went down.  Pine needles on granite make for a slippery surface.  I started sliding head first down the granite slab toward the creek but was able to thwart the descent by grabbing onto a protruding tree root.  I could see Nancy standing on the granite above me and she called down to ask if I was okay.  I undid the hip belt and was able to right myself, then just sat there and tried to gather my wits.

Laurie agonized over the decision to continue or not.  It really tore us all up and I know she struggled immensely with the decision.  We hoped that as she started walking, maybe taking a bite here and there, she would start to feel better.  Her breathing was labored and the altitude was really bearing down.  The nausea grew so bad that every step was a struggle.  Just shy of 9-Mile Creek, she made the decision not to continue.  There were campsites and a bear box there so she felt she could stay there for a few nights to acclimate a bit more and feel better, then walk back out.  We didn't know how she would get home from Crescent Meadow but she was confident she would find a solution (that story later).

After lots of tears and hugs, we left Laurie.  Guilt consumed us as we walked away.  For the rest of the trip, we thought about Laurie every minute and wondered what she was doing and if/how she had made it home. 

She gave us Flat Stanley to travel along in her place.  Flat Stanley was made by an Alzheimer's patient and Laurie takes pictures of him during her adventures, then sends the pictures to the Alzheimer's care group so they can live vicariously through her.  It's a great program and there are a lot of Alzheimer's Flat Stanley's out there.

What I remember from the rest of that day was the heat, the uphills, pooping alot from the antibiotics, and exhaustion.  The little gnats that swarmed around my face really started pissing me off too.

We leap frogged with a couple of young dudes and passed them up at Bearpaw Meadow.  They were going to stay there and eat and then see if they felt like continuing to Hamilton Lakes.

The book calls the climb into Hamilton Lakes a "steady ascent".  I call it a lesson in pain.  We were pushing the pace to get there before dark and the climb up seemed to never end.  My hips, knees, and feet were throbbing.  We did make it and set up our tents right near the bear box.  Got water in the dark and ate our dinner in the dark.  We didn't mess around that night.  Once we were in our tents, I realized I had forgotten Nancy's birthday!  I yelled, "Nancy!!"  She said "What!?" thinking something was wrong.  "Happy Birthday!  I can't believe I forgot to tell you that!"  She said "Oh you scared the crap out of me but thank you!"  Nancy turned 58 on the trail that day.  She was a machine!  I think she could have just marched herself on over to Whitney Portal without taking a single break.  She was ceaseless, kept a steady pace, stopped when I needed to stop (or poop), ate when I needed to eat, and had an iron will and extreme mental fortitude.

The young dudes had come into the camp about 30 minutes after we did and they were exhausted so that made me feel better :-p  There were also 3 British dudes and a German.  We told them all about Laurie and they said they would look for her on their way back to Crescent Meadow.  We told everyone we met on the trail about Laurie and everyone said how smart she was and made the right decision to turn back.  There were times when I wished that I had turned back with her...

The elevation at Hamilton Lakes was 8235 feet.

The High Sierra Trail - Day 1

Logistics for The High Sierra Trail can be a little tricky.  We drove two vehicles up to Whitney Portal on the east side of the Sierras and left Nancy's car in the parking lot. Dennis then drove us south and west all the way around the Sierras to Fresno.  We stayed the night in Fresno, then Dennis drove us the rest of the way to our western entrance at Crescent Meadow. 

We followed the route in the Sierra South  book written by Kathy Morey and Mike White http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-South-Backcountry-Californias-Nevada/dp/0899974147/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411839985&sr=8-1&keywords=Sierra+South+by+Kathy+Morey.  I'll be referring to that some of the time as I go through and try to remember the trail since it's a fuzzy memory right now, save for the pain that still throbs in my toes.

Here's a short description of the trail from the book:
"This dramatic trans-Sierra route follows the renowned High Sierra Trail from Crescent Meadow to Whitney Portal, visiting many classic Sierra points and crossing the Great Western Divide at Kaweah Gap and the Sierra Crest at Trail Crest, the Sierra's highest on-trail pass.  From a junction near there, bagging Mt. Whitney's Summit is an integral part of this trip along the way.  The High Sierra Trail is the quintessential Sierra crossing..."  67 miles.

As with any big thing that I try to accomplish in life, I do it with a sinus infection, and this time was no exception.  I went into it with Augmentin and probiotics clutched in my hand, filling up my handkerchief with snot as fast as humanly possible.

We made it to the Lodgepole Visitor Center where we picked up our permit and Ranger Ben told us all the rules, Leave No Trace, and gave us each a wag bag for the Whitney Zone.  You aren't allowed to poop in the Whitney Zone.  Instead you have to take a crap in these plastic baggies that have kitty litter in them and then haul out the waste.  There have gotten to be too many people up in the Mt. Whitney area and poop doesn't decompose well above 10,000 feet, so these wag bags have been instituted to keep the area cleaner.

Once we were done at Lodgepole, Dennis drove us the final 9 miles to the Crescent Meadow trailhead.  We were excited, nervous, apprehensive and just couldn't believe the time had finally come after all our planning and conditioning.







As you can see, our packs were huge.  We had to carry all 10 days worth of food since there are no resupply points at all along this trail as well as a monstrous bear can to hold all the food and toiletries.  My pack weighed in at 49 pounds including food, water, and Gatorade.  I had close to 15 pounds of food alone.

I gave Dennis and Pico hugs and kisses and then we started walking.  Our destination was Merhten Creek, 5.5 miles to the east.  From this first day, I remember gorgeous views, fluffy Dr. Seuss clouds, lots of trees and ferns, and a very heavy pack.  I didn't know the types of trees as I walked but it turns out there were ponderosa and sugar pine, black oak, incense cedar, and white fir. 

The book describes the terrain as "undulating" and the hiker's pace as "strolling".  Sure it was undulating- as in up and down, up and down, up and down.  And sure, we were strolling- as in moving very slow with enormously heavy packs.













Laurie fell down this first day.  I think, as with all our falls that would occur, her feet just flew out from under her, and with the heavy pack, could not save it.  We found out later that she had cut her forehead open, but we didn't know at the time because of the way her buff was situated. 

We made it to Merhten Creek at around 6pm. This location rests at 7685 feet.  We had to climb up a steep hillside to get to the bear box and it was pretty annoying to get up there.   Once we were up there though, the views were stunning.  Our little designated kitchen area overlooked the valley and distant mountains.





We got a visit from a mama deer and her fawns while we were eating dinner.  They hung around for awhile to see what could be had. 



Filtering water at Merhten Creek.





We laid out and watched the stars and the Milky Way after we ate.  The stars got so dense it was unbelievable.  We saw shooting stars and satellites.  Finally it was too chilly so we gathered up our things, brushed our teeth, and crawled into our tents for the first of many nights. 

It was a good day.

Meditation

When from our better selves we have too long been parted by the hurrying world, and droop.  Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, how gracious, how benign is solitude.

William Wordsworth

San Gabriel Backpack

Nancy, Ingrid, Carolen, and I went with an Orange County Sierra Club group over the weekend to backpack up in the San Gabriel mountains. 

It was an extremely stressful day at work Friday morning and it took me awhile to calm down.  The Hiker Gals worked their soothing magic on me with talk of future hikes, gear, and good old fashioned girl talk.  I felt better and better the further we drove.

We got to the trailhead early because that's how I roll.  Unfortunately, everyone else was late.  One gal ended up being a couple hours late but we didn't wait around for her.  She found her way to our campsite after it was dark.

We started up the trail- the PCT I might add!  Oh happy day!  My pack felt super heavy.  I had my 6 pound tent because I figured it was just two miles to our camp set-up and I could handle it.  I also had the bear can though and was quickly out of breath on the steep climb to Little Jimmy.  The front of the group quickly distanced themselves from us.  We had two leaders behind us that I kept trying to convince to go ahead of us but they wouldn't so I felt pressured to go faster which meant that I stopped more often to catch my breath.  The altitude was burning my chest.  The leader behind us said to me "Why don't you go slower so you don't have to stop as often."  Um, yeah.  I'm going about as slow as I can and I will still need to stop and breathe. 

We made it to our campsite and spocked out a sweet level area above where the rest of the group was pitching tents.  It was beautiful!



Once we were set up, we went down to the spring to filter some water for dinner and breakfast.



Ingrid:



 Nancy:



Carolen:



Sunset glow from the spring:



Can you see the Super Moon?



Here's our fearless leader, Victoria, and the little nook where she set up her tent.





We ate our dinners and hung around with the rest of the group by the fire.  Yes, a fire was allowed!  Surprising really. 

We trundled off to bed about 9pm and I don't think any of us slept that well.  I drifted off about 3:30am and had a light, fitful sleep. 

We started the next day early.  Our leader wanted to be ready at 7am.  I needed about five cups of coffee to get going but only had time for one.  Back down to the spring we went to filter more water.  While filtering was occurring, there was an impromptu map and compass practice session, which I didn't fully grasp.  Too early and too little coffee.



Then off we went, hiking up the PCT with Hawkins Peak in mind.  The views were breathtaking, the birds were chirping, and the air was fresh with pine.  There were some burn areas that had stark, dead trees looming overhead with charred arms reaching to the sky. Eerie and beautiful.





We made it to a saddle and our leader, Victoria, gave us (San Diego) the task of figuring out which direction we needed to go to get to the peak.  Nancy and I stepped back so Carolen and Ingrid could work their excellent navigation skills.  We were thinking the peak should still be along the PCT but turned out it was the other direction.  Carolen was using the PCT Half Mile app on her phone to compare with what they were getting on the compass and a few comments were made that this was not a lesson on apps but with compass use.  Another comment was that apps wouldn't help during a zombie apocalypse.  Really?  I started getting some negative vibes and I didn't like it.

We made it to the peak and had a nice break.  Another person was given the task of figuring out the direction to Copter Ridge.













After our break, we headed in the direction of Copter Ridge which happened to be the cross country portion of this trek.  I didn't know what we were in for!  We headed down and down and down, through scree and loose rocks, over fallen logs, bush whacking, slip sliding down the steep grade.  Eventually, the thought occurred to me that we might have to climb back up.  Holy crap!  Are you kidding me?!!







We made it to Copter Ridge at last.  I know the climb back out was on all our minds as we rested.



Left to right:  Carolen, Ingrid, Nancy, Me





Slow and steady, the leaders tell us, just go your own pace on the way back up.  So for me, that literally meant that I took three steps and then took a breathing break.  I could feel waves of impatience coming off the leaders behind me.  I really pushed myself to go faster but climbing over logs and trying not to fall on loose rocks made it a little difficult.  I was just trying to stay alive!  Words can't accurately portray the difficulty of this endeavor.  I would rank it in the top five hardest work-outs I've ever done in my life.  We made it to the top after an endless eternity of stop, go, slip, slide, trip, breathe.

Then we had a few more miles to go to get back to camp.  My legs were turning over as fast as I dared without tripping and I still felt the leaders behind me pushing, pushing, pushing.  One was riding my ass so hard I finally stepped aside and made him go in front of me. 

We did make it back to Little Jimmy at last and I just unfurled my sleeping pad and laid down for a bit.  We had gone 10 miles and I don't remember the elevation gain or the grade or time or any such details.  All I know is I made it back to Little Jimmy!

Carolen and Ingrid did the night hike up to Mt. Islip as well- they are hardcore!  Nancy and I stayed back.  I wanted to relax and enjoy the scenery.  We were sitting at the picnic table meditating on the view and sunset, birds flitting across the sky, and the chick who was late the day before comes and sits down, looking at her map.  She proceeds to tell us this fascinating story about how she was in the outhouse and she dropped her tampon on the floor and then of course she couldn't use it.  And it was a super tampon.  Like, her last super tampon, you know.  She shakes her head and says "Whatevs"........long pause.......shakes her head again and says "Whatevs."  Nancy and I decide that we are done looking at scenery and make a beeline for our tents. 

After that gnarly work-out, I was so happy to crawl into my tent and lay down.  Nothing ever felt so good.  Carolen and Ingrid got back from Mt. Islip and they told us about the gorgeous sunset. Almost made me wish I had gone with them.....almost.

The leaders wanted us to start walking out at 7am the next day.  Why so early, you ask?  I don't know!  They changed it to 8 in the morning after we were already up.  I was stumbling around, bleary eyed, and whining like a baby.  Why oh why are we up so early!

Our pace off that mountain was at break-neck speed.  I didn't look up for fear of losing my footing, I didn't take a drink of water, I didn't take a picture, I didn't say boo or fart.  Nothing!  Their pace was so fast.

After all this, I am happy to have been in the wilderness, am happy to have gotten in a stellar work-out in preparation for the High Sierra Trail but the group dynamic just wasn't enjoyable to me.  When you join these types of groups, you are at the whim of whatever the leaders want.  Their pace, their time schedule, and their fancy lingo.

Whatevs.