Day 162- Near Glen Aulin

Day 162, 9/17/14
966 to 948
18 miles

Exciting wildlife sighting today.  A frog!!!  Perhaps you might think the bobcat and bears I’ve seen are pretty cool.  But this ranked right up there.  Don’t see many frogs.  Not sure I’ve seen one at all before this on the PCT.  Not like back in Georgia.  So, I spent a good half hour sitting on the shore of Miller Lake, just watching it.  And listening to the lapping sounds of the waves on the pebble sand beach.  Then the frog hopped into the water and swam off, strong leg kicks, then out of sight.  And I can just sit and watch a frog and I think that is one of the most wonderful things about being out here now that I’m not trying to get to Canada anytime soon. 

Exciting wildlife!

Stopping to smell the Mimulus.

***
Today I met Sea Turtle and Tortoise who are working on their senior year project doing a film about their adventure on the PCT.  They radiated positive energy and enthusiasm, and I sure hope I run into them again.  Check out their facebook page.

SeaTurtle and Tortoise

***
In the evening, I arrived at Glen Aulin in Yosemite, which is a High Sierra Camp, but it smelled bad, full of horse poop.  So I kept hiking, hoping I’d find something soon because camping isn’t permitted within 4 miles of Tuolumne Meadows so I needed to find something quick.

View from the bridge near Glen Aulin.

After crossing over a bridge and gazing at the sunset view (wow!) I saw a sign for Lake McGee in 0.8 miles.  Fastest 0.8 miles I’ve done in a while, in fading light.  Then, climbed up the hillside for a view and so I’d be away from the lake.  The wind died down and I slept soundly once again.

Day 161- To Benson Pass

Day 161, 9/16/14
983 (Stubblefield Canyon) to 966 (Benson Pass)
17 miles

Started the morning listening to the calls of owls back and forth.  Wish I knew what kind they were.  

The Sierra is so different than it was back in June.  Before there was snow and water everywhere.  Plants were in bud.  Now, there are dry creekbeds.  A crispness in the air.  Fall colors.  Berries.  I'm so glad to see these two seasons, the contrasts.

Changing colors.

The maps say this is a "dangerous ford" but now there isn't even a drop.

Early in the morning, I turned a corner and there was Bob eating his oatmeal.  Second time I'd run into him, both times while he was having breakfast.  We'd met a week before at Lake Aloha.  I laughed with delight to see him again.

Hello again, Bob.

Hiked together a bit while we caught up, then went back to hiking alone.  Met up again at Smedberg Lake where I thought I might camp.  But he was going on ahead, up Benson Pass.  I've been stopping early since the stress fracture, but I was feeling pretty strong so I decided to keep going, even though the light was fading.  Later I calculated that I'd climbed a total of 5,491 feet and descended 3,273 feet.  Yah I guess I've been getting my hiking legs back cause I wasn't even that sore.

Followed a pair of deer up to the top of the pass, they glanced back at us before leaping over the crest and disappearing out of sight.  Incredibly, there was a meadow with clear-flowing water up high.  And then further down I found a sheltered site for my hammock tucked out of the wind.

Climbing as the sun set.

Turned out to be a great call to camp high.  We watched the sunset from the view up above 10K feet.  Not as good at taking photos at sunset.  Guess I really was more tired than I thought.  But believe me it was beautiful, seeing the the sky get dark.  Then, 3 shooting stars.  The milky way.  Win!

Day 160- Quiet in Yosemite

Day 160, 9/15/14
999.8 (Cascade Creek) to 983 (Stubblefield Canyon)
16.8 miles

Entered the Yosemite Wilderness.  I didn’t see anyone on the trail all day.  The mind settles into a quietness when you hike all day alone.  I love how it feels.  The stillness.

Before Dorthy Lake Pass.

Over Dorthy Lake Pass.

Alone, I spent even more time near water.  Swimming in lakes.  Staring at reflections.  Listening to streams.  And no one else around.

Dorthy Lake.

Wilmer Lake

So much time spent looking, taking photos.  Not many words.  More soaking it in.

Ripples.

Stubblefield Canyon.

I set up camp in an established campsite in Stubblefield Canyon, near the trail, too exhausted to bother finding a stealth campsite.  I was surprised to see Caveman and Patches join me in camp.  I’d met them in Carson Pass the previous week.  After not talking to anyone else all day, at first I struggled to find words.  But then we were chatting and talking about our days.

Around dusk, a bear wandered near our camp, and it was so fun- he’d never seen a bear before outside the zoo.  He was so captivated, and watched it spellbound.  What a treat to see such enthusiasm in someone else.  The bear wandered off and we didn’t see it again.  The bear canisters were untouched in the morning.

Stubblefield Canyon.

Day 159- Ridgewalk from Sonora Pass

Day 159, 9/14/14
1017 (above Sonora Pass) to 999.8 (near Cascade Creek)
17 miles

One of the most breathtaking days on the trail.  My friend Renee/Pathfinder had raved about the 10 mile ridgewalk between Kennedy Canyon Creek and Sonora Pass, so I'd been really looking forward to it.  But it wasn't an easy start.  Climbing with the bear canister weighted down with 5 days food.  Wobbling at first, unsteadily with the extra weight.  I haven't carried this much for months.  Loose gravel, each step sliding.  Traverses with big drop offs.  I know I used to be able to do this, that I did this through the Sierra in early June.  But that was before the fracture.  I break into a cold sweat.  Where is the oxygen, where is my balance?  Baby steps, don't look down, don't look down, baby steps. 

Climbing in the early morning.

At the top I'm met with bone-chilling wind and technicolor peaks of pink and purple.  The sweat feels like ice and I can't linger.  Sorry my poor feet, I must keep moving.  As the sun comes up and the trail flattens out, I can start to breathe and my body remembers how to carry the bear canister.  And oh it is so worth it and I forget my feet and I forget everything.  I soak it all in.

OMG this is an amazing sunrise.

First rays of light hitting the peaks.

The first light illuminates the rocks.  So many colors.  Breathtaking.  I think about a conversation I had the previous day with some friendly dayhikers.  When I'd asked them about this area, they said this section was sort of empty and stark.  I'd imagined something ugly when they described it, but this landscape has a beauty that captivates me.  Like how I felt out in the desert- I love the starkness.  How life clings out here.  I wonder why some people (like me) find this so beautiful.  I also know I am seeing it in the mesmerizing colors of first light, that most people don't wake up so crazy early to get up here to see it like this.

Light up lichen.

Tiny, unfamiliar flowers are everywhere.  How cool!  Forgetting the cold, my pack is tossed off, and I'm down on hands and knees getting a close look.  I am fascinated by the diversity, by the fact I've never seen some of these plants.  I love how life thrives in such seemingly inhospitable habitats.

Discarded in all the wildflower excitement.

OMG!  What are these pods?  Some sort of legume?

WOW! So tiny and cute (she says not-so scientifically...)

The gentleman that gave me a ride back to the trail the previous day said that the treeline is higher than he's ever seen.  That years ago, there were no trees up so high, that global warming was altering the landscape at an alarming rate.  If these alpine places are shrinking, how long will it take before all of this is gone here?

Unbelievable colors.

Life.

Starting the descent to Kennedy Canyon Creek.

***
Mid-morning, I met a couple that was setting out to hike the High Sierra Route.  I was so excited when I heard this because I've been reading about this cross-country traverse, and have it as a long-term goal.  It requires expert navigation skills because it is largely off-trail, but goes off to some really wild areas.  I asked them a million questions about how to train for doing the High Sierra Route.  I thought of all the boulder scrambling and off-trail travel I've been doing lately and how I want to do more of that, take my skills to a new level.  And soon the dreamin' was taking hold, even though I have no idea how it will happen and I'd be scared to do it alone.  Anyway, I hiked with them a while, and kept meeting them and hiking together and talking about life, the trail, and southbounding.  Fascinating people I hope I run into them again someday.

This couple heading off to do the High Sierra Route.

***
The couple hiked on, but I stopped early to stay at a lower elevation.  The wind had been blowing all day and I wanted some shelter.  So I found a grove of trees surrounded by willow.  Quiet.  Still.  My head still spinning from the stunningly beautiful ridgewalk, and I fell asleep dreaming of the High Sierra Route, and the places I could go if I left the easy trail, and headed off in my own direction.

Sheltered hang.

Day 158- Sonora Pass

Day 158, 9/13/14
1022 to 1017
5 miles

Descended to Sonora Pass, where I had to get 10 miles off the PCT to Kennedy Meadows Resort to resupply for the next section.  Hitchhiking is tough for me.  I don’t like putting myself at the mercy of others or asking for help.

Descending to Sonora Pass.

After about an hour of standing at the roadside, presenting my sweetest smile and trying not to look like a crazy person, a nice couple picked me up.  Phew!  They had daughters that had backpacked and had needed hitches themselves.  So it felt like I was part of a web of generosity that I will try to pay forward.  Thank you so much for the ride Larry and Pam!

Please pick me up!

I picked up my resupply box and bear canister, had an egg breakfast and ice cream, and got another  hitch from another wonderful couple back out to Sonora Pass.  Sorry I forgot your names but thank you!

Bear canister bursting with goodies.

Entered the Emigrant Wilderness and climbed above Sardine Creek to the last stand of trees.  Even though it was early, I didn't want to go any further because that would take me above treeline, and I wanted to be all set up for an early morning traverse of the the ridgewalk that Renee/ Pathfinder told me was “epic."

Hanging above Sardine Creek.

Day 157: Wolf Creek Lake

Day 157, 9/12/14

1041 (Wolf Creek) to 1022 (Wolf Creek Lake)

18 miles

The trail had more animal prints than people prints today.  Sitting quietly eating 2nd breakfast, a coyote rounded the corner and just like that we were a stones throw from one another.  I could see the pattern of his fur, the look in his eyes.  Then, he dashed off. 
Awesome! 

Left the cows in the valley, and climbed up the East Fork of the Carson River canyon beneath towering granite peaks.

Headwaters of the East Fork Carson River.

Normally I camp at lower elevation but this evening I decided to take a risk, hoping for an incredible view.   So, I kept climbing up to 10,200 feet where the wind was howling.  The Wolf Creek Lake saddle would have been freezing in my hammock.  So I descended off the PCT down to the lake, but the wind was fierce there too, I was still so high up.  More bushwhacking, more exploring to find a sheltered campsite in the lee of a rock.  It made me wonder if I shouldn't have just camped earlier down below, taken the safe and easy campsite.  All the off-trail travel was exhausting on top of the long climb.

Bushwhacking.

Finally, I found some shelter from the wind.  I was a whole 0.3 miles from the PCT- sheesh turned out to be more bushwhacking and boulder scrambling than I expected. 

Will the extra effort be worthwhile?  Right now I'm sore and tired, but snug in my hammock.  Happy of course too that I pushed myself.  Plus I realize I like the exploring and getting a deeper sense of this place, seeing how the wind moves through the landscape.  I don't have that insight when I stay down below where it is safe but where I can't see anything. So no matter what, the effort is worthwhile from what I learned from being up here, and from experiencing the joy of romping around the lake.  I remember how rewarding it is when I get off the trail and do my own thing.

***

The next morning, the sunrise is breathtaking from my vantage point high up.  Totally enchanting light and the feet were feeling well-rested.  I was so glad that I hiked up to the pass, and pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

Sunrise over Wolf Creek Lake

Flowers bathed in alpineglow.

More views from up high.

Softer color of late morning.

Day 156: South from Ebbetts Pass

Day 156, 9/11/14
1050 (Ebbetts Pass) to 1041 (Wolf Creek)
9 miles

Took a zero day yesterday with Steph to get ready for my third section since the stress fracture- going south from Ebbetts Pass back to Tuolumne Meadows (Yosemite).  Breezed through packing food and washing gear.  Then spent hours and hours on the latest blog posts.  Too many photos I can't decide which to post.  Struggling to find words to express the experience of the last section.  Then the day is gone and I have to push "publish" even though I could do better if I just had more time to edit.

I still get butterflies in my belly the night before I leave to get back on the trail.  Rougher terrain and the higher elevations are ahead.  And I associate Tuolumne Meadows with the pain of the stress fracture, since that's where I hobbled off the trail.  So, gear has been paired down further.  Giving up the umbrella and 2nd shoes (the trail runners).   They say you pack your fears (ie bring lots of clothes if your fear is the cold).  My pack has never been lighter but I can't tell if this is because I'm fearless, or because there is no material thing that I can use to ward off the remaining fears.

***
After being out here for a few hours, the pre-hike jitters are replaced with confidence.  I am in my element out on the PCT.  Pack resting reassuringly against my back.   If I do encounter adverse conditions, I know I will handle them.

Sunny.

 Entered the Carson- Iceberg Wilderness.  Cow pies on the trail and eroded banks around water sources.  Cattle country.  The cows have bells that jingle loudly.  Echoing up the valley like the sound of rain on a metal roof.  Homey.  This is not the dangerous inhospitable Sierras of my imagination.  Nothing I haven't dealt with before.

Cows with jingling bells.

Met one backpacker today, Jimmy D.  He grinned at me with recognition and said he'd been following my blog.  Wow I'm always surprised that there are people out there reading my blog.   Tongue-tied I considered asking him about his cuben pack which is the same kind my friend just told me she's looking at.  But I didn't really care about gear.  What I really I wanted to ask him how he has set up his life so he gets to do overnights here in this gorgeous spot- find out if there is a secret because I want this as my backyard.  But all I can think is that I can’t believe he read my blog, and I get all self-conscious.  Finally I blurted out a question about water.

He reported there was good flow at the spring above Asa Lake and added that the swimming there should be good and there was no one else there.  OMG he knows I like swimming!  Well duh I guess I do say that a lot here in the blog.

My feet sighed with relief at the cool water of Asa Lake.  The waters teeming with life.  Banks lined with the colors of fall.

Asa Lake.

The calls of coyotes rose from the valley as I descended to where I camped for the night.  Wolf Creek.  I passed by the established campsites near the trail and head uphill a ways along a meadow and into a sheltered grove.  Does wanting to be hidden make me less fearless?

The first night out is always a little rough, I reminded myself.  Especially the hour after the sun goes down when I can still hear scurrying sounds but can no longer see the chipmunk silhouettes.  Not quite tired enough to just collapse into sleep.  The grrrr of my rumbling stomach startles me and I instinctively reach for my headlamp to see what made the sound.  Finally I remembered that my hammock is a magic impenetrable fortress of safety and comfort where no harm can befall me.  Then I fell sound asleep.

Home sweet home.