Watery Dreamy

Monday, June 23
Mile 956, McCabe Creek in Yosemite Nat'l Park

Reunited with gypsy town at long last, we took a lazy morning to ease out of a late night at the fire in Tuolumne Meadows. I decided not to go into the valley - I'd rather come back and climb anyway, and not during peak tourist season. Even on a Monday morning, the parking lot at Tuolumne was swarming with people in clean-cut tees and boat shoes. I'm also not eager to lose the group I've been chasing this past week.

Tuneboost and the falling water. This is what I live for out here!

Lunch was swimming and sunning at Glen Aulin, some beautiful falls. It's the first water I've been able to swim in for longer than a few seconds. So glorious to be able to rinse off after a hot morning!

A cruisy afternoon, ending with our epic campsite near a roaring stream in a granite canyon. It tried to steal my cookpot while I was bending over trying to fill it, but I managed to leap in after it and save it-- and completely soak myself. At least I have fire, and campfire stories, and friends. Aw, I've missed them!

Mammoth

Friday, June 20
Mile ??, Near Devil's Postpile

Horses.. Nurturing my soul since 1991. Red's is a packer's camp just off trail.

Started my morning at Red's Meadow right with a soak in the hot springs that a local named Bobcat dug out above the campground. Then breakfast at the cafe, then starting the long series of shuttle rides to get into Mammoth Lakes. I managed to catch Red Bandit before he started hitching north for a family reunion, and spent the morning with him. He's getting back on trail at Lone Pine after finally recovering from an Achilles injury, and has promised to catch up.. We'll see!

Spent most of the afternoon loitering in front of Erik Schaat's bakery with Gage, eating delicious sandwiches and talking with whoever stopped by. One of these happened to be the father of the doctor in Bishop who looked at my infected foot, strangely enough.

I was anxious to get back on trail knowing that my group was just a half day ahead, so I called up a trail angel who had left her number on a piece of cardboard on trail. Sugar Mama, in all her glory, picked me and the Hoff up from the post office and carted us all the way back to Red's. From there, I met up with Billy Jack, Beeline, the Hoff, Banana Boat, Che, and the Animal. Like the herd we are, we rolled off into the wild.

RIP Sony Cybershot

Thursday, June 19
Mile 926?, Red's Meadow

Today was rough. I'm too exhausted for details, but the big thing is that my camera is now sitting in a watery grave some miles before Silver Pass. It was sitting in a hip belt pocket with a broken zipper as a stumbled over a waterfall going over the trail. I dropped my trekking pole and when I bent to pick it up, out tumbles my camera, plopping unceremoniously and irretrievably into the swirling stream.

My camera's watery grave

800 miles of pictures, gone just like that... It's hard to accept, but what else can I do? At least I still have phone pictures, but I'm bummed. Out of spite, I hauled another 28-miler to Red's Meadow. At least tomorrow will bring some good meals and friends to lighten the load.

Sunset just before Reds. Made it! If only out of frustration.

Girl Make Fire

Wednesday, June 18
Mile 879, Mono Creek

Selden Pass, with lakes like sapphires against tawny peaks.

Whew, the Sierras are no joke! Over 4,000 feet of climbing today, and I'm pretty well exhausted from the last couple days. A pass a day is a tough schedule to sustain, but hopefully a zero is in my future for Mammoth Lakes. Rest will be so welcome!

Selden was gorgeous, and the easiest pass so far--no snow to deal with, just gorgeous lakes. Caught up with a sister duo at lunch today who I haven't seen in five hundred miles; Half Dome and GI Joyce. Also, Paja, who's hiking the trail barefoot. A plus to taking a week off is all the people I get to catch up with.

Believe it or not, tonight my first night camping alone this whole trip! It's nice, though. I made a fire and read some Mark Twain that Thumby passed to me. I thought it might freak me out a little to be by myself at first, but I feel safe and content out here. The trail is my home.

Blockages and how to break them

Tuesday, June 17
Mile 858, San Joaquin River

The morning haul up Muir Pass was snowy and unrelenting, yielding a few false summits as I panted my way up. With Trailblazer in front finding some semblence of a trail among the snow, though, I summited by noon and hung out in the amazing little shelter at the top.

All afternoon I dragged, and figured I was just worn out after our 25-miler yesterday... Until at some point in the late afternoon, fed up, tired, emotional, I sat down and cried for a good few minutes. Not like a bad cry, just a cleansing cry. The Sierras are tough and beautiful, and so moving in every direction.

After that, whatever was causing a blockage let up and I got the biggest second wind. I practically skipped across Evolution Creek, a big ford, and continued skipping in sopping wet shoes for five more miles. I stopped, thought about my energy, and figured, why not? Another 4. And badda boom, 28 miles today! Just like that!

Found Spirit Fingers and his crew, who I hung with a couple weeks ago. Campfire and warmth to end amother big day.

Walk in Beauty

Monday, June 16
Mile 831, South Fork Kings River

Pinchot Pass at 5:30am

Wow. Big day. Two passes and 25 miles. Probably the most stunning of my hike so far. I was alone at the top of Pinchot Pass this morning at 6am, watching the sun slowly swath the mountains in gold.

All dat Sierra granite.. Yum.

All morning I had numbers in my head as I fretted over making it ten miles to the next pass before 11am, when the snow would start to get slushy and unruly. Of course it was fine, and I shared some whiskey sips with Sprinkle and Butterfly, two other lady hikers, before picking my way down the snowy north side.

I am a responsible bear canister-er.

The afternoon was glorious; sometime I realized that I didn't even have to think about pace and mileage. I would just get there, and it would be the right time. About a mile from my campsite I stopped to stare across the valley at a huge waterfall and had a teary moment. Intense gratitude for where I am, and that my body feels so healthy, and that I have people I love in front and behind me, and that right now it's just me and I'm happy with that.

The last few miles, a song T-Bow tried to teach me turned over and over in my wandering mind. I can never remember the tune, so the words just echo like a mantra:

I walk in beauty
Beauty is before me.
Beauty is behind me,
Above and below me.

Who builds a suspension bridge in the middle of the Wilderness?

Sunday, June 15
Mile 806, just under Pinchot Pass.

Kearsarge yesterday evening

I'm on Pass schedule now; strategically planning my days so that I only do passes in the morning. Otherwise, I'm postholing and spitting curses for hours through endless snowfields. Today's Pass was Glen, which Yogi described in her guidebook as being the steepest and scariest. I hit it at around 8, and passed hordes of John Muir Trail hikers on the way down, so doing it alone wasn't so bad. I have microspikes, miniature crampons, for my shoes, so ice is no biggy. Fun pass morning!

Glen Pass

Leapfrogged with Thumby most of the day, and now we're camped together right below Pinchot Pass. I caught a hitch in with him to the Trailhead yesterday, so we're bonding.

It feels kinda fun and free to hike solo and make all my own calls. It's a full moon in Sagittarius this month, so I'll take it as a sign. High time for some vision questing! Couldn't have picked better testing grounds for my newfound confidence out here.

Wild onion bagel! Nomnom

Seriously, who?!

Tomorrow's gonna be a big day-- two passes before lunch, and then hauling my ass up to the next pass, which is supposed to be a big one, for the following day. Phew! The toe's feeling great, but I'm readjusting to the altitude. Whatever!! Bring it! 25 miles let's do it!