Miles this section : 67
Miles completed : 922
Miles completed : 922
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| Camp cooking in progress. |
Day 11
I do get a good night's sleep, makes a nice change. Bare trail makes for good walking good too, albeit walking uphill, three thousand feet up to Selden Pass, of course soon enough I'm back on snow, but it's doable. Only problem, looking at snow hurts my eyes without sunglasses - I turn my hat brim down, shut my eyes now and then and hope for the best. Back down again, time for more creek wading, I fall over in Bear Creek, get wet but no harm done. There are just thirteen miles to my rest stop, Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR henceforth) now, I hope it is open, have heard conflicting reports. I camp alongside the rushing creek, dig a fire pit (with the stick!), and cook some bean chilli, it is good.
I do get a good night's sleep, makes a nice change. Bare trail makes for good walking good too, albeit walking uphill, three thousand feet up to Selden Pass, of course soon enough I'm back on snow, but it's doable. Only problem, looking at snow hurts my eyes without sunglasses - I turn my hat brim down, shut my eyes now and then and hope for the best. Back down again, time for more creek wading, I fall over in Bear Creek, get wet but no harm done. There are just thirteen miles to my rest stop, Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR henceforth) now, I hope it is open, have heard conflicting reports. I camp alongside the rushing creek, dig a fire pit (with the stick!), and cook some bean chilli, it is good.
Day 12
The morning starts with a steep climb up bare trail, it would be OK but I'm exhausted, progress is slow. Then down the north facing side, this is the hardest thing yet, the switchbacks are all snow covered, and simply too steep to get down, eventually I find a dirt and stone slope to scramble down, then walk through mosquito hell past Edison Lake to VVR, and thank goodness it is open. No showers, no WiFi, but the store is going, and there is food, a choice of steak or steak. There are hard core hikers here, doing twenty mile days in the snow, aiming for under a hundred days for the whole thing. I still get some respect for coming from Kennedy Meadows without a break.
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| Horrible walking through the trees. |
Day 13
I take a much needed zero day at VVR, eat lots, and spend lots, it is not cheap here. One of the hard core guys is heading out, he reckons he will get phone signal back at the trail, so I ask him to email my dad, to let my family know I live, hope it works. I spend some rime fixing stuff, the GPS unit's waterproof cover has come away, I tape it up, then sew up a trouser pocket... I wash my clothes, wish I could wash me. More shopping, new sunnies, they have eagles on so must be good, and finally some bug spray, 98% DEET, sounds good.
I take a much needed zero day at VVR, eat lots, and spend lots, it is not cheap here. One of the hard core guys is heading out, he reckons he will get phone signal back at the trail, so I ask him to email my dad, to let my family know I live, hope it works. I spend some rime fixing stuff, the GPS unit's waterproof cover has come away, I tape it up, then sew up a trouser pocket... I wash my clothes, wish I could wash me. More shopping, new sunnies, they have eagles on so must be good, and finally some bug spray, 98% DEET, sounds good.
Day 14
Back to the trail, the path along the lake doesn't seem so bad after some rest, and the bug spray helps some. Soon after rejoining the trail I ford Mono Creek, and barely have the strength to stay upright against the current, then up into snow again, Silver Pass today, on the way up the 'high schoolers' overtake me, and of course throw my mockery back at me. I catch them back up at a nameless creek, too fierce to cross... while they debate what to do I head upstream, but the terrain just gets steeper, and the creek no less scary. Finally get high enough for a snow bridge, then have to do some scary mountaineering up a rocky slope to get back to the trail. Silver Pass turns out to be easy enough, then there's a fun descent, taking the direct route down soft snow loses altitude fast.
Back to the trail, the path along the lake doesn't seem so bad after some rest, and the bug spray helps some. Soon after rejoining the trail I ford Mono Creek, and barely have the strength to stay upright against the current, then up into snow again, Silver Pass today, on the way up the 'high schoolers' overtake me, and of course throw my mockery back at me. I catch them back up at a nameless creek, too fierce to cross... while they debate what to do I head upstream, but the terrain just gets steeper, and the creek no less scary. Finally get high enough for a snow bridge, then have to do some scary mountaineering up a rocky slope to get back to the trail. Silver Pass turns out to be easy enough, then there's a fun descent, taking the direct route down soft snow loses altitude fast.
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| Edison Lake. |
Day 15
I manage to get up and make an early start, but screw up and spend half an hour climbing back last night's descent, argh. The correct climb the other way is a bit easier, no pass today (only a single big name pass left!) but still up over ten thousand feet. Snow is still hard work, especially a few miles of contouring along a slope through pines, but then a miracle occurs, some contouring on a south facing slope, bare trail at ten thousand feet, this is actually nice walking. Then back down, all snow still a thousand feet lower, makes it tricky to camp, I find a bare patch at the base of a tree. Three miles behind the original plan, but I have an extra day of food so should be OK.
I manage to get up and make an early start, but screw up and spend half an hour climbing back last night's descent, argh. The correct climb the other way is a bit easier, no pass today (only a single big name pass left!) but still up over ten thousand feet. Snow is still hard work, especially a few miles of contouring along a slope through pines, but then a miracle occurs, some contouring on a south facing slope, bare trail at ten thousand feet, this is actually nice walking. Then back down, all snow still a thousand feet lower, makes it tricky to camp, I find a bare patch at the base of a tree. Three miles behind the original plan, but I have an extra day of food so should be OK.
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| Silver Pass. |
Day 16
As much of today is spent below eight thousand feet, I had hoped for easy miles, but no such luck. A mile or two is OK, past Reds Meadows, there should be a store here but it's shut due to snow, grrr. Then many fallen trees to navigate, making such hard work on an otherwise flat, snow free trail. Next up, a monster ford of a nameless creek, the banks have burst, the water is waist deep, I push my way through it alongside a fallen tree. Then snow, even this low down, along a riverbank, just impossible to walk on with the constant risk of sliding down into the water. I look at the map, and scramble up a steep slope to meet a minor road, from here a shortcut avoids a few miles of trail, I don't care. Then up to a few scant miles of bare trail, wow, shows this would be a nice walk without the snow. Today I managed eighteen miles, I was behind even with my extra food, now only one mile off.
As much of today is spent below eight thousand feet, I had hoped for easy miles, but no such luck. A mile or two is OK, past Reds Meadows, there should be a store here but it's shut due to snow, grrr. Then many fallen trees to navigate, making such hard work on an otherwise flat, snow free trail. Next up, a monster ford of a nameless creek, the banks have burst, the water is waist deep, I push my way through it alongside a fallen tree. Then snow, even this low down, along a riverbank, just impossible to walk on with the constant risk of sliding down into the water. I look at the map, and scramble up a steep slope to meet a minor road, from here a shortcut avoids a few miles of trail, I don't care. Then up to a few scant miles of bare trail, wow, shows this would be a nice walk without the snow. Today I managed eighteen miles, I was behind even with my extra food, now only one mile off.
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