Miles this section : 54
Miles completed : 1017
Miles completed : 1017
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| Falls Creek and Wilma Lake from above. |
Day 22
Lots of up and down today, some on bare trail but even with that it's hard work, including a climb over Benson Pass at over ten thousand feet - I thought passes were over. I worry about creeks all day, it is actually a relief to reach the Plute and find it is OK, sure it has burst its banks but there are logs over the deepest bits. Next up, Rancheria Creek, really not good - it's in a steep canyon with snowy sides, the foaming creek at the bottom, it is bad enough just walking along, I have to kick steps, one slip and I am in the creek. There are miles of that to come, then I have to cross it? How? I don't know what to do. It is hard enough just to camp, the ground all covered by steeply sloping snow, best I can find is an angled ledge above the roaring water. The bear can goes in the tent, otherwise it might roll off into the creek.
Lots of up and down today, some on bare trail but even with that it's hard work, including a climb over Benson Pass at over ten thousand feet - I thought passes were over. I worry about creeks all day, it is actually a relief to reach the Plute and find it is OK, sure it has burst its banks but there are logs over the deepest bits. Next up, Rancheria Creek, really not good - it's in a steep canyon with snowy sides, the foaming creek at the bottom, it is bad enough just walking along, I have to kick steps, one slip and I am in the creek. There are miles of that to come, then I have to cross it? How? I don't know what to do. It is hard enough just to camp, the ground all covered by steeply sloping snow, best I can find is an angled ledge above the roaring water. The bear can goes in the tent, otherwise it might roll off into the creek.
Day 23
I sleep late, slope or no, I don't want to face the creek, but of course, half a mile down there is a snow bridge. Then more up and down all day, slow work as usual, and yes there are more creeks. Around six miles into the day, one is flat and calm, but has burst its banks and looks deep. Sure enough I end up swimming, the current is strong but I make it and my stuff stays dry. Just two miles later another - my trail notes don't mention any of this, don't know if these creeks have names even. This time, the deepest section has a log, maybe six inches below the surface, it's not possible to cross on it, so instead I try wading with the log as a support, but the current is so strong that it washes me, pack and all over the thing! I was nearly across, and somehow flip towards the bank as I go over and then grab a tree root. And still there is more... another two miles gets me to Wilma Lake and Falls creek, separate entities on the map, on the ground the lake seems to be pouring out into a nearby valley in a vast torrent. I can walk no further today, so only ten miles done, but only thirty to Sonora Pass now... I have food for three days. Maybe the water will go down?
I sleep late, slope or no, I don't want to face the creek, but of course, half a mile down there is a snow bridge. Then more up and down all day, slow work as usual, and yes there are more creeks. Around six miles into the day, one is flat and calm, but has burst its banks and looks deep. Sure enough I end up swimming, the current is strong but I make it and my stuff stays dry. Just two miles later another - my trail notes don't mention any of this, don't know if these creeks have names even. This time, the deepest section has a log, maybe six inches below the surface, it's not possible to cross on it, so instead I try wading with the log as a support, but the current is so strong that it washes me, pack and all over the thing! I was nearly across, and somehow flip towards the bank as I go over and then grab a tree root. And still there is more... another two miles gets me to Wilma Lake and Falls creek, separate entities on the map, on the ground the lake seems to be pouring out into a nearby valley in a vast torrent. I can walk no further today, so only ten miles done, but only thirty to Sonora Pass now... I have food for three days. Maybe the water will go down?
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| One Thousand Miles! |
Of course the water doesn't go down, but on closer inspection it looks like the there's not much current from lake, rather it is the creek that the water is coming from. In fact it is an easy wade, and to further brighten my mood I meet some people! They turn up as I am getting ready to leave camp, they have followed my footprints - these are the first humans I've seen since Toulomne. Now I follow their steps for a while, but then two miles on, I have to cross Falls Creek, and the only way is to swim. It is really not fun, the fear is that the current will hold me in the centre, or that my body will stop working due to the cold, but I make it, only to walk along the creek for miles, watching it dwindle to a stream I could jump over, I should have stayed on the other bank. Then up over Dorothy pass, there is bare trail at the top, other than that it has been snow all day. Still I manage twelve miles, camping near the 999 mile point, as is often the case camp is also near a lake, I doze off to the sound of frogs croaking. Less than eighteen miles to Sonora now!
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| Looking back at the Sierras. |
Day 25
A short walk to the 1,000 mile point, there is some visible trail here but no sign of a marker. Just a little past that, three hikers turn up, and tell me there were big warnings about this section, people were needing rescue etc. None of this is much of a surprise to me, although they also confirm my suspicions that I missed the worst, you could see where some creeks had been higher. However, there is no bad creek today, lots of bare trail in fact, I climb up to nearly eleven thousand feet and it's about half bare even up here, maybe the snow is running out. There are superb views too, this is better, I've made seventeen miles and camp just short of the pass. Time to eat my spare food!
A short walk to the 1,000 mile point, there is some visible trail here but no sign of a marker. Just a little past that, three hikers turn up, and tell me there were big warnings about this section, people were needing rescue etc. None of this is much of a surprise to me, although they also confirm my suspicions that I missed the worst, you could see where some creeks had been higher. However, there is no bad creek today, lots of bare trail in fact, I climb up to nearly eleven thousand feet and it's about half bare even up here, maybe the snow is running out. There are superb views too, this is better, I've made seventeen miles and camp just short of the pass. Time to eat my spare food!
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| Looking north, well there is certainly less snow in that direction. |
Day 26
Half a mile of High Sierras left, if you take Sonora Pass as being their northern limit, just a scramble down some snow to the road. Which I then walk along for nine miles, smooth tarmac feels so good under my feet after endless days of snow, it is quite scenic too, maybe not Highway 120 but a good view. My rest stop here is another Kennedy Meadows, a 'pack station', you can come here and hire a horse, looks like fun. I succumb to the offer of bed, shower and laundry for $35, eat many burritos, drink some beer, and have a burger before retiring to a real bed, and I'm actually clean, this is very good. My wilderness beard doesn't want to come off, it takes a lot of scraping but I manage to remove most of it. There's no WiFi, can't have it all, I write the blog anyway, this will be the last daily entry, back to normal blogging now. And please, please, normal walking too.
Photos to go with this post can be found here.
Half a mile of High Sierras left, if you take Sonora Pass as being their northern limit, just a scramble down some snow to the road. Which I then walk along for nine miles, smooth tarmac feels so good under my feet after endless days of snow, it is quite scenic too, maybe not Highway 120 but a good view. My rest stop here is another Kennedy Meadows, a 'pack station', you can come here and hire a horse, looks like fun. I succumb to the offer of bed, shower and laundry for $35, eat many burritos, drink some beer, and have a burger before retiring to a real bed, and I'm actually clean, this is very good. My wilderness beard doesn't want to come off, it takes a lot of scraping but I manage to remove most of it. There's no WiFi, can't have it all, I write the blog anyway, this will be the last daily entry, back to normal blogging now. And please, please, normal walking too.
Photos to go with this post can be found here.
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