Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Check out these videos from our friend Wired!
Here are some videos from her blog: http://erinspctjournal.blogspot.com/p/videos.html
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Trudging through Snow and Across Swift Rivers from the Nude Solstice to Mammoth Lakes
After our longest, most strenuous leg in the wilderness yet, we are relaxing in Mammoth Lakes, CA, for the day and taking care of our weekly town chores. This past leg from Kearsarge Pass to Reds Meadow was another full of deep snow and swift, belly button deep, frigid snow-melt rivers. On top of the elements, there were often little to no tracks to follow in the snow, as very few people have done this section ahead of us. A great number of the hikers have been skipping sections of the High Sierra due to the swelled rivers and excessive snow, leaving us with the lead of the pack for now. To say the least, it has been very physically demanding and exhausting, but we both have definitely enjoyed the adventure and grandeur of every day in this humbling wilderness!
6/21
After a night at the Comfort Inn in Bishop with 10 other stinky hikers, we were ready to hit the trail again. We took a bus back to Independence and caught two quick hitches that brought us back to the Onion Valley Trailhead. Being the Summer Solstice, most hikers celebrate by hiking nude. We saw two nude hikers today, unfortunately not of the opposite sex, and we were glad we didn't run into any more. Quite the site! We pushed back out Kearsarge quickly and were back on the PCT. We lost the trail momentarily, but found it as we approached Glen Pass (11,900 ft). After a steep ascent on snow and some rock scrambling, we summited around 4 PM. We decided to posthole about 3 miles, found the first dry ground, and made camp. No-bake cheesecake was our reward for the Solstice and will most likely make its way into our packs for the first night out of town for the rest of the summer. Delicious! 9 Kearsarge miles, 6 PCT miles, 796 miles S->N
6/22
We decided to wake up early (5 AM) to try and not posthole so much in the afternoon. We had a wake-up shot as we forded icy and fast Woods Creek by 6:30 AM. After the ford, we descended 1500 feet on icy tracks and crossed Woods Creek again, this time on a beautiful suspension bridge. We climbed for the next 7 miles (it felt like 20 miles) along Woods Creek. The river was flowing through snow tunnels and was beautiful in the morning light. We had another steep climb up to Pinchot Pass, requiring ice axes. We lunched atop the pass at 12,130 feet, descended past gorgeous alpine lakes, and practically slid all the way down to the South Fork King River. By far the scariest river we encountered to date, we crossed slippery logs and through rapid, icy water and made camp quickly, glad to be done with the river. 17 miles, 812 miles S->N
6/23
In order to take advantage of the hard snow in the morning again, we woke at 4 AM and started the climb to Mather Pass. An extremely cold South Fork King River crossing and a long haul across a desolate, sun-cupped snow field, and we were at the base of the pass. With our ice axes and microspikes, we slowly stepped up the icy face, rock scrambled across cliffs, and very cautiously skirted the vertical ice shelf to the top of the pass at 12,100 feet. After a failed attempt at glissading on the hard, icy slopes, we strapped on the spikes again and traversed down from the pass, going by the gorgeous Palisade Lakes and down the Golden Staircase (the last section of the JMT built) to the North Fork King River. A short 3 miles uphill past flooded Grouse Meadows brought us to a cozy camp in a lodgepole pine forest, along a rushing creek.
19 miles, 831 miles S->N
6/24
Happy Birthday to Forest's Mom and Adam's Dad today! Hope you both had wonderful birthdays in New York with Dad and Kes (Linda) and eating Ruffles and drinking grape Koolaid (Dave)! We got another 4 AM start to get up and down Muir Pass before the snow softened up. Along the 7 mile climb, we spooked up 2 black-tailed bucks, ran into Hobbs (a friend) furiously slinging rocks at a persistent marmot, and met some new and old friends above the tree line. We reached the Muir Hut summit (11,955 ft) at 8:30 AM. In memory of John Muir, the stone hut was constructed as an emergency shelter for those in need. After a snack and relaxing break in the sun, we cruised downhill all day to Evolution Creek that we crossed in the meadow to avoid the dangerous, cold, swift channel. Down another 1,000 feet along the rapids and falls of Evolution Creek and among some massive Juniper legends to the banks of the San Joaquin River for camp.
20 miles, 851 miles S->N
6/25
4 AM came way too early! Walking by 5, we strolled gently downhill along the San Joaquin River for 7 easy, quick miles. After a short break and snack, we climbed for the next 6 miles summiting Selden Pass (10,900 ft), our easiest yet, with 4 other thru-hikers. After a Nutella and PB sandwich, we descended in fear of what crossing Bear Creek was going to be like. We got a laugh along the way, as Adam fell completely in a posthole. 6 feet deep! With nothing hurt, we pushed to Bear Creek, an icy, waist deep, strong river. We crossed in tandem by putting our arms around each other and through the back of the pack. This made for a very solid shuffle as we share points of contact with the river bottom. After drying out and warming up from the 38 degree soak, we pushed on, climbed another 1000 ft and camped at 9900 ft, on a beautiful ridge. 22 well earned PCT miles; S->N 873.
6/26
After a brisk evening, we got moving at 4 a.m. once again. This time we were up early to hit the rivers before the sun filled them with snow melt. 7 miles of downhill rock scrambling and a short ascent brought us to our first Mono Creek crossing. It looked quite tame. Wow, were we ever wrong! Both of us already halfway across, we were belly button deep in icy, rushing water. We both were fortunate to have a tree limb to grab and drag ourselves out of the torrent. Quite humbled, we shook it off and moved on to the next Mono crossing. This time, we were smart about it and patrolled the shoreline until we found a combination of shallow water and boulders and logs to cross on. An easy crossing below the cascades of the Silver Pass Creek and a 3 mile incline through snow led us to the 10,900 foot Silver Pass. We dried out our gear from the river crossing and had a quick lunch before gaping and glissading past many lakes down to the Fish Creek bridge. A steep climb and a steep descent down to Purple Lake, and we set up camp after an exhausting day of trudging through the snow. A meal of stuffing and potatoes were the knock out punch before passing out in our luxurious tent. 20 miles; S->N 893.
6/27
With town food and a day off on our minds, we got up at 4 AM and cruised an easy 14 miles, down to Red's Meadow. Due to the record snow this year, the store and bus were not yet open (very disappointing). We took a small detour to Devil's Postpile National Monument, a series of incredible rock outcroppings formed through volcanism and glaciation (Click here to read about the metamorphic hexagon pillars). We caught a ride on a training bus to the Mammoth Ski Lodge. After a lousy, expensive lunch and a $5 shower at the lodge, we hopped on the bus to the Mammoth Village, where our friend Jarad Barkeim picked us up. We downed a Mammoth-sized pizza and headed to Jarad's mustard colored Econoline van at the pack camp, where Jarad's 14 Civilian Conservation Corps members were getting prepared to head to the backcountry tomorrow for a summer of trail work. Well, past our bed time at 9 p.m., we passed out in Jarad's Subaru.
6/28
Today, we are cruising around in Jarad's Subaru doing our chores and getting ready to get back on the trail tomorrow. A massive THANK YOU to Jarad for the coffee, oatmeal, and egg breakfast in the luxury van and for allowing us to use his car for the day. Jarad left this morning for the backcountry with his crew. Have a great summer and we hope to see you in the fall! Thanks again.
Itinerary:
Possible trip to Yosemite Valley --July 2-4
Bridgeport, CA -- July 8
South Lake Tahoe, CA -- July 14
Despite the challenges ahead and behind us, and hearing stories of friends that have left the trail, we will continue to walk North for AmeriKids. Please help support Camp AmeriKids and stay tuned for more updates!
Spread the word. Spread the love.
Much love,
F + A
6/21
After a night at the Comfort Inn in Bishop with 10 other stinky hikers, we were ready to hit the trail again. We took a bus back to Independence and caught two quick hitches that brought us back to the Onion Valley Trailhead. Being the Summer Solstice, most hikers celebrate by hiking nude. We saw two nude hikers today, unfortunately not of the opposite sex, and we were glad we didn't run into any more. Quite the site! We pushed back out Kearsarge quickly and were back on the PCT. We lost the trail momentarily, but found it as we approached Glen Pass (11,900 ft). After a steep ascent on snow and some rock scrambling, we summited around 4 PM. We decided to posthole about 3 miles, found the first dry ground, and made camp. No-bake cheesecake was our reward for the Solstice and will most likely make its way into our packs for the first night out of town for the rest of the summer. Delicious! 9 Kearsarge miles, 6 PCT miles, 796 miles S->N
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| View of Kearsarge Pinnacles from Kearsarge Pass |
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| Forest at the Rae Lakes below Glen Pass |
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| One of the Frozen Rae Lakes with Fin Dome in Backdrop |
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| The Glorious No-bake Cheesecake! |
6/22
We decided to wake up early (5 AM) to try and not posthole so much in the afternoon. We had a wake-up shot as we forded icy and fast Woods Creek by 6:30 AM. After the ford, we descended 1500 feet on icy tracks and crossed Woods Creek again, this time on a beautiful suspension bridge. We climbed for the next 7 miles (it felt like 20 miles) along Woods Creek. The river was flowing through snow tunnels and was beautiful in the morning light. We had another steep climb up to Pinchot Pass, requiring ice axes. We lunched atop the pass at 12,130 feet, descended past gorgeous alpine lakes, and practically slid all the way down to the South Fork King River. By far the scariest river we encountered to date, we crossed slippery logs and through rapid, icy water and made camp quickly, glad to be done with the river. 17 miles, 812 miles S->N
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| Woods Creek Bridge |
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| Woods Creek |
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| Atop Pinchot Pass |
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| Our Chipmunk Buddy on Pinchot |
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| Dropping Down from the Pass |
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| Part One of the South Fork King River Crossing |
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| Part Two of the South Fork King River Crossing |
6/23
In order to take advantage of the hard snow in the morning again, we woke at 4 AM and started the climb to Mather Pass. An extremely cold South Fork King River crossing and a long haul across a desolate, sun-cupped snow field, and we were at the base of the pass. With our ice axes and microspikes, we slowly stepped up the icy face, rock scrambled across cliffs, and very cautiously skirted the vertical ice shelf to the top of the pass at 12,100 feet. After a failed attempt at glissading on the hard, icy slopes, we strapped on the spikes again and traversed down from the pass, going by the gorgeous Palisade Lakes and down the Golden Staircase (the last section of the JMT built) to the North Fork King River. A short 3 miles uphill past flooded Grouse Meadows brought us to a cozy camp in a lodgepole pine forest, along a rushing creek.
19 miles, 831 miles S->N
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| Sun Cups |
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| Adam Crossing Snow Bridge |
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| Mather Pass |
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Forest Ascending the Near Vertical Mather Pass |
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| The Golden Staircase |
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| Shooting Star |
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| Sometimes the PCT is More like a River than a Trail |
6/24
Happy Birthday to Forest's Mom and Adam's Dad today! Hope you both had wonderful birthdays in New York with Dad and Kes (Linda) and eating Ruffles and drinking grape Koolaid (Dave)! We got another 4 AM start to get up and down Muir Pass before the snow softened up. Along the 7 mile climb, we spooked up 2 black-tailed bucks, ran into Hobbs (a friend) furiously slinging rocks at a persistent marmot, and met some new and old friends above the tree line. We reached the Muir Hut summit (11,955 ft) at 8:30 AM. In memory of John Muir, the stone hut was constructed as an emergency shelter for those in need. After a snack and relaxing break in the sun, we cruised downhill all day to Evolution Creek that we crossed in the meadow to avoid the dangerous, cold, swift channel. Down another 1,000 feet along the rapids and falls of Evolution Creek and among some massive Juniper legends to the banks of the San Joaquin River for camp.
20 miles, 851 miles S->N
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| Approaching Muir Pass |
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| Muir Pass- Forest and Friend Colin are the Small Black Dots Near the Center of the Picture |
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Forest and Friends Relaxing at Muir Hut |
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| Descending from Muir Pass |
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| Evolution Meadow |
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| Forest Overlooking Evolution Creek |
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| Cascades of Evolution Creek |
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| San Joaquin River |
6/25
4 AM came way too early! Walking by 5, we strolled gently downhill along the San Joaquin River for 7 easy, quick miles. After a short break and snack, we climbed for the next 6 miles summiting Selden Pass (10,900 ft), our easiest yet, with 4 other thru-hikers. After a Nutella and PB sandwich, we descended in fear of what crossing Bear Creek was going to be like. We got a laugh along the way, as Adam fell completely in a posthole. 6 feet deep! With nothing hurt, we pushed to Bear Creek, an icy, waist deep, strong river. We crossed in tandem by putting our arms around each other and through the back of the pack. This made for a very solid shuffle as we share points of contact with the river bottom. After drying out and warming up from the 38 degree soak, we pushed on, climbed another 1000 ft and camped at 9900 ft, on a beautiful ridge. 22 well earned PCT miles; S->N 873.
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| Marmot Posing on Selden Pass |
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| Adam with a Smile after a Lucky 6 foot Posthole! |
6/26
After a brisk evening, we got moving at 4 a.m. once again. This time we were up early to hit the rivers before the sun filled them with snow melt. 7 miles of downhill rock scrambling and a short ascent brought us to our first Mono Creek crossing. It looked quite tame. Wow, were we ever wrong! Both of us already halfway across, we were belly button deep in icy, rushing water. We both were fortunate to have a tree limb to grab and drag ourselves out of the torrent. Quite humbled, we shook it off and moved on to the next Mono crossing. This time, we were smart about it and patrolled the shoreline until we found a combination of shallow water and boulders and logs to cross on. An easy crossing below the cascades of the Silver Pass Creek and a 3 mile incline through snow led us to the 10,900 foot Silver Pass. We dried out our gear from the river crossing and had a quick lunch before gaping and glissading past many lakes down to the Fish Creek bridge. A steep climb and a steep descent down to Purple Lake, and we set up camp after an exhausting day of trudging through the snow. A meal of stuffing and potatoes were the knock out punch before passing out in our luxurious tent. 20 miles; S->N 893.
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| Mono Creek Bridge |
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| Crossing Silver Pass Creek Cascades |
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| Adam Preparing Dinner |
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| Purple Lake |
6/27
With town food and a day off on our minds, we got up at 4 AM and cruised an easy 14 miles, down to Red's Meadow. Due to the record snow this year, the store and bus were not yet open (very disappointing). We took a small detour to Devil's Postpile National Monument, a series of incredible rock outcroppings formed through volcanism and glaciation (Click here to read about the metamorphic hexagon pillars). We caught a ride on a training bus to the Mammoth Ski Lodge. After a lousy, expensive lunch and a $5 shower at the lodge, we hopped on the bus to the Mammoth Village, where our friend Jarad Barkeim picked us up. We downed a Mammoth-sized pizza and headed to Jarad's mustard colored Econoline van at the pack camp, where Jarad's 14 Civilian Conservation Corps members were getting prepared to head to the backcountry tomorrow for a summer of trail work. Well, past our bed time at 9 p.m., we passed out in Jarad's Subaru.
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| Devil's Postpile |
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| Jarad's Home |
6/28
Today, we are cruising around in Jarad's Subaru doing our chores and getting ready to get back on the trail tomorrow. A massive THANK YOU to Jarad for the coffee, oatmeal, and egg breakfast in the luxury van and for allowing us to use his car for the day. Jarad left this morning for the backcountry with his crew. Have a great summer and we hope to see you in the fall! Thanks again.
Itinerary:
Possible trip to Yosemite Valley --July 2-4
Bridgeport, CA -- July 8
South Lake Tahoe, CA -- July 14
Despite the challenges ahead and behind us, and hearing stories of friends that have left the trail, we will continue to walk North for AmeriKids. Please help support Camp AmeriKids and stay tuned for more updates!
Spread the word. Spread the love.
Much love,
F + A
Monday, June 20, 2011
Welcome to the High Sierra!
Our first leg in the High Sierra did not disappoint. We have encountered record snow, crazy cold, fast rivers, huge, ancient foxtail pines, Mount Whitney--the highest peak in the lower 48--, Forester Pass--the highest point along the PCT--, glissading, and much more! We simply cannot get enough of this incredibly wild and unforgiving place.
We walk in snow following old footprints hoping they go the right direction about 90% of the time. Early in the morning, the snow is hard enough that we can walk across it easily, so long as we can find tracks of people that pass before us. It softens around noon and is a nightmare to walk in the afternoon as we posthole (sink in the snow when walking) frequently, sometimes up to our thigh. Frequent river crossings means that our feet are always wet and with the water temp at 38 degrees, they are cold too! The Sierra had record snow this year, meaning the river crossings, swollen from melt, could be our most dangerous and challenging task. We do not anticipate a single day or even moment in the Sierra lacking adventure!
6/13
We started our last full day in Kennedy Meadows sorting food stuff, and then decided to hit the beach of the South Fork Kern River for an all day party with friends Caveman, BAMF, Rambo, Quake, Unload, Ramble On, Roadrunner, Climber, and Tom. We would heat up on the beach and jump in the river to float down the rapids. It was a blast! Thanks again for the place to stay, Tom!
6/14
We decided to leave this morning and got out of Kennedy Meadows! Finally, at 10,500 feet, we got an up close and personal view of the High Sierra. After about 10 miles, we hit the South Fork Kern River once again and decided we had to swim! Now that is good livin'! Refreshing Sierra snow melt.... We made dinner by sunset, but decided to continue hiking along with the glowing full moon. We turned our headlamps off and night hiked by the spotlight of the full moon, finally arriving at camp around 10. A beautiful 26 mile day.
728 miles S->N
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6/16
After a chilly, breezy, yet gorgeous full moon night at Little Chicken Spring Lake, we moved out of camp atop the glistening snow crust with the sunrise at our backs. On our way down to Rock Creek, we ran into a pair of black-tailed deer. The buck (in velvet) and doe were fearless and allowed us to walk within 20 yards and snap some photos. An elevated log crossing over the swift Rock Creek guided us to a dry, grassy pad for lunch. Leaving Rock Creek, we lost the trail again and wandered up and down the creek until we got back on it for an immediate 3 mile climb to Guyot Pass. A steep descent--out of control slide--carried us to the edge of Whitney Creek. Once again, we lost tracks in the snow and wandered until we got back on trail. We forded Whitney Creek 3 times and arrived at the Crabtree Meadows Ranger Station for camp, only 7.6 miles from Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. 17 miles. 766 miles S->N
6/17
Reluctant to move, we shivered in our bags as the watch beeped to shake us loose at 5 AM. We packed up and laced up our stiff, frozen shoes, only to immediately thaw them in the frigid Whitney Creek once again--quite a shock to the body at sunrise! We followed the John Muir Trail along Whitney Creek for about 2 miles before passing Timberline and Guitar Lakes. We then crossed a rolling snow field, passing 2 more frozen alpine lakes, to the start of the switchbacks leading up to the summit. Due to the steep, treacherous snow chute that crossed multiple switchbacks, we chose to rock scramble up the face of the mountain between the switchbacks. This may not have been the safest route, but we felt we had a little more confidence on the rock slides than on the steep, icy snow chute. A few crazy switchbacks carved into the sheer face of the mountain and we were looking up at the final snowy ascent to the summit. Short of breath from the thin air and steep terrain, we climbed the snowy ridge, ice axe in hand, and summited the 14,496 foot beast! Speechless.... 360 degrees of shocking, humbling beauty. High, snowy mountains to the North and dry, barren desert to the South. We spent the next couple of hours relaxing, eating lunch, taking photos, calling home, and attempting to comprehend what we were looking at and where we were.
6/18
6/19
After a restless, cold night of sleep, we packed up and began traversing atop the crust toward the hyped and slightly feared Forester Pass. We were joined by Miscreant and Flying Fish today. It was nice to have the company for the challenge ahead. We reached the base of the pass and took a short break to put on our microspikes and eat a snack. For a brief moment, we stared down the vertical snow shelf leading up to a V that was dynamited out of the ridge for us to pass. Now, we had to do it. Following frozen steps, we climbed the shelf up to the first exposed switchbacks. We were in awe with the craftsmanship that it took to build such a trail, along with the shocking view below. A couple switchbacks and only one snow chute stood in our way before the top of the pass. With full concentration and without looking down, we slowly crossed the slick snow with our axes and reached the the top of the 13,200 foot pass the marks the boundary between Sequoia (to the South) and Kings Canyon (to the North) National Parks. A little game of cribbage on top to wait for the snow to soften up for glissading and we started the downhill to Canada. Soon, we were flying down steep snow fields on our butts and celebrating the completion of Forester Pass. After a few river crossings and passing by a massive waterfall on Bubbs Creek, we faced another large climb to the top of Kearsarge Pass. Despite not having much of a trail at all, it was a gorgeous ascent along multiple alpine lakes surrounded by the Kearsarge Pinnacles. Then, a sprint and slide combination down the snowy pass to the Onion Valley Trailhead. (12 PCT miles -- 9 miles down Kearsarge--790 S->N)
We stopped at campsite 14, where we had a beverage and a trail angel from Independence, Oregon, gave us a ride down the valley to Independence, California. A few phone calls and dinner and we resided to the Independence Inn for a relaxing evening with Frosted Flakes and ice cream.
Today, we received our best hitch yet from a wonderful woman from Bishop, CA. With her dog Keesha, we talked about our love for the outdoors and future travels we anticipate. She gave us a tour of Bishop and dropped us off at the motel. On top of it all, she offered us her car for the day, while she was at work at the Mountain Light Gallery that features Galen and Barbara Rowell's photography. A huge thank you to Mary!
Another day of resupplying and relaxing before our next leg in the Sierra....
Anticipated Itinerary:
6/29--Mammoth Lakes, CA
6/30-7/2--Possible trip down into the Yosemite Valley
7/10--Bridgeport, CA
Good Livin'!
Spread the word. Spread the love.
Much love,
F+A
We walk in snow following old footprints hoping they go the right direction about 90% of the time. Early in the morning, the snow is hard enough that we can walk across it easily, so long as we can find tracks of people that pass before us. It softens around noon and is a nightmare to walk in the afternoon as we posthole (sink in the snow when walking) frequently, sometimes up to our thigh. Frequent river crossings means that our feet are always wet and with the water temp at 38 degrees, they are cold too! The Sierra had record snow this year, meaning the river crossings, swollen from melt, could be our most dangerous and challenging task. We do not anticipate a single day or even moment in the Sierra lacking adventure!
6/13
We started our last full day in Kennedy Meadows sorting food stuff, and then decided to hit the beach of the South Fork Kern River for an all day party with friends Caveman, BAMF, Rambo, Quake, Unload, Ramble On, Roadrunner, Climber, and Tom. We would heat up on the beach and jump in the river to float down the rapids. It was a blast! Thanks again for the place to stay, Tom!
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| Caveman going for a swim |
6/14
We decided to leave this morning and got out of Kennedy Meadows! Finally, at 10,500 feet, we got an up close and personal view of the High Sierra. After about 10 miles, we hit the South Fork Kern River once again and decided we had to swim! Now that is good livin'! Refreshing Sierra snow melt.... We made dinner by sunset, but decided to continue hiking along with the glowing full moon. We turned our headlamps off and night hiked by the spotlight of the full moon, finally arriving at camp around 10. A beautiful 26 mile day.
728 miles S->N
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| South Fork Kern River |
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| High Sierra Sunset |
6/15
We started to feel the effects of elevation, as the first 5 miles crept by. We dropped about 1500 feet after a snack and then prepared for a long traverse of Cottonwood Pass. We got lost for the first time of many on this leg, as we approached Cottonwood Pass. After an hour, we found our way again and postholed across a couple alpine meadows. We finally found camp at 11,300 feet next to Little Chicken Spring Lake, a tarn surrounded by a massive cirque. One of the coolest places we have camped, albeit very cold. Full moon!
22 miles. 750 miles S->N
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| Alpine meadow (under snow) |
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| Little Chicken Spring Lake surrounded by a cirque |
6/16
After a chilly, breezy, yet gorgeous full moon night at Little Chicken Spring Lake, we moved out of camp atop the glistening snow crust with the sunrise at our backs. On our way down to Rock Creek, we ran into a pair of black-tailed deer. The buck (in velvet) and doe were fearless and allowed us to walk within 20 yards and snap some photos. An elevated log crossing over the swift Rock Creek guided us to a dry, grassy pad for lunch. Leaving Rock Creek, we lost the trail again and wandered up and down the creek until we got back on it for an immediate 3 mile climb to Guyot Pass. A steep descent--out of control slide--carried us to the edge of Whitney Creek. Once again, we lost tracks in the snow and wandered until we got back on trail. We forded Whitney Creek 3 times and arrived at the Crabtree Meadows Ranger Station for camp, only 7.6 miles from Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. 17 miles. 766 miles S->N
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| Buck in velvet |
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| Very very steep! |
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| Crossing Rock Creek |
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| Whitney Creek at Lower Crabtree Meadows |
6/17
Reluctant to move, we shivered in our bags as the watch beeped to shake us loose at 5 AM. We packed up and laced up our stiff, frozen shoes, only to immediately thaw them in the frigid Whitney Creek once again--quite a shock to the body at sunrise! We followed the John Muir Trail along Whitney Creek for about 2 miles before passing Timberline and Guitar Lakes. We then crossed a rolling snow field, passing 2 more frozen alpine lakes, to the start of the switchbacks leading up to the summit. Due to the steep, treacherous snow chute that crossed multiple switchbacks, we chose to rock scramble up the face of the mountain between the switchbacks. This may not have been the safest route, but we felt we had a little more confidence on the rock slides than on the steep, icy snow chute. A few crazy switchbacks carved into the sheer face of the mountain and we were looking up at the final snowy ascent to the summit. Short of breath from the thin air and steep terrain, we climbed the snowy ridge, ice axe in hand, and summited the 14,496 foot beast! Speechless.... 360 degrees of shocking, humbling beauty. High, snowy mountains to the North and dry, barren desert to the South. We spent the next couple of hours relaxing, eating lunch, taking photos, calling home, and attempting to comprehend what we were looking at and where we were.
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Next to icy Whitney Creek |
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| John Muir Trail - blasted into rock at 14,000 ft. |
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| Near the top of Whitney |
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| Happy little guy |
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| Ernie, Bert, Miscreant, Flying Fish, Mark + Holly on the summit |
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| Rascals |
Then, back down the 4,000 foot descent to camp. The ascent took us about 4 hours....the descent about 2.5 hours. We switchbacked and rock scrambled as we did on the climb, but we added glissading to the modes of travel. Both with zero ice axe experience, we gave glissading a shot down the first long, open snow chute we encountered. Using the butt of the axe as a brake, we slid down the soft, white snow. What a blast! We are hooked on the new form of 'extreme sledding.' We continued to play in the snow the rest of the descent and cruised down to Crabtree Meadows for an early camp. A relaxing evening full of satisfaction and accomplishment along Whitney Creek.... 16 mile side trip
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| Glissading |
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| View from camp |
We woke shivering at 6 to another day of frozen shoes, but we warmed quickly as the sun rose over the mountains. The goal for today was to get as close as possible to the base of Forester Pass, the highest point on the PCT, so that we could quickly ascend it tomorrow with hard snow. Walking was easy this morning, as we finally feel acclimated to the high altitude. The ford of Wallace Creek was wide but easy, but within the next mile, we hit Wright Creek and faced our first challenging crossing. We scouted for a place to cross and went with our best option, which was still very deep and fast. Having only 5 miles left, we decided to take a long break to warm up in the sun. We ascended after the break to Bighorn Plateau, an expanse of treeless meadow covered in snow that stretched between mountains. It was beautiful and felt like we were walking on the moon. We descended again to cross Tyndall Creek, paused after to warm up and eat dinner, and postholed our way to camp, an exposed rock outcrop in the middle of a snowfield. The view is incredible!
11miles. 777 miles S->N
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| Bighorn Plateau |
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| Camp in the snowfield |
After a restless, cold night of sleep, we packed up and began traversing atop the crust toward the hyped and slightly feared Forester Pass. We were joined by Miscreant and Flying Fish today. It was nice to have the company for the challenge ahead. We reached the base of the pass and took a short break to put on our microspikes and eat a snack. For a brief moment, we stared down the vertical snow shelf leading up to a V that was dynamited out of the ridge for us to pass. Now, we had to do it. Following frozen steps, we climbed the shelf up to the first exposed switchbacks. We were in awe with the craftsmanship that it took to build such a trail, along with the shocking view below. A couple switchbacks and only one snow chute stood in our way before the top of the pass. With full concentration and without looking down, we slowly crossed the slick snow with our axes and reached the the top of the 13,200 foot pass the marks the boundary between Sequoia (to the South) and Kings Canyon (to the North) National Parks. A little game of cribbage on top to wait for the snow to soften up for glissading and we started the downhill to Canada. Soon, we were flying down steep snow fields on our butts and celebrating the completion of Forester Pass. After a few river crossings and passing by a massive waterfall on Bubbs Creek, we faced another large climb to the top of Kearsarge Pass. Despite not having much of a trail at all, it was a gorgeous ascent along multiple alpine lakes surrounded by the Kearsarge Pinnacles. Then, a sprint and slide combination down the snowy pass to the Onion Valley Trailhead. (12 PCT miles -- 9 miles down Kearsarge--790 S->N)
We stopped at campsite 14, where we had a beverage and a trail angel from Independence, Oregon, gave us a ride down the valley to Independence, California. A few phone calls and dinner and we resided to the Independence Inn for a relaxing evening with Frosted Flakes and ice cream.
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| Forester Pass is the "V" blasted out of the rock in the direction of footprints |
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| Final switchbacks to the Pass |
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| A steep climb to the switchbacks |
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| Snow chute at 13,000 ft |
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| Atop Forester Pass - 13,200 ft |
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| Glissading |
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| View from Kearsarge Pass |
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| Alpine lake near Onion Valley Trailhead |
Today, we received our best hitch yet from a wonderful woman from Bishop, CA. With her dog Keesha, we talked about our love for the outdoors and future travels we anticipate. She gave us a tour of Bishop and dropped us off at the motel. On top of it all, she offered us her car for the day, while she was at work at the Mountain Light Gallery that features Galen and Barbara Rowell's photography. A huge thank you to Mary!
Another day of resupplying and relaxing before our next leg in the Sierra....
Anticipated Itinerary:
6/29--Mammoth Lakes, CA
6/30-7/2--Possible trip down into the Yosemite Valley
7/10--Bridgeport, CA
Good Livin'!
Spread the word. Spread the love.
Much love,
F+A
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