John Muir Trail NOBO: Crabtree to Marjorie Lake (Days 4-8)

(Just want trail photos? View all of them over here.)

 

Sat Aug 24   below Forester Pass   12,700′ or so

Mileage:

• from Crabtree: 0.9
• to Kern River Junction: 4.3
• Tyndall Creek: 8.5
• little connector: 9
• Forester Pass: 12.8

Pace

• Wake up 6:30, on the trail at 8:17 : 3 hrs 50 mins
• Break 12:07-12:49 : 45 mins
• Done at like 3:35, 3:40 : 2 hrs 50 mins
• 6 hrs 40 mins hiking
• 1.93 MILE PACE! w/o elevation adjustment!

So, doing well with my pace. Briefly considered going over Forester Pass but the legs weren’t feeling it, so I’m camped right next to a stream about .8 from the top. Really windy here. Chris went over, and the two remaining young bucks (one bailed after Whitney). Anna & Alec, the three women, Bud & Ben are camped around here too. A & A didn’t come by until after 5pm & I’m glad they’re playing it safe & stopped here. Zoe was the first camper here, super friendly and says “mozzies” for mosquitos (she lived in Australia a long time). She seems extremely well-traveled but this is her first long haul & she’s taking it slow. Also as amused by the marmots as I am.

Took a break today and it paid off. Shoes off, food, sunscreen replenishment, Advil, pee, shade. Marmots. I’m still making excellent time and I think it’s the trail. Water is everywhere, the trail is pretty smooth, inclines aren’t crazy. About to have a bigger day tomorrow though. Two passes to set myself up for Monday’s resupply, but at least I’m eating down two meals before I heft the canister over them. I’m looking forward to my box, sandwiches, the cheese in the resupply, sandwiches, baby wipes to replace these cruddy Target brand ones, sandwiches, mailing back the spikes and underquilt, more sunscreen, and oh yes, sandwiches. Probably should pop out the contacts too. These extended wear things are awesome and make we want to throw out the black backup pair of glasses I brought. They’re so scratched up and hurt my ear anyway. Probably when I get back I’ll ditch them.

Wind has died down. It’s 8:23 pm now, if I keep writing for a half hour I’ll have a good view of the stars hopefully.

Oh, I saw some finch-looking things today. Finch or pine siskin, bright red bellies and brown wings hanging around in pines. And gray jays [Clark’s Nutcracker actually]. Came out at 9:30 am and made just as much noise as blue jays.

And I spoke too soon with the wind.

 

Aug 25   Day 5   Unnamed lake 2.2 miles from Onion Valley Campground, 10530′

Mileage

• top of Forester Pass: 0.8
• junction: 8.1
• to Kearsarge Pass trail: 9.2
• to Kearsarge Pass: 12
• and to my campsite: 14 miles

Food (for fun)

• coffee packets & oats: 320 + 160 + 80 almond butter = 560
• CLIF bars (2) @ 250 = 500
• Couscous (450) w/ chicken (170) = 620 + butter = 700
• snickers = 250
• breakfast skillet = 700
• TOTAL = 2700 (not bad)

So a 14 mile day with two passes. Forester at 13,153′ first thing in the morning, then Kearsarge at 11,835′ in the afternoon. Woke up at 6, out on the trail at 7:45, over the pass at 8:19. I am awesome.

Things I saw: grouse and her two babies that I almost blew right past because they’re docile, a pair of red-shafted flickers, lots of nutcrackers, chinchilla-looking things that bit off sprigs of vegetation and bounce away with them [pikas], another grouse with a black tail held high like a hen, lots of bees on purple flowers on Kearsarge Pass. More marmots, squirrels, chipmunks. Last night I saw the Milky Way when I went out to pee, and two things out in space – satellites or the ISS or maybe just planes – and a meteor.

The people are changing now. Haven’t seen anyone familiar all day, except for the two remaining young bucks, John & Peter. They turned off on a different trail as I took a break. Ate dinner for lunch & it served me well today. Camped at an unnamed lake, there’s a couple fishing guys and no hikers so I’ll have a nice private poo before I head into town. I may need to come up with something to do for a few days at the end. If I do this in 19 days I’ll need to find something to do for 4 days.

Called Kevin (have reception here) & he might he interested in that English coast-to-coast trail that Zoe told me about.

 

Aug 26   Unnamed lake   Day 6

Today was a nero. Or something like that. Got out at 9:30 am & hitched into Independence with two college kids, the post office didn’t have my package, so I took a shower at the gas station across the street. Gas station shower officially crossed off my lost of things to do, I guess. Got ahold of Kevin & the tracking number & the package left New Jersey on the 20th and that’s all we and the post office knew. So I hitched into Bishop with a geologist who was heading to Reno, & went for food at Von’s. Ran into Anna & Alec, who told me about the shuttle to Independence & that I could have their big bag of turkey jerky. Popped into Kmart first, then took the shuttle, and then charged my phone & Anker battery & hung out with them in their air conditioned room as we organized our food. They got me stuff from their hotel’s hiker box too.

Grocery store resupply:

• turkey bacon chipotle sandwich w/ sour cream & cheddar chips for lunch & dinner
• combos
• couscous
• Idaho potatoes
• Babybel chese (maybe I am officially a hiker now?)
• Starbucks via
• Swiss Miss
• oatmeal
• snickers
• dried pineapple
• dried mango
• 4 boxes of Clif bars
• 2 Cadbury bars
• 1 box Kraft Dinner!
• Barney Butter!
• then flushable wipes, TP, jerky & pepperoni from the awesome people, drink mixes from the hiker box

It was nearly 5:00 pm by the time I got to the Post Office corner & it took a while for a hitch back. A tattooed young woman, Ann, with a beaten up car. We picked up her friend Tori and I bought them gas, and we went up to Onion Valley as they pointed out where they go four-wheeling with Jeeps & take trucks & where a beloved dog was buried on a hill. Completely different lives from mine, and I’m really grateful that they picked me up and helped me out.

It was 6:20 by the time they dropped me off, so I ate the other half of my sandwich & went up. Took an hour and a half with my photo stops. Only needed the headlamp to get across the footbridge to this site though, then called Kevin & ate down most of the combos to make room. Meant to find a site with a bear box but I was too late getting in. So some of the least smelly stuff – prewrapped stuff – is here in the tent with me.

Sockless since they still haven’t dried from my shower. Also, Dr. Bronner’s barely works on hair. I dumped a bunch of the bottle out & washed my hair like 4 times but it’s still greasy.

Need to average almost 14 miles a day, if  I want my food to take me to Red’s Meadow. A 19 day trip could still happen.

 

August 27   Day 7   Rae Lakes

Awake at 6:30 am, rolling by 8:20 with laundry hanging off my bag to go up to Kearsarge Pass. Got there at 9:30. So I’m still making great time. I was stopped for 30-45? minutes while trail maintenance was going on just north of the junction with the trail to Bullfrog Lake. I got to Rae Lakes around 2:30 pm and found the bear boxes / campsite at 2:40. The lakes are so beautiful, and even though I’ll have to make up the lost time with some bigger days on Thurs and Fri? – totally worth it. I stripped down to my Patagonia undies and went for a swim. By swim, I mean I stepped in up to my thighs and said “fucking cold, fucking cold” and dipped myself in up to my next and found I could barely breathe it was so cold, so I splashed my face and arms instead. It was good to go in, and I have no regrets. I would have had them if I’d not stopped and gone in.

Also, there are dark clouds a few miles up the trail. It looks like it might get some rain there. I got a few drops but it was just a little thing, not like this more ominous cloud I’m eyeing right now. Also also, I’m kinda hoping some peeps show up. Zoe, the three women, and A & A were all staying in Independence and getting a shuttle up to the trailhead this morning. It’s 5:30 pm right now. So maybe I’m just a stupidly fast hiker after all. I don’t know. I did two passes today with Kearsarge’s 1300′ or so elevation gain and Glen Pass’ 1200′ or so gain. Then again, I’m looking at that and it’s normal Catskills stuff. Maybe easier. I think. But my BearVault is overflowing so who knows. I don’t regret setting up camp 2.5, 3 hrs early and actually enjoying the scenery for once. Also those clouds don’t look fun, and I think there are problem bears where I was intending to camp tonight along Woods Creek. One of the trail maintenance supervisors had seen a bear with its mouth smeared white, apparently with sunscreen or something. Poor human-acclimated bears.

No marmots today, but one of the chinchilla things, a fish (well, more than one) that’s brown-green with speckles on its top, and fish with red fins. Also, watched the trout jumping after insects this morning at the unnamed lake.

Right now I’m letting my main hiking uniform dry on a rock, and I’ve got the shorts & Smartwool black top & I’m somewhat chilly. Still no sign of the pack. Three fishermen from the lake yesterday morning are here, a couple unfamiliar campers, and a couple I passed near the JMT / Kearsarge junction who wasn’t too friendly. Bleh. Eh well, it’s been a while since I worked on the novel so I’ll just do that.

Things I’m doing differently compared to the Long Trail:

• “The trail is good. God is good.”
• Being nice to myself and all that
• Looking on the bright side and all that
• Trying to take a 45-60 min break when I need it. Or stopping early for lake time.
• Body wipes and/or pink bandana to clean myself
• Doing laundry more often
• Salomon shoes instead of Brooks. HUGE difference in how my feet are doing. I suspect it has something to do with the totally different climate / environment though.
• Longer hair that has more options. I’m maybe the only person who has grown their hair out for a trail, and I’ve got that cute double ponytail going on.
• Contact lenses. Which were a really good call. I’m seeing better in them than I usually do and they’re comfortable. I’ve only taken them out twice since I got on the trail and once was due to sunscreen dripping into my eyes.
• SPF 100 sunscreen. This stuff is the shit. Also apparently the sun’s stronger at higher elevations.
• The tent. I have quickly come to love the tent. It’s a 1-person but I have plenty of room. For…
• STRETCHING. I am doing some of my runner stretches every morning, now that I have a flat surface to do them on. Child’s pose, reaching for my toes, groin stretches. It’s making a difference.
• Less Advil. So far it’s not really needed as much.
• Sunglasses and visor are usually on me at 9:30 am out of necessity. Lots of folks out here have sunshirts and zippy short-pants (convertible pants I guess) and wide-brimmed hats. I’m wearing my Patagonia t-shirt (covers the shoulders better than my usual tank top), the Nike leggings I wore on the Long Trail (sun protection mainly) and using sunscreen on the rest. I’m carrying the most right now at 6 oz plus containers, but that still weighs less than the extra fabric & it lightens over time. I do have the new shorts for when I want to get crazy, and the blue lightweight Smartwool shirt if I really need the arm protection and I don’t mind its tightness.

Had an amazing thought this morning while looking for a sunbursty rock formation that looked like a tree or other type of plant: one day, I will be a rock. When my body is no longer serving its purpose to me, hundreds of millions of years in the future, my body will be a rock just like the ones I saw all day. The thought is comforting in a way.

Things I’m repeatedly singing to myself, prompted by the landscape:

• REM’s Don’t Go Back to Rockville, because rocks
• Bob Dylan’s The Man in Me, because of Big Lebowski and I’m in California
• Peter Gabriel’s Talking Heads cover of Listening Wind: “the wind in my heart, the dust in my head”
• Joanna Newsom’s Peach, Plum, Pear
• Decemberists stuff just because. Legionnaire’s Lament on the hot afternoon up Kearsarge
• Bon Iver’s Holocene: “And at once I knew I was not magnificent”
• Death Cab’s We Looked Like Giants: “I’d brave those mountain passes”
• Phantom Planet’s California
• The Clash’s Magnificent Seven, because “cold water in the face” every morning to help myself wake up

 

August 28   Day 8   Marjorie Lake

I put in work today. Rae Lakes to Marjorie Lake, a mile and a half south of Pinchot Pass. Wasn’t sure I’d make it over, but I did. Woke up at 9 and was out of camp by 7:45 with most other folks sleeping or only just waking up. Maybe it’s an east coast thing? An AT thing? I like the coolness in the morning though, and you see more deer. I saw four this morning. Took a break around 11 right before the suspension bridge and gobbled turkey jerky like it was my job. Salty stuff is really working for me right now. It was a long (7-8 mile) decline to that bridge, then a slow 7.7 mule uphill to Pinchot Pass at 12, 1:00-something. I took an hour break around 2-3pm, debating if I wanted to go less than 2 miles to camping and have a short day or go 5.5 miles over the pass to camping. 5.5 miles won out. I got to Marjorie Lake at like 6:30 and five guys were spread out cowboy camping. One wasn’t too nice and suggested I move along, so of course I definitely was gonna stay then. Guthooks said space for 10 tents. I told him so. Nobody owns the trail or its campsites. Maybe that makes me not too nice either but whatever. My feet were throbbing because I’d just gone 15.5 miles. Two SOBOs told me it was worth camping here, and it was what got me over the pass. I walked here and there’s no reason I shouldn’t enjoy it as much as anyone else.

Things I saw today: HUGE pinecones, red shafted flicker, marmots!, cool rocks with all sorts of colors, brook trout (the three guys from the lake were at Rae last night & I asked them this morning about the red-finned fishes), woodpeckers, chickadees, a really nice older hiker with skull Dirty Girl gaiters who joked with me about our slowness.

Might I go to Vermilion Valley Resort? I might. They have beer, and in my mind they have a guitar. But they certainly have beer, and a day with other thru-hikers would not at all be the worst thing. Socializing probably pushes me out of my comfort level more than damn thru-hiking.