Day 12

Day's start: Muir Trail Ranch
Day's end: McClure Meadow
Day's miles: 11.3 miles
Total trip miles: 117.8 miles

I can't lie. It was hard to wake up this morning, what with all the pillows, and sheets, and quilts... the wine from last night probably added to that feeling a little. We slept in a little bit, and then got moving in the direction of the stone building that housed the re-supply buckets. While Aaron started to sort through our food and supplies for the remainder of the trip, I found my way to the computer. After sending my parents a quick "thank you sooo much for The Birthday Bucket" e-mail I made a quick trip around the premises to take some pictures of beautiful Muir Trail Ranch. This was the last place we would stop on this trip that resembled civilization, and I realized that I hadn't taken that many pictures of our stay at Red's Meadow or VVR - I couldn't let that happen again.

The sign for backpackers.

The board for today's specials and menu differed a little from what we saw yesterday, but it still looked just as appetizing.

Inside the stone building that housed all the re-supply buckets.

The wonderful hot spring...

 ...and warm spring.

After a huge, delicious breakfast (fruit salad, quiche, scrambled eggs, sausage, and other baked delicacies), we finished sorting through our re-supply buckets and considered weighing our packs on a scale we found. For this trip, we each had a starting base weight of 14 pounds (base weight = total pack weight minus food and water), and we were both curious to see how much our packs weighed with eight days of food and supplies.

Aaron's pack

 A smidge under 30 pounds including the bear canister stuffed with all the food and supplies we would need for eight more days on the trail.

 My pack

 

Everything included weighing about 26 pounds... I think at about 29 and 26 pounds for eight days we were doing all right, considering we ran into people with 68 pound packs (not kidding).

Around noon, we set off determined to get to McClure Meadows by evening. I was slowing us up a tad because the balls of my feet were hurting me quite a bit. As it turned out, I had given myself matching big blisters on the ball of both feet from the long and steep decline to MTR the previous day. I remembered that decline as being very sandy and feeling like the bottoms of my feet were starting to get rather hot. I should have stopped to shake the sand out of my shoes, but I was too excited to get to MTR, so instead I rushed downhill, neglected my feet, and now I was paying the price. As luck would have it, my parents had included a large roll of blister tape in The Birthday Bucket, so I stopped multiple times to try to fix my new blisters and make walking more comfortable. Lesson learned: always stop to take care of your feet, no matter what.

Along the way today, we crossed over the San Joaquin River several times and even passed from the John Muir Wilderness to Kings Canyon National Park. 

 

Hiking into our fifth wilderness area, King Canyon National Park.

The San Joaquin River that we followed and crossed over for most of the afternoon.

Crossing Evolution Creek and nearing the much talked about Evolution Valley.

 A little more than two miles from our endpoint for the day, McClure Meadow, we took our shoes off to cross Evolution Creek and spied Team Daypack on the other side of the river. I hadn't expected to catch up with them again so soon (they continued on past MTR, while we had stayed the previous night), especially after the girl team member had bragged about the big miles they logged daily. A little further up the trail, we passed Team Daypack and gradually wound our way around McClure Meadow. The sun was going down and cast a yellowish tint over everything as we made our way through the meadow and found our camp spot for the evening. We had heard the last 100 miles of the John Muir Trail, especially Evolution Valley which we would pass through tomorrow, was perhaps the most beautiful part of the trail. After watching the sunset in beautiful McClure Meadow, I'm excited for the scenery to come.

Nearing our campsite at McClure Meadow as the sun began to set.

 Still enjoying each others' company after 117 miles... I'd say that's pretty good.

Twilight view from our campsite in McClure Meadow next to Evolution Creek.

You can enlarge any of these pictures by clicking on them.

Day 11

Day's start: just past Bear Ridge Trail
Day's end: Muir Trail Ranch
Day's miles: 14.4 miles
Total trip miles: 106.5 miles (triple digits!!)

Today we woke up bright and early determined to get a lot of miles under our belts in order to make it to Muir Trail Ranch (MTR) in time to pick up our re-supply buckets (their re-supply area would close at 5pm). While the sun was still working its way through the trees, we passed another hiking couple going our direction and found they were also hiking the JMT. I was a little surprised to hear this because their packs were so mismatched in terms of size. Hers was so tiny - almost daypack sized, and his pack was just so huge and had lots of extra stuff strapped to the outside. Clearly, she had taken tips from the father/son llama team, and had found her own pack animal... could I do this with Aaron? It would be nice, but I highly doubt it. Besides, if I only carried a tiny daypack that would be cheating, right?

Early morning river crossings at Bear Creek.

Hiking through a pretty meadow on our way past the Rose Lake Trail.

I had to stop and take a picture - wouldn't you?

As we continued on with the day, we crossed a few rivers, passed beautiful Marie Lake (one of my favorites) and gradually wound our way up Selden Pass where we officially passed the 100 mile mark on the trail. On our way down the other side of Selden Pass, we passed a few larger groups of weekend backpackers, as well as Sallie Keyes Lakes. On our way past Sallie Keyes Lakes, we heard a voice just off the trail that chirped, "Hey! You want an oreo?"
Are you kidding me?!
I would kill for an oreo!
We stopped to chat with the oreo people who were day hiking from MTR. They raved about the food, and told us that stopping there is a must. We explained how we're playing that stop by ear because of our new schedule that we should probably stick to so we can finish by September 11th.

Hiking up towards Selden Pass.

Passing Marie Lake as we continued our hike up Selden Pass. Thus far, this lake was one of my favorites.

 One of the Sallie Keyes Lakes on the other side of Selden Pass.

We continued down the trail a few more hours, and then who do we find taking a break on the side of the trail? Rob! It was really great to see him again considering we thought we weren't going to see any of our hiking friends from Red's Meadow probably ever again. We continued trekking downhill together toward MTR and chatted about the beautiful views, what we hoped was in our re-supply buckets (one was a mystery bucket being sent from my parents), and our purposed hiking schedule from here on out. When we got to the cut-off trail for MTR, Rob decided he was going to continue on down the trail a little further (he was eager to get to Evolution Valley), and we scurried down one of the steepest trails we'd come to yet until we reached a fenced-in area for horses and a sign that read, "Backpackers! Ring the bell!"

Looking down about 2,000 feet toward Shooting Star Meadow where MTR is located. 

Some nice wildflowers along the way.

... and another deer.

Tired as we were (this was the most miles covered yet in one day on this trip), we found the strength to walk inside the gate and looked up toward the dry erase board that held information about the ranch. We read:
"Vacancies!! $140 per person!
Hot and warm springs, laundry, showers, tent cabin, internet, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included!"
Tonight's menu:
Fettucine with herbs and vegetables
Rattatouile
Prime Rib
Polenta
Fresh cobbler and ice cream for dessert

SOLD!!

Before even opening our re-supply buckets and my parents mystery bucket, we found the person running the ranch and grabbed ourselves one of the last tent-cabins. We heard that people have to make reservations months in advance to stay at MTR, so we considered ourselves very lucky to find a place to stay here.

*Side Note* If there are vacancies at MTR and you choose not to stay there, shame on you. As a backpacker you are allowed to only collect your re-supply bucket, use an outdoor patio table to sort through your things, and refill your water bottles with fresh spring water. That's it. You can not use their bathrooms, walk around the premises, use the internet or even think about using the hot and warm springs, and you certainly won't be passing "Go" and collecting your $200.

After I paid the lady for our overnight stay (this was another birthday present to Aaron whose birthday was in 4 days), she let us drop our packs and began her quick tour around the premises. But first, a quick stop to the kitchen to see (and smell) what they were cooking for dinner and to get us both a tall glass of lemonade to take with us on our tour (luxury!). We were shown where the hot and warm natural hot springs were located (available 24/7), taken past the lodge/hang out area (complete with fireplace, couches, and books), told about the internet and meal times, and walked around the horse corrals, the laundry machines and the beautiful, newly constructed outdoor showers, before making our way to our tent-cabin. Besides the fact that the door was a sheet, this place was heaven! There was a bed with sheets, a quilt, and pillows (oh, how I had craved pillows!), a bookshelf for our things, a floor rug and a lamp. After sleeping in a tent on the ground with no real pillow and eating dinner and crawling inside the tent before the sun even goes down for 11 days, this just seemed like the most luxurious place on the face of the planet - what a good idea to stay here!

We made our way back to the stone building that housed the re-supply buckets and picked up our two buckets and my parents' mystery bucket. Upon taking my claim check to get our re-supply buckets, the little lady working there said, "Oooh, so your Rose." I know that I tend to call places too many times to set things up, and I'm guessing that my Mom had done the same thing as well - didn't care! We were already beyond happy with our new digs and our fresh lemonade! We took our three buckets outside and first opened the bucket from my parents to see what kinds of goodies they had sent us.

Oh.
My.
God.

This was simply the greatest day/moment on the trail so far. After opening the bucket, we were greeted by a large "happy birthday" sign on top... followed by birthday napkins, birthday plates, birthday cups, birthday poppers and noise makers, glow bracelets, a "Celebrate" flashing pin, a lovely birthday card, two magazines, shampoo, conditioner, face wash and body wash, spreadable smoked gouda cheese and fancy table crackers, one very large smoked summer sausage (Hallelujah!), Hobnobs, extra fluffy hiking socks, extra self-grip stretchy tape for our feet and ankles, a full roll of blister tape, one bottle of Pinot Noir, and a 6 pack of Guinness! Can life get any better than this?? I seriously doubt it.

We were both so blown away by the contents of The Birthday Bucket, and I happily told everyone that it was Aaron's birthday. Everyone who worked at the ranch (and most of the guests too) knew that it was his birthday by the end of the night, and many of them expressed how very impressed they were by this epic Birthday Bucket.

Before making our way to dinner, we scrambled to try out the outdoor showers. Don't let the "outdoor" part of the outdoor showers scare you. These were newly constructed with benches and shelves for your things, and hooks for your towels and clothes, and they also came with no roof. Washing the dirt and grime off your body, while drinking wine and looking up to see the tallest pine trees and noisy Stellar Jays just has to be one of life's simple pleasures. 

After the excitement of The Birthday Bucket and taking one of the best showers on the trail, we wandered back toward the kitchen area to relax a little before dinner was served. While there, the cook stuck her head out of the kitchen and said, "Psst! Hey, you've been hiking quite a distance, haven't you?"
"Why yes we have, about a 100 miles."
"That's what I thought. Here, try some of this. It's on tonight's dinner menu."
She slipped us both a sliver of the prime rib, and I can tell you sure for certain, I don't think I've ever been so excited for the taste of a food ever. This was phenomenal. And not just because all we've had to eat for dinner for 10 days was re-hydrated meals (besides a few cheeseburgers here and there). This was just simply sublime.

After getting a good pre-dinner buzz going, we made our way to the dinner room where we sat with three fun guy hiking friends and (wouldn't you know it) the oreo people! The dinner was served family/buffet style and we both made sure to load up our plates high with both dinner and dessert. The dinner conversation was lovely (probably aided by the wine and beer on our behalf), and during dinner we learned that sitting in the hot springs was an absolute must while we were here.

Full with delicious food, and drunk on beer, wine and fabulous conversation we made our way with our magazines to the hot springs and relaxed for a good long while before heading off to sleep on a bed with real sheets and real pillows... this is the life.

You can enlarge any of these pictures by clicking on them.

Day 10

Day's start: VVR
Day's end: just past Bear Ridge Trail
Day's miles: 5.2 miles
Total trip miles: 93.1 miles

This morning I couldn't help but wake up early. Breakfast wouldn't be served for another hour, but it was nice to be awake and enjoy a quiet morning without feeling like I had to be going anywhere. After Aaron woke up we made our way to say good morning to our friends and then followed our noses to the restaurant for a delicious breakfast (pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, and tea). Breakfast was bittersweet. I was happy to enjoy another meal with our friends, but most of them were taking the 9am ferry and had planned on hiking all day today, while we were tentatively planning on taking our last remaining zero day at VVR. I was sad that we may never see them again - I'm not very good with goodbyes.

Our hiker-trashed tent-cabin at VVR.

After watching the ferry leave we went back to the tent-cabin to sort through our stuff and I set about planning the remainder of our trip. Using our map and my very rusty math skills, I tried to determine how many miles we would have to do each day so that we could summit Mt. Whitney and finish the trail on September 11th (our original end date). It could have been that my math skills were pretty rusty, but every time I worked out the daily mileage, it came to an average of 16 miles per day in order to finish on time.
Wait a minute... that can't be right...
I re-checked my math and found no errors. If we stayed at VVR all day today and did not start hiking until tomorrow morning, we would have to hike an average of 16 miles per day to finish on September 11th. Judging by our current average miles per day (about 11-12), I'm not so sure that we could do that - especially if there was going to be at least one mountain pass per day towards the end of the trip.

After a little panic session, I came up with the new plan to leave VVR today on the 4pm ferry, reach land by 4:45, and hike as far and as fast as possible until the sun went down. If we could go about 5 or 6 miles this evening then we would only have to do about 14 miles per day to finish on September 11th - a bit of a push, but do-able. We were both a little bummed after we committed ourselves to leaving on the 4pm ferry because that meant we would never have a true zero day while hiking the JMT, which our bodies craved. On a more positive note, leaving at 4pm today meant that we would be hiking a reasonable number of miles per day for the remainder of the trip and that we would be able to finish the JMT as originally planned.

For the remainder of the day, we checked and re-checked our gear, I showered again (thinking this was my last shower for 9 days), we ate lunch and hung out near the VVR restaurant. I can't lie, my mood for the rest of the afternoon was a little off. I was bummed that we may not see our hiking friends again, worried that we might not meet any fun, new people, disappointed that my injuries and our overall slowness in the beginning of our hike had pretty much eliminated our only true zero day left, upset that my leg still hurt me and I hadn't really had time to rest it as much as I wanted, and worried about starting the "hard part" of the trail (see the elevation profile at the top of this post). What if this really was my last shower for 9 days? Would my hair fall out? Can we really pull off an average of 14 miles per day from here on out? What if one of us gets hurt or sick and there isn't a bail-out point for miles and miles? Will we be able to make it 5ish miles including a 2,000 foot elevation gain in 2 hours tonight? That's faster than we've ever hiked on this trail so far!... I need a beer.

After stepping off the ferry around 4:45 that evening, we were asked to see our permit by a Forest Ranger. He looked at our permit for a long time and then asked Aaron if he had any family that lived near him (his last name and address were on the permit). As it turned out, the Forest Ranger who checked our permit also worked another job with Aaron's cousin who lives a few blocks from our house - what a small world! He promised to tell Aaron's cousin that we were alive and well when he next saw him. How neat!

Nearing the base of our evening climb we bumped into two hikers going the opposite direction, and one of the hikers happily stated that there were 57 switchbacks to the top... Oh boy. Regardless of the seemingly endless number of switchbacks (we counted 60), we successfully made it over the top and only had to hike by headlamp for about a half hour. Overall, not too bad for a two hour power-hiking session.

You can enlarge any of these pictures by clicking on them.