Running the Gauntlet

So we climbed Whitney. We are badasses. It's true. What would life after Whitney be like? Boring? Ha!... Far from it...

After the mindnumbing hike down Whitney we stayed at Crabtree Meadows again. It was just Shelly, Heather, and I because the boys had gone to Lone Pine via the Whitney portal.  That night we feasted on salami, cheese, and wheat thins and went straight to bed. We had climbed a pretty large mountain after all. 

The section of the Sierras after Whitney is intense. It features several high passes (one of which is the highest point on the PCT), lots of elevation change, and frequent thunderstorms. The upside of all this intensity is the trail goes through some of the most beautiful and striking landscapes in California. 

The day after Whitney was the start of the gauntlet: Forester Pass. This is the highest point on the PCT at about 13000 feet. Good thing we had fresh legs! Oh, wait... 

The morning was grey and it stayed that way all day. We slowly started climbing in elevation as we headed towards the pass. Along the way we met David, another thruhiker. We leap frogged with him until we got within a few miles of the pass and then he paused and we continued. About two miles from the top the tree line broke and we entered an exposed grassy expanse. It was a fairly pleasant hike up through steam-filled meadows. It seemed like we were hiking into a giant bowl. On the way we ran into Janessa and Gabe again! They were being chastised by a ranger for having their dog Lilly in the park. We felt pretty bad but they still seemed to be in good spirits. About a half mile from the top the switchbacks started. My legs were already tired from the day before so these switchbacks just killed. And to top it off a storm was rolling in so I really had to hustle to the top. When I summited the pass I was looking into an even scarier thunderstorm cloud. Awesome...As we started down the other side a giant bolt of lightning flashed in the distance in front of us. But we started walking into the storm because we had no choice. 

The first few miles were nice, however, the rain started to fall as we filtered our water. And it continued to fall. And soon we were soaked. And cold and miserable. We tromped down and found a decent campsite and set up tent as quickly as possible. We spent the next couple hours trying to dry off and warm up, with little success. After a few hours though the sun came out and we were treated to a gorgeous Sierra sunset. Nature's fireworks. It was the Fourth of July. 

The morning brought a beautiful bluebird day and we quickly broke camp and headed for the Kearsarge Pass trail junction. We were almost out of food and we needed to get off trail to resupply in Independence. This meant climbing Kearsarge Pass and descending out of the mountains. It was a fun walk through the valley and then up to towards the pass. Along the way, Shelly and I jumped in Bullfrog Lake. It was glorious. The water was absurdly refreshing. 

After our dip we hustled up the pass and started running down the other side towards town. 

After we zeroed in Independence we got back on trail. Up Kearsarge, down Kearsarge, then up Glen Pass (named for Glen H. Crow-look him up). 

The views at the top and on the descent were spectacular. The trail meandered through a series of crystal blue alpine lakes until we reached a nice camp spot near a river. Sleep time. 

The next pass on our agenda was Pinchot Pass (named for Gifford Pinchot-look him up). We left camp, descended a few more miles down the valley, crossed a super cool bridge, and started the climb. Right after the bridge we reached 800 miles! Woot! We quickly celebrated and kept going. A short way up the trail Shelly and Nathan lost the trail and wandered towards and uncross able river. They missed the EXTREMELY obvious rock stairs leading the other direction. I was very amused by this. Anyways a couple hours of slow elevation gain got us mostly up the pass. We reached a high alpine stream where we filtered some water and took in the view. This area was gorgeous. Green meadows with blooming wildflowers and bubbling streams. It was beautiful. 

Hydration taken care of we saddled up for the pass. About 30 minutes of switchbacks later and we were at the top! Boom, another pass bites the dust. That night we stayed at Kings River and went to bed to the pitter patter of rain on the tent. 

The next day we were due to go up Mather Pass (named for Stephen Mather-look him up). It was a grey drizzly morning but we broke camp and started up the trail. About two miles from the pass the snow started to fall. By the time we were hitting the switchbacks it was a whiteout with 2-3 inches on the ground. We summited as quickly as possible and started the descent in 3-4 inches of fresh snow. The way down was tricky and very very cold so we stopped at the tree line and set up tent. All three of us piled in my tiny Big Agnes UL Flycreek two person. It was a tight squeeze.. Anyhow we made hot coca and tried to warm up.

A couple hours later we were finally vaguely warm and the sun came out. So we took down the tent and headed down Lake PCT. The melting snow made the trail a river. The Palisade Lakes area was beautiful but it was hard to focus when you are dodging small rivers and streams constantly. After clearing the meadow we descended the Golden Staircase and came into a lower valley. Shelly and I had to navigate a tricky stream crossing where she nearly lost Sven (her backpack) in the river. I've never seen her move so fast! Luckily Sven was wearing his rain cover so he came out of the river mostly dry. After that sketchy crossing we walked another mile and shared a camp and a fire with some nice JMTers. 

The next pass was Muir Pass (named for John Muir-you know the drill). This was the last one between us and Muir Trail Ranch (a place rumored to have buckets of free food). We gained a lot of elevation getting out of the valley and up to the summit. This pass was different from the others this far because we were climbing up a rocky canyon for most of the way. The climb up was rocky but spectacular. We crested about a mile before the pass at Helen Lake and then gained a little more elevation up to the summit. At the top we chilled in a stone hut built by the Sierra Club. It was chilly but way cool. 

The sky looked stormy so we rushed down the other side to a wind-sheltered lake. Another pass down. Home stretch to Muir Trail Ranch. 

The next day we woke up to ice on our tent. ICE. Wow it was cold. Putting away the tent took several minutes because all of our fingers were frozen. But we struggled through and got out of there. The next 15ish miles flew by as we rushed down canyons and valleys to MTR. We arrived mid afternoon and found the rumors to be true! BUCKETS OF FOOD! Huzzah! We grabbed lots of grub and then took some more from JMT hikers who overpacked. They even gave me Nutella! We took our food to a campsite close by and pigged out like the glorified homeless people we are. It was lovely. 

We awoke the next morning to a wonderful sunny day. We had finished most of the high passes. We had been battered by wind rain and hail but we had gotten through the high Sierras. On to the next challenge!

-Smokey

Entering the Sierras

With the Sierras looming in the distance we left Kennedy Meadows. Our brief respite at the general store was over and it was time to climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Everyone was in high spirits as we moved closer and closer to the Sierras. Jokes became funnier, smiles became wider, and laughter became louder and more frequent. The thought of finally ridding ourselves of the desert was at the front of our minds. Shelly especially could not contain her excitement. She was constantly reminding the group that we were entering the Sierras and her good humor was absolutely infectious. 

Our route from the KM store took us into the South Sierra Wilderness, part of the Sequoia Natl. Forest. Even the names began to reflect the changing landscape. That day we passed through fire-charred burned areas, wide open meadows, and thick pine forests-no more yucca and chaparral! 

After our first day out from KM, the passes started. We were finally in the mountains but that meant lots of elevation gain was in store. We climbed trail pass, cottonwood pass, and found ourselves suddenly quite high up. The trees gave way to alpine meadows and the views reminded us why we were on the PCT. Every turn brought something new and beautiful. And so the miles flew by. 

We ended our second day a couple miles down from Chicken Lake- one of the more poorly named lakes in the Sierra. And this is when we discovered the more raw, intense side of the Sierras. That night we were at what felt like the epicenter of an enormous thunder and lightning storm. I was terrified, Shelly was unphased. Atleast one of us got some sleep...

The next morning was wet and grey but we pushed on. A couple miles into the day we entered Sequoia Natl. Park. I was stoked! Our first park of the trip and it just happened to be one of the oldest. I nerded out all day and Shelly graciously put up with my ravings as we raced to Crabtree Meadows. 

After some serious elevation loss and gain we arrived at CT meadows and waited for the boys (who promptly showed up). We were all wiped so after dinner we went about a mile up the trail and set up camp-our Mt. Whitney base camp. 

Crabtree meadows is the lowest base camp for Whitney on the west side of the mountain. The other option is to go about 3 more miles up and camp at Guitar Lake-one of the better named lakes of the Sierras. We chose a lower spot due to our exhaustion which meant about a 7 mile hike to the top of Whitney the next day.

Summit day: we rose early, broke camp, and Shelly and I headed out. We churned out the 3ish miles to Guitar Lake in an impressively short amount of time. Just above the lake we filtered water and discussed the climb the come. A couple nearby overheard our discussion and chimed in when I mentioned I was low on food. And low and behold, our first trail magic of the Sierras! They gave us a bear canister full of food. And not just crappy hiker food, fancy hiker food. Probars, trader joes, and fancy dehydrated fruit. The day immediately got better. Janessa and Gabe saved me from food rationing and we were all very grateful. They rocked the trail angel thing! 

After the trail magic, Shelly and I started The Climb. 2000ish feet in two miles. Holy moly it hurt. As we went up Shelly asks, "how do you think we are going to get out of this basin?" That question was immediately answered as we came to the base of a giant wall of switchbacks. Let the pain begin! 

We slogged up those two miles. Well, i did. Everyone else went up with a little more dignity. The elevation was getting to me and I was cranky, tired, and nursing a headache. But, we all made it to the Whitney Portal junction. Here we dropped our bags and continued with just our poles. From there it was 1.9 to the summit. Home stretch. 

After navigating narrow ledges, large rock stairs, and more switchbacks, we made it! 14,508 feet. The tallest peak in the lower 48- and we were standing on top of it. The desert we had struggled through suddenly became completely worth the toil. We literally had reached the high point thus far. 

I have never been so proud of myself and in awe of my body. 770 miles, thousands of feet of elevation gain and loss, and the highest peak in the lower 48. That summit day changed my way of thinking. At the beginning of the trip, I was constantly asking myself "what can I do?" Now I ask"what can't I do?" 

-smokey 

Knocking out the desert!

We made it to Hikertown! 

It is not an actual town. A trail angel built an old western looking town on his land. It is pretty cool. We got there in the morning before the heat set in and waited in town for the heat to pass. At night we decided to begin hiking the LA aqueducts. 

It is 17 miles of flat land. It was basically like road walking. That night we walked until midnight. It was exhausting. We woke up in the morning and hid under a bridge for the heat of the day and tried to catch up on sleep.

Then appeared my siblings! With sandwiches! It was fabulous. They brought food and drinks. It was one of the few nice things about the day. They were also kind enough to take me off of the trail for the day for a shower, sleep, and general love you can only get from family. 

While I was off sleeping Emily kept walking. They made it through the night and even stumbled upon some trail magic, a living room in the forest. They took a quick nap and awoke early to hike the rest of the way to Tehachapi. They were supposed to run into Emily's friend, Alex, on the trail, but they had a missed connection. Luckily he caught back up and gave them oranges and soda. The best trail magic. 

Once everyone made it to Tehachapi we got a hotel and slept. I came back from my family adventure and joined the sleeping party. Emily's other friend Megan also joined the fun. She was planning on hiking with us for a few days. 

So the next day we waited for the cool afternoon and began up the windmill filled hills. 

Unfortunately, Emily hurt her knee on the way up and decided to rest it. Her and Megan went back down the hill to ice and let the knee heal. I continued hiking for the evening. We saw a beautiful sunset and went to bed. The next day we  hiked through wind farms and enjoyed the views. Unfortunately, I slipped on the trail and hit my knee. At the end of the day it started to stiffen up. 

The next morning my knee pain didn't go away and the lack of water in the area made my pack pretty heavy. At this point we are going through 20-30 miles stretches without water. Nathan got a text out to Emily and Megan. They met us at a road and picked me and Heather (trail friend) up. But first, I passed 600! 

If you are still following this story, Emily is out hurt, I am as well, and Emily's friends are saving us, but Alex is still trying to meet us on the trail. We could not find Alex anywhere so we waited near his car in the hopes of him being around. After awhile we left the car in search of cell service. When we found some, Emily and Megan's phones blew up from text messages from their parents. Alex had yet again missed us on the trail and was in town with no phone or car. So we headed that way. 

Once we rounded up all of the friends we headed back to the trail the next day. Emily's friends had to leave and we needed to focus on our trip. The boys walked from where I got my injury to a place called Walker Pass. We decided to meet them there. That way we could rest our knees and be ready to finish the last 50 miles before Kennedy Meadows (the end of the desert)!

At the campground we met wonderful trail angels named Rita and Richard. They keep up a water cache and provided a place to stay and food to eat for people on the trail. They are a wonderful couple. We got to know them well as we stayed at the camp for almost two days. Rita was kind enough to bring us a salad. She was very motherly. It is her first year being a trail angel. I have no doubt she will continue to be a wonderful one. 

The boys survived the very difficult stretch and another trail friend (Two Wars) appeared at the campground with Subway, beer, and fruit. Aka magic. We ate like kings. Then Emily, Heather, and I headed out. The boys would follow the next day. 

We headed out and were treated to a wonderful sunset. 

The next day we enjoyed the last views of the desert. We scraped by with the little water that was left in the area. At night we jumped in the tent qucikly because of the mosquitos everywhere. 

Then I woke up to Emily becoming sick. The desert still had one more punch to throw. Emily stayed up all night losing all of her fluids. The next morning we walked to the nearest water source, got Emily laid up, and set up a plan for getting Emily to a town. Heather walked to the road hopin for a hitch and I waited with Emily. Luckily, there was a bird watching group driving by the campsite. They were  kind enough to give us a ride. We picked up Heather and went into Kennedy Meadows. It was not the dream way of ending the desert, but we made it. Safe and sound.

Emily rested all day and got her fluids back. I caught up with other hikers and enjoyed the thought of being done with the desert. 

That's it. That's the story of how we ended the desert. It wasn't pretty but we made it through. This is where we learned how important it is to take care of your body. The 700 miles we walked have changed us. We are stronger, but it has taken its toll. As long as we pay attention to what our bodies tell us we will get through. 

Here is our trail family (tramily) that has helped us make it through these miles. Without these folks I am not sure how I would have made it. 

Next... The Sierras. I hear there is water and shade. Sounds like heaven.