Day 29: Up up up and away into tourist central

There is just something about the tourist areas that interferes with my sense of direction. This morning we ended up on an ATV road that in the end was really not an ATV at all. Visitors to the park had illegally ridden their bikes on the "hiking only trails" screwing up the information we had on our maps. It clearly stated on the map that the ATV road was to the left of the trail. I had a bit of a freak out, yes again in true Danger form, because we were following a set of deep tire tracks. 10 minutes of searching for the real trail didn't help at all. Replay was pretty firm in her opinion that we were still on the correct trail so I followed along behind her. Just when we thought all trail confusion was over we were stuck scratching our heads again.

When we finally uncovered the wheres and whys to the PCT the day got much calmer and more enjoyable. The wildflowers were in full bloom, the sky was a brilliant blue, and the pass that I didn't know we were climbing until I was at the top had only a slight gradient. There were a couple scary snow-fields mixed in here and there, but I kept Replay in my sights as I powered up the mountain.

Because it was Saturday everyone was out and about. There were large tour groups on "wildflower hunts," families with dogs, and your regular tour group outfitted with name tags. We smiled and waved to our fellow hikers who looked at us with mouths gaping open. We figured since there were such large packs in this area we had to be close to a parking lot with food soon.

Kit Carson Memorial was the destination of all the hikers today. The parking lot was full, people were spilling off the trail and the number of plastic water bottles proved that the occasional hiker was not far from us. Typically Replay and I want to run out of these situations as quickly as possible, but there was a bit of trail magic happening. The rangers provided us with fresh fruit, fresh water and allowed us to throw away all the trash we wanted. Since we had already noshed on the oranges we figured we should wait for Gravy and have lunch at a real picnic table.

While we were waiting for Gravy to show up an ex-Olympian, at least that is what we gathered from his 5 ring tattoo on his right shoulder turned to Replay and told her that we was amazed at her ability to long distance hike. He gushed about the strength and endurance it took and how he could never complete such an adventure. What a compliment!

Once Gravy arrived we plowed through our bear cans eating almost everything that was left inside. Hey the plan is to get to town tomorrow to have two meals. There is no reason why I should have any extra food left over!

The next stop on the itinerary was Showers Lake. Of course Replay and I planned to meet there to see if the Lake was worth a dip. Within an hour we had walked 6 miles and were sun bathing on our own private beach rock. The far side of the lake was all rock. We maneuvered between campsites, hopped a couple large boulders, gingerly stepped over a flood gate of sorts in order to get to our spot. Once we were there it was paradise! We lazed around in the sun for a good hour before peeling our now hot bodies from the cool rocks. We had another 5.2 miles to complete the third 20 mile day.

Anyone excited about tomorrow? I've already started dreaming about milkshakes, pancakes, eggs, and coffee.

Day 28: Lost Lake...and I mean LOST!

The morning started off great. I slept all through the night last night. I might even go as far to say that I got 10 hours. Needless to say I still wasn't moving that quickly. We didn't leave camp until 8:15 am which was only 15 minutes behind Gravy. The first few miles we followed the hoof prints of cattle who we heard clanging around last night as we were falling asleep. Gravy actually saw the cows unlike us.

Our hiking pace quickly turned to a stroll once we entered the "Bad Lands." Sage brush, wild flowers blazing in reds, yellows, greens and purples, and huge cathedral peaks took our attention away from the trail sending us both into a bit of a zen state. The water levels today quickly sent us back onto the trail. The terrain was desert like with temperatures almost as bad. Our skin glistened in the morning sun and began to turn even darker brown as the time headed towards noon. We climbed higher and higher over the rolling meadows, past the tall peaks, and snaking around the U shaped twists and turns of the sandy mountain tops. At one point Replay and I were actually standing face to face with about a 100 meter canyon between us! It was fun to say hello and shout words of encouragement at one another.

By lunchtime we had hiked 8 miles! With so many miles already done for the day we decided an afternoon nap by Pleasant Creek was more than necessary it was required. Actually Replay passed out from the Hershey Bar at lunch and I dipped my feet in the creek before snoozing.

Hell was the word for the afternoon. We had all been lulled into a state of ultimate hiking bliss until we came to the path towards the "Nipple." All of the sudden the creeks were gone, water was nowhere close or accessible and the trail just seemed to be climbing higher and higher without an end in sight. Hunger started to become the constant thought versus the incredible scenery below which I can only say now after eating dinner. It was almost like we were Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Flowers lined the fields, but our only thought was about home.

All of the sudden Replay shouted "the lake. I can see the lake. Lets run." For some reason we both took off at a trot. My legs no longer felt heavy as a jogged over the path's rubble, switching back and forth along the trail as I made the descent. The moment we saw Lost Lake we dumped our bags and jumped in for a swim.

Gosh 20 mile days are tough. How will I fare for day 3 of this?

Day 28. Friday, July 17, 2009. Mileage: 1054.4 – 1074.6 (20.2 miles)

Hiking, breaking, and camping with Gravy has been fun and we have temporarily melded into a threesome from our twosome. We are in Mokelumne Wilderness, which this morning has looked like the Bad Lands again, desert-like but with a stimulating intensity.

We took a series of pictures in karate poses or, as Danger insisted, “kicking butt” pictures.

The trail was smoothly graded and the small ups and downs averaged out to relative flatness reminiscent of the first half of the trip around Kennedy Meadows.

We made great time. We had lunch by a pleasant valley creek and had a short power nap. I got off trail for 5 minutes and found myself in some strange lot. I realized I was off the trail and began to backtrack, yelling “Dangermouse!” on the off chance that she might hear me. She did, and we started back on the trail together.

Gravy had heard a hearsay rumor of trail magic at Spur Trailhead but no luck. The 2.4 climb up The Nipple was beautiful and through partly open meadow, but it was a harder and longer hike than I expected at the day’s end. Having been out of drinking water for several miles made the end of the day difficult too, but Danger shared some of her water and I could then enjoy the views and the wildflowers more.

I wanted a lake swim more than I wanted a town day, and two beautiful lakes beckoned to me from about 1000 feet below The Nipple, on either side of the ridge. Walking a tightrope above them both and hoping to soon drop down into one, we began to jog downhill, laughing all the way.

We jogged to the more eastern of the lakes and jumped in within minutes of getting there.

Shortly thereafter, Gravy joined us and we ate dinner while playing trivia from our bank of memorized oatmeal package questions. The three of us camped at a beautiful lakeside that boasted another disappearance into seeming nothingness on one end. A bear came in the middle of the night and took off with someone’s dog food at our campsite at Lost Lakes, and I am hugely disappointed that I didn’t wake up to see that bear! UGHHH.

Day 27. Thursday, July 16, 2009. Mileage: 1035.2 – 1054.4 (19.2 miles)

The scents today! Wildflowers abounded and a lemon scented brush was everywhere. What it is I have no idea, but the smell is impossible to breathe in without exhaling with an ‘ahh’. It is all so constantly rejuvenating in the shapes and colors and smells.

I think we are in Stanislaus National Forest and the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. Today was ridge walking and waterfalls and dark rocks. The scenery seems to a combination of the proximity to the Nevada border and then occasional forays into what I imagine the Pacific Northwest to look like. The easier grade makes the miles and the time fly. I felt very content hiking alone and soaking up my last week on the PCT. I enjoy these mild ups and downs like a gentle rollercoaster, more so than plainly flat terrain.

We swam in the somewhat disappointing Asa Lake. We wanted one of those crystal clear lake swims, and Asa Lake was grimy and squishy bottomed. Gravy joined us and we all had a little nap together before hitting the trail for the afternoon miles.





The next 3 miles were awesomely different. The trail cut into the sides of lushly vegetated mountains in the shape of a giant “V”, so that Danger and I could look across the divide at the other, looking small and almost misplaced in the green wildness. We made dinner and camped at Upper Kinney Lake, the northern end of which dropped off a vista like an infinity pool.

Encircled by rocky mountains and protective trees, our tent window faced the tranquil lake and its dramatically sharp disappearance; it made for the best view from our tarp home yet. Gravy pointed out the nearby sound of cow bells in the distance.
My right quad is tired.
26 nights of sleeping in a tent with Dangermouse and we’re still happy hikers. That is a fortunate hiking partnership.

Day 27: A 20 mile day!

We decided as a group, Gravy included, that it would be best to arrive in Echo Lake by morning. The thought of a huge breakfast and a huge lunch all in one day conjured thoughts of indescribable bliss. In order to accomplish this task it was necessary to walk at least 20 miles for the next 3 days. As an inexperienced long distance hiker the thought of walking 20 miles is a bit daunting, but to be honest there are two important things right now. The first is food and the second is mileage.

Off we went. The vistas in this part of the country have changed a great deal. The sky seems a bit bluer and the wildflowers span the rainbow. The lakes are also more plentiful and it is now a tradition to jump in every single one we pass. ASA lake was the first up. It was actually a bit muddy and more like a pond, but it took away the sweat from the morning and provided a perfect reason to snooze in the sun. Gravy hadn't caught up to us yet so we took a very relaxed stride and stopped yet again at the next lake for another nap. At Highway 4 we crossed paths with Gravy and arrived at camp by 6:30.

Home tonight is incredible. Our tent is perched on a rock overlooking Upper Kinney Lake. I almost feel as if I'm in a private country club. The lake spills off the side into another lake below just like an infinity pool. The sky frames the view with purples and deep blues making it almost too perfect.

If only my camera could really capture the true beauty of this place. Perhaps it is a good thing that only hikers can reach this spot. If too many people were to realize the perfection of this spot it might be lost and destroyed within minutes.

Day 26. Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Mileage: 1020.8 – 1035.2 (14.6 miles)

It is day 26 and I am feeling the ambivalent weight of the PCT trip coming to an end in less than 110 miles. Since we have hit Ansel Adams Wilderness and Yosemite, both stunning and vastly diverse, I feel like I’ve really found my stride. I now sleep better in the tent than I do in the hostel or motels at resupply points. Waking up at midnight to a pack of coyotes howling from a nearby cliff has become less jarring than the hum of an air conditioning unit in a curtained room that conceals the sunrise. And relative to previous sections, the elevation has recently been a bit lower and we have had more time for swimming in the big, quiet lakes that rest in snow-crested mountains.

After a big breakfast at the hotel, Gravy, Dangermouse and I hitched with a Vietnam Vet back to Sonora Pass by noon. Just North of the pass, the gradient was the most enjoyably moderate slope. We went from 9,600 ft to 10,250 ft to 8,100, to 8,600. It began with open terrain and ridge walking alongside scores of colorful wildflowers. At the top of the ridge, I looked up to find about 20 men in a dark camouflage standing together at the summit. It was an alarming and kind of scary sight at first, but it turns out they were British soldiers in the midst of training.

A couple hours in, I was surprised to find myself on uphill switchbacks. Gravy, Danger nor I had the impression that we would be climbing uphill at this particular mile point. Danger, ever energetic, jogged ahead to see if there were any markers nearby. No luck. After some map consultation, I reassured the gang that we were on the PCT and we forged on with minor hesitance. Once we saw the expected marker for Boulder Lake Trail, we were relieved. I think uncertainties about being off trail coalesce in a group and a larger, collective anxiety emerges that makes everyone second guess more intently.

We camped at Boulder Creek, which made for a shorter mileage day than I was mentally planning. Danger had suggested that we stop for the night there, and I’m happy that she got me to snap out of it and slow down. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this hike at all but I am angsty over its approaching end.

Day 26: The countdown begins!

We only have 7 days left! To many people this might seem like a dream come true, but it is actually causing a little bit of anxiety for me. It all happened so fast. Now that I have the miles under me I want more. It is kinda like an addiction!

These thoughts, however, weren't really the focus of the whole day because at around 9 we were still ride-less. All the locals had assured us that hitching a ride to the start of the trail wouldn't be a problem yet we had been waiting for 45 minutes without even a pull over. Just as we gave up hope of getting a ride before noon a man heading to Nevada stopped. He was heading across the border to buy snuff. He couldn't take us up to the trail head, but would drop us off where the road split. The 3 of us agreed that there would be more traffic heading up to the trail at the highway juncture so we jumped in- Replay and I in the jump seats and Gravy up front with the gentleman. As we drove down the road we learned that the man up front was in the military. He had served in Vietnam and was on disability. Gravy, as an ex-military man, bonded with the driver and just when we thought we had to get out and hitch again we were heading up the road to the top of the pass where the PCT picked up again! Ah Gravy to the rescue again!

At noon we were all suited up with our backpacks full and loaded with food. By 6 pm we laughing at the fact that we had completed 15 miles in less than 6 hours! Of course there were a few hiccups along the way that might have left us in poor spirits instead.

The first one was a group of British soldiers who wanted to chat. Evidently the Queen's Marines train in our wilderness schools. Of course neither Replay nor myself really wanted to chat. Gravy was totally into it and lagged behind to swap a couple of stories.

The second hiccup of the day was the trail. Yet again the "tourist" area threw us for a loop. We thought we had crisscrossed our path with another because our elevation wasn't really matching the map. I ran up ahead for a bit to check the terrain. When I came back Gravy and Replay decided that we couldn't have made a wrong turn and I pretty much agreed. We all set off a bit apprehensive. 30 minutes down the way we found the sign post that we had hoped to see. Actually Replay saw it and I jumped for joy. Yes the Danger Mouse never goes away!

Last, but not least, the third issue of the day happened to be just about myself. For some reason my knees were killing me. I don't know if it was the intense downhill hike from yesterday or just my body telling me to rest. Thankfully Boulder Creek was the perfect spot for our home for the night so we set up shop.