Three months down
Two days ago, we hit out three month trailiversary! It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for that long. And it simultaneously feels like I’ve been doing this forever. Most days, I feel like I could keep going forever and the thought of returning to normal society is a bit scary. I had better start mentally preparing myself ASAP, because I’ve got less than two months left.
The three month anniversary day was pretty incredible. It started in Yosemite with a (not so incredible) 5:00 am alarm. Starting before sunrise made it feel like we had the park to ourselves.
We were about halfway up a long climb near the end of the day when we were greeted with incredible mountain views. We went up and up and up, and camped at a tent site called “exposed tentsite” half a mile down from the top of Donohue Pass, at about 10,800 feet. Camping that high up without any trees to protect us from wind was a risky move, but we lucked out with a perfecty still, cloudless night. Staring up at a sky dotted with stars across every possible inch was a beautiful reminder of just how tiny I am.
The next day brought us to Ansel Adams Wilderness. This short section was one of my favorites yet. I’m in love with craggy, snowy peaks
We made it to the Reds Meadow campground that evening, the last night that the campground was open, and woke up to the sound of rain. We had known that rain was coming, but I’d hoped it’d hold out until we hitched into Mammoth Lakes to wait out the storm. Luckily someone at the campground was heading towards Mammoth and had space for us in his truck. He saved us from having to stand on the side of a low traffic road hoping that someone would take pity on us and rescue us from the rain.
On that note, thanks to all of the amazing folks who have picked up our smelly selves and taken us to where we’ve wanted to go.
We’ll head back out tomorrow or the next day (depending on storm status) to head in to a section with the highest passes and a lot of elevation gain and loss. My lungs struggle with the uphill climbs when the air is thin, so the next few days will be a slow and steady test of my will to do this. Git ‘er dun.
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The pictures were great, but what happened to the video? And you couldn’t pay me to take even a tiny sip out of Soda Springs!
Ack! The video embed is giving me problems. I’ll have to try to figure out what’s going on tomorrow.
I got the link to work on my phone, just had to hold my finger on the link until it showed option to either copy it or open it in YouTube–thanks for sharing! How is the weather for the remaining 2 months–snow? Rain? Your concerns about your re-entry are valid, daily Bay Area life is a harsh juxtaposition to the serenity you’ve become accustomed to–frequent nature breaks to hike camp, picnic might help.
We got a dusting of snow here in Mammoth last night, but the next week is looking clear on trail. Fingers crossed that we can make it through the Sierra before a real storm hits. I haven’t really done much research on the desert section yet, but it should be not too hot during the day with cold nights.
Finally saw the video—your lungs are getting quite a workout. As usual, the scenery is spectacular (except for the slab of raw meat in Soda Springs)!
Just checked your Garmin GPS thingy and if it’s working, you’re on South Fork San Joaquin River somewhere between Florence Lake and Emerald Peak. Being somewhat of a map nerd, I’d checked it in past but it said you had it turned off. How are your feet? How’s Evan’s knee?
My feet are SO much better than they were before Ashland, and I think switching to a shoe with more cushioning a few hundred miles has helped my feet stay happier. Evan’s knee is 90% back to normal, kinda sore but it isn’t slowing him down anymore.