My pack was about 50 pounds when we set off in Onion Valley on August 19, 2010. Anita's pack was likewise packed to capacity. There's a movement in the outdoor sports world where people pride themselves on carrying as little as possible, often times exposed to the elements with their will and their ingenuity keeping them going. We were not those people, but I will say that we didn't pack anything that we didn't use. We started off with what we expected to need for about eight days of hiking. Eight days on your back is a little hard to conceptualize, but it consists mostly of food, stashed away in boxes that bears can't open. What wouldn't fit in our bear boxes, we tied up in a tree at night. Otherwise, clothes for all the potential elements and some sunscreen.
Our first day involved topping Kearsarge Pass at 11,760 feet.
Kearsarge Pass in Onion Valley
We topped it as the sun was setting - a grueling day setting our expectations for the next week. On the top, Anita felt ill and I felt tired. The trail was disciplining us. This is something I expected. I learned it on the Camino de Santiago. It's good to prepare yourself - you'll thank yourself for it a thousand times, and it makes your journey safer and more pleasurable. BUT... whatever you do, the trail will mold you into the shape it needs you to be in. You don't need to be too concerned - if you are a survivor, a week into any trip, you will be ready for what it has in store for you. Unfortunately, there is a danger to this logic - we started falling off of our proposed schedule starting on day one when, coming down from Kearsarge Pass, we didn't make it to the John Muir Trail. We instead camped early at Bullfrog Lake. As you can see, it was too tempting to pass up.
Bullfrog Lake, our first morning on the John Muir Trail.
We made it to the John Muir Trail the next morning with hopes of making up the couple miles we lost in Onion Valley. That meant making significant progress over Glen Pass. That meant topping another 10,000+ mountain. That was not happening. At this point, Anita was feeling sick. Our ascent of Glen Pass was insanely windy, totally exhausting, and extraordinarily beautiful. On the other side lies Rae Lakes - a huge collection of water. It looked close from the top, and to get back on pace we had to get well beyond it. In the end, Anita couldn't go on. She was totally noxious and we had to set up a sort of emergency camp at dusk. We simply couldn't descend the mountainside and get to water, but we had enough in our bottles to cook and drink, and we found a spot on the side of the trail to set up our uneven tent to shield us from a vigorous wind. Anita spent the night fearing that wind was slowly pushing us towards the ledge, working towards a goal of pushing us over to roll our way down to Rae Lakes. Fortunately, our weight prevented that from happening. I'll admit, I was a little nervous sleeping there myself.
A black and white showing our tent and the massive Rae Lakes further on down the mountainside. The wind plus the sloped ledge did not make for a peaceful night. It was, however, absolutely MAJESTIC to climb out of the tent in the morning.
Anita woke up refreshed and feeling a lot better. We had to face the harsh reality, unfortunately, that we were now more than a couple miles behind schedule. Our week of food on our backs was now more than a week's worth of food, even though we didn't add anything to it. We nervously descended Glen Pass and let the water renew our spirits. This day was an all-day gradual descent, giving our legs a chance to recuperate.
Rae Lakes in the morning.
What more could you ask for?
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