Kearsarge Pass Archives - My New Life on the Trail

Day 42, August 12, Crabtree Ranger Station, TM 1887.3–(8.7 miles)

We’re needing the end (this was supposed to say nearing the end, but autocorrect made it better)

This entry starts just like every entry from the Sierra…We were beat from yesterday. Forester with a heavy pack took it all out of me. Bunny’s hip kept her from sleeping peacefully, and, by the law of transitivity, I didn’t sleep well, either. We didn’t set alarms which allowed me to sleep until 8.

The commotion started while it was still dark. We heard people getting ready while well before the sun was up. It wasn’t to the level of Koreans on the Camino who packed everything in plastic trash bags and then forgot which bag was which so they had to go through every bag (Camino de Santiago 2017) but it was close. It was still dark and we needed our beauty sleep. Ask anyone from my high school, I’ve been in desperate need of beauty sleep all my life. Need I say, we were last out of camp. The last ones to beat us out were the family of 5. We hit the trail at 10.

We took lots of breaks. While on one, we met old lady at the first creek crossing out of camp. She had just come over Forester this morning and she laughed that we were tired and taking an easy day. She took off and we never saw her again. I hated that old bitty.

The highest point in the lower 48 is in sight

Rain clouds skirted us all day. I had no energy on climbs, but my pack was beginning to feel better. After today, we’ll lose another 2 days of food before we have to hike with packs again. (We will hike up Mt Whitney tomorrow so we can leave our camp all set up for the day-long side trip.) We’re hoping that will help us turn the corner.

The later part of today’s hike was across a high volcanic plain…shade was at a premium and water was scarce. We finally caught up to a couple of women who found both and were taking advantage of it. There was enough room for us to join them. I was a bit concerned because I recognized one of the girls as the blond that Bear wouldn’t pick up when we were driving to Onion Valley. We ended up playing hopscotch with them the rest of the day.

When we made it to Crabtree Meadows, we asked if they were finishing up at Whitney. They said yes so we pulled the ballsiest move of or entire trip and asked if they had left over fuel—we misjudged how much we had and were very close to empty. I’d already made peace with them and explained how the people we were traveling with at the time didn’t like to pick up hitchhikers. (If your not with us, being thrown under a bus isn’t too painful.)

We also ran into the “family” setting up camp when we made our final turn to Ranger Station. They are finishing up on Whitney as well but they don’t have to be done until the day after tomorrow. We said our goodbyes just in case we miss them.

Camp was all set up by 4. I organized food for over an hour to get breakfast and lunch ready for tomorrow. Tonight’s supper was a colonic bonanza consisting of 3 Ramen, 2 Spam, and 2 fun size Snickers (sad size is more appropriate).

By gawd we’re doing it. We are setting alarm for 5 in the morning. We’re not hoping for sunrise on Whitney, but we do want to make it before the rain shows up. If we pull this off, this will be our earliest start since we made the foolish mistake of getting up at 4a on the AT to avoid hiking in the heat. That day was a bust because it was too hot to sleep and our schedules were messed up for several days after that. I’m sure everything will be fine on the highest mountain in the lower 48.

We managed to find an isolated spot in the middle of things

EFG

Day 41, August 11, Tyndall Creek, TM 1878.9–(12.2 miles)

We’ve never been this high on trail

What a mind f@#$ this morning. How are we supposed to wake up without a hearty throat clearing? We set an alarm, but it didn’t cut it. We overslept. It was our latest start in over a month. The guilt ate me up inside. We didn’t leave camp until 9:39. Oh the humanity.

It’s sad when all shots in the Sierra look alike

It’s 7.5 miles to Forester Pass with 3700’ of elevation gain. Astute readers readers might recall that Bunny and I have a daily limit of 3000’. Add in that my pack doesn’t really feel lighter from 1 night’s worth of food consumption. There’s only one possibility for us; every mile, to mile and a half, we had to drop packs and rest. Bear would be turning over in his grave at this (his death would be the only way this would happen if they were still hiking and hadn’t ditched us…again).

The lower point on the right is where we’re headed

We kept an eye on the sky all day. There were dark clouds following us just like we were following a family up to the pass (I’ve often heard people describe me as a dark cloud on the horizon). In spite of our efforts to go slow, we did overtake the family about 2 miles from Forester Pass. It was a cute family of 5 with kids aged 15, 13, & 10. The youngest was a girl who was having a bit of difficulty with the altitude, but she was pushing on. She was often in back with her dad, but 10! This family is doing it right.

The dark clouds were getting more ominous. I warned Bunny to be brave for the kids sake. This was a mistake. Pointing out Bunny’s irrational fears only starts a fight. Her irrational fears are rational to her. Plus, I was telling her what to do (“be brave”). Only Bunny’s dad can tell her what to do. If she wants to be afraid and scare the kids who are being brave, that’s her right and NO ONE will tell her differently (coincidentally, Bunny’s dad is also afraid of storms but not nearly to the same degree). In spite of my “telling” her to be brave, she actually kept it together. In all fairness, though, the storm never came.

About a half mile from the top, the little girl and her dad passed us while I was taking a break. As soon as they were out of earshot, Bunny asked me “Are you going to let a 10 year old girl pass you?” I thought I might point out that my pack was near 50# and hers can’t weigh more than 10#. It’s hardly an apples to apples comparison when she’s not carrying an equivalent load. Instead of getting into it, I managed to gasp out a “yes.”

The spot where we first ran across the family of 5 getting water

Needless to say, I was the last to the top of Forester Pass. The family was up there having a snack and Bunny was filming me stagger up. This is the most weight I’ve carried at the highest altitude I have carried a loaded pack. I did hike to 17,800’ in Nepal, but my day pack didn’t weigh 10#. I’ll bet I could have beaten a 10 year old up that time.

We stopped for a snack and a chat. The family was finishing up the JMT and are exiting the Whitney Portal in a couple of days. They were a very fun family that loved hiking in the Sierra (mainly because the mother grew up in the Sierra and couldn’t imagine hiking anywhere else). The father, Paul, was a police officer. The oldest son was Paul the 3rd or 4th. (My phone died where I had their names written down and I lost all the info.) The daughter, 10, Brooklyn, was incredibly mature for her age. Sadly, I can’t remember the mom’s name or the middle son’ (no wonder middle kids feel overlooked). I do remember that the kids had their own YouTube channel, Groms4life, because we both used the number 4 in our channel names.

Coming down was an entirely different experience. Had Bear been with us, he would have had to lead because he would have had a cardiac arrest behind Sassy. The exposure was well over 1000’ on a narrow trail. We let “the family” leave before us so they wouldn’t see us acting scared. We could see young Paul ahead of us leaning into the mountain to avoid standing up straight and looking over the edge. We were not alone in our assessment of the sheer drop. This lasted for well over 1/2 mile. The south side is much steeper than the way we climbed. I couldn’t imagine crossing this pass with snow on the trail.

A stop was required once we got to the bottom. I was in a post adrenaline rush fatigue. I needed a snack, and I needed to verify I wasn’t carrying an extra load in my pants. Bunny found us a sheltered spot off trail to get out of the wind. While we were snacking, the family passed us again. (We actually passed them coming down because young Paul was being more cautious than we were.)

After the worst is over…I didn’t feel comfortable using a camera higher up

The closest to describe what the hiking was like once we were off the pass was our experience in Brannock Burne Moore Scottish Highlands. We were on a high, windswept plain between mountains. There were just two differences: we were not on an old military road, and the rocks were a different color, and 3, no midges.

Monument to a volunteer who died building this section of trail

The clouds grew much darker once we were past the rock slide known as Forrester. We were, once again, racing a storm to camp. It was our kind of walking now…slightly downhill and a well used track. We were fast, but we couldn’t catch up with the family of 5. When we made it to camp, they already had their tents up. Once again, my butt got kicked by a 10 year old girl. You beat me today, Brooklyn, but watch out when my pack gets lighter.

It was a very crowded camp and flat spots were at a premium. There had to be well over 50 people here. We ended up climbing uphill into the woods to find a spot in what is, probably, normally the bathroom section of camp. We set up our tent and got everything inside before the rain started. It turned out to not be nearly as bad as the sky looked, but it was a steady sprinkle which got me wet when I got water.

A bear box in camp is nice, but with so many people in camp, it was beyond full. We slept with our food in the tent so we could cook in the vestibule as usual. There were so many fresh smelling hikers just starting out on the JMT that any bear with a modicum of self respect would leave us alone and go for the sweet, freshly scented hikers.

EFG

Days 38 & 39, August 8 & 9, Bishop, CA—(Double Zero)

Alone again, naturally

The East Side Bunkhouse was a great place to recuperate. It was just a couple dollars more than the hotel we were headed to and we still got private rooms. The only TV was in the common room, but we are still in a news fast and much happier for it. In addition, there is on site laundry (including loaner clothes), a fully stocked kitchen for guests, outside shady dining areas, multiple seating areas, games, and very conveniently located. We decided to go for a double zero (3 nights) as soon as we checked in.

Bunny was beat from the moment she sat down. She had burned through all of her reserves on the way down from Kearsarge. As soon as we got our room, she emptied her pack, stripped down, took a shower, and went to bed. She napped all afternoon and evening until she decided on serious sleep and went to bed. I opted for second shower so I could get the laundry started.

Directly across the street is a Texas BBQ place. I couldn’t get Bunny out of bed to eat supper with the rest of us, so I brought her back some food. She groggily made it through the sandwich and fries before going after serious sleep. I sat outside with Bear for a bit, but we were all (Texas) toast after the last 12 days. Bunny’s hip pain is beyond hope. The reason she sleeps so much in town is not because she’s sleeping, it’s because she isn’t. Every time she moves, the pain wakes her up. That is, if she had actually gotten to fall asleep in the first place. There will be no more hiking after this year until she gets a new hip.

There’s a very well stocked Hiker Food Cabinet. Sassy and I raided it on the first night. I’m thinking 10 nights to Kennedy Meadows South from here. The fact that she was grabbing food made me think they were at least considering going on. By the end of the first zero day, they confirmed that, once again, for the second year in a row, they were ditching us. On the bright side, we got another influx of free food.

A patio fire pit that we couldn’t light because of all the wildfires

When we got up for breakfast, we heard a familiar voice in the Kitchen. Train had decided to bail from Horseshoe Meadows because of the smoke and water situation. We hadn’t seen him since he left us at Tuolumne Meadows. He’d made travel arrangements to catch a train home tomorrow. Train told us he hadn’t had problems getting water to where he was, but plenty of people were complaining about the water further south. Also, the smoke we are experiencing since we crossed Kearsarge is pretty bad. Most of the time, we can’t see any mountains around us, and we’re just a few miles from them. Occasionally, it clears up and we can see they are actually quite close, but the smoke is intimidating.

Bunny and I spent most of the day checking out gear shops and buying food. Bear and Sassy spent their day making travel arrangements. Apparently, the rental car market is very tight. They had a very hard time tracking any down and only managed to get on a waiting list. We got pizza for supper when two energetic members of our party agreed to walk down to buy it and get drinks while the two women lounged. We had hoped to actually go to a restaurant for supper, but Covid restrictions have reduced options.

A rather unfortunate last name for people who have been doing so in the woods for awhile

As a final goodbye, Bear and Sassy decided to cook us a “Last Supper” on the second night. They half-heartedly tried to talk us into stopping because of the fires and water, but we are wanting to get this damn trail done. As it is, I finally agreed that we won’t be heading back up to Truckee to finish the section from there to Belden. We thought for sure after the North Complex fire destroyed that area last year, it wouldn’t have enough fuel to burn again any time soon. The Dixie fire put that thought to rest. It’s now engulfed in what’s looking to turn into the largest fire in California history. We will have to return to California once again at some point in the future. But we are not giving up on Walker Pass yet.

A feast was planned. Bear chose a brisket that was pre marinated. Also on the menu was salad, asparagus, baked potatoes, red wine, and a pie for dessert. I was willing to help out with grilling, but not the meat. Bear is very particular about his meat. In fact, I didn’t want to touch his meat at all. He seemed fine with Sassy touching it, but I was carefully keeping an eye on Bunny to make sure she kept her hands off his meat as well. It wasn’t until we were sitting down to eat and Bear shared his meat with two other guys that I even felt comfortable enough to let him flap it down on my plate. Once you see two strangers put your friend’s meat in their mouths, you can relax a bit.

You will not get a picture of me with Bears meat in my mouth

Supper was delicious. We had an enjoyable dinner with friends who were ditching us, again. We made plans for breakfast in the morning, after which, Bear would get the car while the rest of us finished packing. They even agreed to give us a ride to the turn to the trailhead. I was assured the final 11 miles were an easy hitch from there. I was hoping, Bunny could turn on the tears and convince them to drive all the way to Onion Valley when the time arrived. Worst case, I’d have to play the “scared, lonely, and abandoned” guilt card.

EFG

Day 37, August 7, Onion Valley Trailhead—(7.1 miles)

Out of the forest into the smoke

We lost track of Aimee when we left Glen Pass, yesterday. They were talking about going on to the turn to Bullfrog Lake and camping. I hope we catch up with them again today so we can get a ride into Bishop. It was less than 3 miles to Kearsarge from where we camped last night. It might be hard to time it so we meet them again.

Bullfrog lake…apparently it’s been over camped

As usual, Bear and Sassy were dots. We have less than 1000’ to gain to get over the pass, but our food is almost completely gone. I, literally, choked down my last packet of oatmeal for breakfast. We also had our last 2 cups of coffee. Basically, no calories or caffeine to get us up and over. Needless to say, Bunny and I were struggling.

Smoke is getting thick as we head up and out

The lower trail, from Bullfrog Lake joined our trail about a half mile from the top of the pass. Bunny and I were sitting in the last shady spot when Aimee showed up. Her husband was behind her. He was struggling as much as we were but mainly because he hadn’t been at altitude until yesterday and we were currently at 11,000’. She told us the offer still stood if we all make it to the trailhead together. One hitch though, there’s only room for two of us.

Bunny kicked it into “granny gear” and plowed on up the final half mile. I wasn’t too far behind her when we made it to the top. Bear and Sassy were sitting and socializing with Bear doing what no one does better—trying to yogi us a ride to town from people heading out. Past experience tells me we won’t need Aimee’s help. One thing that bothered me was all the smoke on the other side of Kearsarge. People at told us it was from the Dixie Fire 300 miles to the north.

Sassy gave us a couple protein bars that she has as extras. That combined with what we have gives us two protein bars and a package of crackers to make it down. We’ve got 2500’ to lose in 4.6 miles. It’s a major front-country trailhead, so the path is good and smooth. We haven’t had showers in 12 days. Our packs are almost completely empty. It’s town day. Initiate afterburners. Bunny is gone. My hair was straight up trying to keep up with her (thinking back on it now, that probably had more to do with the 12 days since my last shower).

Bunny plowing uphill…a rare time that I made it to top before her

The trip down was a joy. We were making great time. We were full of anticipation. Bear was behind us working on finding a ride (I had no doubts about his success). But most of all, the thing that made me feel best, was passing clean people smelling of Tide pods and deodorant and watching them struggle climbing uphill.

Other people’s pain makes you feel so alive. It’s why we haven’t eliminated homelessness or poverty in our society. As long as someone else is suffering more than you, you can feel good about your life. Somewhere, in a third world country, there is an orphaned 2 year old, living in a dump that is existing only on shit to survive. This kid doesn’t realize it, but his is the worst life on earth. There is a family next to him eating spoiled food filled with maggots collected out of the dump. They can feel good about their lives while he can only dream of death. Ah, the majesty of the human race.

The nature of the trail, because of the big gain/loss of altitude, is a lot of switchbacks. Even though we were a couple hundred yards “ahead” of Bear and Sassy, they were only maybe 200’ above us at any given time. Sassy yelled down to take a break at the next shady spot. I practically had to tackle Bunny to get her to stop. Once I did, I had to hobble her to keep her stationary.

It didn’t take long for Bunny and me to eat our protein bars and crackers. As soon as we were done, Bunny was ready to go again. Sassy unleashed the Bunny and we were off. The trail passes several lakes, but actually runs along the shore of one. We agreed to regroup there. When Bear and Sassy caught up with us there, I asked Bear how the ride acquisition was going. He had spent a large portion of the hike since our last break schmoozing up a young guy that was out for a few hours swimming in the lakes on this side of the Pass. He said if we don’t find another ride by the time he makes it back to the trailhead, he’d give us a lift.

It was only 2 miles to the lot and not even 10:30. The guy had taken off down a side trail at the previous lake for another dip. Worst case, we had a safety net. Back to the races. There was no chance of stopping Bunny again before the parking lot.

Buck caught up with us just short of the parking lot. He said he’d give us that ride to town. We all dropped our packs and waited for him to go get his car. After 10 minutes, I started thinking we’d been duped, but he just had a lot to rearrange to fit 4 hikers with packs in.

Bear trying out a teachable moment…without success

The drive to Bishop was a lot further than we realized…almost 50 miles. It was over 10 miles just to get to Independence, but it had zero appeal when we saw the ice cream shop was closed. The more we talked to Buck, the more we found out we had in common. The biggest link was with Bear and the space industry. Buck was working for a company that Bear knew some of the principals from his decades at NASA.

Once we realized how much further we had to go, we offered Buck gas money or at least would buy him supper. He agreed to supper with us. We tried a pizza place, but it was closed because of Covid so we settled on burgers. Bunny and I were famished. Even so, the rest of the group held their own in the food consumption department.

Sassy didn’t want to pose with Buck thinking he smelled too clean

We grabbed our packs out of Buck’s car and said our goodbyes. Guthook indicated a couple of hiker friendly hotels in town. We called one and they said there was space available so we started walking that way. We passed a nice looking hostel on the way. We thought we’d check it out but that it would be high priced (it looked brand new). Turns out, we are home here for a while.

EFG