"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. John Muir"
PREFACE: Planning for the High Sierra Trail was 31 years in the making. J and I camped at Sequoia National Park in our formative years, earning our Jr. Ranger badges and our hike to Heather Lake helped solidify the prospect. Throughout the years we held onto the possibility of taking the High Sierra Trail all the way to Whitney. In 2011, we took a three-day trip on the first leg of the trail from Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow (J, M and me). Our intention was to camp at Bearpaw but it was the end of June in a high water year, which gave us a swift waterfall crossing at Mehrten Creek so we camped there and did a day trip to Bearpaw (sans gear) the next day. That day was 8 creek crossings and snow field at Bearpaw. Little did we know, the experience would prepare us (somewhat) for what was to come this year. The High Sierra Trail (HST) is a 72+ mile trail through the most beautiful and most dangerous terrain it has to offer. The last 13 miles mesh with the John Muir Trail (JMT) that ends at the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,505ft asl) Once you finish that, you have to make your way down Whitney (6,000ft in 9 miles) if you are heading out of Portal. During the journey described in this blog, a French-Canadian couple (whom we met at the HST/JMT junction) inquired about where we came from and remarked with a distinct air of incredulity, "Isn't that the harder trail?" Indeed it is. After describing our adventure briefly, she had her answer and seemed grateful that swift creek crossings were not in her future. This exchange is the inspiration for the name of this blog.
We decided 2017 would be the year for our HST/Whitney adventure. Despite the fact I was working through two hip injuries with PT, I met with my physical therapist and worked out a plan to get me to this goal. Multiple, stressful things were going on in my life at the time but I felt compelled to do this trip. Actually, the way things fell into place I feel like it was fate for it to happen when it did. J and I were in for sure, one of her sons and her daughter M (who went with us in 2011) were possibilities. We wanted a permit towards the end of July which normally meant calmer rivers and very little snow. J secured our permit as soon as we could apply and we spent the months prior planning things out little by little. Plan & Go: High Sierra Trail (all you need to know to complete California's best-kept secret) by Zebulon Wallace is an excellent book to review for this trip as it covered recommended gear, trail specifics, and very helpful HST tips. Though I doubt one is able to keep anything a secret in California. J, M and I met up in Mammoth in April to ski (in what turned out to be an enormous blizzard... because we are magnets when it comes to forces of nature) but also spent some time snowed in with our book, my HST Tom Harrison map and a growler of Mammoth Brewing Co. beer. We drafted a tentative itinerary of campsites/pace. At the time, it felt like a totally realistic plan. As the dates drew closer, J drafted a menu and I memorialized the itinerary on paper. We rented a GPS device (SPOT) for safety and to let those closest to us know where we were each night.
The night before was the usual rush to prepare the food and get our gear in order. Our ultimate goal was to minimize the weight. I was very anxious about the impact of 40+lb on my hip. We found ourselves sorting through our items asking "yes... but how much does this weigh??" For this reason, we repackaged much of the food and even then, could not get all 7 days into the 2 Bear Canisters (luckily, we had had several nights in a row with bear boxes at the camps) Eventually, we all ended up with 40+lb packs with M's being the heaviest around 42+lb.
THE DAY BEFORE: Josey (J's dad... nicknamed after our first Sequoia trip together where he kept quoting The Outlaw Josey Wales ) and his wife picked us up VERY EARLY on 7/20 for our trip from the Mojave to Sequoia National Park. We started in Barstow (long story) and I'm pretty sure the German bakery was the highlight because now when I think of the drive up to SEKI, I think of carrot cake. And Dances with Wolves. And Last of the Mohicans. Because when you drive to Sequoia with J, you are going to hear the soundtrack to those two movies. And you will like it. Actually, you will love it. And you then will obnoxiously hum either on the trail when you come to an epic mountain range or when you want to forget you are heaving a 40 lb pack up a mountain pass. Sometimes you might even hallucinate that Daniel Day-Lewis is whispering in your ear... "I will find you." But if that happens, you might want to check yourself for altitude sickness.
As we got closer to SEKI territory I took video clips, with soundtracks blaring in the background. This trek was going to happen and I started feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety. Our main goal that day was to arrive early enough to talk to someone at the Wilderness desk and check-in to get our permit. Given the warnings J received the week prior when she called the Ranger office (and the what was posted on the website) we wanted to also purchase a detailed map of the Kaweah Gap area, anticipating snowfields. We had our micro-spikes grudgingly packed (heavy). Sure enough, a 7.5 minute map was recommended on that part of the HST and we warned of 3 potentially "impassable" (his words) creeks: Whitney, Wallace and Wright. I took notes on my itinerary sheet as he spoke so I'd remember what day we reach them and where on the map. He advised the Whitney "creek" might even be a 2 mile upstream/uphill hike to get to a safer place because the normal crossing was 8 feet deep. Some parties turned back around the week prior.
We stopped at the Lodgepole store to get a few last minute items. After the store, J's dad handed us a 10ft rope. It seems that everyone closest to us that had little to no experience backpacking, thought we needed to carry a rope with us for these creek crossings. Both our husbands and a few parents (not my dad) suggested it. I will note for the record that none of our research recommended a rope as essential gear for creek crossings on the HST. There are good reasons for this: 1. not all creek crossings are near trees or anything remotely stable to tie a rope to (see Mehrten Creek) 2. The water is swift and your attention should be focused on balance. If you are putting all your weight on the rope and the rope gives way, you have fallen in. Your best bet is to have sturdy trekking poles, sure footing and NOT to cross if you are unsure 3. Some creek crossings are 18-20 feet across, carrying a rope to span that size (with room for tie off) will be heavy. But our husbands and family meant well so when J's dad gave us the rope, we took it. You will find out in future blog posts how the rope fared. Meanwhile, it did not stop J from texting me the clip from the Boondock Saints the week prior while the "rope saga" was going on in our households. Still laughing about it.
All 5 of us shared a room at the Wuksachi the night prior in order to start the HST early in the morning. With all our gear secured, we had only one bag for the 3 of us to put in everything we held dear for Josey to take back to J's husband since he was planning to pick us up at Portal. It was surreal to realize that I only had what I could carry on my back for 7 days to survive, my paper ID and $20. J started to read from the Kaweah Commonwealth (which has an interesting history) of all the rescues and deaths in the timeframe. Most of the incidents were avoidable/people not prepared but some were legitimate and I wanted to know the circumstances so we'd be prepared. As we all prepared to go bed early, J mentioned how she was in the middle of a John Muir book and perhaps we could read it that night. Since J was helping M, I read us all a John Muir bedtime story, even the parents. We marveled at his gift of vocabulary, run-on sentences, and imagery. The anxiety of potential dangers started to melt away. It was the perfect way to begin our journey on the High Sierra Trail.
Day 1...
<The end of each blog post is ode to hashtags we came up with while trying to ignore the pain, elements and danger on the trail. Each day has its unique tags. Humor is a great way to get past uncomfortable situations.>
#forceofnature
#johnmuirbedtimestory
#stupidfukinrope
#nodenyingtherope
