DAY 15
The feet are not doing well. I awoke cold and unable to get comfortable at about 4:15am and decided to get up and start walking as the best way to get warm. This was inspired both by Brandon and Clarence King who each made "alpine" starts sounds so nice. And it was very nice. However, first I had to deal with my feet. I fashioned a gauze and duct tape patch for my left foot. And it seemed to work as it is now lunch and my wound seems no worse, despite my walking on it for a good ways. However, the blood blister that I lanced on my 2nd toe on the left foot just moved operations slightly to the right. There is also a mirror blister on the same toe on my other foot. If things do not improve: 1) I will run out of duct tape, 2) I may not be able to finish. I know I can endure a lot, but I will have to ask "what is the point?" sometime. I am not proving anything to anyone at this time... but I want to finish. I am just not sure how much suffering it is worth to do so. I don't know if I can cut back my mileage enough for the left foot to heal and 9 more days is a long time for that to linger without real recuperation time. I think it needs multiple days, not just a night or a single rest day. I don't want to take any either. The rest of my body feels just fine, even vigorous.
On the other hand I did get a beer and a hot dog at the top of Silver Pass for Graham and crew. They awesome folks who pack in beer and hot dogs to give away to hikers. They do it for couple weeks every year for the last three years. Seems like an awesome bunch. And the PBR was not bad. Graham is an IPA fan and I would like to hook him up some time.
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| From The Big Loop |
Well, I had a moment there where I wanted to give up. Feet were sucking, and one of my eyes was rejecting contacts. On top of this I was humping 10 days of food up 2000' of switchbacks through a dry pine forest with no view to speak of. Not my finest hour on the JMT. But, mere minutes later I said, "fuck it." All I need is some more duct tape and the feet will last to home. They won't be happy, and I may limp for a few days but they'll get the job done. Plus my eye will be fine (and it was, after an hour of no contact). So I kept moving along the most boring section of trail on the JMT. And now I am hitting the sack with a positive attitude. Just need to keep bumming duct tape from other hikers.
Doing the High Route first was a mistake... and yet not. it sure does make a lot of the JMT seem tedious. But, if I do have to bail out on part of the trip, I sure am glad it is the JMT and not the High Route. However, I would prefer to bail on the JMT section that I did over these last three days rather than the part in Sequoia and King's Canyon. I don't plan to ever walk these last sections again, not as part of the JMT anyway. I may go into the areas for fun, just not to hike through. Once you leave Donahue Pass the scenery gets pretty boring and far away. there are brief exceptions but they become fewer the farther south you get. However, I should be in SEKI tomorrow afternoon. And I will be very happy about that.
DAY 16
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| From The Big Loop |
Wow, it was an interesting, people-filled day. I got up earlyish cause I wasn't sleeping any more, and managed to hit the trail by 5:45. I moved Selden Pass as the sun rose, reaching Marie Lakes right around 8 where I had a nice literary discussion with a girl whose name I can't remember (as always). I moved up to the pass for breakfast and was passed by a guy who turned out to be Alan from Texas.
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| From The Big Loop |
I caught up with him just past Heart Lake (where I saw two chukars) and he and I booked it down to the Muir Trail Ranch together, reaching it just before noon. we proceeded to hang out and scrounge goodies from the hiker buckets. I stayed until 3:30 and met Mary and Michelle who were continuing north despite having no plans and no supplies (now they have plenty thanks to the hiker buckets). I then left to head into Kings Canyon (yeah!) and shortly met Paul. Paul is an experienced Sierra Hiker who I had a great time chatting with, and on top of that he ended up sharing his delicious hot dinner with me, mac and cheese with bacon bits. He also mentioned the High Sierra Hikers Guide from the 70's with maps containing off trail routes now lost to obscurity (sort of).
In the end I have moved from Bear Creek over Selden Pass to camp along the west bank of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. Maybe 5 miles inside the Park. Tomorrow I should get over Muir Pass into LeConte Canyon. (As long as I can still walk on these feet).
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