DAY 9
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| From The Big Loop |
Fuck the Minarets. Get me away from this gawdawful pile of volcanic, metamorphic fucking choss. Today I met the first person on the trail that I wished I had not met. Old dude told me that the Minarets were the most beautiful part of the High Route. What a load of shit. Ugly brown volcanic rock, loose, sandy slopes. A few nice waterfalls, lot of route finding through brush and trees. I have fallen, on my ass, at least 6 or 7 times! Before lunch! I've almost injured myself badly enough to have to quit! Twice!
I suppose if you like big pointy bits of choss with trees in between, the Minarets are great. I am not a fan. Also, dude told me "no" when I said I was aiming for North Glacier Pass. "No."? Maybe, "That'll be tough." or "That's pretty far." But, "No."? I didn't say I was going to walk to Tahoe or even Tuolumne... Then he examined my map to tell me how to go. And he told me how to ascend a pass. Like I can't figure that out on my own. I've only climbed 2-5 alpine passes a day for the last 8 days. He may be right about my making it over the pass, which is fine because it was only a goal and it might be warmer on this side tonight anyway. We'll see how things go after lunch.
DAY 10
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| From The Big Loop |
Well, I got sleepy and didn't write anything last night. Which is just as well as I was in a foul mood. It was certainly the worst day I have had mentally. Might have been the worst day of the High Route for scenery too, I don;t find the Minarets that attractive. Must be the climber in e noting the rock quality. I am not sure why it was: my resupplied suddenly heavy pack, post rest-day fatigue, shitty rock, bushwhacking, or what, but I was stumbling around like a newborn colt yesterday. It was weird too, because I had a half rest day, big meals, and I slept for like 10 hours. Somehow that did not equal good day the following morning. Last night, however, it was damp, I ate dried hummus, and got chilly several times during the night, but I feel great this morning. I feel more nimble on the talus and here I am at the top of North Glacier Pass at 9am.
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| From The Big Loop |
After this break for granola, writing and a bit of bedding drying, I set out across Bench Canyon, my last cross country section of the High Route. It is a bit sad, but also exciting. I know my feet will be happy with the vast reduction in talus hopping that comes with trail walking. This morning has been beautiful, and there were like 40 marmots enjoying it in the lower section of the pass.
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| From The Big Loop |
I have traversed to just below Blue Lake, arriving at 2:30 just in time to meet a group of Scouts doing the same route as me (editors note: only the same route through the Bench Canyon area). They were consulting the map to determine the best route to continue. I've been invited to camp w/ them at Blue Lake. I'm certainly thinking about it, but also about ice cream at the Tuolumne Meadows store. If I do the pass early tomorrow with the Scouts, I should still make it for ice cream, we'll have to see how I feel when I get up there.
The hike today has been going well. I have felt inspired by the scenery rather than repulsed. There is quite a waterfall down from Lake Catherine. There has been some crazy chossy rock and lots of slabs, none of it has felt slippery like yesterday. It is sort of dry in this section, but there are places where it is wet and blooming with flowers. Lots of the pink/purple not-paintbrush (editors note: later found out that this flower is paintbrush of some kind, just not indian paintbrush). The upper of the Twin Island Lakes was very neat and full of fish. I can't stress enough how much of a complete 180 today has been compared to yesterday.
Bob Dylan's Rainy Day Women - I don't know why but it has been persistent.
Made it. I stepped on to the trail at 7:00pm, it took a bit longer than I had expected after going over the pass near Foerester Peak. It was all easy walking though it was no problem, even when I thought I might have missed the trail. I hit the trail and immediately ran down some switchbacks that looked nasty on the map (and they were in reality too). I didn't want to leave them for tomorrow, and today nothing could trump my feeling of bliss from diving naked into the lake on the Yosemite side of my last cross country High Route pass.
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| From The Big Loop |
It is amazing how quickly I can go from having such near misery on the trail yesterday to near transcendent bliss today. I think it may be that my natural state is bliss when I am out here and the bad day just made everything seem that much better today. It is going to take me a while to get to Toulumne Meadows tomorrow. I have to remember not to try to run there. I may even have to eat breakfast AND lunch before I get there. Relaxing is the name of the game. Every step gets me closer, and I will get there tomorrow. (Camped in the canyon of the Lyell Fork of the Merced River)
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