September 5, 2016
Day 19
0 miles / 233.5 total
Steps: 13,410
Tuolumne Backpackers campground
Days without shower 3
Hello Zero day!!! A zero day is a day hiking ZERO miles!!! And yes that is super exciting after yesterday of doing over 20 miles. I am not sure how some of the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) hikers do 20+ miles day after day. Maybe one day I’ll know.
I didn't get breakfast in bed like someone said I would if I made it this far today, but we slept in as we heard everyone around us packing up. It was great. Once finally up, our friends from last night came over and said good morning as I made my coffee. He brought us some homemade cookies that his wife made them! It was super nice and they were SO GOOD!!! They were headed out and likely just wanted to get rid of them but it was a great first breakfast. So Thank you to them!
We got our stuff semi organized and headed to the cafe. A hot breakfast was awesome and I had hot chocolate with whipped cream! We sat around a lot today and I stayed in the tent for about 2 hours dozing in and out of sleep. We talked about walking to a lake to go swimming but none of us were very motivated. A little after 2 we decided to go to the store to get more lunch meat to make sandwiches and Luke needed to get his resupply to head north. The trip change direction and we got a TON of food to cook on a fire. Brats, corn on the cob, and there was some chili and an onion in the bear box that someone left behind!! Once back at our camp Luke made a fire, Dylan cut up the onion and I sat on my butt. It was wonderful. I think Luke enjoyed cooking real food and all of us enjoyed eating it! It was like a feast! Food coma overload once we were done. I cleaned up and we all decided it was nap time again!! After a couple hours I couldn't lay there anymore so got up and walked to the store to get more wine! I had spotty cell service to make phone calls, but was still able to called my sister. It's still super hard when words cut out but it's good to hear from her. I'm starting to be ready to be back to real life and off the trail. I've debated how to finish early or be done but I'm not really sure how that will work out with someone coming to pick me up.
The rest of the evening we just sat around the fire, started to get all of our stuff (mostly food) organized. We listened to music enjoyed our evening together. For dinner, I made half a sandwich and the boys had Ramon. I don't know how they ate more. It was a great lazy day.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
JMT - Day 18 - Thousand Island Lake to Tuloume Backpackers Camp
September 4, 2016
Day 18
21.3 miles / 233.5 total
Steps: 55,137
Tuolumne Backpackers campground
Days without shower 2
Holy crap it's so incredibly cold and windy!! My thermometer on my pack says around 39° - which doesn’t count for the wind chill. What the heck is this shit? I look out at one if the most beautiful lakes - Thousand Island Lake, it's the first day I don't want to be here. It's cold and super windy. I got very frustrated trying to pack up my tent and just really would rather be cuddled up with Reecy on my couch. I am in a total bitch mood and snapped at Luke. I apologized and gave him a hug before I started off for the day, but still kinda feel bad. I guess after being together off and on for over 17 days, it's not bad that it's the first time I've snapped or lost my temper.
I was still in a mood and was walking pretty quickly. The first pass was Island pass... I didn't even realize it was a pass until I was going down and looked at the map. It was only about 5 more miles until Donahue Pass. This one would be much more noticeable. I still wasn't in the best of moods but I knew I would get service at the top of the pass and my motivation was being able to call my sister and mom! I put in my headphones and blasted some Taylor swift. She always makes me happy. It was really beautiful going up and my mood was getting much better. You really can't be mad when there is so much beauty around. There were a lot of little steams and waterfalls. It was still cold and windy but spirits were much higher. I'm really hoping my moodiness is not due to the time of the month. I really don't want to have to deal with that out here. I have been a bit emotional today as well. Who knows? I am a little worried. If you are reading this as a girl who wants to hike long distance – continue on… if not skip to the next paragraph. This is such a hard thing to deal with. I brought my diva cup out here with me and have “practiced” with it once but I have the IUD and I do not typically have a monthly visitor so it was difficult. I am so unsure what my body will do with 3 weeks of constant activity so it is an uneasy feeling. I do not want to use tampons, panty liners, or pads because those are trash… and create more trash that you have to carry. A diva (ministration) cup seemed to be the best option for me. After note: I never actually had to deal with this being a situation! Yay!
I was getting really hungry and everyone going the opposite direction as me who had already hit the pass, said the pass was even more windy and cold. I found a place with a little coverage from wind, in the sun, and pulled out my stuff to make lunch. I figured I'd have about a mile left until the pass and needed to eat something to make it up and over. As I was making my hummus the boys walk up. I apologize again for being a bitch and they join me for a break/lunch. They are talking about making it over the pass and ALL the way to Tuolumne!! Spoiler Alert if you already looked at the location for today. Haha
That would be OVER 20 miles for the day. Their argument was that after the pass (7 miles in) it would be mostly downhill and the grill/store closes at 5 so we could get drinks and other food. I told them I wasn't sure I was up for it and would decide later or catch them the next day. At the top of the pass I was able to FaceTime with the family who were at Walmart. It was awesome because Momma, Rob, & Becca where all together!!! As I was talking to them Luke came up with a snowball and tossed one at me. Just in case you are wondering - out here AT&T has the best service. Dylan wasn't able to get service but was ok not using our phones. I was able to post a message to Facebook and saw that Nicole got engaged!!! I was able to talk to her for a minute and can't wait to hear the whole story! I also was able to call my Aunt Noreen because it was her birthday! It's worked out for being able to call some family on birthdays on top of the mountains.
We likely stayed up there too long and then finally headed down. My stomach wasn't very happy with me today and I had to stop a few times. I may run out of my toilet paper early!! I only did 4 squares per day with a couple extra and have definitely gone through the extras.
Once we got down I said I'd stay with the boys for a bit but wasn't sure how long. About an hour or so after I said that I didn't think I'd be able to do 20 miles and we said bye. My stomach was hurting pretty bad and I was super uncomfortable. I took a break, dug another stupid hole, changed into shorts because there was little wind in the valley and it was getting warm, put some arnica gel on my knee, and took a Motrin 800. I took a minute to compose myself and decided to tough it out and make it. I put my phone on my battery charger, plugged my headphones in, turned on my favorite playlist, and marched on. I wasn't sure if I was going to catch up to them and had to tell myself not to look at the distance I had left except for once an hour. Once I had a little over 6 miles left, just over a 10K, I played with the math and broke that down. It's hard to go from running an average of 10 minute miles to walking about 30 minute miles with a pack. A bit farther and I started to see signs… Yosemite Signs! Then, I saw the boys sitting there having a snack!! I was super excited to see them and started dancing/singing to the song that was on, Uptown Funk! I stopped and took some of their trail mix and said let's go. As soon as I started out I saw a coyote. I was surprised to see my first one and was sad they were not closer to see it. I led for a little bit until I got tired. I got pretty far behind again. My knee started to hurt and my stomach was giving me problems again.
Eventually I made it to the campground and started asking people where the store was because I knew the boys would be there. As I walked up I saw Dylan sitting on a picnic table with a beer and bag of chips! I dropped my pack and Luke walked up with beer and chips in hand. I snacked on their stuff before heading inside. I really wanted a real bottle of wine but they didn't have an opener I could just use. I decided I would find one eventually from one of the campers; so got a bottle, chips, and a seven layered dip! It didn't take me long to find an opener. A guy had one in his car! I wanted to hug him but I likely smelled really bad so I refrained. He opened it for me and I drank right out of the bottle to begin with. We sat there for a while and ate until we decided what was next. The boys went in the store to get more beer and dinner for the night. We got everything and headed up the hill to the backpackers camp. It was packed. We kinda found a spot next to a group of people and I asked Luke if I needed to set up and tent or if I could just stay with him! Yay for getting out of setting up a tent! We got semi set up and drank some more. Then was time for food! The boys got sandwich stuff which was awesome. We ate and drank and then I went to join a fire that was close to us. The guys were mostly older dads of boy scouts that had outgrown there time to camp with them and 2 guys in college. They are all from Orange County and were really nice. They asked me a ton of questions about the JMT trip so far and we talked for a while. Once the fire started to die down they got ready for bed and we sat there a little bit longer finishing our drinks. We finally got ready and crawled in our tents. I enjoy sleeping next to Luke, but we both stink!
Day 18
21.3 miles / 233.5 total
Steps: 55,137
Tuolumne Backpackers campground
Days without shower 2
Holy crap it's so incredibly cold and windy!! My thermometer on my pack says around 39° - which doesn’t count for the wind chill. What the heck is this shit? I look out at one if the most beautiful lakes - Thousand Island Lake, it's the first day I don't want to be here. It's cold and super windy. I got very frustrated trying to pack up my tent and just really would rather be cuddled up with Reecy on my couch. I am in a total bitch mood and snapped at Luke. I apologized and gave him a hug before I started off for the day, but still kinda feel bad. I guess after being together off and on for over 17 days, it's not bad that it's the first time I've snapped or lost my temper.
I was still in a mood and was walking pretty quickly. The first pass was Island pass... I didn't even realize it was a pass until I was going down and looked at the map. It was only about 5 more miles until Donahue Pass. This one would be much more noticeable. I still wasn't in the best of moods but I knew I would get service at the top of the pass and my motivation was being able to call my sister and mom! I put in my headphones and blasted some Taylor swift. She always makes me happy. It was really beautiful going up and my mood was getting much better. You really can't be mad when there is so much beauty around. There were a lot of little steams and waterfalls. It was still cold and windy but spirits were much higher. I'm really hoping my moodiness is not due to the time of the month. I really don't want to have to deal with that out here. I have been a bit emotional today as well. Who knows? I am a little worried. If you are reading this as a girl who wants to hike long distance – continue on… if not skip to the next paragraph. This is such a hard thing to deal with. I brought my diva cup out here with me and have “practiced” with it once but I have the IUD and I do not typically have a monthly visitor so it was difficult. I am so unsure what my body will do with 3 weeks of constant activity so it is an uneasy feeling. I do not want to use tampons, panty liners, or pads because those are trash… and create more trash that you have to carry. A diva (ministration) cup seemed to be the best option for me. After note: I never actually had to deal with this being a situation! Yay!
I was getting really hungry and everyone going the opposite direction as me who had already hit the pass, said the pass was even more windy and cold. I found a place with a little coverage from wind, in the sun, and pulled out my stuff to make lunch. I figured I'd have about a mile left until the pass and needed to eat something to make it up and over. As I was making my hummus the boys walk up. I apologize again for being a bitch and they join me for a break/lunch. They are talking about making it over the pass and ALL the way to Tuolumne!! Spoiler Alert if you already looked at the location for today. Haha
That would be OVER 20 miles for the day. Their argument was that after the pass (7 miles in) it would be mostly downhill and the grill/store closes at 5 so we could get drinks and other food. I told them I wasn't sure I was up for it and would decide later or catch them the next day. At the top of the pass I was able to FaceTime with the family who were at Walmart. It was awesome because Momma, Rob, & Becca where all together!!! As I was talking to them Luke came up with a snowball and tossed one at me. Just in case you are wondering - out here AT&T has the best service. Dylan wasn't able to get service but was ok not using our phones. I was able to post a message to Facebook and saw that Nicole got engaged!!! I was able to talk to her for a minute and can't wait to hear the whole story! I also was able to call my Aunt Noreen because it was her birthday! It's worked out for being able to call some family on birthdays on top of the mountains.
We likely stayed up there too long and then finally headed down. My stomach wasn't very happy with me today and I had to stop a few times. I may run out of my toilet paper early!! I only did 4 squares per day with a couple extra and have definitely gone through the extras.
Once we got down I said I'd stay with the boys for a bit but wasn't sure how long. About an hour or so after I said that I didn't think I'd be able to do 20 miles and we said bye. My stomach was hurting pretty bad and I was super uncomfortable. I took a break, dug another stupid hole, changed into shorts because there was little wind in the valley and it was getting warm, put some arnica gel on my knee, and took a Motrin 800. I took a minute to compose myself and decided to tough it out and make it. I put my phone on my battery charger, plugged my headphones in, turned on my favorite playlist, and marched on. I wasn't sure if I was going to catch up to them and had to tell myself not to look at the distance I had left except for once an hour. Once I had a little over 6 miles left, just over a 10K, I played with the math and broke that down. It's hard to go from running an average of 10 minute miles to walking about 30 minute miles with a pack. A bit farther and I started to see signs… Yosemite Signs! Then, I saw the boys sitting there having a snack!! I was super excited to see them and started dancing/singing to the song that was on, Uptown Funk! I stopped and took some of their trail mix and said let's go. As soon as I started out I saw a coyote. I was surprised to see my first one and was sad they were not closer to see it. I led for a little bit until I got tired. I got pretty far behind again. My knee started to hurt and my stomach was giving me problems again.
Eventually I made it to the campground and started asking people where the store was because I knew the boys would be there. As I walked up I saw Dylan sitting on a picnic table with a beer and bag of chips! I dropped my pack and Luke walked up with beer and chips in hand. I snacked on their stuff before heading inside. I really wanted a real bottle of wine but they didn't have an opener I could just use. I decided I would find one eventually from one of the campers; so got a bottle, chips, and a seven layered dip! It didn't take me long to find an opener. A guy had one in his car! I wanted to hug him but I likely smelled really bad so I refrained. He opened it for me and I drank right out of the bottle to begin with. We sat there for a while and ate until we decided what was next. The boys went in the store to get more beer and dinner for the night. We got everything and headed up the hill to the backpackers camp. It was packed. We kinda found a spot next to a group of people and I asked Luke if I needed to set up and tent or if I could just stay with him! Yay for getting out of setting up a tent! We got semi set up and drank some more. Then was time for food! The boys got sandwich stuff which was awesome. We ate and drank and then I went to join a fire that was close to us. The guys were mostly older dads of boy scouts that had outgrown there time to camp with them and 2 guys in college. They are all from Orange County and were really nice. They asked me a ton of questions about the JMT trip so far and we talked for a while. Once the fire started to die down they got ready for bed and we sat there a little bit longer finishing our drinks. We finally got ready and crawled in our tents. I enjoy sleeping next to Luke, but we both stink!
Monday, October 3, 2016
JMT - Day 17 - Rosalie Lake to Thousand Island Lake
September 3, 2016
Day 17
8.1 miles / 212.2 total
Steps: 26,729
Thousand Island Lake
Days without shower 1
We all decided to sleep in today because we have a short day. It was nice to be lazy and I caught up on my journals a bit because I had only done brief notes on what happened to write later when I wasn’t as tired. Eventually I couldn't stop the hunger and had to get up. The worst sound in the morning is letting the air out of the pad. That means you really have to get up or lay on the hard cold ground. The best thing is breakfast, coffee, and slow mornings relaxing mornings! I enjoyed the sunrise over the lake and watching some people in a hurry pack up and get on the trail.
The walk today was pretty relaxing, easy, and few miles means time to stop, take pictures, and enjoy it little more. We had planned to stop at Garnet Lake for lunch and to swim but there was a storm coming in and it was super cold and windy. We found a place to block the wind and put on warmer clothes and ate a quick lunch. I was surprised at how cold and windy it got so quickly from the beautiful calm morning we had. I think today may have been the second coldest day behind the snow/sleet/hail day. Crazy! We got to Thousand Island Lake pretty early and were debating if we wanted to stay or continue on because it was so windy. I decided that we drop our packs and go look for a spot. We found something that would work and decided after a long wait that we would stay. It was difficult to set up the tent in the wind and took some time to get everything organized and head down to filter water. It was too cold to get in all the way but soaking the feet at night is a must. Luke took a short nap and Dylan and I hung out by the water for a bit before the clouds started to get dark. I really thought it was going to storm on us. Thankfully it didn't. We made our dinners; I had mash potatoes, bacon, and veggies. Than a soup, chocolate, hot chocolate, and wine! It was all awesome having extra food to eat without having to worry about it. The sun started to set and it was amazing how the sky turned colors. That is one awesome thing about storms. It's pretty cold tonight and I am in Luke's tent with him for warmth. Hopefully mine doesn't blow away in the middle of the night. It's amazing how much warmer it is with 2 people in a tent. It is only a couple more days until we part ways again.
Note - This area is dog friendly! It was wonderful seeing all the dogs. Please do your research to see the restrictions on Red's Meadow Area and getting to/from the trail. I know they must have a muzzle to be on public transportation!
Day 17
8.1 miles / 212.2 total
Steps: 26,729
Thousand Island Lake
Days without shower 1
We all decided to sleep in today because we have a short day. It was nice to be lazy and I caught up on my journals a bit because I had only done brief notes on what happened to write later when I wasn’t as tired. Eventually I couldn't stop the hunger and had to get up. The worst sound in the morning is letting the air out of the pad. That means you really have to get up or lay on the hard cold ground. The best thing is breakfast, coffee, and slow mornings relaxing mornings! I enjoyed the sunrise over the lake and watching some people in a hurry pack up and get on the trail.
The walk today was pretty relaxing, easy, and few miles means time to stop, take pictures, and enjoy it little more. We had planned to stop at Garnet Lake for lunch and to swim but there was a storm coming in and it was super cold and windy. We found a place to block the wind and put on warmer clothes and ate a quick lunch. I was surprised at how cold and windy it got so quickly from the beautiful calm morning we had. I think today may have been the second coldest day behind the snow/sleet/hail day. Crazy! We got to Thousand Island Lake pretty early and were debating if we wanted to stay or continue on because it was so windy. I decided that we drop our packs and go look for a spot. We found something that would work and decided after a long wait that we would stay. It was difficult to set up the tent in the wind and took some time to get everything organized and head down to filter water. It was too cold to get in all the way but soaking the feet at night is a must. Luke took a short nap and Dylan and I hung out by the water for a bit before the clouds started to get dark. I really thought it was going to storm on us. Thankfully it didn't. We made our dinners; I had mash potatoes, bacon, and veggies. Than a soup, chocolate, hot chocolate, and wine! It was all awesome having extra food to eat without having to worry about it. The sun started to set and it was amazing how the sky turned colors. That is one awesome thing about storms. It's pretty cold tonight and I am in Luke's tent with him for warmth. Hopefully mine doesn't blow away in the middle of the night. It's amazing how much warmer it is with 2 people in a tent. It is only a couple more days until we part ways again.
Note - This area is dog friendly! It was wonderful seeing all the dogs. Please do your research to see the restrictions on Red's Meadow Area and getting to/from the trail. I know they must have a muzzle to be on public transportation!
Sunday, October 2, 2016
JMT - Day 16 - Mammoth to Rosalie Lake
September 2, 2016
Day 16
7.4 miles / 204.1
Total Steps: 21,865
Rosalie Lake
Days without shower 0
None of us were really feeling like getting up today because we were all a little hung over. I wanted to do laundry...again so I got up took a shower and started that. We had a free breakfast so we got ready and headed down there. Breakfast was great! I had fresh fruit, pancakes and bacon. Perfect. We enjoyed breakfast and I changed over the laundry to the dryer and we all went back to lying in bed. We got a late checkout so we didn't have to rush. I got all my food and stuff organized. I figured about another 7 days which I had plenty of with what I still had in my bear can and sent myself. I was able to give Luke extra food too and left a bag in the hotel hopefully for other hikers. I always have extra first aid, snack food, breakfast, and baggies. But I guess that isn't a bad thing.
I got the laundry and everyone grabbed their stuff. It's crazy how 3 people can do 1 load for what they have been wearing for 3 days. Makes me realize I have WAY too much clothes and go through way too much laundry each week at home. We got packed up and finally left the luxury of a hotel. I grabbed a Gatorade and we went to the trolley stop. We only had to wait about 15 minutes and it was there. The next one was there as soon as we got off and had a TON mountain bikers on it. I think we were the only hikers. One of the guys was talking about a course or something they were going to go on where you can get 50-60mph. Seems crazy.
We were waiting for a bit to catch the next bus to Red's and there just happened to be a bar there! So we stopped in for a Bloody Mary. Oh my weakness. It was pretty good. One last real bathroom experience and we got on the next bus. It was packed. I forgot it was a holiday weekend. We got off at Devil’s Postpile stop because it was something I wanted to see. We did the short hike there took a picture and read the signs before going back to the JMT junction. It was rocky and mostly gravel today for the first 3 miles. Not a great day to not wear my gaiters - mostly because my tan line is horrible and I'm trying to make it look better. It was a bit of climbing today and hot! I was pretty far behind but they waited for me often and we took a longer break at a pond for lunch. There were a lot of people at Gladdy Lake as we passed and continued on. We found a simi hidden spot at Rosalie Lake and dropped our bags. The boys wandered off to see if there was any place better to set up camp for the night but didn’t find anything. We all set up our tents, went to soak the feet, and filter water. Luke went swimming but I wasn't feeling like getting cold again and I just showered that morning. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. We made dinner and a fire and just hung out. It was a nice evening. We decided on a few short days coming up because they need to pick up packages after the holiday and Dylan is meeting his sister Tuesday. I am also a day ahead of a schedule. It was a very relaxing night and good to be camped with them.
Note - This section is dog friendly - on the transportation in Red's area ALL dogs must be muzzled. I loved seeing the dogs on this section! Made me miss Reecy a lot!
Day 16
7.4 miles / 204.1
Total Steps: 21,865
Rosalie Lake
Days without shower 0
None of us were really feeling like getting up today because we were all a little hung over. I wanted to do laundry...again so I got up took a shower and started that. We had a free breakfast so we got ready and headed down there. Breakfast was great! I had fresh fruit, pancakes and bacon. Perfect. We enjoyed breakfast and I changed over the laundry to the dryer and we all went back to lying in bed. We got a late checkout so we didn't have to rush. I got all my food and stuff organized. I figured about another 7 days which I had plenty of with what I still had in my bear can and sent myself. I was able to give Luke extra food too and left a bag in the hotel hopefully for other hikers. I always have extra first aid, snack food, breakfast, and baggies. But I guess that isn't a bad thing.
I got the laundry and everyone grabbed their stuff. It's crazy how 3 people can do 1 load for what they have been wearing for 3 days. Makes me realize I have WAY too much clothes and go through way too much laundry each week at home. We got packed up and finally left the luxury of a hotel. I grabbed a Gatorade and we went to the trolley stop. We only had to wait about 15 minutes and it was there. The next one was there as soon as we got off and had a TON mountain bikers on it. I think we were the only hikers. One of the guys was talking about a course or something they were going to go on where you can get 50-60mph. Seems crazy.
We were waiting for a bit to catch the next bus to Red's and there just happened to be a bar there! So we stopped in for a Bloody Mary. Oh my weakness. It was pretty good. One last real bathroom experience and we got on the next bus. It was packed. I forgot it was a holiday weekend. We got off at Devil’s Postpile stop because it was something I wanted to see. We did the short hike there took a picture and read the signs before going back to the JMT junction. It was rocky and mostly gravel today for the first 3 miles. Not a great day to not wear my gaiters - mostly because my tan line is horrible and I'm trying to make it look better. It was a bit of climbing today and hot! I was pretty far behind but they waited for me often and we took a longer break at a pond for lunch. There were a lot of people at Gladdy Lake as we passed and continued on. We found a simi hidden spot at Rosalie Lake and dropped our bags. The boys wandered off to see if there was any place better to set up camp for the night but didn’t find anything. We all set up our tents, went to soak the feet, and filter water. Luke went swimming but I wasn't feeling like getting cold again and I just showered that morning. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. We made dinner and a fire and just hung out. It was a nice evening. We decided on a few short days coming up because they need to pick up packages after the holiday and Dylan is meeting his sister Tuesday. I am also a day ahead of a schedule. It was a very relaxing night and good to be camped with them.
Note - This section is dog friendly - on the transportation in Red's area ALL dogs must be muzzled. I loved seeing the dogs on this section! Made me miss Reecy a lot!
Saturday, October 1, 2016
JMT - Day 15 - Purple Lake to Mammoth
September 1, 2016
Day 15
14.1 miles / 196.7 total
Steps: 42,311
Mammoth City - Best Western Hotel
Days without shower 0
I got up today about 6:30, made my coffee and breakfast while overlooking Purple Lake. It was a beautiful cold morning. I wasn't sure where the guys were but I didn't want them to get too far ahead of me so I got ready and packed up by 7:30. Said bye and thank you to the lady that offered for me to camp beside her and gave her an apple and some starburst. She seemed excited about the apple! It was so cold I started in my running pants, puffy, beanie, and gloves. The climb made it so I was exposed to the sun quickly and I had to remove layers pretty early. After so many days of hiking together with the guys you start to recognize footprints. I was pretty sure Luke was ahead of me. So I just kept moving. I had to stop a couple of times for bathroom breaks, snacks, and just to take in the views and rest but kept a really good pace. It was a long stretch without many streams, so once I reach a decent one I stopped to filter water and make lunch. I was sitting there making my tortilla wrap when I heard Luke’s laugh! And then there was Dylan right behind him! I was excited that I was able to find them and shocked I was ahead of them. They sat for a bit with me as I finished my lunch and we caught up on how I lost them the night before. Then all started off hiking together. I am much slower than them but don't mind. At one point Luke wanted to take a break so I did as well. As we were sitting there Brian walked by without noticing us. We got in to Red's Cafe right at 2. The boys all got a burger and a root beer floats and I got a root beer float and a side of pasta salad! It was yummy! I was able to convince Luke and Dylan to go into town with me but Brian had to do more miles to finish on his set date to make it home on time.
We booked a hotel and hung out with Brian a bit longer. After taking some pictures and adding each other on Facebook since we had service it was time we said bye. It is odd all of us slowly splitting up. I really hope we all can get together again.
The 3 of us then got on a bus to take us to the main lodge, where we took another bus into town, and then the trolley to get pretty close to the hotel. Once we got checked in we went up to our room dropped our stuff and Luke and I went to get him some shoes and me some Epsom salt! Thankfully there was a great little outdoor store pretty much around the building of the Best Western. While Luke decided on shoes I went to the drugstore to get Epsom salt, travel shampoo, and gum! Once back in the room Dylan was almost done showering so I was able to get in pretty quick and then Luke. Oh the luxuries of a hotel room! We decided to walk down to the brewery for dinner, but along the way a pizza place got our attention and we stopped there instead. I was excited they had a full bar and ordered a Bloody Mary which was amazing! Real food is amazing and I had to order a salad! Fresh fruit and veggies are typically what I crave the most. Shortly after getting our food and a couple more drinks my friend Grace came to meet us! It was so good to see her and get to catch up for a bit. I had mailed my resupply package to her rather than to one of the stores so it was much cheaper. We were starting to get tired and a little drunk so needed to walk back. I said bye to Grace and we started walking back. We stopped by a liquor store and picked up a small bottle of Jack Honey and when we made it to the hotel. We asked what time they closed the hot tub/pool area and she said 10 but would keep it open an extra 15 minutes for us! Sweet! We went upstairs got changed; I dumped my box to grab a couple small bottles of booze I sent myself, and met the boys at the hot tub. It felt so good!!! I stayed for about 15 minutes drinking and talking with them before I remembered I had Epsom salt! So I left and made a bath. I poured about half of the bag in the bath. It was the lavender scented one and was so good. My feet finally felt and looked mostly clean.
It was so awesome to be lazy and clean. I got into bed and the boys came up shortly after. Perfect timing!
I have a great sleeping pad and sleeping bag but not much compares to a comfortable bed.
Day 15
14.1 miles / 196.7 total
Steps: 42,311
Mammoth City - Best Western Hotel
Days without shower 0
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| Me, Brian, Luke, & Dylan |
It was so awesome to be lazy and clean. I got into bed and the boys came up shortly after. Perfect timing!
I have a great sleeping pad and sleeping bag but not much compares to a comfortable bed.
JMT - Day 14 - VVR to Purple Lake
August 31, 2016
Day 14
18 miles / 182.6 total
Steps: 43,454
Purple Lake
Days without shower 1
I can't believe I've been out here for 2 weeks already. It's been going by pretty fast. Today started out much later than I wanted. We all got up and kinda packed up before heading to breakfast. I had 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast! The guys had the same but 2 meals...and beer. Lol
We enjoyed our meal and I cut out early to pay my tab and enjoy running warm water for the last time for a couple days. My total was just under $200! Kind of crazy but totally worth it!
We got all packed up and waited for them to be ready to ferry us across the lake. They said they could only take 3 of us so I jumped on the first one with Luke and Dylan. Brian is the fastest so we figured he would catch up. We said we would camp at Purple Lake so at least we had a plan.
The ferry took about 30 minutes to get across but is so much better than walking. By the way - the "ferry" is a tiny boat that can sit 5.
Once across the lake, we started walking and it was hard to get warmed up. The boys are so much quicker than me and I couldn't see them once we got back on the JMT which was about a mile in. I hiked by myself most of the day and listened to music and then my a book... I wasn't feeling great and just needed to zone out. Too much bread and funky food and my stomach wasn't happy. I took a few breaks and had to get water a couple times. About 4:30 Brian caught up to me and I let him by after talking for a minute. It wasn't long before I couldn't see him. I was really hoping they were going to camp at Lake Virginia but I didn't see them there so I continued to Purple Lake. The lake did not look purple but it was a pretty cool lake. A lady asked me how much longer I was going because it was starting to get dark and I explain I was looking for my friends or the next campsite. She suggested a place and said she hadn’t seen who I was describing. So I set up camp, cooked a quick dinner, and am now in my bag. I wish I was camping with them but hopefully I will see them in the morning. I got used to being with the boys and it is a little odd being on my own again at night. I need to go into mammoth to get my box and kinda want to see the town. It's only about 13 miles tomorrow so shouldn’t be too bad. Almost 9pm now and I'm starting to get warm in my bag and gonna try to get some rest. Good night!
Day 14
18 miles / 182.6 total
Steps: 43,454
Purple Lake
Days without shower 1
I can't believe I've been out here for 2 weeks already. It's been going by pretty fast. Today started out much later than I wanted. We all got up and kinda packed up before heading to breakfast. I had 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast! The guys had the same but 2 meals...and beer. Lol
We enjoyed our meal and I cut out early to pay my tab and enjoy running warm water for the last time for a couple days. My total was just under $200! Kind of crazy but totally worth it!
Once across the lake, we started walking and it was hard to get warmed up. The boys are so much quicker than me and I couldn't see them once we got back on the JMT which was about a mile in. I hiked by myself most of the day and listened to music and then my a book... I wasn't feeling great and just needed to zone out. Too much bread and funky food and my stomach wasn't happy. I took a few breaks and had to get water a couple times. About 4:30 Brian caught up to me and I let him by after talking for a minute. It wasn't long before I couldn't see him. I was really hoping they were going to camp at Lake Virginia but I didn't see them there so I continued to Purple Lake. The lake did not look purple but it was a pretty cool lake. A lady asked me how much longer I was going because it was starting to get dark and I explain I was looking for my friends or the next campsite. She suggested a place and said she hadn’t seen who I was describing. So I set up camp, cooked a quick dinner, and am now in my bag. I wish I was camping with them but hopefully I will see them in the morning. I got used to being with the boys and it is a little odd being on my own again at night. I need to go into mammoth to get my box and kinda want to see the town. It's only about 13 miles tomorrow so shouldn’t be too bad. Almost 9pm now and I'm starting to get warm in my bag and gonna try to get some rest. Good night!
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