Week 10!! miles 949-1078, Bridgeport and South Lake Tahoe!

6/20/14

Mileage: 949- 968

Miles: 19

              Feeling fishy today! Great walk through the forest. Feels good to be getting back to some familiar areas of Yosemite. Miss you dad, we need to explore around here some more. Killer left us at breakfast, love you buddy, good hangin with you for a couple days. Spent most of the day without Bryan, we were on different paces.

             After all the talk and signs from the clouds tht we were going to catch fish, no fish at the lake for lunch. Nice walk through low passes and pink granite. I sometimes think I am walking through a dream when I look around and gaze at all the granite that looks like clouds reflecting the last rays of pink sunlight in the high country. Easy walking, beautiful meadows at every turn, rolling granite mountains....adventure all around. Every direction is an adventure waiting to be had.

             We found an amazing camp with a view at the edge of a basin meadow and we enjoyed an incredible sunset with whiskey passed and cheers exclaimed. Solstice tomorrow! And naked hikin day.

6/21/14

Milage: 19.5

Miles: 968-987.5

HAPPY SOLSTICE!! Aka: hike naked day!

Bugs: awfulllllll

Loveliest morning! We are finally in the thick of the Yosemite pink granite and it feels so good!! 

We are meandering through the most beautiful valleys, meadows and boulder fields. The passes have multiple lakes and the streams are so amazing. 

Yum, Boombox and I had a breakfast near a creek while swatting mosquitoes the whole time. Once we got moving again, everything was fine and they went away... Or so we though

The day was beautiful and you well as we made our way to camp at Wilma Lake when suddenly we were swarmed by a billion mosquitoes. I'm not kidding you, they were insane. Stop for one second and you can barely see your skin because it's covered in mosquitoes. 

I was on the verge of tears, out of frustration, so we immediately made a smokey camp fire which helped. 

I stoked the fire while Boombox went and caught some delicious trout for dinner. It ended up being a wonderful night. 

Delicious fish

6/22/14

Mileage: 987.5- 1007

Miles: 19.5

              Horrible morning of Mosquitos. Hiking in rain gear....hot as fuck! Left Yosemite with a little sadness in our hearts. The heart of the sierras are now behind us.....they came and went so fast. Dramatic change of mountains, reddish-brown with strange formations on top. Dusty trails and funky water. Great lunch break with foot baths and safety meetings. Yum's feet were hurting him so he couldn't sit for too long or he wouldn't be able to fit his feet in his shoes again. Good cruise to tunes for te last 5 miles of the day. We played Rummy 500 at an early camp with a raging fire. Tons of junk food and everything must go meals. 

              We had such a great time walking with Yum for the last couple hundred miles. I love that man, one of the best for sure. He will be missed on the trail, it was an honor and a privilege to walk with you brother. 

6/23/14

Miles:11 to Sonora Pass

Milage: 1007-1018

News: said goodbye to Bryan :( 

Weather: perfectly sunny and warm

Friends with us: yum (Bryan)

How long it took to hitch to Bridgeport: approx 1.5 hours

Completely blown away by the beauty and views this morning. We are saying goodbye to the heart of the Sierras as we move forward to a whole new kind of wilderness. We are headed for the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness full of less dramatic mountains, red soil and white granite. Leaving this section was sad.... But we'll be back. 

Perfect breakfast spot with breathtaking views 

Walked through the last bit of snow patches on the mountain sides

Got to Sonora pass!

1.5 hours to hitch to Bridgeport. Got a ride from a couple from India and then got a ride with a man from a tribe down in Bishop, hitching is always interesting. 

Said goodbye to Bryan as he continued to Mammoth. We already miss him!!

Picked up our box of goodies and sent away our bear canisters!!!!

Burgers at the Burger barn... YUM!!!

Mammoth Brewing beers at the Sportmen bar while we organized things, called our families and relaxed

Caught a ride out of Bridgeport to a camp ground about a mile down the 108.

6/24/14

Mileage: 19.5

Miles: 1018.5- 1038

Left our campsite in a hurry on order to avoid the camp host....oops. Hitched 5 miles up the 108 then waited for three and a half hours!!! No one would pick is up, I was blown away. So many cars with one or two people in them passed is by. We are obviously hikers that aren't scary at all...just a little stinky. Eventually Rock-Ocean picked is up in his VW Bus and room is to the pass, what a wonderful guy. Rock-Ocean is out here from the east just to follow the bubble up the PCT and drive people around who new rides while off the trail. He's a cool dude. 

              After our hitch we are a late breakfast/early lunch and then hit the trail. The walk was so beautiful today through the brownish-red rock mountains, wildflower fille meadows, and amazing panoramic views along the ridges we walked on through out the day. The brownish-red mountains changed back to the beautiful pink granite that I have come to know the sierras for. It seemed as though the valley we walked down for a section of the day was a dividing line between the two different kinds of rock formations. I am very interested to learn some of the geology and formation of these mountains. 

              Although our friends Killer and Yum will be missed, it felt good to get back into Glitter Bug and I's rhythm and have some time some with the love of my life. What a women she is! She is the motivator and a great pace setter....I love her so much and I am forever grateful for the time we share on the trail. We had a dinner on the trail before pushing another 3 miles to camp. We were both very please to have come almost 29 miles hen we started after noon! Stoked for this section, seems like its a hidden treasure in the sierras. Boom!!!

6/25/14

Milage: 24

Miles: 1038-1062 

TRAIL MAGIC AT EBBETS PASS!!!

Soundtrack: railroad earth and... Phish. Of course. 

Weather: perfect 

Bugs: minimal Mosquitos. Thank goodness. 

Completely blown away by this beautiful section. So many wildflowers and cool rock formations. Ran into Chipmunk at the pass doing trail magic! Special K cereal, cold milk and juice and chili over eggs!!!! Wow! First trail magic since Walker pass!

6/26/14

Mileage:16

Miles: 1062- 1078

              Woke up to rain....hard to pack up when the tent is what I pack in the bottom of my pack. After a tedious pack-up we hit the trail with all of our rain gear on. The first 5 miles were quick and easy and we stayed relatively dry. The next 8 miles after breakfast were insane. The wind and rain picked up as we climbed out of the trees and into the open, bald, alpine country. At times it felt as if the wind was going to blow us right off the mountain and it was an amazing feeling to experience the awesome power of nature, biting and blowing at our faces.

              Once my rain skirt was soaked through, it was very difficult to walk and my knees were aching from the cold.the clouds were flying by us at an alarming rate and we could see more that 20 feet in any direction, which made it seem as if we were floating on an island through the tumultuous sky. Glitter Bug's rain coat hardly gives her any protection so she was soaked and cold early in the hike. Once we dipped back down into the tree line we set the tent up for a lunch break and to get dry and warm. Glitter bug is such a tough women, that was intense weather to walk through!

              After a long lunch break, the weather cleared a little an we walked 5 more miles to Carson Pass where the trail crosses a highway. We were only planning on taking a quick break and pushing on for a 25 mile day, but a trail angel named Mike happened to be there asking if there were any hikers that needed a ride into town. We opted to take the ride and slack pack the rest of the hike to Echo Lake tomorrow. Mike gave us a ride to the motel 6 in South Lake Tahoe and we got a cheap room 

              We ate our backpacker food I. The hotel room and lounged on the bed all evening sharing wine an cheese. It was nice to be warm and clean and relax all evening. Tomorrow we will slack-pack and take more time to relax in Tahoe! Woot woot! What a beautiful life! Thank you Mike!

Sopping wet, swollen eyes, so cold

Week 9!!! miles : 878-949

6/13/14 Milage: 20 Miles: 878-898 Guest Blogger : Bryan Anaclerio. Trail Name: Yum. Friday June 13 - Full Moon Whoohaw !!! Hikin' the Mighty Sierras with Glitterbug and Boombox !! A true delight to rendezvous in the heart of the Inyo National forest. We awoke early from an absolutely gorgeous night lit up by the huge moon. The moon was so bright that we could see the shadows of trees cast upon the ridge of granite to our North. Our hike started with a bridge crossing over Mono Creek. As we got moving and just starting to warm up our bodies, to our wonderful surprise there was a river ford. Nothing like having to do a ford before 8:00 in the morning. We grudgingly prepared for the crossing which was 2-3 feet deep through a swift current. The first 2 steps into the river bring on intense feelings of naseau that only dissipate 5 minutes after the crossing. Blessed be the day, by the time we were really starting to warm up there was the second river ford at 9:06 am. The same feelings of naseau and relief were played over again.  The entire morning hike was beautiful as we were walking along the year round Mono creek in the shade of the canyon walls. Throughout the valley there was an abundance of vegetation and an ever present breeze. The trail work on this particular section of trail is remarkable. There are all sorts of carved granite steps and retaining walls built to prevent erosion of the trail. A small climb lead to a lovely meadow with multiple aspen groves. We continued climbing until reaching Silver Pass. Atop the pass, we looked down upon multiple alpine lakes where the colors of the lakes were primarily bright green and deep blue. Reaching into the northern stretches of the High Sierras it has become obvious that the mountains are becoming less drastic in their severity. A meandering walk down the trail off of the pass we found a rake. A rake. This discovery confirmed Boombox's theory that the Sierras are actually maintained by a dedicated group of landscapers. We walked up the aptly named Fish Creek that was booming with trout. Talk of fish for lunch dominated the conversation until we reached Virginia Lake. Boombox geared up and fished off of a bunch of large boulders. His mission to catch us lunch did not succeed. He had a huge fish on the line, but it flopped itself of the hook and back into the lake before we could grab it barehanded. He caught another smaller fish that he threw back. And failed to land another that took his bait. After a quick 2 hour stop, we continued our northbound hike. We passed Purple Lake (not actually purple) and Duck Lake (no ducks, just seagulls pretending to be swans) and moved ourselves along the ridge. We watched the alpenglow of the Sierras turn the granite and the trees a bright golden color. Worn out and exhausted from a long triumphant day, we grabbed water from a seasonal stream and set up camp on the flattest spot around us. Near our chosen camping spot, there was a haphazard tent set up. This lead us to believe that the tent was either abandoned or the shelter of an individual of ill intentions. These thoughts lead to Glitterbug having crazy dreams about our safety and she physically checked on us throughout the evening. The tent turned out to belong to a grumpy old guy.  It was the last night on the trail before a town stop, so regarding food everything has got to go. All of us ate huge dinners and cooked until all of our fuel was used. Fun night of chit chatting, enjoying Jim Beam and hot drinks. All in all the day was a blast. It was beyond fantastic to hike with these 2 thru-hikers. Their dedication to this adventure is inspiring. I feel very lucky to have such great friends and tremendously enjoyed my time on the trail with them. Happy trails !!! 6/14/14 Mileage: ZERO!  Miles: Mammoth Lakes Highlights from town:  Whiskey toasts  Reuben for breakfast west coast style Trolley talks with locals (ask a trolley driver a question about life and you get more than you paid for) Great mules and tavern food  Turned a 1977 high school reunion into our own engagement party (thanks to Yum's announcements and great relationship with the band) Danced like there was no tomorrow Free champagne Naked sprinkler run Hot tub I love  my friends and my fiancé! Move to mammoth? .....maybe. Thanks for the amazing weekend Bryan and Kimmie, it couldn't have been a more perfect, relaxing weekend with great friends! We love you guys! 6/15/14 Milage: ZERO miles: Mammoth!!! Friends we're with: Kim and Bryan!!! THANK YOU: Abby!!! For the sweet box of celebratory drinks, card, and bubbles! You are so sweet and thoughtful!  And Kim and Bryan!! For being the most amazing friends and hosts!!! You guys are the best.  Discomforts: Bursa cyst?! Behind my knee I have a bump that's a bit sore, perfect place to nurse it with RICE.  Phewwww!!! Last night was quite the night and had us a little slow this morning.  We finally got the day started and Boombox rode the bike to get goods for our brunch. Brunch included a scramble, bacon, pancakes and Boombox made his infamous potatoes... YUMMMM!! Food coma at its finest!! Boombox and I organized our resupply and made a shopping list so we could say we did something productive before spending the afternoon over margaritas and the World Cup.  Mammoth apparently has many hot springs so Kim and Bryan took us to some secret ones out in the middle of no where. We started filling it up when we got there and while we waited for it to fill we played baseball with a rock and larping stick we found.  The hot springs ended up being a nice little foot soak because it was taking hours to fill.  After a quick stop at the store for dinner goodies, we went back to the house for a delicious pasta feast followed by a cookie ice cream desert and a game of Yahtzee.  This visit was just what the doctor ordered. Seriously.  6/16/14 Mileage: 907- 913 Miles: 6               Hard leaving towns, especially when such great friends are taking care of you and being amazing hosts! Slow start to the day. Grocery shopped, box dropped, showered, packed, went to pizza and then the natural food store for half price sammys. Goodbyes, hugs, bus ride, and a milkshake before we hit the trail. Sad to say goodbye though Bryan will be meeting us again soon at Tuolumne Meadows....wish Kimmie could join us as well! We were feeling very sluggish and unmotivated so we called it an early night at 6 miles. Treats for dinner! Diabetes? Maybe. I can eat so much food these days and most of the time I am craving really shitty junk food...oops. 6/17/14 Milage: 22 Miles: 913-935 News: we made it to Yosemite!!! Passes: Agnew, Island and Donahue We must still be tired from mammoth!! We didn't wake up until almost 730! The air was crisp and our tent was a little dewy.  The hike started a little slow so our breakfast stop came pretty early but of course that helped a lot!  There are SO many other hikers out on this stretch. Many people are doing the JMT south bound and others are just weekend hikers. But it's a little weird to have to pull over so often to let others go by after being on the trail for months and rarely seeing anyone but PCT friends.  Today included three (smallish) passes, Agnew, Island and Donahue. The firsts two were hardly noticeable, and Donahue was a little over 11,000 but barely any snow and a very gradual ascent and descent.  We made our way down into Yosemite and Boombox was nostalgic about hos past trips in Yosemite with his dad and friends.  Got to camp late, again. And discussed that we'd like to slow it down a bit. Feeling a bit burnt out sometimes.  6/18/14 Mileage: 8 Miles: 935- 943 Short day into T Meadows to meet Killer. Confusion on meet up, but all worked out....never knew meeting people in the back country would be so damn hard. We got into T Meadows later than we expected so we decided to not walk down the JMT and took the rest of the day off in the valley with Killer. He drove us from Tuolumne to the Valley and we all got shitty burgers ad picked up picnic foods from the village store. A short walk later and we were lounging by the Merced River munching on carnitas and drinking beer in the warm Yosemite sun.             It was really good catching up with our good friend Killer; he is currently guiding back packing trips around the valley and spending a lot of time avoiding the chaotic crowds of the amusement park known as the Yosemite Valley. The valley is a fucking zoo! Killer, aka Kevin, is also working on his website and his e-books that teach music theory for guitarist....check him out! Guitartrails.com                After the river we ventured over to the backpacker camping area, which is tucked away from all the madness and is surprisingly quiet for being in the Valley. We played cards at camp and Glitter Bug won! Great hiker trash cocktails were enjoyed during our game full of trash talk and a hiker trash feast of carnitas, Hawaiian rolls and spinach was gobbled down by our endless appetite. The rangers came around and have us a warning about bears and it made the childhood fantasy of being a ranger fade away almost completely. Maybe it's all about where you work, but the Yosemite rangers seem like such tools (very nice folks though and kind of them to give is a heads up about the bears). Great day! Great life!  6/19/14 Milage: 6 Miles : 943-949 Friends on the trail: Kevin and Bryan (Yum)  Blisters: none "Just so you know, there are two bears in the bushes over there. They seem harmless but beware." Warned the park ranger while she walked around the backpacker camp in the early morning.  What a pleasant thing to wake up to. We packed up, had breakfast and walked over to Curry Village to hang out in the lounge before heading back up to Tuolumne.  I'm getting really good at figuring out how to get free showers. I found myself in a bathroom surrounded by women blow drying there hair and putting on make up after their showers so I decided I'd try and figure out how to make the $5 showers free. The restroom I was in was apparently for the private tents that people rent. I walked to the desk and said "I'm in room 447, can I get a towel for the shower?" And he handed me the towel with no questions. Now, I feel sorta bad about lying but... Not really. $5 for a shower, com'on. It was such a wonderful hot shower. By the time I got out Kevin and Boombox were looking for me because they thought I got lost.  The drive back to Tuolumne was beautiful!! We got to the store, are some food, chatted with hikers and waited to meet up with Bryan. The plans were to meet at noon and we assumed he'd come to store but he thought we meant on the trail, miscommunication at its finest here. We walked up to the trail after waiting for a couple hours and there he was, he had been waiting for us!  There was talk of going to see Devil Makes Three in the nearby town but instead we decided to get on the trail. We hiked through the most beautiful meadows near the river and past some astonishing waterfalls. We found the perfect place for camp about 6 miles in.  The night ended around a fire with a game a Yahtzee and some whiskey and tequila.