Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Hiking Uphill: 1,272ft
Hiking Downhill: 3,382ft
Distance Hiked: 10 miles
Post by Melissa:
Today was a day that started like many others in the sense that we were slow to pack up and break down camp. Nick was not feeling well so after we packed everything up (except the tent), we chose to crawl back into the tent to lay down for a bit until Nick felt better. I always enjoy extra opportunities to be off my feet so I gladly snuggled up next to Nick in the tent for some relaxation and procrastination :-)
As we were lying there we could here other hikers coming down the trail...it was a reminder that we should probably get our butts up and get moving. Plus we were on the hard ground (our pads were packed up) so it wasn't all that comfortable lying there. At 11:30am we set off down the trail.
Here is a picture of our campsite. It was a gorgeous view. To the left (out of view) is a river where we fly fished the night before. I was ecstatic to catch my first fish on the fly rod. I still need a lot of practice but it sure was fun! Nick was catching them like crazy too and getting some great practice at setting the hook.
My wrist bracelet from the PCT kick off at Lake Morena on April 26-28th finally fell off this morning. I had it on for 74 days...pretty impressive, ehh? I was hoping it would make it all the way to Canada but it did not.
We had a several marmots come out for some sun near our campsite this morning. They are so cute! I wonder if anyone has these for pets at home. They are about the size of a toy dog. I broke the rules and tried to give them some dried fruit but they didn't want it. It was organic too!
And we are off! Today we need to conquer Mather Pass. Let's do this!
As we are making our way towards Mather Pass we come across an Americore trail maintenance crew. Most of them looked very young. They carry backpacks and gardening tools with them. We thanked them for the work they do to keep the trails nice for us as they passed by. At first I was curious as to why they were wearing hard hats...but then I realized it's to protect their heads from falling rocks (needed when climbing up the switchbacks to go over passes)
More scenery pictures as we approach Mather Pass
View from the top of Mather Pass. We stop here for a lunch break and chit chat with some other PCT and JMT hikers also resting here.
Descending on the other side of Mather Pass. Yay for greenery! We see Lower Palisade Lake ahead.
We stop at Lower Palisade Lake to make dinner and do a little fishing. Nick is on dinner duty tonight. Yay! I get to rig up my pole and start fishing.
It's not long before I manage to snag my lure on the bottom of the lake. The lure was stuck at least 15 feet from shore and I tried everything to pull it free. Nick knew how much I loved that Kastmaster lure so he stripped down and headed into the icy waters to retrieve my lure for me. What a great boyfriend!!
While I was fishing, I managed to stub my big toe and I felt the toe nail pull up from the nail bed (from my previous injury). Didn't feel too good...but the nail was not ready to come completely off so I taped it back down. Pretty gross...I know!
After wrapping up dinner we geared up and needed to cross a river to get back to the trail. When we crossed the river earlier we had taken off our shoes, however, for the 2nd crossing Nick was determined to keep his shoes on. His feet were very cold from saving my lure earlier and he didn't want to get his feet wet again. I proceeded to wear my Crocs and crossed in a shallow section without issue. Nick went further downstream to try to cross and almost gave me a heart attack. He was attempting to step on stones on the edge of a waterfall!! I begged him to stop and he did...thank goodness. He eventually took his shoes off as well and crossed in the shallow section.
After safely crossing the river we are back on the trail. The sun is starting to set and we know we need to move it. We had heard from some JMT hikers that we were approaching the Golden Staircase and once we started to descend it we would have to commit to it. There is no place to camp along it.
We are starting to see a lot of JMT hikers going southbound and it's nice to have the company.
More hiking pictures...
Unusual rock formations
Waterfalls
Time to descend into the Valley. Sun is setting...
The infamous Golden Staircase descent! Look at all those switchbacks. We were happy to be going down versus up (JMT hikers had to climb up this!). This was really tough on my knees. We descended over 3,000ft today and by the time I reached this staircase my legs were like jello. My knees buckled a few times on the steep descent and I hyper-extended my knees a few times. No sustained injuries but it did hurt when it happened.
Looking back up from where we just came. Whew...glad the descending is over!
As we were making our way to our campsite for the night we passed through some lush greenery. It almost felt like we were in a tropical rain forest. The mosquitoes were brutal in this section. Nick and I both really like the ferns and unique flowers we are seeing in the Sierras.
Finally we find a campsite near Palisade Creek and it is getting dark fast. For some reason the bugs seem to love Nick more. He is covered in mosquitoes as we are setting up our camp and I'm barely getting any attention. After a personal best at setting up our tent, we quickly get inside our tent to escape from the bugs.
I had developed blisters on the palms of my hands from my new hiking pole straps the day before and I had drained them but they filled up again. So tonight I tried the thread technique I had heard about. If you pull a piece of thread through and leave it in there all night, the blister fluid will drain out as you sleep. I was going to give it a go and see what was there in the morning!
Hiking Uphill: 1,272ft
Hiking Downhill: 3,382ft
Distance Hiked: 10 miles
Post by Melissa:
Today was a day that started like many others in the sense that we were slow to pack up and break down camp. Nick was not feeling well so after we packed everything up (except the tent), we chose to crawl back into the tent to lay down for a bit until Nick felt better. I always enjoy extra opportunities to be off my feet so I gladly snuggled up next to Nick in the tent for some relaxation and procrastination :-)
As we were lying there we could here other hikers coming down the trail...it was a reminder that we should probably get our butts up and get moving. Plus we were on the hard ground (our pads were packed up) so it wasn't all that comfortable lying there. At 11:30am we set off down the trail.
Here is a picture of our campsite. It was a gorgeous view. To the left (out of view) is a river where we fly fished the night before. I was ecstatic to catch my first fish on the fly rod. I still need a lot of practice but it sure was fun! Nick was catching them like crazy too and getting some great practice at setting the hook.
My wrist bracelet from the PCT kick off at Lake Morena on April 26-28th finally fell off this morning. I had it on for 74 days...pretty impressive, ehh? I was hoping it would make it all the way to Canada but it did not.
We had a several marmots come out for some sun near our campsite this morning. They are so cute! I wonder if anyone has these for pets at home. They are about the size of a toy dog. I broke the rules and tried to give them some dried fruit but they didn't want it. It was organic too!
And we are off! Today we need to conquer Mather Pass. Let's do this!
As we are making our way towards Mather Pass we come across an Americore trail maintenance crew. Most of them looked very young. They carry backpacks and gardening tools with them. We thanked them for the work they do to keep the trails nice for us as they passed by. At first I was curious as to why they were wearing hard hats...but then I realized it's to protect their heads from falling rocks (needed when climbing up the switchbacks to go over passes)
More scenery pictures as we approach Mather Pass
View from the top of Mather Pass. We stop here for a lunch break and chit chat with some other PCT and JMT hikers also resting here.
Descending on the other side of Mather Pass. Yay for greenery! We see Lower Palisade Lake ahead.
We stop at Lower Palisade Lake to make dinner and do a little fishing. Nick is on dinner duty tonight. Yay! I get to rig up my pole and start fishing.
While I was fishing, I managed to stub my big toe and I felt the toe nail pull up from the nail bed (from my previous injury). Didn't feel too good...but the nail was not ready to come completely off so I taped it back down. Pretty gross...I know!
After wrapping up dinner we geared up and needed to cross a river to get back to the trail. When we crossed the river earlier we had taken off our shoes, however, for the 2nd crossing Nick was determined to keep his shoes on. His feet were very cold from saving my lure earlier and he didn't want to get his feet wet again. I proceeded to wear my Crocs and crossed in a shallow section without issue. Nick went further downstream to try to cross and almost gave me a heart attack. He was attempting to step on stones on the edge of a waterfall!! I begged him to stop and he did...thank goodness. He eventually took his shoes off as well and crossed in the shallow section.
Nick leaving the waterfall edge to find a safer place to cross (sans shoes and socks)
After safely crossing the river we are back on the trail. The sun is starting to set and we know we need to move it. We had heard from some JMT hikers that we were approaching the Golden Staircase and once we started to descend it we would have to commit to it. There is no place to camp along it.
We are starting to see a lot of JMT hikers going southbound and it's nice to have the company.
More hiking pictures...
Unusual rock formations
Waterfalls
Time to descend into the Valley. Sun is setting...
The infamous Golden Staircase descent! Look at all those switchbacks. We were happy to be going down versus up (JMT hikers had to climb up this!). This was really tough on my knees. We descended over 3,000ft today and by the time I reached this staircase my legs were like jello. My knees buckled a few times on the steep descent and I hyper-extended my knees a few times. No sustained injuries but it did hurt when it happened.
Looking back up from where we just came. Whew...glad the descending is over!
As we were making our way to our campsite for the night we passed through some lush greenery. It almost felt like we were in a tropical rain forest. The mosquitoes were brutal in this section. Nick and I both really like the ferns and unique flowers we are seeing in the Sierras.
Finally we find a campsite near Palisade Creek and it is getting dark fast. For some reason the bugs seem to love Nick more. He is covered in mosquitoes as we are setting up our camp and I'm barely getting any attention. After a personal best at setting up our tent, we quickly get inside our tent to escape from the bugs.
I had developed blisters on the palms of my hands from my new hiking pole straps the day before and I had drained them but they filled up again. So tonight I tried the thread technique I had heard about. If you pull a piece of thread through and leave it in there all night, the blister fluid will drain out as you sleep. I was going to give it a go and see what was there in the morning!
wow, more beautiful scenery! very cool blister trick!
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