Leaving Mammoth the general feeling rang something like, "Hey we're through most of the big stuff. We're gonna be below 10 grand for the most part and yeah, I hear there are some rivers we gotta deal with but I'm a tall guy with a steady step. It's going to be cruiser! Right?" WRONG. The hundred miles or so from Mammoth to Sonora Pass kicked our butts big time. I remember one day in particular when I couldn't believe all the crap we walked through and over to get our 15 miles in for the day. From return creek to the far side of Piute creek we did something like 6 scary crossings over rippin' "seasonal creeks" mostly on the convenient balance beams place near the trail, hopped over a pass, did a little map and compass work on the snow (now in the trees), bushwacked next to a waterfall to avoid circuitous trail miles (found the 40 foot cliff that sent the trail southward and the snow shoot that let us glisade down the thing) and wait for it, my favorite - walked through what felt like a quarter mile of chest deep water! Yeah! Big day! Clawing for those miles. Other highlights included walking on a bridge that was 3 feet deep itself to get past the lake to Falls Creek which was another trip in itself. Water water everywhere! And hell yeah you can drink it all! Hit the 1000 mile mark the day before hopping off the trail and like magic our path was revealed. Finally, some dry ground to cruise on for a little while.
This trail can be such a tease! You don't see it for a whole day and just when you're starting to get really fed up it comes back and is all like "hey baby. I'm here. I'll stay with you. Just follow me and it'll all be okay. I promise" And you come crawling back all relieved and pathetic like nothing ever happened. And right when you get your momentum going and things are back to business as usual it runs off again! What a hussy. But hey, we made it to Sonoran pass and I'm still having an awesome time!
I've heard about a lot of people skipping sections in the Sierras it all kinds of ways - bumping ahead and walking south, bumping ahead and walking to Canada with plans to come back, road walking 100 mile sections to avoid scary trail miles (really?!), etc. Maybe it's the right decision for those folks. I'm not here to judge (well maybe I judge the road walkers a little bit... just skip the section guys. It's all good). But I definitely made the right decision for me. Even if all this slow walking means not getting to Canada before the snow starts falling up north I'd be 100 percent satisfied. The walking has been great adventure and I wouldn't give it up for any trophy.
The only disappointment I've had with other folks with all the moving and shaking around is the fear mongering that's been going on the trail. If something doesn't feel comfortable or safe to you, by all means, turn around, go a different way, skip the section... do what you need to do to stay safe, happy, but still challenged. But PLEASE, don't come away from that experience and tell others that the trail is impassible or not safe. We all came out here to challenge ourselves and by the time we get off the trail we will all have pushed our comfort levels. But where and how that challenge occurs will be different for everyone. It's those moments of pushing ourselves (yeah, in a safe way) to make hard decisions, manage risks, take on physical challenges, etc. that we learn most about ourselves and what we're capable of. If you tell someone not to do something then you rob them of that experience - even if that experience is simply walking to a point, realizing you're out of your element, and turning around. That is just as valuable as successfully fording the giant river that scared the crap out of you - maybe in some ways more so. I just hate hearing about people that were planning on climbing Whitney but then heard a bunch of war stories and because of that didn't even go and look at it. I'm all for informing hikers of conditions they may face, especially if you're concerned with a particular person's abilities. But let's try to leave the ego out of it as much as possible and present the facts as close to objectively as we can so folks can make their own decisions. OK. Rant over.
So got to Sonora pass and thumbed a quick ride to Bridgeport to spend the night and get my ducks in order for heading to NYC. Yeah yeah! Wedding time. I knew the hiatus was going to be a head trip but honestly being back at home with the friends and fam has been amazing. The most shocking part was Reno! Holy crap! Coming off the trail and winding up in a windowless casino with flashing lights and ringing bells everywhere was a trip. The buffet was well worth it though! Being the minister at my sister and friend's wedding was super fun and rewarding. The ceremony went great and the festivities were a blast. Everyone's psyched about how it all worked out.
Well now it's back to the trail. I'm excited to jump back into what will prove to be a healthier lifestyle. Staying on California time was a good call - staying up late and sleeping through the morning. Thank god the metabolism is still high or there would have been a few nights there when I would have wound up passed out on the street. Trying to get to see everyone in NYC and get my kicks in is always a whirlwind but I did pretty well this time 'round. Hopefully by tomorrow night I'll be sleeping on the ground again and on my way to Tahoe. It's time to start runnin' to Canada. We'll see what the trail dishes out next.
I love all of the critter pictures and the snow covered shots. Enjoy and be ever careful.Love Aileen
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