John Muir Trail Journal: Part 2
Days 9-13: Red’s Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch
JMT DAY 9 - 8.17.20
Red’s Meadow to Purple Lake (mi 72.5) // 13.2 miles +3,200 -1,100 ft
Wow, today was SUCH a long day and we didn’t even plan for it! We woke up this morning after a great night of sleep in the hiker room and re-packed the last things into our packs before leaving Red’s around 6:15 am. The whole day was going to be uphill, so we needed an early start! Thankfully, most of the climb was in the shade to start. And the grade wasn’t too bad, but we were passed by a few people, including Nick. We held our pace steady, and to Mom’s amazement, we were going over 1 mph on the uphills! Woo!
Our first stop was to filter water at Crater Creek and have a snack break. After this fill-up, the climb became slightly more gradual, and we continued up until Deer Creek, 6 miles into the day. Originally, we said we were aiming for Deer Creek as a stopping point! We felt great, so we started cold soaking lunch, filtered water, and had some snacks for the last push to the top of the climb. We talked to some NOBOs on the way up: a JMTer and a PCT sectioner who were very nice. Then we ate our lunch. While eating, another SOBO named Jackie passed by (Jackie #2).
After we finished eating, we began to finish the climb when the sky just opened up. We rushed to get our rain jackets on once we realized it was not just going to pass through. We kept hiking through the rain, but then the thunder started. And then we saw lightning. And then the two were together almost on top of us. I am NOT a fan of hiking in thunderstorms. This was the first time it happened and it was not fun. I was pretty anxious and didn’t know exactly what the best course of action was. It was also pouring down rain at this point. We decided to keep moving since we had trees above us because we were on a ridge and there was no flat spot to throw up a tent to wait it out. Eventually, it slowed down and the thunder moved away from us, and it stopped raining, but it was still stressful! We got down to the next campsite we considered: the Duck Lake outlet, but since we could see some blue skies and the rain stopped, we decided to push to Purple Lake to *hopefully* make it easier to get over Silver Pass before the afternoon tomorrow. Unfortunately, the weather said chance of thunderstorms through Thursday, and today is Monday.
Watching the rain pour, and knowing it’s headed our way.
It was a long and challenging day, but we made it to Purple Lake! We rewarded ourselves with Mexican Rice for dinner and Oreos for dessert. Yum! Another great thing about today was we saw 2 pack trains with horses/ mules and 2 sweet dogs with them! We love the pack dogs and the horses!
JMT DAY 10 - 8.18.20
Purple Lake to Mott Lake Junction (mi 85.2) // 12.7 miles +2,500 -3,500 ft
Another unintentionally long day in the books! We got some news that made us want to walk further today... more on that later. It was hard to wake up this morning, and we got a slower start than usual. We were immediately given a 600 ft climb to tackle, which is always a little hard first thing in the morning. But when we got to Lake Virginia at the top, the climb was soon forgotten. I was sad we couldn’t camp here last night, as it’s far superior to Purple Lake. It’s funny, even though Virginia was absolutely stunning, I barely remember anything about it on the PCT.
After cold soaking our oats for breakfast, we continued hiking, this time doing steep switchbacks down to Tully Hole in the hot morning sun. I remember these switchbacks clear as day though. After the descent, we found a nice spot to eat by Fish Creek, and Jackie (#1) and her friend passed us after we spoke for a bit.
Next, it was time for the big climb up to Silver Pass. We started at the bottom with very few clouds. But of course, by the time we were halfway up, the clouds began to darken and start rumbling. Thankfully, it didn’t sound too bad. But it did start raining on/ off, which was annoying. After lots of cringing at the sky, a few more rumbled of thunder, and talking to some NOBO hikers, we finally made it to the top! Just as it started sprinkling again too. Once on our way down, we met two women who had come from VVR this morning and informed us that they are still doing ferry rides, but don’t want it to be big public info so they don’t let anyone down. Well, seeing as the ferry was still technically running, and our best bet to get there would be a morning boat, we decided we needed to push on for miles as far as possible so we could by at the dock by 8 am.
It was so steep on the way down between Pocket Meadow and the Mott Lake Junction, our eventual site. We had to go slow to concentrate on not falling or hurting ourselves! Of course, right when we get to camp, it starts lightning and thundering AND hailing on top of everything else! We waited it out until the hail stopped, then set up the tent and jumped inside since it started raining harder. We sat in the tent as we watched the water level rise outside. Mom tried to dig a trench around her spot since the drainage wasn’t great. Eventually, water got stuck between the ground cloth and the tent body. We tried to move it around and find a good drainage, but it didn’t work all that well. During a break in the downpour, we unstaked the tent and shook out the footprint and tent, and then restaked it. We hoped this would alleviate the water stuck between the cloth and the tent, and it did! Thankfully, after about an hour it stopped raining/ hailing and we were able to do chores, dinner, and get ready for bed to get nice and warm before tomorrow.
JMT DAY 11 - 8.19.20
Mott Lake Junction to VVR (mi 88) // 9.4 miles (2.8 on JMT) +900 -2,100 ft
We woke up a little earlier today than we have for the past few days just so we could get a jump on getting to VVR. It was so dark out since we were in the forest! We really booked it down the stone steps and switchbacks to the VVR ferry junction. From the junction, it was another 1.5 miles to the ferry landing. Right when we turned on the trail, we found Jackie and Lisa! They were on their way out, and leaving their tent set up and just trying to do a quick in and out at VVR. They sped ahead of us, needing to be fast. When we got to the place where the landing turn-off would be, we saw how low the water was. Jackie & Lisa came up from the lake shore and another hiker who spoke to the VVR owner talked to us about how they said the ferry was currently “for hire only for day hikers at VVR”. And that the only trip planned for the day was a pick up for 10 people at noon. We decided just to hike in.
The trail was boring in places, but overall not too bad as far as bonus miles go. We saw the super low lake levels and were sad about the state of water in CA. I did have to put a podcast on to interrupt the boredom of the hike. And we had some service on the trail into VVR so I was also able to look up the weather. Thankfully, no thunderstorms for a few days, but looks like it’s in the forecast for Sunday & Monday. That’s still pretty far away for a weather forecast, so I’m just going into this next stretch assuming the worst, unfortunately.
Finally, we got to VVR around noon. We went into the store and were immediately welcomed by the staff to get our free thru-hiker drink and given the run-down on the place. No rooms were available, so we’re camping, but the camping is right next to the food area & picnic tables and it’s free, so it’s great! Jackie & Lisa were lucky and getting a ride out on a ferry others had hired, so they didn’t have to hike back to their tent! We said goodbye to them since we probably won’t see them again.
We were hungry, so we ordered fish tacos for lunch immediately (soooo good!!!) our friend Lauren, who passed us on the way to Red’s was there, and it was fun spending more time talking to her. Kate or “Salt Lick” was also here and we got to hear about her detour to Iva Bell hot springs and I chatted with her about the triple crown since she is a triple crowner. She is also really awesome. We basically talked with them all day & night!
Once we got lunch in us, it was time to get down to business. Charging, laundry, and showers were first on the agenda. It was nice to be clean again! Then came organizing the resupply... we have too much food. Like tooooo much. We originally packed enough meals for us each to have 1 breakfast, lunch, and dinner each, but we have been sharing all meals and doing our own snacks so far. If we kept to this eating, we wouldn’t even have to pick up our MTR bucket, and we even dumped some things in the hiker box here! But, I think I’ll probably get a little hungrier, and we have other stuff in the MTR box, so we’re still stopping, but lots will probably go in the trash, since MTR isn’t doing a hiker box this year, sadly.
After we got the resupply taken care of, we cleaned up the picnic tables we were using and ordered dinner, which we shared. BBQ chicken & Tri Tip with a great salsa and tons of sides. And a root beer float for dessert. Everything was so tasty! I can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow.
After dinner, we put our name on the shuttle for the Bear Ridge Trail for tomorrow morning. Since the ferry isn’t running, we are hiking in & out of VVR, and the easiest way to get back onto the trail and not repeat the lake trail walk is to go Bear Ridge. It climbs the same amount and is the same miles as the JMT is from the ferry junction, so we’re not too concerned about “missing miles”. We’re just seeing a different part of Bear Ridge. Plus, I’ve already hiked that part and know it’s nothing special until you get to Bear Creek! It’s great they are doing a shuttle to these trailheads because it would be a pain to walk/ try to hitch a ride from here!
JMT DAY 12 - 8.20.20
VVR to Bear Creek (mi 98) // 10.2 miles (5.4 on JMT) +3,000 -1,100
We woke up bright and early this morning at VVR. I had a hard time sleeping in and had to wake up earlier than normal to go to the bathroom. We got ready very quickly, as Lauren told Mom that she’d be awake at 6:30 if Mom wanted to use the shower in her room for finding the leaks in her pad. Mom has had to wake up multiple times a night to blow up her pad, so she really needed to fix this. I finished packing up the tent and moving all of our things to a picnic table while Mom attended to her pad. At 7:00 am exactly, I ordered breakfast - the Selden Pass plate - and it was ready so quickly and was delicious! VVR has awesome food.
We had to eat quickly since we signed up for the shuttle ride at 8:00 to take us to the Bear Ridge/ Creek trailheads. Because the ferry isn’t running regularly, VVR is doing van shuttles to these trailheads. After doing the math, we decided to take the Bear Ridge trail up to the JMT. This is a similar amount of miles & elevation gain as the actual JMT from the VVR ferry junction where we left the trail yesterday, so even though we’re technically skipping miles, we’re still hiking back to the trail. The Bear Creek trail sounded nice, but it was twice as long as Bear Ridge!
Bear Ridge was such a slog with full packs on. Pretty steep in places, no views, and just meh trail. On top of all that, smoke from surrounding fires was filling the air. I listened to some podcasts to keep me entertained for the 4.8 mile climb. It took us about 5 hours to reach the JMT junction at the top of the Ridge. Once up there, we called home to let Dad know we would probably be a couple days behind our original schedule. It was good to hear their voices. It can be emotionally draining and odd being away from someone you love, especially since with COVID quarantine, we were around each other all day. I know Mom misses home & Dad & Allison. I miss them too, but I am a little more used to being far away from home on a hiking trip.
After a quick break at the top, we descended. There were so many Aspen trees during the descent. This was a hard downhill though as I was mentally not with it and I slipped and fell again! I swear the smoke makes me clumsier. We took another break at the famous stream with AT&T service, where I reminisced about booking lodging in Mammoth Lakes with that cell reception back on the PCT. We stayed there for a bit, both super tired and just mentally blahhh today. I do think the smoke is playing a factor.
After the stream and snacking, we had a gradual climb until our campsite for the night, paralleling the beautiful Bear Creek. I was starving the minute we got to camp, so we quickly set the tent up and then made dinner. At camp, we also finished the repair of Mom’s pad. Fingers crossed it works! She actually identified two holes in the pad! Good thing she had the full repair kit with her.
JMT DAY 13 - 8.21.20
Bear Creek to Muir Trail Ranch (mi 107.9) // 10.75 miles (0.8 on MTR cut-off trail) +1,600 -3,500 ft
Good news: Mom’s pad didn’t deflate at all last night! That will be good for the final half of the trail. We had a slower moving morning. Mom is having a tough day, mentally and physically, even though she didn’t have to blow up her pad in the middle of the night. I get it. These past few days haven’t been super rewarding and they’ve been a lot of miles without astonishing views. Kind of sloggy days, which is never fun multiple days in a row. Having to hike in and out of VVR didn’t help much either.
Once we got going, it was a very nice climb up towards Marie Lakes and Selden Pass. The morning air was a little chilly, always great for hiking in, even though there was a slight haze in the air still. When we got to Marie Lake, we took a longer break to eat a snack enjoy the beauty of the place. Unfortunately, more smoke moved in, blocking some stellar mountain views, but oh well. After our break, we continued climbing up to Selden Pass. It was a pretty mild climb as far as passes go: easier than Donohue and Silver! Plus, the view was awesome looking back on Marie Lake.
At the top, we took another short break and then started our descent towards Heart and Sallie Keyes Lakes. The views were so pretty going down, and I didn’t really remember them from the PCT! I did remember the campsite I stayed at with Hot Mess & Butters at Upper Sallie Keyes though! It was just as pretty as I remembered. We took a nice lunch break at the lower Sallie Keyes lake and finally ate the tuna packets we’ve been carrying because we could throw them out at MTR and not have it stink up our trash ziplocs! During lunch we saw a huge pack train of 13 horses/ mules following a large group of people carrying day packs. We’re assuming they’re from MTR and are getting to camp at Marie Lake with the help of stock? Sounds like a pretty sweet (and expensive) setup to me.
After lunch we began our descent to MTR. It was horrible. The first part wasn’t bad, just a little boring through the trees. The second part was so hot and exposed, switchbacking down through manzanita shrubs with the occasional tree for shade. Plus, it was so steep and the trail tread was annoying fist-sized rocks. It took a lot of mental concentration not to fall down in certain places. Finally, we saw the sign for Muir Trail Ranch, our last resupply destination of the trail. We went down a set of even steeper switchbacks until we got to the ranch.
Apparently the set-up is new this year: they moved the hiker things to a building at the edge of their property to enhance social distancing. It was still a good set-up, but man I wish they sold soda!! We were dying for a cold drink when we arrived, at 4 pm. They “closed” at 5 pm, so we had to quickly get our resupply and re-organize EVERYTHING. We finally decided on ditching all of our breakfasts (but keeping bars & Belvitas) since we were doing OK without them, and continuing to share lunches & dinners. I might get hungry towards the end, but we threw in a couple extra meals, so I should be ok. We managed to get everything sorted out, thrown away, and/ or donated by the time the worker needed to take away the garbage cans.
After sorting, we walked down to the camping area near the river, where tons of other people were camped! We had barely seen another human all day: looks like we finally found all of them. That always tends to happen on thru-hikes near resupplies. You either see a ton of people on trail leaving, or absolutely no one because they’re all in “town”. Since were in between VVR and MTR, it makes sense that the trail was weirdly quiet the past couple of days. We set up camp and went down to the river to soak our feet and rub some of the dirt away. Then we ate dinner & charged all of our things with the power brick, so we only have to charge the brick in the morning when the MTR store re-opens. We’re going to hang out there for a little bit before hiking on to make sure everything gets fully charged before starting this last super long stretch!
