Day 60: 760-767 + 4 to Whitney base camp

The days get better and better here.

Sleeping by the river is trippy. Went to bed early so I got up early and tossed and turned. Finally got up when Mowgly did and packed up.

We had to cross the creek over a downed tree and it got me nervous. I was literally shitting my pants crossing it, my legs wiggling like noodles, 10 mph water flowing under me. I lept and made it across. That amount of adrenaline was stronger than any cup of coffee.

Immediate brutal 2500 ft climb out of the valley and over another pass. Dropped down into a snowfield and used crampons for a while. Our group is consolidating and I really enjoy hiking with these folks.

We took our sweet time getting to the JMT junction. The landscape gets better and better. We jumped on the junction but first had to glisade down a big chute using the ice axe as a hand break. It was fun, I went first.

​We got to the junction right at the mouth of a Meadows with beautiful snowmelt and massive crags overpowering the landscape. It's majestic. It's unreal. I forget I'm in California. We jumped in the icey cold water for a rinse and baked under the sun. It felt good to finally wash all the dirt off of my body.

The juntion to the JMT, dirt trail makes things much easier.  

We moved on towards guitar lake with plans to camp there but on our way up day hikers showed us pictures: a completely iced out apocalyptic wasteland. Nowhere to camp. And after sleeping at such high elevations the last few nights I didn't feel like freezing my ass off just to shave an hour off our ascent to Whitney later tonight. earwig, GoPro, and me decided to drop our packs and scout an area up in the snowy hills to bring the rest of the group to camp.

Timberline Lake. Whitney is off in the distances. The following evening we would be hiking through this area in the middle of the night. 

It's hard work moving through snow at this elevation, cutting a path where no trail exists. We eventually found a pristine granite cliff side to cowboy camp on. The views are impressive. We plan to wake up at midnight and start the 5 hour ascent to 14,508 ft - the tallest peak in the lower 48. If we make good time, we will see the sun rise.

Camping under the stars with a good view  

Day 59: 749-760

This morning was beautiful, sunny, and chilly. The sunlight pierced through the trees and bounced off of Cottonwood Pass. Laying in my tent, I had a bit of anxiety thinking about our low miles. Part of me wants to find a way to keep this an 7 day section so I can get to Independence sooner. But staying with the group is the priority. 

chicken spring lake, frozen 

After I got my bear bag out of the tree and packed up my stuff we headed out. The Lazy Fucks crew is hiking together again and it feels good. We immediately hit a meadow covered in snow and sun cups. Some are 2 feet deep and are a treacherous trap for weak ankles. It's exhausting moving through, the trail is no where to be found. We use GPS to get us over the pass and to Chicken Spring Lake. 

This lake is my first real sign that I am in a special place. Imagine a giant burned out volcano sitting at 11,220 ft. Half of the crater is blasted out long ago and at the base is snowmelt, creating a beautiful frozen lake. We stop there to eat and practice self-arrest and ice axe safety on the nearby slope. I wander off to the other side of the lake to get a couple photos. A marmot follows me around as if I'm someone he knows. 

After some photos and magical silence on the shore of the lake, I head back to the slope with the rest of the group to practice axe and crampon skills. WingIt is the most knowledgeable one so we are taking lessons from him. A few days prior, one of the PCT/JMT mountaineering legends had planned to take a large group of hikers up on a guided hike through the nastiest section of the Sierra. He got injured and left 100 hikers shit out of luck. They had to re think their plans. Many of them had planned to meet at this very lake. 

After practice, some of us took off. We still had 9 miles to do. It was a long hike the rest of the day. The trail is completely covered or ruined from the winter thaw. Everything is slush, swamp, permafrost, or mud. Going up and over big humps of snow and ice, downed trees, and the occasional boulder climbing with a 45lb pack on your back.

But all this hard work leaves you with light, life, expansive views, and a deep sense of humility. This place can kill you or bring you to life. I'm glad I'm not alone. 

Finally got into camp for the day and set up a fire, which is amazing. I also did some laundry in the river cause my hiking clothes smell bad. It's illegal to have fires above 10,000ft and we have been above that for the past 4 days. Tonight we are at 9,444 ft. Tomorrow we climb back up 2,500 to get to Whitney Portal. 

Despite the overall excellent day I got a nagging headache the last few hours of the afternoon. With some hikers sick with a stomach flu and others with altitude sicknessI was a little concerned I might be next. I decided to get to sleep early while everyone was up. I slept for about 10 hours. Woke up several times in the night to stunning moonlight shining through the woods and the sound of the roaring creek next to us.

Day 58: 736-749

This morning is was by far the most brutally cold morning I have ever spent camping. The sun couldn't come up fast enough. We all milled around camp trying to warm up, and avoid having to pack up and hike. 

I finally got going with the intent to camp just below cottonwood pass, it's only 12 miles or so. 

The hiking today was gorgeous. No wind or breeze and mostly flat cruising at high altitude. Several people in our group have some weird stomach bug and several more are getting altitude sickness. I feel pretty damn good. I thought the altitude would exhaust me more but it hasn't...yet. 

The trail was good until about mile 8 where we hit north slopes covered in snow. There is no trail to be found.  Getting through deep slushy snow slows everything down considerably. Maps are basically pointless now, and GPS is the only way to navigate through the woods. It took me an hour to go .4 miles. That's a terrible pace and we have to make sure we don't run out of food. Whitney and Forester Pass are still in our way to getting to the next town: Bishop. 

smoke two joints in the afternoon 

After 10 hours of hiking we made camp just below Cottonwood Pass and it's amazingly beautiful. 11,200 feet: the second highest place I've ever slept. I found a cool rock cliff to catch a sunset of snow covered northern peaks we are headed towards. I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. This deep cold and unforgiving terrain humble me every second. The beauty of this place is impossible to describe.