Day 74: 826-838

I slept like a baby last night. 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep next to the river. The sound of the rapids was soothing. People pay money to hear this kind of shit on a CD in their living room. We all slept in knowing today was mostly downhill and flat through the forest. We planned to hike just to the base of Muir Pass and do it tomorrow. This was our second day on dry trail through beautiful forest tunnels, with raging rivers all around us violently fighting to get down the mountain. The water super highway is what it  feels like.

We cruised so fast through dry trail after weeks of snow that we already were 3 miles south of our destination by noon. Because of this the group decided to push over Muir Pass and shave a day off the trip. We saw several JMT hikers who told us what conditions were like so we pressed on.

me on muir hut

I didn't realize it at the time but the climb to the summit of Muir Pass is long and brutal through frozen snowfields. We slowly made our way up and it was getting late in the afternoon. Climbing from 8,700 ft to 12,000 ft in one day is taxing on the body. But I've never seen so much beauty. I took a boatload of pictures today. Ascending up the summit to the Pass was liking hiking through another planet. Most passes are razor sharp and cleanly divide two separate valleys. Muir Pass sort of snakes around a couple ranges so you can't ever actually see it until you reach it. There is tons of snow up here. It looks like December.

the Lazy fucks  

While hiking up, I had a weird moment of existential clarity. I was washed with emotions, a recurring thing for me out here. I have to stop and just stare. Climbing up took every ounce of energy out of me. Not like on Mather Pass, where I was just scared shitless  from the steeps, but not exhausted. Muir Pass makes you tired. You want to quit. But everything around you keeps you moving.

one of the best sunsets one can witness  

starlight  

On the summit there is the iconic Muir Pass Hut that was built by the Sierra Club in 1930 - before they became a shitty non profit. The weather was so clear and we were soaking wet so we all decided to pile in the hut and stay up here tonight. I've never camped at 12,000 ft with 360 degree views of the beautiful High Sierra. This is the best and most grand of passes. That's why it's named after John Muir.

Didn't think I would make it this far

Hanging out at the hut was fun. Everyone was farting on each other and smelling up the place. I stayed out of the fray. We all piled outside for the sunset and cheered on two JMT hikers who were crazy enough to summit at 7:30pm. It's cold so we have to huddle tonight. Me plus 11 other smelly hikers lined every crevice of the 40 square foot hut for the night. Weird smells and all. Around midnight me and another hiker named Harley got up to take some shots of the Milky Way over the pass. It was so calm and beautiful.

the lakes leading up to Muir Pass

Day 73: 814-826

Today was easily the most epic day of my 6 weeks back on trail, and of the 160+ miles of the high Sierra. It started terrible. After camping on the snow below Mather Pass I woke up completely wet. Everything I have was soaked. The snow never fully froze and condensation up at his altitude was unusually heavy. Last night I woke up about a dozen times trying to get warm. When my alarm went off I was ready to get the hell out of there. My shoes were frozen rock solid and I had to mentally prepare for an ice field walk.

Mather Pass poking out of the darkness

Righteous and I were the last in the group to get out of camp. But we later realized that Earwig, Shakedown, Happy Hour, and WingIt were still asleep and wouldn't attempt the pass until after 7am.

Summit of Mather Pass

The beginning of the Palisades blew my mind  

After a few miles of walking through ice fields we got to the base of the pass and it didn't look good. Spacejam, GoPro, Steele (and his dog Cora) and I unknowingly ascended the suicide route up and over several rock cliffs - we could have taken the lower route to switchbacks but didn't realize it existed. We climbed up cliffs, scrambled over boulders, and transitioned back and forth to steep snowy traverses. The higher up we got the more I realized we went the wrong route, and the deeper we were. Too late to turn back. I've kept myself calm in most of these situations by just focusing on my breathing and my next footstep. But this time I looked over my shoulder and saw what felt like certain death waiting to cradle me...steep slopes hundreds of feet down. For a moment I thought I was fucked. In over my head. Then I remember to breath and keep pushing on. Get over the pass. This is by far the dumbest and scariest most beautiful thing I have tried and succeeded at doing. When I finally summitted I had a rush of emotions. I started to cry but had to hide it with my sun glasses. I didn't want the others to see. I wasn't sad or scared. I was full of joy. I brought my body and mind up this pass and I should celebrate it by being happy.

On top we hung out, snacked, took some photos and anxiously waiting for the rest of the Lazy Fucks to summit. They never showed and folks wanted to head down the next valley to make good time. I left them a note on a boulder telling them where to meet us.

The famous Golden Staircase on the JMT

Going down the backside of Mather Pass was extraordinary. I can't decide if the views this canyon has to offer are superior to Kings Canyon on the backside of Forester Pass. It's so good. The Palisade Lakes litter the ice canyon floor. They're frozen mostly with  turquoise blocks of ice crumbling at the edges. All the snow melt feeds then and they are all connected by a main vein. The water flows more violently the further elevation drops. Towering peaks staring you in the eyes. Birds singing and marmots taunting from the rocks just feet away. This place is wild. It's hard for me to comprehend most of it in the moment. I feel like I'm wandering a maze to nowhere.

After dropping more elevation the actual trail appears and snow covered moon-like landscapes transform into mangled green forests and swollen rivers with equally aggressive tributaries feeding them. The John Muir Trail has reared its beautiful head. Walking down into the valley was the most amazing moment of my entire hike. I wish others could be there to see it too. We stop and camp along the mighty Palisade creek. The same creek that is being fed from those high altitude lakes just on the north side of Mather Pass. This whole place is a system, interconnected, working. This creek is actually the size of a large river. We jumped in for an ice cold dip and I washed my clothes. Setting up camp right on the river bank is a wonderful feeling. And then you realize you replaced snow for shit loads of bugs. But I'll take it. I'm grateful for today.

Day 72: 802-814

This morning was an early one and I didn't want to get up. But the group agreed to head out by 5am. When it's cold I just want to hide in my sleeping bag. We started an immediate ascent up towards Pinchot Pass. Above the tree line it was endless snow fields. The climb never ended until we hit the pass at 12,107 ft., and 4.4 miles later. The views were breathtaking as always. The mountains change formations after each pass. It's like seeing a different neighborhood. A big hood.

one for the team on Pinchot Pass

 We dropped down into the new valley through several more miles before hitting a new tree line. I hiked solo for a while and then linked up with Big Daddy, Spacejam, and Speck. We blasted down through the trees, skiing with our packs on through little shoots. Because there is no trail I just pick a line and have fun.

the lakes  

 We made really good time, covering 8 miles by 11am. Then we hit the south fork of the King river. It was a hundred yards long, with little islands of fallen debris. We scouted a spot to cross and while doing so heard shouts from the other side. It was Ten Gallon. He made it across and directed us to the route. We slowly worked our way through rapids, feet and legs soaked and frozen, before getting across. I slipped on a log while doing so but managed to keep my pack and camera dry. We lunched on the river bank in a beautiful dry spot and waited for the rest of the group. Eventually they came, and I yelled to them, instructed them how we crossed.

crossing a totally safe snow bridge  

Once we all regrouped we decided to hike up above the next tree line towards Mather Pass. We have to hit it tomorrow while it's icey. The plan is always to hike up close to the pass but not too high up because it's exposed area to nasty afternoon storms. But not too low because then we have a brutal climb in the morning. We crossed a couple more large creeks, thankfully via snow ridges  that haven't fully thawed yet. I feel bad for hikers that are a week behind us. Those bridges will be gone.

When we stopped for the night I could see that there is nowhere ideal to camp. It's all snowfields and a couple tree burrows. I decided to pitch my tent on snow which proved difficult, it took me all afternoon. It's so cold up here that all you can do is cook dinner and get in your bag. Tomorrow we head over Mather Pass. They say it's the scariest of all ascents. We'll wait and see for ourselves.

me really happy that we have to camp in wetness