To climb, or not to climb? That is the question!

Saturday, July 16

Day 7, 1 week on the trail

Fish Creek Camp site to Lake Addison Trail Junction

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts"

~Rachel Carson

Another bad night of sleep. I kept waking up all night long. I finally woke up before 5 AM, but laid in my bag trying to stay warm until first light. Eventually I heard some of the other guys stirring and I quickly began to pack up. Hearing the others motivated me to get out of the bag I guess.

I hit the trail at about 6:20 AM. I had been fearing the 2000 foot climb up to Silver Pass all night, but to be honest it was not bad at all. I never felt like I was close to pushing my heart right into the” red zone.” Once again gentle grades all the way up. There are a couple lakes up top that would've been great for camping at.  As soon as I crested Silver Pass I began to descend the backside. After crossing the creek beneath a beautiful cascade, the trail dropped steeply. I was glad I did not have to come up this side. Larry and Tom passed me just before this point. I am a very slow hiker!

Currently I am in my tent at the Lake Edison Trail junction. I arrived here just as Tom and Larry were setting up the tents. I decided to take a break and have lunch, then to decide at 2:30 if I was going to tackle Bear Ridge or not today. Just before 2:30 drizzle started to come down, just about the time Jesse and Avery came in. Feeling a little chilled I decided to put up the tent for some protection from the rain. Twenty minutes later so the rain to seemed the stop and I have not heard any thunder and over half an hour. Part of me wants to pack up and take the challenge of Bear Ridge today. Someone I passed earlier today made it seem like one of the hardest climbs on the trail; lots of switchbacks. I am trying to decide if I will gain anything by tackling it today rather than tomorrow. Either way I am hoping to get to Sallie Keys Lakes tomorrow; either a 9 or a 13 mile day depending what I decide.

Evening –

I decided at I 5:00 that if I was not going to do the climb I should go fish. Why not? Working my way upstream from the bridge I managed to bring six or seven fish to hand, rainbows and browns. All but one were of a keepable size. The biggest fish of the day got off my line just as reached my feet. It look like a nice fish. Real nice! Still no golden trout yet. Really looking forward to catching one of those, they sound really pretty.  I fished for over an hour. When I get back to camp, Tom and Larry had moved their tents to a smoother, flatter area across the bridge. I decided not the move even though I am laying at a slight angle on my site.

The excitement of the evening was a bear in camp, or rather circling the camp. I saw people across the trail pointing and grabbing their cameras, I figured it was a bear. Five minutes later I went to put my bear canister away and a nearby hiker said “there is a bear.” I thought he meant across the way, but as I began to move forward he became more insistent about the bear.  When I looked up 20 yards away was a smallish, light brown bear. After somewhat recovering from the initial shock of seeing him so close, I did what I was supposed to do: yelled, shouted, waved my arms. The bear did what he was supposed to do, wondered away. An exciting and innocent meeting. This first encounter though had my heart racing. Hope I can sleep tonight and get no more fury visitors.

Feeling lonely tonight! I was really down for an hour or so, but after the bear incident I went to talk to couple hikers of across the trail from me. The simple act of conversation help to bring my spirits up. My eyes are dropping as I write this so I guess it's bedtime.

Seldon Pass

A New Strategy and a Bath

Friday, July 18th

Day six

Deer Creek to Fish Creek camp

12.5 miles

“Little by little, one travels far”

~J.R.R. Tolkien

Slept poorly last night. Mostly due to not getting cleaned up before bed.  I felt sweaty and clammy all night, which made me cold. Will have to do a better job tonight at cleaning up.

I am on my afternoon break right now at Purple Lake, about 8 miles from last night's camp. So far I am on track with my new game plan. I had a Probar for breakfast because I couldn't could not get the stove to light. Probably due to canister being cold. I left Camp at 7:10 AM. The first part of the morning was a mostly gentle climb up the Duck Pass Trail. The trail did a lot of easy contouring, making the walking pleasant. I am having some small foot issues today. I have small blisters on the outside of each foot between the heel on the ankle. Same place on each foot. I taped them before leaving this morning, but I will put a little duct tape over the Luca take before I get back on the trail.

Lunch/dinner today is Moroccan Delight. A favorite at home so I hope it tastes even better on the trail. I saw two fish swimming nearby. I am not sure if it is worth breaking the right out or not. Will look to see if any more are swimming around.

It turns out Moroccan Delight was no delight on the trail. I loved it at home but it had a bad/spoiled/rancid taste out bad out here. I think I have one in the MTR resupply, so I will have to trade it out with something from the other hiker barrels. 

From Purple Lake to the trail climbed up to Lake Virginia. I made decent work of the climb, though there were a few short steeper sections, when compared to what I have been encountering. Lake Virginia is beautiful! The water was not that cold, so I cited to go for a quick skinny-dip to rinse off some of my stink and grime. I had the whole place myself as far as I could see, so why not? I let the sun dry my body as I gazed at the lake, before getting dressed.

The trail skirted the east side of the lake. Looking down from the trail, the water was the beautiful Sierra blue-green once again. The lake looked deeper than most of the lakes I've been passing, based on some of the very large boulders submerged just off the shore.

Shortly after leaving the lake the “trudge” began; a 2.2 mile, about 800 foot decent into Tully Hole. By this time I was dragging ass! Both feet were very sore and I just wanted to be down; but not before what seemed like an endless string of switchbacks. As soon as I made it to the McGee Pass trail Junction, I sat down on the last step and relaxed and ate a bag of regular M&Ms; 230 calories per bag.

By this time I decided I was not going to make it any farther the Fish Creek today, less than a mile away. The hike along Fish Creek was beautiful despite the aching in both feet. The creek was appropriately named as every pool held fish. I really wanted to stop and fish, but did not have the energy to do so. I missed another great opportunity!

When I arrived in Fish Creek camp, there were three other tents three already there, but they welcomed me in. I recognize all three from being at Deer Creek last night. It turns out we have the educator site tonight. Chris and I met earlier today, he teaches sixth grade math and Tom and Larry both teach college.  It's great to be in camp with these guys tonight as I have been feeling really alone this afternoon and down because both feet are hurting. 

Tomorrow starts off with a 1,700 foot climb over 2 miles. Sounds like fun! The uphills did not hurt my feet today as much as the downs so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow. After the climb I will have to make some decisions, as there is a good campsite about 10 miles, then another 2,000 foot climb, with another campsite at mile 14. I guess it will all depend on how I'm holding up. Looks like there might be 3 creek fords tomorrow as well. Hoping for a better and stronger day tomorrow than today!

New Friends and Resupply #2

Thursday, July 17

Day five

Lake Ediza trail to Deer Creek

16.8 miles

“It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit”

~J.R.R. Tolkien

I think it is a good thing that I have to look at my watch each night to know the day and date. Another big day!

Luckily it did not rain throughout the night, but nevertheless everything was still wet in the morning,

and had to be packed up that way. I had been re-tapping 2 to 3 toes on each foot daily to prevent blisters. I only have two very small one so far, and they are not giving me any problems, so the taping must be working.

I hit the trail and headed down to Shadow Lake, which like many lakes here is a beautiful blue-green color. From there I gained about 500 feet elevation to Rosalie Lake. The grade of the switchbacks was not bad at all. I felt strong on the ascent.

The fish were rising at Rosalie Lake when I arrive so I broke out the rod and managed to catch four rainbows; three of them were over 11 inches. A great way to start the day! From Rosalie the trail was a steady downhill to Devils Postpile National Monument. I met up with Jessie and Avery, from Aspen, just as we crossed the bridge into the Monument. Yes we were off the official JMT, but you can't come this far not see the rocks. Besides there are so many trails here is gets a little confusing to stay on the actual JMT.  Hike your own hike!

I hiked with Jesse and Avery into Reds Meadow Resort and joined them at the restaurant for lunch. A cheeseburger, chips and a Mountain Dew. After reading about these burgers for over a year, I can say they lived up to their reputation. After lunch I picked up my resupply box and did a little laundry. I was able to charge to my camera batteries and iPod. I ended up leaving a bunch of food behind in the hiker boxes. I had over-packed as I guessed, but at least I was able to leave something behind for others to enjoy. I did pick up a Justin’s peanut butter and two snickers out of the hiker box for myself. I also bought a new hat before leaving Reds, a ball cap with a neck shade cover/flap. James and Z were here as well, picking up their resupply and left an hour or two ahead of me.

The best part of Reds was that I got to call home and talk to both Karen and Cade. Both were surprised to hear from me. I forgot until late morning that K flew to Houston yesterday. She said her mom's memory is not doing well. I wish I could hold her and tell her everything is going to be alright, but we both know it is that it is not going to be the case.  I got really choked up when I talk to Cade. All he really said was “I love you” and “I miss you”, but it really did get to me, as it does every time I think of him. He is still too young to really understand why Daddy is out hiking and is not at home. But I feel okay knowing that he is in the great care of Grandma and Grandpa who love him more than anything in the world.

 

As I went through my resupply box I watched the storm clouds building again, in the direction I had come from. I figured we were in for another wet afternoon and debated whether to carry on or stay at the campground there. Finally looking in the direction I had to go and seeing clear skies I decided I would head out. As I left Reds at 5 o'clock I teamed up with a solo lady from the Bay area we set out to find the JMT together, which can actually be a little tricky. We managed to find it easily enough. Leaving Reds the trail climbs 800 to 900 feet through general switchbacks. I stayed with the woman for 30 minutes or so then I pulled ahead as I was feeling stronger.

Just past Red Cones “mountain’ I ran into Jesse and Avery's camp and chatted with them for about 10 minutes. They said James and Z have gone a mile further up to the Upper Crater Meadow, so I carried on.  An hour and a half later I found their camp, but it turns out it was at Deer Creek. This made me feel better as I was thinking it was a damn long mile and I was moving really slow. Turned out it was 3 miles. I felt strong entire time. The stretch in between these two sites has been my least favorite of the trip so far. Lots of downfalls, not over the trail but along it. There are a lot of tenters here tonight; probably eight in just one little area. This is one of the last water locations for a few miles (the longest waterless stretch so far) which accounts for its popularity.   I can hear James snoring away 30 to 40 feet from me maybe it will keep the bears away tonight.

I am going to try new a hiking strategy tomorrow. First I am going to force myself to eat breakfast, as I need the calories. Then I will hike for 4 to 5 hours, having a snack along the way. Then I'm going to have dinner for lunch and try to take an hour break before hiking again. I seem to hike best in the morning and evening, so I give this new strategy a try. The dinner course will be lunch. I do not my hiking until after 7 PM, so maybe a big lunch, like today at Reds, will keep me strong thorough the afternoon. Another great day on the JMT!

2 Pass Day

Wednesday, July 16

Day 4

Lyles Fork Basecamp to as Lake Ediza trail

15.8 miles

"The thing to remember when traveling is that the trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for:"

~Louis L'Amour

It turned out we are not camped at Lyle Fork Base Camp last night. We were about 50 yards past it. James and Z ended up I'm moving there, after I was already in my tent for the night, because they were worried about getting streams of water through their site later in the night if the rain resumed and picked up.

Today was a long day of hiking 12 hours; 6 AM to 6 PM. The climb up Donahue Pass was not as bad as I feared. Once I broken out above treeline I found myself in a beautiful meadow with a stream widened out into a pond. The water for the pond cascaded down from a waterfall that must've been close to 300 feet high, not all in one drop but over a series of cascades. The trail continued upwards, well to the right of falls. I ended up crossing over the stream just before began its fall. Somehow at this point I managed to lose the trail for the first time today; not the trail behind me, but the trail in front of me. I ended up doing some class II scrambling over rocks to gain a small knob where I was able to refind the trail.  I am still not exactly sure how I lost the trail. Once I quickly got back on the trail it climbed through open ground to the Pass at 11,073 feet.

Just as I crested the summit an older gentleman crested it from the other side; “Dr. Livingstone I presume?"  We chatted a little before I headed down. The pass also marked the end of Yosemite National Park and entrance into the Ansel Adams Wilderness, within Inyo National Forest.  The descent off the Pass to the Marie Lakes Trail was uneventful except for almost stepping on a mama ptarmigan who was right on the trail. As I came around a curve in the trail, I saw a baby bird in the middle of it, then heard its mama calling. It took me a full minute to realize that she was directly on the right side of the trail, not two feet from me. She she let me take their picture and then I walked a little way back up the trail and detoured around them, before continuing on my way.

I ran into James and Z again at the Marie Lakes Trail Junction. I stopped to have lunch and soak my feet in the stream before moving on. Doing my math late last night I did not realize that it was only about 6

miles to Marie Lakes Trail junction so after a little break I kept going. James and Z passed me about 20 minutes later and that was the last I saw them today. On the way to Thousand Island Lakes I passed numerous hikers heading in the opposite direction, including one Facebooker sporting the group bandanna. As I got closer to the lake the skies on three sides of it began to darken, and I knew I was in for another afternoon of rain.

I reach the lake at 2 PM and tried to do a quick sketch of the lake with Mt Banner in the background, but was not able to finish do the rain starting. Mt.Banner looked incredible surrounded by dark clouds; something straight out of Lord of the Rings. I got a quick bite to eat then decided to head on down the trail.

For the next four plus hours the rain came down. I had on my rain jacket but not pants. From Thousand

Island Lakes I worked my way up and over to Garnet like. As it was still raining I decided to push on as I did not want to put up a tent in the rain. As I passed over the bridge at the outlet of Garnet Lake I made a big mistake, and followed the faint path leading down the rock to the left. I continue to follow the faint path through and down rocky ravine. It was a little sketchy at times,doing class II moves over slick boulders. When I got to the bottom I ducked under some trees and checked my map. Yup I took the wrong trail. I should have gone straight once over the bridge, rather than turning left like I did. I let a sign talking about camping at the lake, threw me off. So once again I went back up the slick ravine to the lake.  

The Wrong Way Ravine

Once back on track and I continued to descend in the rain. I was trying to be aware if I was getting too cold. I feared getting hypothermia.  I  continued along the trail through a steady downpour.  Not only was I worried about stopping and getting hyperthermic but there were no good camp spots to be found.  After what seemed like a couple hours of walking I finally came to the first camp spot, where I had my first unpleasant and only negative experience on the trail.

As I neared the first decent campsite I caught up to a Korean man man who I had seen earlier in the day,as part of a  threesome of hikers. Since I was in no hurry I plodded along behind him until he met up with 1 of his friends  friend and I passed them both. By this time I was getting quite cold and tired and wanted make camp.  At the first site I had seen in two hours,A relatively large flat wooded area, a third Korean was standing guard told me “our site” and I should move on. I was ready to kill him. We had all been hiking and wet for hours and the site was big enough for me to set up away from them. I was fuming!   At this point I had two options and decided just to push on,rather than be the ass that I wanted to be.  I did not want to stay there and be pissed off at these guys.  I must admit that I have many unflattering comments that I really want to make to this group of foreigners.

I hiked down for another 20 minutes or so so until I came to the lake Edster trail Junction, where I found several camping spots and decided to stop for the day.  My goal was to set up the tent without getting soaked.  Luckily this mission was accomplished quickly and I crawled into it got undressed and crawled into my sleeping bag.  I snuggled down deep into it in for an hour or two trying to warm up.  Eventually I popped my head out and realized the rain I heard was just dripping from the trees. I decided to get out and make dinner. While the evening was still cool it was dry.  I found a great spot out in the open to have dinner on some rocks and watched the river flow bye.  Full of food and warm crawled back into the bag for the night.

Resupply # 1 and New Friends

Tuesday, July 15

Day 3

Upper Cathedral Lake to Lyle Forks Base Camp

15.4 miles

“I want to see what’s on the other side of the hill, then what’s beyond them”

- Emma “Grandma” Gatewood

A relatively easy day of hiking. Slept okay last night. I woke several times with the usual aches and pains from sleeping outside. Skipped breakfast again and got on the trail just after 7 AM. Breakfast has not sounder good last two days. I probably really should eat it though. From Cathedral Lake the trail was downhill all the way from the to Tuolumne  Meadows.I passed a young boy, about six years old today, hiking with his parents. He was very happy despite the rain. It brought a tear to my eye thinking of Cade and home.

I first made a quick stop was at the visitor center to see if they had a book I wanted to for Cade. No luck.  Next it was onto the mountain shop/gas station where I picked up a Ridgerest sit pad. The two hikers I met from Connecticut had them and said they really liked them. I can see why. It adds just a little extra weight but a lot of comfort during breaks and at camp. 

I arrived at the Tuolumne  Meadows store and restaurant around 10 a.m.  I was hoping for a hamburger but had to settle for eggs, potatoes, biscuit and sausage as breakfast will still being served. I figured I would eat first, before doing my other chores, to give all the food some time to settle, before hitting the trail again. I hoped to avoid the onset of food coma this way. It worked!

I sorted through my resupply box, and donated a few items to the hiker box. I also picked up three gels from the store to try for breakfast over the next couple days. I really do need to get some energy early in the morning to help me to avoid crashing. I also mailed a postcard home to Cade. Hope he likes it. I left the store and headed back to the trail through the campground. While I was  probably not truly on the official trail I wanted to be able to say that I hiked the entire JMT without having to cross a single road.

The walk down Lyle Canyon was easy as promised. The hardest part was resisting the temptation to stop and fish every 50 yards. The Tuolumne River is gorgeous trout water! Jay would disown me as his apprentice if he saw the miles of water that I passed up in order to make miles today.  At a bridge over the Tuolumne River I stopped to get the rain gear out again, as the clouds were darkening again and I could hear thunder.

Just after noon the rain came and kept up most of the afternoon. More thunder and lightning today, but I kept moving on. Luckily, despite being soaked I did not feel too cold.

I met James and “Z” (Zohar) from New Jersey and we passed each other throughout the afternoon.  We ended up camping together near Lyle Fork Base Camp. Both very nice guys and are on a similar schedule as mine, so I imagine I will see them in the future. I did get to do a little fishing at the creek at our site. I managed to pick up three brookies; two on an Elk Hair Caddis and the other on a Purple Haze.

A big morning tomorrow as it starts with a 4 mile climb up 2000 feet to Donahue Pass. I went over Cathedral Pass yesterday but did not realize it until I looked at the guide last night. Hopefully my body will be up to the climb, and I can avoid any nasty weather. I am going to aim for Marie Lakes Trail for tomorrow.

Onward!

Monday, July 14

Day 2

Illiloutte Trail Overlook to Upper Cathedral Lake

17.5 miles

"We celebrate not the trail, but the wild places that it passes through" 
~Ray Jardine

Slept okay last night under the mostly full moon. I had to lay facing Half Dome, if I had lain the  other way the moon was like a spotlight shining brightly upon my face. Each time I awoke I would look over toward my backpack and the entrance to my perch to make sure I had no bear visitors. When I finally awoke for the day my right shoulder blade area sore, and it has remained sore throughout the day.

Got on the trail by 6:07 AM and made into camp at  6 PM. Long day on the trail, especially for only my second day. The hike back to JMT was uneventful. The remainder of the uphill to get back on the official trail was not too difficult. I met two girls a couple hundred yards before I rejoined the JMT  who wanted to know if they were on the correct trail to half dome. Nope!

I skipped breakfast, so I had my first snack of crushed Pringles by the bridge over Nevada Falls. I

clearly remember this area from Karen’s and my previous hike. The hike from the bridge to Little Yosemite Campground and past quickly and without much effort. from there I entered what I last time called the “Never Ending Forest”. However this time it did not seem to go on forever, and I was at Half Dome turn off before I knew it. From here on it is all virgin territory for me. The only confusing part of the trail today for me came just after the Clouds Rest turn-off, at the creek crossing. For some reason I thought the trail was supposed to follow directly upstream.  I took another break to refill my water bottles and pulled out my map.  Another pair of hikers headed up stream but quickly returned as they did not feel that it was the correct direction. Luckily a couple of hikers came from the other direction and set us all off in the right direction.  Once I actually looked around the trail crossing at the creek was pretty obvious.  I hope this is not an indication of my future route finding abilities along the Trail. My hope for tomorrow is to get past the avalanche shoot in Lyle Canyon  before setting up camp. I will supply resupply at Tuolumne Meadows, as I have sent a drop box there.  I will have to go through my food to make sure I am not bringing too much. I have not had any signs of the famous hiker hunger yet.

The hardest part of the day was a tough climb up the series of switchbacks  just before Sunrise Creek and Sunrise Camp. This climb had me questioning my commitment, as I seemed to rest longer than I moved. I kept telling myself to take it one step at a time and I would make it eventually. Eventually I did make it! I think I should have stopped and fueled up part way up it but, being lazy and wanting to keep moving I did not. Once at the top the trail  began to drop as it made its way towards Sunrise Camp.

As I started the descent the rain began; light at first, but after an hour I stopped to put on my rain jacket and pack cover. A steady roll of thunder accompanied the rain, but I only saw one lightning flash and it was far off. By the time I reach the Sunrise Camp area I had gotten my second wind and was feeling strong. Since the rain was still coming down I decided to push on as I did not want to put up my tent in the rain, and I figured I would get a cold if I stop while it was raining.

I pushed on over a mostly downhill trail to Upper Cathedral Lake, where I am this evening. I thought about trying to fish, but saw nothing rising so I did not bother. There are a few other groups here tonight, but quite quiet overall. I can't believe I hiked 17 miles today! Hopefully I do not pay for tomorrow with the sore body.

Upper Cathedral Lake

So It Begins!

Day 1

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Little Yosemite Valley to Half Dome overlook on the way to Illilouette Falls
~4 miles

"I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it!"

The day has finally come. I set my first foot on the John Muirr Trail at 8:50 AM. What great joy! Slept pretty good last night once I fell asleep. Anticipation of the day to come had my mind working overtime, making sleep hard to come by. I woke a few times during the night, but quickly fell back asleep. I was a little worried about bears, since I was in a campground but luckily none showed up. The temperature was warm most the night,  but I got a little chilled in the early morning hours.

I woke up around 5 AM as others started to break camp, but did not move for an hour or so. With it being a short day I saw no reason to rush getting up. After breaking camp I walked over Curry Village to grab one last soda before hitting the trail. I also looked at a topo to see how to get Illioute since it is not on my maps. I took the shuttle to Isles, the JMT Trailhead. On the bus I ran into Fiona and we decided to start the trail together. We took each other's photo at the "famous" JMT sign and hiked together for awhile.

Ten years has sure faded from my memory of the hike that Karen and I did up to Half Dome. I did not remember the trail being all uphill. But it is! I pulled ahead oh Fiona after 30 minutes and I did not see her again, as we are headed for different camps for the night. Hopefully I'll run into her on the trail again it has been fun talking with her.

At the JMT/Mist trail Junction I stayed true and followed the JMT, leaving the mist Trail for another day. Even though the trail continue to climb it was not too bad, the switchbacks were mostly gentle, enough not to feel like all you were doing was changing directions.  What I was most grateful about though with the trail was mostly in shade. Even this early in the day it was getting hot.

.2 miles before Nevada Falls the Illioute trail branched off. I was hoping to see the falls today, but will have to wait until tomorrow. From the turn off the trail continued to climb for nearly another mile. When it flattened I stopped for my morning break.  From there the trail started dropping. I really hated to lose any elevation as I knew I would have to re-climb this elevation loss in the morning. As I hiked onward and downward, I kept an eye out for places to camp. My thought was to hike to the falls area, restock water, relax, then do at least part of the climb back up today.

Finally reaching the bottom of the decent I sat in the shade of a conifer watching the river flow by, just below the bridge. Had a lunch a little, and took my first Sierra plunge,beneath the bridge. Not as cool as I feared; I managed to keep my breath and washed off the morning sweat. I decided to hang out a little while longer then tackle at least part of the climb out.

I decided that since I was in no hurry that I should take the time to do some fishing, with my new tenkara rod. I fished the large pool about 100 yards downstream from the bridge. Success on my first fishing attempt. I must've caught at least 40 fish, all on a #16 elk hair caddis. Most were very small 4 inches or so, but I still a lot of fun. I caught 2 or 3 the went isn 6-7 inch range.

The best lesson though was learned about the Sierra granite, and h the warning about wet granite being slick. As I fished I stayed on the edge of the dry/wet line from the water flowing down the river channel. One time my left left foot slipped over that line, as I was leaning to cast, and that was all took. Next thing I knew my feet were sliding down the pool and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I went completely in. I had a moment of panic as I frantically swam to the dry shore. The water was not more than 2 feet where I fell in. It was more from the fear of what could've happened that I panicked. I will be showing the wet rock here much more respect from now for sure! While my shirt and pants dried I finished a little more, wearing only my hat and undies. I can only imagine what a sight  it must have been.

Afterwards I hiked back uphill for about 25 minutes to make camp.  I found an amazing spot, directly across from Half Dome.  At the farthest edge of my site,  where one small step past it would have had me falling several hundred yards straight down, I found a USGS marker Scary, but way cool! My site for the night was like a 2 bedroom apartment, with a nice kitchen dining area and a separate area for sleeping.  With clear skies I decided that the first night on the trail would be cowboy camping.  After dinner I layed in my bag and wrote a little in my journal before turning into the night, my eyes closing with views of Half Dome.

Yesterday while eating lunch with the Connecticut guys a squirrel ate a dime size hole on one of my hip belt pockets in under 30 seconds, trying to get some of the sealed  GORP that I had in there. They are on my naughty list. I will be keeping a watchful eye out for them. And marmots!