Tahoe to Sierra City

7/16: After spending three and a half days with our loved ones, leaving Tahoe was really tough. We lacked any motivation to hike because our bodies had gone into recovery mode over the break, everything feeling stiff and fatigued, and we were feeling particularly home sick. We only made it three miles before our first extended break. After pushing ourselves another six miles, we convinced ourselves that we needed a three hour siesta at Aloha Lake. In order to keep ourselves from setting up camp right then and there, we decided to start summiting Dicks Pass to force us to hike at least six more miles. The bare minimum was exactly what we accomplished that day for our first day back on trail. We camped that night at Dicks Lake, mile 1109.5. At least we didn't have to carry those dreaded bear canisters anymore.
7/17: To make up for our poor performance, we decided to hike 28 miles. Since our low mile day wore us out the day before, we didn't break down camp until 8:30am, forcing us to night hike later that night. With Golden Boy ahead of her unable to hear any potential screams, Explagrance had horrific visions of a mountain lion tearing her limb from limb. She made it to camp alive and intact.
7/18: The next 25 miles, we experienced quite a bit of unexpected magic. When we arrived at Donner Pass, named for the emigrating Donner Party famous for their cannibalism, we found warm Rolling Rocks in the hiker box. As we were passing a major highway only a couple miles from town, Explagrance tried to have Pizza delivered to the rest stop to go with the beer; however, she was shot down by three different companies. Taking our road sodas, we hiked five miles from highway 40 to highway 80, where we discovered real sodas beneath the overpass. We hung out at the rest stop making phone calls when Rainmaker showed up and told us where to meet the rest of the crew. Explagrance insisted upon taking a hobo bath in the restroom sink before hiking out, feeling like true hiker trash for the first time when she received a very nasty look from a traveler trying to use the bathroom. We both sped through four miles in an hour to meet up with our group at Grubb Hut, a creepy public use house that resembles an old farm house's cellar with ropes and tools hanging from the walls and ceiling. After sharing wine that Rainmaker packed out, Golden Boy slept with a sledge hammer by his side to protect the girls from the axe murderer they expected to break down the door.
The next two days, we worked toward getting to Sierra City where Rainmaker and her parents intended to host more trail magic. Our first stop in Sierra City was the General Store for milkshakes and pizza made with fresh fruits and vegetables from their garden. It was the best pizza we have had on trail! To escape from the hundred degree heat, we hung out at the Red Moose Inn drinking and socializing. We ate a pint of ice cream while we waited to be seated for dinner at the local Garden Restaurant. Although Golden Boy decided to retire early that night, Explagrance went for an ice moonlight swim with Chops and Solstice. Even though we had intended to hike out he following morning, we got sucked in to town; Golden Boy worked on troubleshooting his iPod while Explagrance hung out at the river with a group of ten other hiker trash. Because we were working on updating our blog, we missed the last shuttle to Rainmaker's magic and were forced to walk the two miles to the campground. We shared free food, drinks, and laughs with our fellow hikers and cowboy camped under the stars.

A week apart

Explagrance's week without Golden Boy went surprisingly well. She kept up her motivation just fine, thank you very much. She did, however, learn that no matter how much space it would save in her pack, a 12 day resupply of just beans and rice is quite stupid. Luckily, Baby Face and Crazy Knees kept her laughing and distracted her with snow slushies by day and campfires each night. The only let down of the week came at the 1000 mile mark. She and Baby Face had planned to share a liter of wine in celebration, but he unknowingly walked right past the ill defined stone monument and, lacking a GPS, continued to look for it for three more miles. On top of a broken heart, she had an allergic reaction to the thousands upon thousands of mosquitoes that attacked every inch of her body. Needless to say, Explagrance finished her book and drank alone that night.
The scenery that week terrified her into thinking she wouldn't be able to look at her first born child with as much reverence as she had for the mountain ranges. That week was one of her favorites, not because she wasn't hiking with Golden Boy, but because it put her in a good frame of mind; her reasons for hiking resonated. Upon reaching the highway, an Irish gentleman picked the three of them up in less than two minutes to take them into South Lake Tahoe, where they each enjoyed their own large pizza and waited for Mom and Mike to arrive.

Golden Boy's week without Explagrance went well but came complete with extreme highs and extreme lows. He was ecstatic to leave the hustle and bustle of Yosemite National Park, finding the crowds slightly overwhelming. He swam in Glen Aulin waterfall and made new friends, Chik Chok and Starfox. He and Rainmaker celebrated the 1000 mile mark with bottles of champagne, despite having to drink them in the tent away from the threat of mutant mosquito swarms that a huge fire could not keep away.

It had been a good start to the week; however, the following day, he fell into the dreaded 1000 mile mental funk. Reaching the 1000 mile mark, although a huge accomplishment, often puts hikers in a bad frame of mind, making them think about how long it has taken them to get there and how much further they have to go. They aren't even half way yet! It has been so long since they've seen their loved ones back home. What is the point of this? Golden Boy spent the day working out these negative thoughts and trying to remember each of the thousands of reasons he is hiking this trail. It really helped improve his mood and remind him of his previous excitement when the trail again revealed its awe inspiring beauty, changing from the non-novel granite that had become wearisome to volcanic ridge lines that offered new and amazing sights. After earning a hitch in a clunker into Upper Kennedy Meadows Resort for a cooked meal, ice cream, and a hobo bath, and acquiring a hitch back to the trail in a leather upholstered Audi, he took multiple breaks to climb out on volcanic rock ledges, even finding the perfect rock protrusion on which to meditate. He really enjoyed passing through the unique meadows of the area and pondering the random igneous rock mounds that seemed to be piled there on top of a ridge by a dump truck. He and Rainmaker indulged in snow slushies. The two of them were also provided with trail magic from the volunteer rangers of Carson Pass, receiving cookies, fresh fruit, and pop! They were further spoiled when they were given mango by a group of 12 men who were spending a guys' weekend on the trail. The only thing that made that day better was knowing that they would be in South Lake Tahoe the following day, where Mama Zazu, Mike, and Explagrance were waiting. Golden Boy was excited for that little piece of home!

Golden Boy's Adventures in Yosemite

With our newly acquired Yosemite Wilderness and Half Dome permits, Rain Maker and I, Golden Boy, broke camp before the other hikers, who had made camp with us for some 4th of July trail magic, had awoken so that we could thumb a ride to the Sunset Trailhead where we would begin our day hike into Yosemite. This would be the first time Explagrance and I would hike separate from each other, spending a planned nine days apart. She would leave Tuolumne for South Lake Tahoe on the 5th of July to meet her boyfriend, Mike, and our mom, Zazu, while I hiked into Yosemite for the day and left Tuolumne on the 6th. The thought of hiking without my sister was strange, having spent every day for the last 2+ months together, but I was excited for the opportunity to hike into one of the most magnificent national parks in the country with its monumental glacially carved domes, hundred foot waterfalls, and hair raising cliff edges that could send you hurling thousands of feet down to where the valley floor, and death, awaited.

Rainmaker generously allowed Explagrance to borrow her one-man tent and shared our two-man tent with me, giving up her privacy and independence for the week. Saying our goodbyes, Rain Maker and I moved our gear to the walk-in backpackers campground so that we could leave most of our heavy and unneeded equipment in Tuolumne while we hiked into Yosemite. We had devised a plan to hike approximately 24 miles from Sunset Trailhead at the northern end of Yosemite, past Tanaya Lake, up and over Clouds Rest, down to the JMT, up Half Dome and back, down the Mist Trail past Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls, and into Yosemite Valley where we would catch the last shuttle back to Tuolumne at 5pm. We would soon find out that this route was unthinkable to do in a day by day hikers, but having already hiked over 900 miles and being conditioned to high mile days with extreme elevation gains and losses, we felt that we could successfully tackle the plan. We also soon realized that hiking in Yosemite with the thousands of tourists would leave us big headed and outwardly cocky.
We were given a ride by a couple who were weekending in the park to rock climb. When we were dropped off at the trailhead, we set off, racing down the trail, energies high with anticipation of what the day held in store. Our first ascent was like climbing an endless rock staircase. We leaped up each rock step, almost running without the weight in our packs, our lungs and legs hardly even phased. We passed a family of hikers huffing and puffing up the hill. We overheard them discussing how we could be making our way up this mountain so easily. We continued to zoom passed other hikers. And so our heads began to grow. Looking back, Yosemite put me in an unattractive frame of mind.
After making our way over the first mountain, we hurried to Clouds Rest, glancing at my watch periodically to make sure we were on track to make it into the Valley to catch the shuttle at 5pm. The climb up Clouds Rest was spectacular! It gave us our first 360 degree views of the surrounding granite domes and smoothly sloped rock faces. The huge stacked white rocks that formed the peak gave the illusion that we really were summiting a cloud, each smoothly rounded and piled atop one another like a pyramid of pancakes.
 The apex gave the most stunning view; Half Dome, in all of its treacherous glory, towered in the distance, waiting for us, calling to us. Half Dome, once believed to be unclimbable because of its nearly vertical icy smooth surface, is one of the most popular hikes in the country. Its breathtaking views of the valley, its deadly diving board ledge that drops thousands of feet, and, most especially, its trail's unique and dangerous design to get you to the top attract swarms of tourists from around the world. There is only one way up and one way down this masterpiece of a mountain; you must hoist yourself up between a pair of steel cables often crammed with about a hundred other people all on the cables at once, some making their way up and others down, causing a standstill thereby forcing you to utilize all of your arm strength to keep yourself from slipping off of the sparse 2x4s that provided the only means of "rest" from the frictionless surface. We expected the climb to be epic! We ate lunch atop Clouds Rest, watching ant sized people climb the Half Dome cables in the distance and talking with day hikers who were impressed by both our thru-hike and our day's extensive plans. Glancing at my watch, we gathered our belongings, said our farewells to the day hikers, and raced down the opposite side of Clouds Rest toward Half Dome.

Upon reaching the side trail to Half Dome, we had realized that we made the stupid mistake of not refilling our water from the stream a couple miles back. Knowing that we would not have time to go back and still make the shuttle, we decided to start the summit dry. We have seen other thru hikers "Yogi" food and rides from day hikers, which means you get what you want by subtly planting the idea in the persons head so that they have the idea to give you it, so we decided to try our luck at getting some water from hikers coming down Half Dome. As the first group of people passed us, we asked, already knowing the answer, if they had crossed a stream on the way down because we were low on water and unsure if we would have enough to make it to the top. Their response, of course, was no. Then they suggested that they had extra water to spare. "If you don't mind and can spare it, we would greatly appreciate it." This method worked another three times! By the time we made it to the base of the dome, we had each Yogied 2 liters of water! Success!
The ranger asked to see our permits and we asked how far it was to the top. Expecting the answer to be in miles, we were confused to be told a half hour to the cables and another half our to get to the top. We pushed on. We sped up the rock staircase passing more day hikers. The trail changed from stairs to a steep granite slope. We casually walked up the rocks as terrified people clung to boulders, inching their way up. One woman told her group, "They must have done this before." We laughed and told her otherwise. We reached the cables in twelve minutes, less than half the time the ranger said it would take us. We felt like champion athletes!
The cables were everything we had imagined and more! At least fifty other people were attempting to make their way up or down these terrifying cables held by poles twenty feet apart that seemed ready to slip out of their stone pockets. The poles wiggled and rolled when you gripped them. The cables constantly slacked and tightened when someone pulled themselves to the next splintered 2x4 where they could regain their footing. The steel was slick, feeling like it had been oiled as a joke to make it as difficult as possible to keep yourself from slipping and hurtling yourself down to the person below you. Letting people pass on their way down was a task in itself. The cables were placed so close together that you had to hang over the right cable, outside the safety of the wooden planks, in order to let someone pass. The process was slow even though the climb was relatively short. We hung on the cables, moving only a few feet at a time, for about a half hour before making it to the top. Luckily, the views and the adrenaline rush from holding your life in your hands (literally) made the pain and frustration worth it!

 

 
 

The views from Half Dome are one of a kind! It was incredible! We had some time to spend on the diving board edge all by ourselves taking pictures until the other day hikers saw our idea and formed a line to capture themselves doing the same things. Knowing we had to move, we headed back for the cables. No one was on them! We had them all to ourselves. We could go at our own pace and take the pictures that we couldn't on the way up. It was an amazing experience! We made our way back to the JMT and toward the Mist Trail. The waterfalls, although spectacular, ended up being more of an annoyance than a wonder. Being so close to the valley, the hundred foot Falls were like tourist catnip, attracting thousands of people at any given time. These people seemed to lack any trail etiquette, forming walls as they walked, failing to let you pass even after asking. They would just comment, "feel free," and then keep walking without moving over an inch. To top it off, the trail had changed from dirt and rock to asphalt. Asphalt destroys your feet!
We reached the Valley at 6 o'clock, one hour past the last shuttle back to Tuolumne and back to our gear. After a pizza dinner and failed attempts to hitch or talk employees into providing a ride, it had become 11pm. We sat outside the pizza shop, talking deliriously. I took a nap as rainmaker waited for the Pizza shop manager, who had offered us advice, to leave for the night. She never came. Rainmaker woke me up so we could go find a place to camp. She suggested we head for the Yosemite Lodge and ask if we could sleep in the lobby or in the laundry room or something. I thought that was a stupid idea. They wouldn't let us sleep there! They would laugh in our faces! Then they would know we were in the park thus preventing us from stealth camping. But I held my tongue. I decided I would play her game. We made it to the lodge. Rainmaker talked to the Night Auditor, Bobby, who, luckily, was sympathetic. He did everything in his power to provide us accommodations. Everything in the Valley was booked. He called the ranger station to ask if they had any emergency sites for stranded hikers. Site 65 was available just for that purpose! Bobby, grabbed his personal car keys, told us to grab our packs, and drive us to his apartment where he stored his tent and sleeping bags! It turns out that Bobby had thru hiked the PCT in 1999! The PCT community is so selfless! He drove us to the site. We slept well that night! In the morning, we returned his gear, ate breakfast, and caught the first bus out of the Valley and back to Tuolumne Campground. The bus ride was thoroughly enjoyable thanks to my seat buddy, Terri, who was visiting Yosemite for the weekend. I told her about my adventures. She told me about her sons, named Ryan and Matthew (funny right?), and some of their undertakings. Matthew has done a cross country bike trip. Ryan has traveled around the world and has worked with big name outdoor brands. I was happy she was so friendly and ignored my stench!
Yosemite was quite the experience!

VVR to Tuolumne Meadows

6/29 - We got a late start out of VVR having spent the morning hanging out at the restaurant with friends. It was a steep hike out up to Silver Pass. As we had hiked out in the heat of the day, we took a quick break to swim and lounge in a river. We camped for the night upon reaching the top of Silver Pass where we watched an incredible sunset from the comfort of our tent out of reach from the Mosquitos.

6/30 - Silver Pass to Reds Meadow. We spent the day hiking with Pooh Bear, Snowcone, Cookie Monster, Bliss, and Rain Maker. We rushed through the first half of the day in order to spend some time at Virginia Lake where we found a decent boulder to jump from into the freezing water. One jump was enough! Golden Boy (Ryan) could hardly stand the pain induced by the glacial waters. Later that afternoon, we reached our 900th mile! We stopped for entertaining pictures and some celebratory high fives. As the sun sank, we made our way into Reds Meadow where we unexpectedly found magic from trail workers. It was a good night full of feasting on fresh fruit, PB&J, Cold Cuts, brownies, beer, and soda. Explagrance kept us up all night hyped up on caffeine from the pop. At least she was entertaining!

7/2 - after taking a fiesta filled zero day in Mammoth, a quaint ski resort town a short yet motion-sickness-inducing bus ride away, we hiked a short distance to Agnew Meadows. On the way, we visited The Devils Postpile National Monument, a natural rock formation created from glacial carved lava. I'm sorry that's a terrible explanation of what it is. We passed by Minaret Falls and an Aspen Pine graveyard where thousands of trees were uprooted from 140 mile per hour winds.

7/3 - Agnew Meadows to just outside of Tuolumne. The morning was spent hiking along a ridge line with semi interesting views of the Minaret Mountain Peaks across the valley. We made our way to Thousand Island Lakes (a lake with significantly less than a thousand islands) where we made a half hearted attempt to swim in the frigid water. As we made our way to Donahue Pass, the weather began to turn. The thunder slowed our pace and the lightning stopped us altogether as we knew it was unsafe to climb to the peak, the first place lightning tends to strike. We posted up for a couple hours waiting for the storm to pass. Donahue Pass was thoroughly eventful, lacking the incredible views that other high Sierra passes offered. A blackbear guided us downtrail as we searched for camp along a snaking river.

7/4 - We neroed 6 miles into Tuolumne Campground in the early morning in order to reserve a site for the incoming hikers. Golden Boy hurried into town to meet Rain Maker at the ranger station so they could acquire 2 of the extremely limited permits required to hike Half Dome in Yosemite. They were successful! When we picked up our post, we were surprised to find that we had not just one but two packages from Lindsay's friend Julie Frost. She had generously provided us with almonds, a variety of dried fruits, and a very sweet card! Thank you so much Julie! We made our way back to the campground where Rain Makers family arrived to provide us with a July 4th BBQ so that we did not go famished and without celebration! There may not have been fireworks, but that bit of magic lifted our spirits! Explagrance's shouts of joy woke the entire campground the next morning when she tried on the size TWO pair of pants that Solstice wanted to get rid of...and they fit (Kelsey and Amy, I do not appreciate being called a bitch)!