To Yosemite & Beyond!

As we left Red’s Meadow, we found ourselves in and amongst the day hikers, visiting a geological curiosity known as the Devil’s Postpile. The national monument consists of columnar basalt pillars rising up to 50 feet in the air, stacked in a neat and orderly fashion. From the top, one can see a pattern of polished hexagons, rubbed smooth by passing glaciers. As we made our way out of the monument, we quickly found ourselves on a secluded trail with not a hiker in sight. The next morning we climbed up Donohue pass, marking our official entry into Yosemite. As we made a long and gradual descent down into the valley, the trail became increasingly populated. By the time we arrived at Toulomne meadows, the air was buzzing with hikers, walkers, sightseers, and automobiles.We ventured past the meadows, and made our way up to the Glen Aulin backpackers camp.

Over the next couple of days, we rediscovered solitude on the trail. While our path did not go through the quintessential Yosemite valley, we climbed from canyon to canyon, down one side and up the other. A real favorite here was Matterhorn canyon. As we came down the South slope, we gained an excellent perspective on the stair stepped granite shelves that composed the mountains before us.It seems that the routine here is to climb down one side of  a canyon, cross the creek at the bottom, then shoot up the other side. As we would repeat this routine several times throughout the day, we consistently climbed a minimum of 3000ft, dropping an equal amount on a daily basis. While the passes here were low enough to be free of snow, the grade leading up to them was often steep, rising around 500-600ft/mile. Before long we found ourselves hiking over Dorothy pass, leaving Yosemite and 1000 miles of trail behind…

As we transitioned out of the glacially sculpted canyons of Yosemite, our environment became much drier, giving way to something more volcanic. Through scree and snow fields, we climbed back up to nearly 11,000ft at Sonora pass, our highest elevation in nearly a hundred miles. The snow here took us by surprise as we carefully navigated across several sketchy sections, some with audible water running under them… We soon dropped down the other side to highway 108, where we caught a ride with some section hikers to the town of Bridgeport. They dropped us off at the Travertine hot springs just outside town, and we couldn’t have been any happier. We soaked late into the evening, then walked into town the following day to pick up our next resupply. After bringing everything back to our base camp, we reorganized our food, and prepared for a quick departure first thing in the morning.

By 7:00am we were on the North end of town trying to catch a ride down the 395 back to the junction with 108 leading to Sonora pass. After 45 minutes of waiting, a local longhair picked us up and drove us down the road to the junction. Here we waited for another 45 minutes as dozens of marines flew by us on their way to work. A few miles up the road resides the Mountain Warfare Training Camp, teaching marines the in’s and out’s of the high country, come rain, sun or snow. At last, one of the trainers for the camp pulled over, and offered us a ride back up to the pass. Along the way, he gave us good insight into the training camp, and some advice for traveling through the mountains. By 10:00 we were back on the trail, eager to make some miles.

While water sources slowly became less frequent, we continued to climb at least a couple passes a day, continuing to average 3000-4000ft of daily climbing. Atop Ebbett’s pass, we met two older gentlemen by the names of Robocop and Sunny-D, who showed us the wonders of “Wallie-Crack.” Using some instant drink mixes from Walmart chalk full of caffeine, they poured the powder over a cup of snow, mixing it in with a spoon to create the most gratifying snow cone I’ve ever had. After that we saw very few thru-hikers. As we began closing in South Lake Tahoe, we once again found ourselves in the rush of day and section hikers out for the weekend. To them we were an oddity, to some, celebrities, We hiked through the section as quickly as we could, and by the day’s end we found ourselves alone once more.

The next day was full of trail magic. As we came over Carson pass, we again entered the realm of the day hikers passing us by the dozen. As we made our way to the trailhead and parking area, an older man yelled out to us, “Hey hikers! Want some water? Set down your packs!” We were soon greeted with apple juice, fresh fruit, vegetables and cookies. What more could we ask for? As we sat and enjoyed our snacks, we shared stories of what the trail had taught us, primarily a lesson in mental fortitude. The man responsible for the magic, Halfslow was his name, shared his lesson last in the form of a poem. He recited from memory Rudyard Kippling’s “If,” which seemed all too applicable to our situation. After filling our bellies and enjoying meaningful company, we continued down the trail through the meadows of mule’s ear and iris. As we hiked with an older arborist from Palo Alto named Wild Turtle, we talked in depth about the local plants and trees, learning some new names and solving some old mysteries.

As we began closing in on Tahoe, we got word from a friend back in Washington state, that he was traveling to nearby Reno to purchase a new old car. With the help of a local friend, he scooped us off the trail and took us to the land of Casinos where we were more than a little overwhelmed. We stayed a few nights here, catching up on everything that had happened in the last 1000 miles, rarely leaving the hotel room for the flashing lights that waited outside. We soon got back on the trail for a couple days, before being treated to yet another surprise. As we made our way North towards Sierra City, my parents stopped in for a short visit. Within a couple hours of our arrival, a fire broke out less than a mile down the road at the shooting range, sending ash and smoke through the air. We quickly packed our things back up in the event of an evacuation, then sat and watched as the airshow moved in. Around a dozen aircraft constantly buzzed overhead, making rounds over the fire and dropping retardant. As there were many structures nearby, both uphill and downwind, the response was very swift and well organized. After a couple of hours the smoke began to lighten, and a helicopter equipped with a water bucket began making passes to extinguish what remained. By dinner time the fire was out and we were laughing about the obstacles in the way of getting here. Enjoying the company of family, we cooked some real meals and began sorting through all the hard weather and snow gear that is no longer needed. As we are also getting rid of our bear canisters that we have been carrying since the border, our packs will become dramatically lighter, something we are both very excited about. While our visit here has been short, it has been great to see some old familiar faces, something we are looking forward to as we slowly approach the great Northwest.

Cheers from the trail,
Stump & Mandolynn