Hitting Your Stride
Hiking Solo?
We planned long climbs for the mourning hours whenever we could. It’s cooler and we were physically rested. For some reason, Craig and I separated after breaking our “sandy-burn” camp. I’ve forgotten why. Perhaps I had some extra camp chores, but in any case, Craig started up the hill first. He had been really down because of his painful feet, and I was a bit worried about it. He kept a good front, however, and said he was okay. A bit later, I started up the hill, and expected to see him at the top, where a trail toward Mammoth Lake joined the JMT. When I got to the junction, he was not there, so I waited. After a short time, a couple of hikers came from the other direction, so I asked them if they had seen Craig. They had not seen anyone at all! Now I was worried. Had Craig’s foot problems become too much for him? Was he embarrassed to tell me how bad they were? Did he see the junction to Mammoth, and just decide to end his hike?
After getting to know him better, I wouldn’t have entertained such thoughts, but this was our first serious adventure, and I really didn’t know. The junction was a shady spot and had a lot of mosquitoes, so I decided to leave a note and head on down the trail a bit. As I walked, it occurred to me that I may be solo! After a while, I found a dry breezy spot along the trail that seemed pleasant and mosquito-free. Well, I thought, Craig was not ahead of me or the other hikers would have seen him. There was nothing to do, but wait and see. Either he was coming or not, and I would know in an hour of so. I felt strangely resigned to any possibility, and my head cleared. Almost immediately, Craig came walking down the trail! He HAD taken the trail towards Mammoth Lake, but didn’t realize it. Actually, the JMT makes a sharp right at the junction, and it’s not that hard to miss.
During the first few days, we were often hiking out of sight of one another, and we each suffered a myriad of big and little pains. After about three days, things began to go much better. We were pretty much acclimated, and getting more trail tough. We adjusted a bit more to each others hiking style, and were now often walking close enough to carry on a conversation. We were making better miles as well. Craig’s feet improved, and my periodic nose bleeds stopped.
Each afternoon, we noticed that clouds seemed to build up, but the nights remained clear. Before starting, we had worried about heat during the day. On a preliminary hike a month earlier, I had hiked part of the JMT entering from the Cedar Grove trail-head. It was really hot; especially the climb through the access canyon. Also, the streams were running really strong, and I had a scare fording one of them. Now though, it was late August and the streams were much lower. The weather was pretty mild on the trail as well. We sweated profusely on some of the uphill climbs, but it wasn’t outrageously hot. On most afternoons, a nice breeze picked up, and helped cool us off.
Vermilion Valley Resort:
Our next target was a resupply at Vermilion Valley Resort. I was especially hoping to get my camera there. The ranch is on the far end of Edison Lake—a fairly long hike from the JMT. Fortunately, a ferry runs twice a day during the summer, so most hikers try to catch it, but that means being at the dock at 4 pm.
In our case, we had to push, since we weren’t quite sure how long it would take. It wasn’t a problem though, and after a while we were joined by other hikers, including Doug and Tamara, who were also going to the ranch. Pretty soon a power boat docked, and the driver told us that the ferry was in repair. After a nice ride, we got the ranch. Vermilion Valley Ranch is primarily a fishing resort, but they are very hospitable to hikers. On arrival, you get a complimentary beer, and the first night’s stay in a communal tent is free. All your expenses at V.V.R. go on your credit card tab. It's convenient, but most people spend more than they expect. Still this is a great stop, and we would absolutely do it again.
The resort staff drives down the mountain each day to pick up mail and resupply packages from the nearest Post Office. Ours was waiting when we arrived. After a really nice steak dinner, we showered and sorted out our resupply items. Later, we found Doug and Tamara, and got to know them a bit better. That afternoon, the clouds gathered thickly, and it was looked like we’d get rain pretty soon. Though there was some thunder and lightning that night, very little rain came down. Too bad, we were snug and secure in a nice wood-floored communal tent.
The Deluge