Day 56 – Muir Pass

Miles: 835 to 861.6

Trail Miles: 26.6

My alarm went off at 4 AM. It was 39° inside the tent. That’s slightly warmer than it’s been recently but cold comfort at that time of day.

Smokebeard, Fireball and Cherry Bomb hiked past our campsite about 0445. I don’t know how they did it. I was still packing up in my tent, whereas they had already done that tough 800 ft climb up to our campsite. We were on the trail by 0505, hiking to catch up.

Within a half mile of camp we had to cross the Kings River. The rocks were coated in a thin layer of ice ice. We had enough sunlight but it was difficult to discern where the ice was. Painter and I both slipped at different points. He was quick enough to not get wet. I was not so lucky and my toes got their first icy dunking of the day.

We eventually caught up to the others when we all stopped to don micro-spikes two miles before the pass. It was a tough climb. There was a lot of snow on both the south and north sides, obscuring the trail, requiring route finding.

At a later stream crossing, I didn’t quite make the leap between rocks. My left foot sunk into the icy waters. For the rest of the morning, if I stopped hiking, my foot would start to go numb and tingle. Changing socks would make no difference as the shoe was soaked. The only option was to keep moving.

I couldn’t help but compare today’s hike to mountaineering. We weren’t roped up into teams or anything. We were wearing micro-spikes vice crampons, and I hadn’t pulled my ice axe out since Forester Pass. Yet we weren’t just hiking, given the snow, route finding, post-holing, and challenging stream crossings (snow bridges over running water can be dangerous). These weren’t the same Sierra Nevada passes I remembered from years past, hiking in July and August. Early June was more challenging than I had expected.

By the time we felt comfortable enough to take off our micro-spikes, we were 4 miles north of Muir Pass. We’d all been post-holing, mostly to our knees but occasionally up to mid-thigh. It made for slow progress and I was running low on energy.

I’ve noticed my hunger and caloric requirements have increased in the Sierras with the elevation, exertion and temperatures. I’ve definitely lost some weight and ‘leaned up’. My body had been tapping into its reserves and living off ‘the fat of the land’ you could say. I was beginning to wonder if I had enough food to get Mammoth. I might actually NEED to stop at Vermillion Valley Resort, the back-country restaurant and store.

After some discussion at lunch, we again decided to split up for the night. Four of us would hike additional miles in order to cross Selden Pass early tomorrow. We could then push on to VVR and resupply. The other four didn’t need to stop at VVR. so they would meet us in 2 days, after the resupply.

The trail followed Evolution Creek through Kings Canyon National Park the rest of the day. It was one of my favorite areas on the JMT. It still is, even by PCT standards. I know HH would love the area. I hope to hike with him through here in the future. — If you have any interest in backpacking, it’s worth the effort to get there and explore Evolution Valley.

We hiked until 7:30 pm and mile 861, camping near Senger Creek. 26.6 miles for the day, in the Sierras. Anyone who has run a marathon, ultra or Ironman will understand the unique mix of elation and fatigue you feel. It’s hard but also FUN. The last 2 miles we climbed over 1500 ft in elevation. It was tough so late in the day, especially after Muir Pass and all the post-holing. I’d tried my best to keep up with Care Bear and Painter most of the afternoon. (They are 17 and 25 years my junior.) It was a workout I’d pay for the next day, but I was glad I did it regardless.