Day 57 – Selden Pass to VVR

Miles: 861.6 – 878.7

Trail Miles: 17.1

Miles Hiked: 18.4

Last night Scooch, Painter, Carebear and I arrived at Senger Creek about 7:30pm. We were all tired, having hustled over Muir Pass and it’s endless snow, to do 26.6 miles. We were also excited. It meant our goals for today were in reach: cross Selden Pass and Bear Creek early. Selden was the lowest of the passes so far (elev 10,910 ft), but there were still reports of snow on either side. We wanted to cross Bear Creek early before it swelled too high with snowmelt. Our third objective was to catch the ferry on Lake Thomas Edison at 4:45 pm. The ferry would take us to Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), a rustic, back-country lodge that catered to hikers and fisherman.

We were are on the trail around 0600. The climb up Selden Pass was easy compared to the previous passes. We ran into Chipper and Finder (from the UK) at the top. I hadn’t seen them in over 2 weeks, before Kennedy Meadows. They too were planning to catch the VVR ferry.

On the descent we still had to use microspikes in the snow. We also got to glissade twice. Fortunately the snow was firm enough we didn’t post hole much.

We made it safely across Bear Creek. The first crossing was high enough to reach the bottom of my shorts. The current was swift and strong, but going slow and deliberately made it manageable. I followed Carebear’s advice from previous fords and faced upstream, stepping sideways and using my trekking poles.

The second crossing wasn’t as deep, but just as swift. The force of knee deep running water should not be underestimated.

I have to admit the 26.6 miles yesterday had taken its toll. My knees were sore from running to keep up with Scooch, Painter and Carebear, and I don’t recover as quickly. I had a big dinner last night and had eaten a ton of snacks yesterday just to keep my energy up. Still, I was feeling a bit sluggish. The thought of a cold beer and juicy burger kept me checking my watch to ensure I’d make the 4:45pm ferry ride.

I caught up to Chipper and Finder as we started the switch-backing descent to Lake Edison. It was fun to chat with them, but I have two speeds on descent (slow/deliberate or faceplant) and eventually fell behind.

I arrived at the trail junction for Lake Edison with time to spare. The others were waiting for me. We ran into hikers coming out of VVR. They told us the pontoon boat was not working and the resort was using a small fishing boat to shuttle 4-5 hikers at a time on the hour-long round trip. There were already 8 hikers there when we arrived. Scooch and I took the second shuttle when Painter and Care Bear insisted we go. They would catch the next one.

Scooch and I were elated to be back in ‘civilization’. A restaurant, shower and laundry was heaven after 7 days. Our bubble burst when the store owner said our shuttle might the last one for the night. Painter and Care Bear might be stuck at the other end of the lake, 7 miles away, until the next morning. I felt sick thinking how they’d given up their spots for us. Fortunately the boat captain was willing to do one more run and the guys arrived at 8 pm.

The restaurant was overrun with hikers and eventually ran out of several menu offerings. We all had a fantastic meal with a celebratory beer and a slice or two of homemade pie. It’d been a challenging 6 days and we’d come through it. It was time to enjoy and celebrate.