After getting lost and having a really intense and scary experience on Sky Pilot Col, I took the rest of the day off once I made it to Tuolumne Meadows (Random aside: The day I arrived was the first day the campground was open after they closed because 2 squirrels died of the plague there). I relaxes, hung out, and gave my legs a break because they needed it. I also decided not to continue with the Sierra High Route because it was just over my comfort level being by myself.
What I had experienced three days prior and on two prior off-trial weekend trips was not what I wanted to do. There were a lot of little reasons (my knees and ankles were getting pretty beat up, the traction on my shoes was essentially worn down, smoke from a fire in Sequoia NP made sighting off the next canyon very difficult at times) but my main reason was because I wasn't enjoying myself. I found out that a trip like this is something I need to do with at least one other person. The mental aspect part of the hike wore me down and I didn't want to make bad decisions when I was tired.
This means that I am going to take the John Muir Trail (JMT), and maybe one short manageable section of the Sierra High Route, from Mammoth to Horseshoe Meadows near Lone Pine. To get to Mammoth, I took a 60 mile half circle that started in Toulumne Meadows, went through Vogelsang area of Yosemite, down to Isberg Pass, and then through the Sierra National Forest to Devil's Postpile National Monument, which is right outside Mammoth.
I chose this route on a whim and it was tough because it was hot and didn't have a lot of running water sources. I went through parts of Yosemite I had never been through but once I got away from Vogelsang, the trail was pretty boring, especially considering that I was in the Sierra Nevada.
I meet a Canadian couple about a day out from Mammoth and realized how little water there was in the area. They did their research and found that there was a good chance that we would have only one water sources in the last 20 miles (this ended up not being true but this is how we had to treat the last 20 miles). As a result, I down 4 liters of water in about 2 hours and then carried the maximum amount of water, only 2 liters. These 20 miles didn't turn out that bad but it made for an worrisome afternoon, night, and morning.
Once in Mammoth, I took a day and a half off and will be heading back to the trail tomorrow morning for a weeks worth of hiking to Independence.
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| Yosemite |
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| Vogelsang Area |
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| This is how smokey it has been. I think that this is of Half Dome. |
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| Last for sure water source before Mammoth. Great place to swim though. |
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| If only the mosquitoes didn't eat me alive here, I might had enjoyed the furniture. |
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| Looking at a view near Mammoth |
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| Red's Meadow! |
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