Greg's Little Walk In The Woods 2007: Tuolomne Meadows to Sonora Pass

day 0 -- mi wuk, ca (0 miles)

becky is a rock star. aside from the obvious great looks, she also happens to be an amazing person. she agreed to take a day off of work just to drop me off at yosemite national park, where my trip was to begin. and as we know, rock stars have many great friends. becky's friends gavin and layla graciously allowed us to stay at there amazing house in mi wuk for a couple of nights (congratulations about your little girl!).

becky knew of great hike at pinecrest lake, and it was good to spend a nice relaxing day with her. she made a killer salad for dinner accompanied by some great wine.

becky is so supportive of me in my crazy ambitions, i gain a lot of personal strength from her understanding and support.

day 1 - tuolomne meadows to return creek (14 miles)

i bounced out of bed at 5:30 in the morning, too excited to pretend like i was sleeping any longer. becky and i cleaned up the place and hit the road towards yosemite. we stopped for a yummy breakfast in groveland and then headed to the post office, where i mailed a "bounce box" full of food and gear to bridgeport, the first trail town i would see after the first leg of my trip.

eventually we arrived at the park entrance. i was alarmed to see that the annual pass now costs $80 (up from $50 last year). last time i checked mountains and lakes cost the same to maintain now as they did last year. i guess the nps has been asked to fund the war in iraq.

we looped through beautiful tioga road and arrived at the tuolomne meadows ranger station. the ranger was a bit ticked that i was applying for a through-permit to oregon. apparently yosemite can only issue permits up to 500 miles, and mine is scheduled at about 800 miles. she managed to fudge one together and soon i was at the trailhead with becky.

we snapped a few photos and gave a schmoopie goodbye to each other. it's the first time i've been so conflicted at the start of a trip. greg leave becky for bear?

with the first few steps i got my bearings and began going hard out of the gates. i wanted to make return creek, which was 14 miles away, in order to establish a pace i would hope to continue in the coming days. i flew by the gapers who were waddling around the roadside trails and managed to be completely free of them in no time at all.

solitude in the wilderness is a feeling that is difficult to describe. for me its as close to religion as it gets. after a two year hiatus, i had it again!

the climb out of glen aulin was long and hot. not a cloud in the sky! i opted to unleash my greatest innovation, an umbrella mounted in my backpack. this contraption allows me to hike in constant shade and keeps my hands free. and did i mention i look smashing with the umbrella extended?

i made return creek at 4pm. great time. return creek is typically considered on of the most dangerous fords on the entire pacific crest trail. given that the snowpack was way down in the sierras this year, i calculated that ford wouldn't be nearly as bad as in normal years. i was right, return creek was thigh high at best, no problem.

i decided to pitch my camp and cross the next morning so that my stuff wouldn't be wet overnight. the campsite was great, but admittedly i was exhausted and in quite a lot of pain due to chafing. i'll spare you the details.

my trader joe's harvest blend pasta and miso soup cocktail worked out pretty well. i am no backcountry gourmet but i''ve learned a little effort goes a long way. i hung my bear bag without too much effort and proceeded to get a pretty good sleep. the stars could not be counted.

day 2 - return creek to benson lake (16 miles)

i got on the trail at 8am today. my body was feeling suprisingly good, looks like the training paid off. the first few days of an expedition tend to me the toughest physically as the body gets used to its new rituals.

there was a tough climb out of the gate, but i was able to get it done in a couple of hours. but of course, there was more climbing, a lot more. the highlight was a summit at benson pass (elev. 10, 300). nice views on a clear day.

i started my long, difficult, wet-meadowy descent to my destination, benson lake, and i made my first big mistake of the trip. i was not eating nearly enough and i bonked, bad. the last five miles i was in really bad shape, thinking i would just tough it out until dinner. pointless and foolish.

it did not help that my arrival at benson lake was greeted by 10 billion welcoming mosquitoes. it is at these moments that we are reminded that wilderness travel is very tough at times. just when i thought things couldn't get worse, my bear line snagged on a tree, and there was no getting it down. fortunately i have a kevlar bag that is apparently bear proof when correctly tied to the trunk of a tree.

i slept on the benson lake beach that night. fortunately the mosquitoes went to bed shortly after the sun went down. i was restless that night. then at three in the morning, a weird sound eminated from the forest. what intially sounded like a "hound-of-hell" turned out to be someone's friendly dog barking at some visitor. my guess is that visitor was a bear but i thankfully didn't see him myself.

day 3 - benson lake to macomb ridge pass (12 miles)

i woke up at sunrise, 5:30am, to find all of the mosquitoes still asleed. i tiptoed around camp, so as not to wake them, and made a stealthy exit. in a short while i was climbing. i felt recovered from the day before and made a strong climb up to a pass. at the pass, i sat down for what was to be a large meal. i hate heaping handfuls of candy, nuts, and anything else i could grab. i finished it off by gulping down a double-dose of emergen-c. big mistake. i had forgotten that emergen-c is a fizzy drink. gulping it down upset my stomach and it all came back up. i'll leave it at that.

on my descent from the pass i resolved to eat a bag of licorice, one strand at a time, to get some calories in me. i was able to hold it down.

i napped at a nice creekside trail junction, and then proceeded to climb to more more passes for a combined vertical gain of 3,600 for the day. i opted to end my day earlier than usual for two reasons. one, i was tired. two, i knew that, based on reports i had recieved from others, the next 6 miles of the trail was mosquito hell, so i tried to stay above it. it worked, a bit. there were still plenty of mosquitoes but i was able to hold them at bay with netting.

while i was lounging around my campsite, a fellow named tom hiked by. he was a 65-year-old superhiker from san diego who was quick to brag about his age, miles per day, and 28 lb pack weight. i couldn't tell if tom was friendly, so i gave him the compliments and verbal stroking he needed in order to be on his way.

i still was still restless and unable to get a good night's sleep. it usually takes my body about a week to get used to sleeping on the ground.

day 4 - macomb ridge pass to the walker river (18 miles)

i was awoken at 5:30 am by the first mosquito. knowing what lay ahead, i quickly broke camp. within minutes i had descended into that mosquito-infested quagmire known as wilma lake. they were everywhere, and they were thirsty. deet and and a fast pace helped me emerge with less than a dozen bites. take it from me, the next time you are angry at someone don't tell them to "go to hell", rather send them to wilma lake.

the next five miles were equally infested with mosquitoes, so i made good time. eventually arrived at wonderful dorothy lake on the very northern border of yosemite. i would gladly come back to this lake in the future.

i was sad to say goodbye to dorothy lake and yosemite but i had miles to do. since there were no notable climbs today i opted to do longer miles. while on the trail i popped in a brownie laced with a certain recreational drug and life was very good.

i crossed a bridge across the walker river and met a father, doug, and his two kids, bryce and heather, resting riverside. they were out on a week-long trip. although they had gotten a bit lost the day before, they were happy and very friendly. its always great to see families having a good time in the backcounty.

riverside camping was fat. there were very few mosquitoes and i celebrated by having a campfire. although i didn't sleep well again, i felt relaxed.

day 5 - walker river to sonora pass (16 miles)

another 5:30 start. the sun is a great alarm clock. i was excited to get going for two reasons: i was headed to the high country (11,000 feet) and it was also the day i would finish the first part of my trip in very good time.

as i climbed toward the high country. i made the mistake of not stocking up on water, as i wouldn't see anymore for another 8 miles. it's important to catch these things on the map.

after a lot of work i finally made to a saddle at 10,500 feet. the view was spectacular as i was able to size up the country i had crossed in the last five days. the next six miles were the most enjoyable of the trip. i love the high country and its purity. i passed by a happy father and son from the east coast and passed on some mosquito advice. i told them to camp at wilma lake. just kidding.

after a couple of sketchy snowfield crossings and some amazing view that words and pictures can't summarize, i finally made my final descent to highway 108 at sonora pass. although i was tired, i was very pleased to have covered the 76 miles in five days! this bodes well for my pacing the rest of the trip.

however, when i got off the trail is when the real adventure began. after fifteen minutes standing with my hitching thumb extended on 9,600 foot sonora pass i heard a loud roar from around the bend. into view came a motorcyle gang ten strong, and they pulled up to the pass and dismounted. after a few minutes of introductions, the "men of valor" (they were a church group based in modesto who were "rifding for jesus") asked if i would like a ride to bridgeport, where they were also headed for the night. i nervously accepted, threw my backpack in the rear of one of the support vehicles a wife was driving, and hopped on the back saddle of a biker named josh.

when you are picturing this scene in your head, remember that being a biker gang, these guys were all clad in the standard uniform: black leather, tats, etc., while i was wearing my ultralight hiker gear: lycra shirt, gaiters, sneakers, and of course a world war ii german motorcycle helmut lent to me.

the bikes screamed off of the pass as proceed to down what seemed like hundreds of hairpin turns as we dropped 3000 feet in elevation. i was belwildered by the physics of the ride and was sure we were going to fall. but we didn't and after a while it got fun. i got so cocky i was even dropping the customary "low two" to other motorcycle gangs heading in the other direction.

then we got to the flats. as josh rounded the last turn, he and his buddies opted to drop the hammer. i missed the memo and it caught me by complete surprise. within seconds we had accelerated to 90 miles an hour! i grabbed josh so hard around the waist that i easily could have cracked a few ribs. any bystander standing roadside might have mistaken my g-force grin for joy, when in fact it was blind terror.

we took a quick break at the junction of 108 and 395 and then proceed the 17 remaining miles to bridgeport, at high speed. while i got a little more comfortable, i have to say that i was pretty scared the whole trip. i would like to get my own bike sometime but, being a control freak, i would like to be the driver and not the passenger.

we pulled up to the best western, where they were staying, i opted to grab the last room available. i then found out from the hotel clerk, that the post office was two blocks away, was closing in fifteen minutes, and was not open on saturday!!!

to those unfamiliar with thru-hiking, the post office is the most important aspect of civilization. it allows hikers to mail "bounce boxes", full of gear and food, to themselves down the trail, in the event they need to resupply something. well i was counting on this bounce box, and i couldn't wait until monday for it!!

so i entered into a blind sprint down the main street of bridgeport, so fast that the local sheriff had the radar gun on me. i got to the post office ten minutes before it closed, and the sweet lady behind the counter told me she has to leave right at 4:30 to pick up her grandson. the adrenaline summoned on the motorcyle ride helped me rifle through my box and pack to make the necessary adjustments. i had the whole thing wrapped and ready to ship to becky's parents in granite bay at 4:30 sharp. whew!!!

the rest of the day was relatively boring and relaxing: shower, shopping, ate a whole large pizza (it wasn't tasty), hot tub, and lots of sleep. just happy to be alive!

day 6 - bridgeport, ca (0 miles)

i slep well on my king-size bed by the sun found a way to wake me up early. i decided that i needed food and proceeded to the hays street cafe. one bacon and cheese omelet, one heaping plate of hashbrowns, and two enormous buttermilk pancakes covered with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and syrup later, i was a very happy man.

the men of valor happened to also be at the resteraunt and wished them well in their travels as i departed. i went back to the hotel for some more shut eye and some packing.

i sit here typing now as i have just finished a fish and chips basket from a local cafe. i am in the lobby of the best western, having heard the receptionists standard greeting and spiel at least 70 times now, "there is no smoking in rooms and we ask that you settle all debts with the office by 9:30am since will be departing for church then."

it's now time to hit the road again back to sonora pass. hopefully this time it will be safely inside a four wheeled vehicle.

i'll be back at you soon.

g

Almost Underway!

It's Friday June 15th and tomorrow Becky and I are driving to Yosemite and from there I will depart. I'll send out notices when this blog is updated every week or so. What could possibly go wrong???