John Muir Trail....2010.

The John Muir Trail was EPIC. It was 18 days, about 195 miles (minus day hikes and additional miles for food drops and such). It was a terribly amazing adventure, though it's taken it's toll as of lately. We averaged about 15 miles a day on the trail. My baseline backpack weight started at 21 pounds with extra fishing gear and such and I later shipped some stuff home and got my weight down to 18 pounds....this all meant that with a 7 day load of food (in a bear canister that weighed 3 pounds) my backpack weighed about 36 pounds. There were four of us that started the trail and we had one drop out/off the trail at Red's Meadow/Devil's Postpile (about 4 days into our trip). Then there were 3 (Luke, Time,

and I).

 

(from the left: Greg Goble, Tim Kershaw, and Luke Shafer before Greg left us)

We all kept on for the next 11 days together out to Onion Valley where Luke's father and sister were not only dropping off our second resupply of food, but then joining us on the trail for the hike out the next 4 days out Mt. Whitney. Around Day 11, both Tim and I were already feeling the missings of home and family and wouldn't have minded going home. That's not to say taht we ever would have left the trail or that it was not fun. The adventure was entirely amazing in every way, but it was different than anticipated and we learned alot about who we were and what we wanted out of the adventure. In light of this, Tim and I left Luke at Onion Valley with his father and sister and the two of us charged on together. After leaving Luke, we did a 26 mile day (Onion Valley up Kearsarge Pass, down into the valley below, a steady climb to the top of Forrester Pass @13,000 ft. where we encountered rain and hail, a drop down into the valley below and down toward Tyndall Creek (22.3 miles at this point), and up and over more elevation to the most wonderful campsite Tim and I EVER had (not only in our lives, but on the trip as well). 

(view from campsite above Wallace Creek at the end of a 26 mile day)

26 MILES AND ABOUT 12,000 FT. OF ELEVATION CHANGE. It was the best and worse day we've ever had all in one. Fantastic to challenge the mind and body and see what you are actually capable of when determined and willing to endure some pain and rain. Through the trip, we had quite a few mishaps, though none fatal which is a start. Greg left earlier in the trip at Red's Meadow/Devil's Postpile because he wasn't comfortable in the snow, on top of which he had an incident where on a very steep and snowy traverse on top of a frozen lake, he missed his footing and slid feet first into the lake. Luckily, Tim's an all-star and pulled him out by the trekking poles. It could have been bad. After that incident, Luke happened to fall into a crevace literally about 10 feet deep (it was covered in snow and gave out underneath him). Tim pulled him out and helped him scale the rocks down out and off. Unreal. The only mishap I had was when I decided to swim the creek crossing right before Forrester Pass.....Tim, in an attempt to avoid wet feet did the creek crossing via a LONG jump to a slippery log. He had no problem because his legs make up 3/4ths of his height whereas I'm the exact opposite. After making the leap and landing my first leg, I proceeded to completely miss my second step and went HEAD FIRST into the water. The only worry was my camera which turned out to be okay. I also then had the divine pleasure of hiking the entire pass sopping wet. Adventures are what it's all about. 

(view from the top of Forrester Pass looking out towards where we are going)

After the rain cleared above Forrester Pass, the marshmellow clouds came out/stayed around for the most glorious afternoon of the trip. Backlit clouds, a light breeze, and the weight of the days trekking lifted by a luminous and 180 degree view of heaven (snow capped mountains topped with endless clouds and sunshine). 

Even though I slept alot on the trail, the constant and hardcore taxing of the body day in and out took it's toll and I've been sleeping alot recently at home. And my body somehow seems to be still be in a state of major change. I feel pretty raw still. 

(condition of my nose developing around day 8)

(view from earlier in the trip looking down on Tully Hole)

(totally tweaked/messed up combination of shots that didn't arrange into a good shot from the sunrise above Whitney)

Okay guys.....here's some photos from the JMT of my Flickr accound. I couldn't upload many because of monthly upload restrictions, so they'll be seeping in month by month. But enjoy a few for now. Here they are: http://www.flickr.com/photos/52140417@N05/

Compilation of my favorite photos from the trip following...

(view from the top of Donahue Pass, the first pass we did (in about 12 miles of pure snow))

(looking up Evolution Valley)

(lake going up towards Silver Pass in the early morning)

(the best tree from the entire trip)

(cool geological "fold" at the top of the ridge,......look closely)

(Tim....a.k.a. "B-Line")

(Ruby Lake........Justin and Heidi Rose?? Baby?)

(for Andrew LaPlante......climbing a tree to see the world)

(John Muir hut, built in the 1930's by the Sierra Club......what men used to be like and should be like. Men that build huts and the tops of passes via hand-collected stone with no machinery assistance.)

(best shot and moment on the trip...taken at 2:00 a.m. the morning we left for the top of Mt. Whitney after a terrible and enlightening night of rainfall)

(top of Mt. Whitney around 5:00 a.m.)

(Chipmunks were AMUCK at Whitney Portal. Example: group of 5 people left their single 3-plater pancake for about 4 minutes to watch the finish of the Badwater Ultramarathon, only to have it demolished by Blue Jays and chipmunks full of the power of fearlessness.)

(The caption states: REALLY COOL!)

(Rae Lakes looking towards Glen Pass)