Wednesday, July 30. Palisade Creek, a mile above Le Conte Canyon. 8,400 feet. 5 1/2 miles from last camp. 17 mile day including resupply side trip.
I have enjoyed nothing on this trip more than reading to Drew in the evenings. Up here, after a long day of walking, when dinner is done, and the sun sets, it's bedtime. Drew has always had trouble falling asleep, and reading to him these evenings has helped him drift off. He says repeatedly that he enjoys it. So, last night, as always, we crawled into our bags, and I finished reading Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony by the light of my head lamp. Drew was anxious to hear the ending. Reading your 18 year-old son to sleep - great stuff.
Meanwhile, I fell asleep worrying about how bad weather predicted for today might affect our rendezvous for resupply. Dusy Basin, our meeting spot, is just below 12,000 foot Bishop Pass - open and exposed - not a safe place in a mountain storm. Would we have to climb the five miles and 3,000 feet up in pouring rain, thunder and lightning? Would Peter, the person bringing our food, be prepared for such weather? Could he manage the climb over Bishop Pass? Would he? What if we don't make the connection?
Ten years ago, I had made similar arrangements with a packer to meet at Dusy Basin for a resupply at noon. By 3:30, no one had appeared. We couldn't return to camp - we had no food. We would have to walk eight miles over a 12,000 foot pass, then drop 2,500 feet to the pack station with no food or sleeping bags hoping that our supplies were there. That's what we did. As things turned out, the packer had mistakenly planned to deliver our gear the next day. Graciously, they fed us, gave us a place to sleep, and most importantly, a horseback ride back to Dusy Basin.
All my worries were for naught. The morning dawned divinely clear and warm. Clouds floated innocently by, and all was lighthearted. The climb to Dusy Basin is long and steep, but Drew carried the only pack and that was lightly laden with some trash and exposed film. To my relief, we met Peter with military precision. He greeted us with, "You've lost weight," plus two welcome treats, an apple fritter from Schat's Bakery in Bishop, and even better, a fresh apricot.
We caught up on Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France and a 9 out of 10 hot streak by the Giants - by now, another world.
We parted with Peter, excited to have briefly connected with the outside world, and walked the five miles back to camp. We had covered the ten-mile round trip in five hours and found ourselves back at camp at 1:00. Rather than spend another night in Le Conte Canyon, at Drew's suggestion, we quickly broke camp and put four more miles under our belt. The bad news: Our packs were newly laden with a nine-day supply of food. The good news: The packs will never be this heavy again and will lighten everyday for the remaining nine days of the trip.
It is testimony to our growing strength that we could hike to Dusy Basin and back and still have the strength and desire to break camp and move on.
Conversations with Drew on the trail today and recently have been animated and interesting. Details I can't recall, but it has been fun to connect like two contemporaries rather than as father and son. Movies, comedians, comic gags come up as well as life stuff. Drew has also impressed me with his resolve on this trip. Complaints have been minor and the kind anyone might raise. But to my greatest delight, he has plainly said that he is enjoying this trip.
Our walk to this new camp was ideally suited to our new heavy packs - gently downhill following the descending flow of the Middle Fork of the Kings River. We stopped to admire and photograph Grouse Meadow then turned left up Paradise Creek to begin our climb to Mather Pass. We are camped here by Paradise Creek a mile above the confluence with the Kings River.
Clouds are always present but this evening there is more blue than gray. I have hedged my bets and erected the tent, but our sleeping bags are rolled out under the stars.
Always thinking of Renee and Vanessa.
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