Monday, August 4. Wallace Creek. 18 miles. 10,200 ft.
What a day. Our world has changed since this morning.
The day dawned beautifully clear, but our gear was soaked from the evening dew. The sun did not clear the Kearsarge Pinnacles until 8:00 or so, and it took some time to dry things out. We weren't underway until 9:45. We must be the latest starters on the trail.
The climb to Forester Pass follows Bubb's Creek which tumbles down a broad glaciated valley with sweeping views that grew more spectacular the higher we went. The pleasant grade along the creek made for comfortable walking until we reached the steep cirque a couple miles beneath the pass.
Drew is jazzed and excited and strong. It is a delight to see. He is rarely chatty and never shares his feelings, but this morning Drew offered that he is enjoying the trip in a new way. Certainly, part of the change is due to his growing strength. The climb to 13,200-foot Forester Pass is much more fun and far less drudgery than it would have been three weeks ago. He shot up the pass as if gravity were an unfounded rumor.
At 1:30, six miles and 3,000 vertical feet above last night's camp, we stood on top of Forester Pass. It is our highest point on the trip so far and marks our departure from King's Canyon National Park and entry into Sequoia. Below are the headwaters of the Kern River.
After descending the south side of the pass, we decided to treat ourselves to a hot lunch, but the stove would not start. All the remedial measures I have taken before were fruitless this time. Dead stove, period.
For some reason, the fates have decided that Drew and I must deal with one trip-threatening preoccupation or another throughout this walk. Until yesterday the weather wielded the baton forcing us to constantly anticipate its uncertain whimsy. Now, the stove won't work. We can't cook any food. What do we do?
As we had with the weather, we discussed our options. The weather had washed out earlier layover days we had planned in order to climb Mt. Lyell and Mt. Goddard. I had hoped to camp tonight near Mt. Tyndall and take a day to walk to its summit. That's out now. We decided that our best option was to push hard for the finish line eating what dry food we have. We shouldered our packs and set out to cover as much ground as possible before dark. There is a backcountry ranger cabin at Crabtree Meadow. Maybe the ranger (if he is there) has a stove we could use. Who knows?
Bless Drew. When I get frustrated and angry at confounding situations like this, Drew steps in to say everything will be just fine. "We'll just to such-and-such, and things will work out. It'll be OK."
We walked like we were possessed, but as evening approached, we realized Crabtree Meadow was out of reach. By a stroke of luck, when we arrived at Wallace Creek, we ran into Bill and Irene from Reno who we have seen on the trail several times. I asked Bill if I could trade him some fuel in exchange for the use of his stove to cook our dinner. No problem, he said. After cooking their dinner, he came over and chatted with us while we cooked ours. Awfully nice. What a lifesaver.
Suddenly, Mt. Whitney is tomorrow. We will climb over 4,000 feet and walk 13 miles to its summit, then camp somewhere on the other side. On Wednesday, we will hike out, arriving in Lone Pine two days before our Friday motel reservation. I made that reservation because I have exited the wilderness at Lone Pine before only to find a town with no motel vacancies. Please, not that.
For now, lovely sleep. Tomorrow, our biggest day and our ultimate goal.
I found your site via a search for info on Colin Fletcher.What a wonderful, wonderful travel story! I was right there with you, all the way! can't wait for the final installments. Imagine my pleasant surprise to find your Sierra adventure blog! The photos are beautiful and the story of the bonding with your son is a delight. Bravo!
Peace,
Linda
Posted by: Linda Navroth | March 12, 2008 at 11:58 AM