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Heading over Muir Pass. Mom and I are
on our way up towards the pass now. I burst on ahead and am sitting on
the bank of what I had hoped would be Helen Lake, but has turned out to
be the last unnamed pond before Helen Lake. Beautiful, though.
I'm sitting on a lichen-stained black rock with my back to the lake and
a view of the emerald-clad path below. A single hiker toils up the trail.
Red backpack. Mom. I'm waiting to make sure she gets across this rather
tricky stream crossing okay and to try to allay her disappointment when
she finds out that this (just like the last!) is not yet Helen Lake.
On an odd final note before wrapping
up this entry, I'm having rather extreme Sandra Bullock thoughts on this
leg of the journey. I dreamed last night that she was my girlfriend. Typically
weird.
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Just after 8 PM- It was a 10+ hour day. Rough, as usual.
The hiking day started at 7 AM. I started out alone, continuing up LeConte,
went past our campsite of several years ago and on up. I thought the first
lake was Helen Lake and thought Will was kidding when he said it wasn't.
Then another lake, then switchbacks, then Lake Helen finally.
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Below Helen Lake. One of our few snow crossings.
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Helen Lake in the morning. Fifteen minutes after
the rock.
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Looking down on Helen from above. Our last glimpse.
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An hour, maybe more, and I'm sitting on the front stoop
of the Muir Hut. Top of Muir Pass! Definitely one of the more intense
ascents we've done, and probably one of the most intense on the JMT. I
would wager it's even tougher than the climb from Vidette to Forester
Pass. I'm alone up here, save for a pair of mangy marmots, who poke about
the rocks a mere five feet from me. Oblivious to my presence, they scrounge
what detritus we JMT-ers have left behind. Helen Lake below was remarkable,
certainly the most still lake we've seen since we've been out here. Difficult
to see at first, for its mirror-perfect reflection of the unnamed peak
behind it. So of course I tossed a rock in. Fifteen minutes later the
surface still blurred in places as the last of the ripples settled back
into stillness. I feel pretty good, though a touch impatient. I'm anxious
to get down to Evolution Valley for some reason. Kick back. Mellow. Mom's
probably not thrilled with that. I keep darting ahead like an over-exuberant
dog, continually pausing to check behind. Make sure she's alright and
make sure she's still there. .
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| The switchbacks
led to the top sooner than I expected, actually. I didn't see Muir Hut until
I was upon it. What a relief. Whew! I was singing "Dirait-on" in my head
but I find that I often don't sing because my pace is so slow that even
thinking of music takes much-needed energy. At the top we met Pete and Colleen,
two very friendly folks who both work at the Ahwahnee and were doing a one
week Mammoth to South Lake trip. |
Chris and the Muir Hut.
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To the north: Wanda Lake
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Will atop Muir. In front of a mountain.
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| Then I started
down the hill alone, past McDermand and on to Wanda. It was a long slog
past other lakes and finally to Sapphire. My toes hurt by then so the Tevas
went on all the way to the end of Evolution Lake- a very hot bit of newly
rerouted and re-engineered, but not, in my opinion, improved trail. We rested
at Evolution Lake and ate crackers and dried fruit (we're out of lunch stuff)
and on down to the Valley. |
Wanda Lake. Terribly buggy, but they don't bite.
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Procuring water at Sapphire Lake for the hike down.
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A teensy little bit of Evolution Lake.
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Looking down to Evolution Valley. A gorgeous sight.
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| We
left about 3 and got to a nice campsite in Colby Meadow a little after 5.
It was downhill from Evolution Lake to the Valley and my toes didn't hurt
till the end. We splashed around in the river and Will had a fish nipping
at his leg. Dinner was enchiladas and miso soup with chocolate cheesecake
decadence for dessert. It is a nice site here with a meadow view right by
the river. |
Contrast-y photo of the campsite at Colby.
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Returning from the river.
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