Day 1

Today is the day! It is finally here! Oh my gosh! Am I ready? Do I have everything? Let me check my gear again, even though I just checked it last night, and the night before, and the night before that... Ok. Yes. I think I have everything I need. 

Breathe. 

Time to take pack up! Ok. Load the car. 

Breathe. 

Get in the car. 

Breathe. 

I don't remember much of that morning. I don't remember what all was said. I don't remember what music was playing in the car on the drive down to the valley. I don't remember looking at anything out my window. I must have been pretty focused... Or more like pretty nervous. 

I had everything I needed. I had prepared for this for months. I had a great support system of family and friends. What could I possibly be so nervous about!? Doing it on my own? Possibly. Venturing out into unfamiliar wilderness? Possibly. Hurting my knee again? Absolutely. So many thoughts... But no time for them! We were finally at the parking lot! 

The trailhead was another 1/4 mile down the road, but for some reason we couldn't get to it as access was restricted. So, Donny stopped the car at the edge of the parking lot and helped me get out and get situated. One last hug and some words of encouragement and off I went. And away he drove. No turning back now...

One foot in front of the other. One step at a time. I have this! I can do it! 

I got down to the trailhead and ran into a couple guys sitting at the bus stop. They had packs on and I could tell that they were JMTers too. John and Franklin. They were waiting for 2 other friends to get there. We talked for a little and figured we would see each other down the trail later in our journey. I was glad to have met them. They didn't make me feel so alone. 

Finally, I'm at the trailhead! Ready to start my adventure!  I took a selfie and then this nice couple offered to take my picture for me. 

Their names were Mike and Jill. We ended up walking and talking for a decent amount of time. Turns out they also live in Lakeside! Small world. They were such warm people and it was comforting and encouraging to talk with them. I told them about my hike and about some of the things that were going on in my life. Before we parted ways, they hugged me and prayed for me. We exchanged contact information and I still keep in touch with Mike to this day. He checks my blog and Hike with Keirnan Facebook page. (Mike, I want you to know that you and Jill made an impact on my life in that short amount of time we talked. I will never forget the two of you.)

Some time later after my hike, Mike sent me a picture of him and Jill. I was so grateful to have this picture to remember them by! 

As I continued my hike, I realized that I didn't know if I was on the right path. The trail I was on splits into two: The Mist Trail  and the John Muir Trail. While they both connect above Nevada Falls, only one is the JMT. Thankfully, I was on the right path and continued merrily along my way.  

The climb to Nevada Falls was pretty steady. I had to take my time and eat some snacks to keep up my energy (Crap! I didn't eat breakfast!). I met a man and his two sons on the trail and we had some great conversation. We hiked together for about 30 minutes and then parted ways when I took a break. 

I started nearing Nevada Falls. It was quite beautiful. 

(Half Dome is to the left in this picture)

(The path leading to the falls.)

(The River that feeds the falls.)

(Looking back at the bridge you walk over to cross the falls.)

After the falls, the trail meets up with the Mist Trail. Here, I met Jessica and Jason. They were coming up from the Mist Trailhead with large packs on. More JMTers!!! We talked for a minute and then they went ahead of me. We met up later at Little Yosemite Valley and had lunch together. Turns out they were honeymooning! How cool! After lunch we parted ways. Their schedule was similar to mine, so I knew we would be crossing paths here and there. 

Another sign... I have about 6 miles left for the day. 

As I was going along, I noticed that there wasn't much water around and I was getting low. I finally found a creek and was able to fill up. It had beautiful flowers all along it's banks. 

Another guy was there filling up as well and he invited me over to join his group and some other guys who were just hanging out. I politely declined, as I wanted to continue my journey, but I soon realized that the trail did this weird thing and I wasn't sure which direction I was to go. So I went back to ask them if they knew, which they did, but I ended up hanging out with them anyway. 

There were 2 groups: 3 guys and a girl made up the first. They were all REI employees. Then there was a father/son unit (Keith and Dan "the ant"). We all hung out and talked for quite some time. One of the REI employees was sick and needed to rest. Thankfully he was much better by the end of our break. In our conversation there was much talk of gear and shoes and the such. Of course. They were quite impressed with my water filtration system and my trowel. It was really fun to share ideas and tips. 

The REI group packed up and headed back down to the valley, which is where I had just come from. Keith and Dan were headed to Tuolomne Meadows, which is where I would be on day 3. So, I joined them for the rest of the evening. It was great to have company. Turns out Keith is from Philly and Dan is stationed in SD with the Coast Guard. Again, small world. 

Here are a few pictures of our hike from our resting spot to our campsite.

(I loved the purple flowers that lined the trail here.)

(There's Dan waiting for us.)

(Beautiful views from where we were!)

It was starting to get late and I knew that we still had a few miles to go before we found our campsite, so we kept trekking along. We passed a girl named Kristen. She was also hiking the JMT solo. I was excited as I figured she and I could hike together once I parted ways with Keith and Dan. She invited us to camp with her, but we wanted to go up the trail some more. 

We found a spot where three other girls were and asked to join them. I called them The Trio. I only remember Martha's name. I think one might have been Maggie. 

Sunrise Creek ran along the backside of the camp, so we had easy access to water. We all set up our tents and I had a good laugh because Keith and Dan both had MSR tents too, so we had a little MSR tent village. While we were setting up, we spotted a deer. It just came into our camp and walked around for a bit before taking off. Once camp was set up, I started a fire for the group and we all started to make our dinners. I also had reception, so I was able to call my dad and send out a few text messages. 

All of a sudden, I realized I wasn't feeling well. I got my food (white cheddar shells and cheese) and tried to eat it, but it made me nauseated. I put the spoon to my mouth, took one bite, and knew that is all I could stomach. I went straight to bed, leaving my pot of food at the fire with everyone else. After resting a bit, I felt good enough to go take care of the extra food and clean the pot, but I went right back to bed after that! Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning.