Day 3: Tuolumne Meadows

Friday, July 10


"Thanks so much for helping me out last night and letting me set up here. I really appreciate it. I was honestly a little worried about getting hypothermia and I knew I needed to get set up" 

"Oh, it's not a problem. When we saw you we were a little worried too, so that's why we had you stay. 

I woke up that morning feeling a thousand times better than when I got to camp last night. I was warm and dry and a little hungry. The inside of my tent was all wet, and it finally dawns on me that my tent isn't leaking, it was just holding a lot of condensation so when the rain hit the tent, it was bouncing the condensation off and that's what I was feeling. Well, that's a relief then. I'm glad my tent isn't actually leaking!

The lady and her husband who helped me last night were already starting on their coffee and breakfast. I stood there for a moment and stretched out my sore body. My legs were still a little stiff from hiking Mt. San Jacinto last weekend. I thanked them for taking me in last night. We introduced ourselves and started talking about hiking the trail. As it turned out, her name was Kim (The second Kim I have met in two days), and I am friends with her on Facebook! I was so excited to see another Lady of the JMT! Of course I had to get a picture with her! 

I excused myself and walked over to the restroom. This was another established back country camp that had composting toilets available for hiker use. On my way I happened to run into Dan. He was surprised that I remembered his name. We began to talk and I explained to him why I was there instead of Cathedral Lakes. Jarrod came over to join us. I asked if they saw Don and Val come through last night, and but they hadn't. Bummer. After a moment of conversation, we decided to hike together for the day. We all agreed to be ready in about 30 minutes. 

I went back over to finish packing my stuff up. It was all still wet, including my pants. I left my wool leggings on that I usually sleep in and just threw my shorts on overtop. My long sleeve shirt was still wet too, but my short sleeve shirt had dried enough to wear. One thing was certain. It was cold today!

Dan, Jarrod and I headed out. We talked and talked and talked. What great conversations we had. We talked about everything and anything. Mostly about what we were currently doing with our lives, what great adventures we had already experienced and ones we wanted to do in the future. It seemed as if no time had passed at all. We just walked and talked. 

At one point we were climbing pretty good. I remember thinking to myself that I sure was glad that I didn't try to do this section yesterday in the rain. Turns out we had to get up Cathedral Pass, which I had totally forgotten about. As we reached the top, it actually started to snow on us! It was really that cold! We stood up at the top for a very short while (I didn't even take any pictures), and then started down towards Cathedral Lakes. 

When we could see Cathedral Peak, we stopped to take a few pictures: 

Jarrod is on the left. Dan is on the right. 

We continued on, passing Cathedral Lakes. You can just barely see it in this picture. The trail was rerouted from last year, so it didn't go as close to the lake this year as it did last. And due to the weather and how early it was (It was only about 10:00), we didn't stop.

Not stopping... that must have been our theme for the day. We hiked 10.5 miles to Tuolumne Meadows General Store without stopping at all. I think we were all hungry for a cheeseburger! 

Last year when I hiked this portion of the JMT I walked out to the main road and caught the shuttle that took me to the general store. This year, we stayed on the trail and went to the campground. I remembered where the backpackers' camp was, but none of this area looked familiar. We kept walking until I finally stopped a worker to ask where it was. he pointed us in the right direction. I was ALMOST right as to remembering where it was we needed to go. Once we got to the campground we ran into Val and Don again. Dan and Jarrod picked out a good spot and set up camp while I talked with Val and Don and explained what happened the night before. When Dan and Jarrod were ready, we headed down to the TM Grill. We were HUNGRY! I ordered a burger and fries, and it did not disappoint. We sat outside with the rest of the hungry hikers to enjoy our feast. 

When our bellies were full, we went to the post office to get our resupplies. Due to the enormous number of hikers coming through this year (Thank you Wild), we had to wait about 2 hours until we could pick up our packages. This was fine with us because we wanted to walk over to the new gear shop anyway. Dan didn't have a rain coat, which was a bit of a mistake in this weather, so he found a North Face one at the gear shop. It's funny that it's North Face because Jarrod actually works at a North Face store. Dan was pretty excited about his new coat, but he didn't remember me taking this picture of him! 

It was nearly time to get the resupply packages, so we headed back over to the post office. The worker brought out a cart with everyone's resupply on it. It was a pretty neat experience to see everyone (Mostly JMT and PCT hikers) huddled together, waiting to get their goodies. Mine is the box on the bottom far left. Dan's was the orange bucket. I am pretty sure he had Superman tape on it. He was proud of the tape, as it made the bucket easier for the guy to find.

Jarrod and Dan retired to their tents upon receipt of their buckets and I hangout at the store waiting for Sara to arrive. She should be here any moment. I sent her a few text messages and tried calling a few times, but couldn't get through. Time has passed and she's a little later than I had expected by now. I'm starting to get a little worried that we missed each other in passing when I was in the gear shop or eating. Finally, after some time, she shows up. I was so insanely excited to see her!!! I ran over right away, gave her a hug and took a picture. My next leg of my JMT journey is about to begin! 

We got in her car and went straight to the permit office. It was so late in the day that I was certain there would be no permits left for us to get with a start date of tomorrow, but we just had to check. The rangers there were really nice. Though they had no permits for tomorrow, they were very optimistic that we'd be able to get them for Sunday if we came early enough. And early enough, according to them, was 8:00am. Really? That seems super late to me. Sara and I decide that 6:00am was more likely a good time to show up. 

Next, we went to the campground. I was really hoping that there was an available spot for us in the car camping campground. I wasn't sure if I could stay two nights in a row at the backpacker's campground and I knew we were going to need to stay there tomorrow night for sure. Thankfully, we snagged the very last available campsite! YAY! We went over right away and set up our tents. I realized I was missing two stakes and knew right away that I had left them up at Jarrod and Dan's campsite when I was up there. I had thought to set up my tent to dry, but then decided not to because I wasn't wanting to walk back up there. It ended up that I had to walk back up there anyway in order to get my stakes. Sara went with me and we visited for a small while before heading back to our campsite. 

Once back at the site I laid out all of my wet clothes in her car so that they could dry. This excited me very much!  It started to rain again, so we jumped in the back of her car (She has a Nissan Xterra and had the seats laid down) and went through all of her gear. This would be her first big hike like this, so she wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. There were only a couple things I noticed that she needed, and we could get those at the gear shop tomorrow. Very good! 

Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day. We were going to get up really early and head to the permit office to get our permits. Then we would head down to the Valley so Sara could see El Capitan, Half Dome, Tunnel View, Etc.

The thought of this, coupled with the day I had just had made me extremely tired. It was time for bed. Another adventure waited for me tomorrow. And from here on out I'd have Sara with me! 

Day 2: Almost Hypothermic

Thursday, July 9


BAM!

rumble...

Well good morning to you too Little Yosemite Valley. It looks as if the storms we were supposed to get last night were delayed until this morning. It's 6:00am. What a way to start the day.

Drip. Drop. Pitter patter.

Wait. Why am I getting wet? Seriously? You have GOT to be kidding me. You mean to tell me that my new tent is leaking? The sole shelter I have for the next 26 days? This can't be happening. I need to figure out why it is leaking.

Flash.

BAM!

rumble...

And so it goes for the next 20 minutes. It's now 6:22am and the rain finally starting to let up. The sky has lighted up a little and I can see better now. What I can see is that the floor of my tent is floating. It seems as if I am in my own little water bed. Well that was genius of me. I must not have recognized the depression I had set up my tent in last night. All of the water has collected underneath my tent. At least I know that my floor is waterproof! I would have been soaked if I were in a SilNylon tent. Thank God I chose to bring this one!

I need to take advantage of this lull in the rain and run to the bear box to grab my stuff. Under the direction of the ranger who was camped out there for the night, we were to put all of our belongings into the bear box as an added protection since there was a bear roaming around camp. I couldn't pack up any of my things in the tent until I went and fetched my pack. I put on my Marmot Precip jacket and my ZPacks rain kilt. I'm determined not to get wet today.

As I step out into the slight drizzle that the storm has turned into I see that all around me camp was still quiet. The Boy Scout group was gone already. Man, they must have gotten up early. Either that or they ended up packing in the rain. Kim and her hiking buddy were still sleeping. Don and Val were not out of their tents yet. Seems as if everyone took the rain as a sign to sleep in a little. Not me. I'm excited and ready to go! I head over to Bobbi and Alex's campsite to where the bear box was. I could hear them talking in their tent. "Morning!" I yelled out. They replied and started shuffling around a bit. I knew they'd be out of their tent before I left and I decided that I would stop back before hitting the trail. I grabbed my things and scurried off to my tent. I wanted to hurry and pack up before it started pouring again.

Once I had everything from inside my tent secured in my pack I decided to assess my tent situation.  I realized that I didn't take a picture of my tent site last night. I pull out my phone to snap a quick pic. This picture now serves two purposes: to show my campsite as well as the puddle I ended up camping in. I started to take down my tent. What a flipping mess! I tell you what... I'm not completely sure why a tent would have an all no-see-um mesh flooring. It was absolutely disgusting. Everything that could stick to the mesh did. Granted, I'm sure that the tent is not designed to be set up in a puddle, but still. I rolled my tent up and fastened it to the outside of my pack. Usually I put it inside my pack, but it was sopping wet and filthy. I am pretty certain that it also weighed at least 2lbs heavier due to all of the water.

Well, I'm all packed up and ready to go. I have my rain jacket and kilt on and my pack cover. I'm prepared for it to rain all day and I'm not worried or bummed in the least. It's all part of the experience. I was fortunate enough to have beautiful skies for the week that I was on the trail last year, but I had heard horror stories about the rain that came in the weeks after I had got off the trail. I knew that rains could be serious in the Sierras, so I was ready! I threw my pack on and started over towards Bobbi and Alex. Don and Val were up by now and I said good morning to both of them in passing. Bobbi and Alex were just sitting down to breakfast when I arrived. We spoke briefly about our plans for the day. I was headed to Cathedral Lakes and they were off to Clouds Rest, though the weather was very sketchy (I believe they decided not to go because of that reason). They both got a kick out of my rain gear and I had them take a picture of me. I do look like a bit of a goober.

Goodbyes and Happy Trails are said and I'm finally off to start my hike for the day. I see that I'm the first one (of the people I'd been talking to the night before) to leave camp, and though I'm alone I am feeling quite confident that I know where I am going since I did this portion of the trail last year. Except... I can't find the trailhead. Goodness. I'm going to do real well today if I'm already lost before I've even begun! I asked a passing lady and her son and they pointed me in the right direction.

I should have taken that as a sign that I wasn't meant to hike by myself that day. After about an hour or so on the trail, I realized that it didn't look familiar to me anymore. I also wasn't seeing anyone else on the trail. Surely the JMT should have more people on it than this. Why doesn't this look right? And where is everyone else? I stop. I get out my map and reevaluate where I am. This is right. It has to be. I couldn't have gone on any other trail. Right? Wait. Maybe I'm further ahead than I thought I was. Maybe...

Oh look! A person! I was so thankful to see another person, but I got quite curious as to why he did not have a large pack on. Don't most people who are this far into Yosemite on the JMT have a larger pack? I stopped the man to ask him if I was still on the JMT. His reply was "NO, you're headed up to Half Dome" WELL CRAP! I AM further than I thought I was and I must have missed the junction. But how, because I really don't remember seeing a junction. Fine, I'll just turn around and go back. What harm can that do?

Here's what harm it can do... It can give you an extra 2 miles to walk when you walk a mile back and run into your friends who tell you that you ARE going the right direction. So you get to turn around and walk that mile for the 2nd time. That is precisely what happened to me. I turned around and started hoofing it down hill. Keep in mind, I had been climbing out of LYV for the past mile. My map was in my hand and my eyes were peeled so I didn't miss the junction again. Next thing I know, I run into Val and Don. I explained to them what happened and they assured me I was on the right path. While I was very thankful for this, I was a little disappointed that I didn't trust myself and just keep going. I thanked them, turned around and repeated that mile climb, this time enjoying the company of others. The junction sign for Half Dome was about 1/2 a mile after the spot where I met that man. I hope the misinforming guy felt bad when he got to the sign and saw that he WAS indeed on the JMT. I get it though, he was on his way to Half Dome and probably had no idea what the JMT even was in the first place to know that he was on it.

As we neared an area that I remember so clearly from last year, I found several other people who had no idea where they were. Some of them had gone off in the wrong direction. It is a very tricky spot indeed. You come to a nice camp area with a stream that you are to cross. Once you cross the stream, there is a sharp right and then a turn left. A person shouted to me if I knew where the JMT was. In this moment I shined.  I very confidently said "Oh yeah, that's not the path. The trail is actually over here." In a matter of moments our trio was now a group of about 7, though that wasn't to last long. In the next mile those four had taken off and left Val, Don and I in their dust.

I decided to go ahead of Val and Don. There was only a couple intersections left at this point and I was absolutely sure I knew where I was and didn't even need a map. They wanted to stop to eat, so we said our goodbyes and I went up the trail. Man, it started to look very very different. Very sad. The fire from last year destroyed so much of what I remember. I didn't recognize a single thing. I started to panic because I came to a pond that I am almost certain was not there last year (It had to of been though because it was too big to be new). At this moment panic sets in. I hadn't seen another person since I said goodbye to Val and Don. Nothing looked familiar. I whipped out my map and frantically looked for a sign that I was in the right area. Nothing. I saw nothing. According to the map I should have been fine, but why didn't this look familiar? Why was there a pond? There! I think that may be the pond! Wait!!! That's on the Cloud's Rest trail. Did I make a wrong turn somewhere? Why is this happening again? Tears. Here they come. Streaming down my cheek. I checked my phone. Reception! Ok. I'm not alone. I called Donny. Crying, I explained to him that I thought I was lost. Well, not lost, but not on the right trail. I turned around and started walking back, downhill again, to where I had just come from. To the last point where I was confident I knew where I was. He's asking me questions: Did you pass the junction for Half Dome yet? Yes. Did you pass ____ yet? Yes. Did you pass _____ yet? I DON'T KNOW! STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS! Poor guy. He was just trying to help me as best he could over the phone. I decided to just hike to The Valley and take the bus up to Tuolumne. He thinks that's a silly idea, as he's sure I'm on the right trail. I think it's the only idea that gives me an absolute possible solution. We say our goodbyes. I tell him I'll update him when I can. In a matter of seconds after hanging up who do I run into again? Val and Don. THANK YOU JESUS! The tears streaming down my face give me away immediately and they ask me what is wrong. I explain everything to them and ask if I can just hike with them for the day. They welcomed me with open arms and I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd be ok today. I called Donny right back and told him I was with Val and Don. All was ok now.

We continued to hike together for the rest of the day. As we walked through the burned area, I told them of my attempt to hike this last year and my failure to finish. I talked about some of the things I experienced on the trail and how I took my experience from last year to really prepare for my hike this year. I was going to finish this year, and that was that! They talked to me about their kids, who were around my age. Don told me that he's hiked some of the JMT before, but wasn't going to do it all this year. He was just hiking to Donahue with Val and then turning around. Val would continue on without him to finish the trail. I took a lot of pictures during this time. I found the burned area hauntingly beautiful. I had never walked through an area that was so freshly burned. There was no green anywhere.

Such a beautiful view. You could see how far the fire went, as there were burned trees on the mountain across the valley as well. 

My heroes of the day! Val on the left and Don on the right. 

Remnants of a burned log. 

Slowly, our surroundings started to green up and we began to see signs of life in both vegetation and wildlife. The trail, at one point, went through a small field of purple flowers (Yes, just like in Mile... Mile & A Half). I had taken a picture of this section last year, as I thought it was amazingly beautiful, but I must have forgotten to take a picture of it this year. We saw a mother grouse and her four chicks. They were running all over the place while the mother just sat on a log. We probably spent nearly 5 minutes just taking pictures of the birds. 

We saw this mother grouse and 4 of her babies. 

A baby grouse. A grousling? 

Not too long after that we had another steep climb up through rocks. There was a stream running along the right side of the trail and I decided to stop for some water. I put my pack down and mosey on over to the stream. I found a really good pool with a nice flow into it and I started to climb up to where it was. 

SPLASH! 

In I went! I slipped on the wet rocks. I let out a yelp as I went down and a groan as I stood up. I wasn't completely soaked, but I was definitely wet enough. My entire right side of my body from my pants to my shirt sleeve. Fantastic. Don and Val yell after me to make sure I'm ok. By this point I'm just laughing at my stupidity and yell back that I'm fine. I take my shirt off and hang it on the back of my pack. I know my pants will dry quickly and I'm hoping my shirt will dry too. This will be a good test to see how well it dries. 

After a few more minutes, we finally conquer our climbing struggles and reach the summit of whatever it is that we were climbing... which I think was nothing really. It was just the end of the incline out of LYV.  The clouds started rolling in at this point and since we were so high up, we were beginning to be surrounded by them. You could just see them meandering in and out of the trees. It was so very magical, like being in a Disney movie. I tried to capture it on video and in pictures, but there was no way to truly take it from that place. It is something that you just have to experience in person. 

Upon our decent, we did find some of that sunshine, so we took full advantage of it! We stopped for a lunch break and a dry out session. All of our stuff was soaked from the night before, so we set up our tents and laid out our rain gear in hopes that we could get it dried out a little. If anything, it would lighten our load to not be carrying around so much useless water weight. I'm sure we spent an hour or so at that spot. I don't remember what all I had for lunch that day, but I do remember digging into my honey mustard and onion pretzels. I even shared them! 

 

Once we were done with lunch and had dried most of our gear, we were ready to continue on our way. There weren't too many miles left before getting to Sunrise Camp, which is where Don and Val were stopping for the day. I decided that I was going to walk on to Cathedral Lakes. I really wanted to camp there, as I didn't get to camp there last year. Plus, that put me a mere 5 miles from Tuolumne and if I got up early enough, I could get to the permitting station and try to get walk-in-permits for Saturday instead of Sunday. Yeah. That seemed like a pretty good plan to me. 

We passed several people on our way to Sunrise Camp. Many, like us, were taking advantage of what little sunlight we had to dry out their belongings. We heard stories of tents completely failing and people getting soaked. Sleeping bags were left out to dry. People had their last resort clothing on because their clothes were wet. It was a brutal night for many. 

Around 4:00 we arrived at the Sunrise Camp. I decided that the weather was holding fairly well and that I could make it to Cathedral Lakes by 6:00 for sure. After all, it was only 5 miles and most of that was flat, right (Wrong. I later found this out, but I'll get to that in my next blog)? After a few pictures, and a final farewell selfie, we parted ways and I continued on my hike. 

The meadow here is so pretty. 

10 miles to Tuolumne. 5 miles left for the day to get to Cathedral Lakes! 

Our final goodbye (for the day) picture. I think this is the first time I used my selfie stick adapter. I was to thankful for their company today! 

A mile into the hike it started to rain. Cathedral Lakes was another 4 miles. Crap! What do I do? Do I continue for 4 miles in the rain, not knowing if it is just a temporary thing or if it will continue on for the rest of the hike, or do I just turn around and find Val and Don again? First thing is first, I needed to get my rain gear on. I whip out my jacket and my pack cover. I decided to just turn around a walk a mile back. No need for my rain kilt if it's just a mile. I'll be there in 20 minutes. What harm can 20 minutes of no rain bottoms do?

It turns out that no rain bottoms for 20 minutes in an exposed meadow can actually do a lot of harm. By the time I reached the camp I was shivering cold. I only had my short sleeved shirt on under my rain jacket because my long sleeve shirt was still a little damp. The pit vents on the side of my jacket had let in some rain and my short sleeve shirt was getting wet. My pants were absolutely soaked clear through and the water was traveling up under my rain jacket, getting the bottom of my short sleeved shirt wet. My shoes are not water proof, so my feet were completely soaked.

This isn't good.

I'm freezing.

I'm wet.

I need to get my tent up now!

I start looking for a campsite, but it seems as if most of them are already taken. I can't find Val or Don anywhere. They must have gone up the hill a little further. I don't have the energy to climb that. The cold and wet has sucked every last bit of energy right out of me. I stop to talk to a lady. She and her husband insisted I set up my tent beside theirs in their campsite. I felt bad for being so close to them, but I was so grateful to be able to stop worrying about finding a place to set up. I get my tent out and the rain is just coming down. I'm struggling to get my tent set up. It requires 10 stakes and a trekking pole. The husband comes and helps me. Thank you! When I go to get inside, there were huge puddles of rain in my floor. I need towels to sop the water up. My towels are wet from trying to dry my tent off earlier in the day (What good that did!). I used my long sleeve shirt. It was already wet right? Finally, the tent is dry enough that I can get my sleeping pad, sleeping bag and pillow out. But first I need to get out of these wet clothes!

I'm shaking. Uncontrollably.

This isn't good.

I have no memory of actually changing or setting up my bedding. The only thing I remember is thinking that I was close to being hypothermic and I needed to warm up ASAP. I know I was extremely worried and a little scared. But knowing that I had people close by helped keep me calm.

It's 7:30pm. I just woke up. I'm warm. I'm dry. I'm ok.

After I took that video I went back to sleep. I don't remember eating anything for dinner that day. I'm sure I didn't eat.

I did take away a very important lesson from this, and it's one that I share with others as a tip for hiking in the rain. Rain kilts are actually quite amazing, but your pant legs still get wet. Even if I had put my kilt on, my pants would still have been wet from the knees down. I decided from there on out that if I needed to wear my rain kilt, I would only wear shorts under them. That way my pants stayed dry for when I get to camp. My legs aren't cold if I'm hiking, even with shorts on, so I don't need to worry about keeping them warm. Also, skin dries much quicker than fabric, so when I get to camp, I can dry off my legs with a towel and put on warm, dry pants. I used this method for the rest of my hike and never had another issue with hiking in the rain.

One thing that I know, and am extremely proud of, is that not once did I want to quit the trail. Not once did I say "I can't deal with being wet and cold. I don't know how many more days of rain we have coming. This is for the birds." I was confident that I could handle it. I was confident that I was capable of making the right decisions to be successful on the JMT.

Day 1: Panorama Trail

Wednesday, July 8


I woke up this morning at Sheri and Gary's house excited for the next phase of my journey: Yosemite! I quickly gather my things and repacked my bag. I was really doing this!! Today was the day! I would ride with the Durans to The Wawana Visitor Center, pick up my permit, and then go set up my camp at Bridalveil Campground for the night. Rosemarie was going to camp with me and we were just going to have a great evening of getting to know each other before starting on the trail in the morning. I was so happy to have made new friends and to have some company along the trail for my first day of hiking.

Sheri and Gary said they'd be ready soon, as they had to finish gathering their gear as well. They were going to take a quick backpacking trip in Yosemite near where my trailhead was. I figured that I would use this time to call my dad and let him know I was getting on my way. What should have been a simple quick phone call turned out to be a life changing call. I asked him how his doctor's appointment went the other day, and though he wanted to wait until I got off of the trail to tell me, he is an honest man and told me the truth: he has cancer. 

What? Well, how bad is it? When are you starting treatment? What do they know? When is your next appointment. I asked all these questions while trying not to cry. My daddy. My loving amazing daddy. 

Cancer. 

And I find out the day before I start my hike? How fair is that? Do I just quit now and go home to be with him? Do I trust that he has a good couple years left and finish my hike despite him possibly needing me while I am gone? 

NO! 

It could be seen as selfish, but going home just was not an option for me. I had come too far to get here literally and metaphorically. My dad wouldn't have wanted that. He knew how hard I had worked to get to this point. I decided to hike on. And I decided I would finish it for him. This hike no longer was about finishing it for me and proving to myself I could do it. It was now about finishing it for him and making him proud of me. 

We talked a little more and then said our goodbyes. As tears ran down my cheek I told him "I love you" with more feeling behind it then any other time I'd ever said it. 

SCREW YOU CANCER! 

Breathe. 

Refocus. 

Ok, it's time to leave. Sheri and Gary give me hugs and tell me they'll pray for him. That means a lot to me. We get in the car and head up the road. A little while later we come to a parking lot where Rosemarie was waiting for us. I jumped in her car to keep her company on our way up to Yosemite. 

Before getting to Yosemite, we stopped at a breakfast and deli restaurant, though I cannot remember the name of it. Sherri and Gary offered to pay for my breakfast, and though I tried to decline, they did it anyway. We all got our fill of eggs and hashbrowns and bacon before ordering deli sandwiches to go. A fresh turkey sandwich at camp tonight would be amazing! 

Back into the cars and off we go! We're close now. I can feel it. The excitement is growing ever more! 

There it is!!! The Wawanna visitor center! One step away from getting my permit to start tomorrow! We go in and talk to the ranger. After hearing a few options that were available, I decided to switch my GP->Illilouette->Cathedral Lakes permit to a GP->LYV->Cathedral Lakes permit. The catch? I had to start today! Not tomorrow. Today! This was definitely a better option because it gave me 3 days to do 26 miles with some pretty nasty elevation gain, instead of the 2 days I had planned. 

Wow! Today! Ok! Let's do it! 

We all got back into our cars and headed straight for Glacier Point! 

Glacier point is absolutely beautiful. There are many beautiful spots in Yosemite, but this is one of my absolute favorites. 

The trailhead at GP is called the Panorama Trail. It isn't actually part of the JMT, but it does connect to the JMT after about 5 miles. What makes this trailhead a good starting option is that there is less elevation gain getting to Little Yosemite Valley. Instead of starting at the valley floor and just going up, you start higher and go down, then back up, but it is all gradual. There was nothing grueling about this trail. The best part is definitely the view! We'll get to that in a minute. First, some pictures. 

Ready to go! Half dome is looming in the background. 

At the trailhead! Heading to Nevada Falls to meet up with the JMT! I was so happy to be here, and to be here with such great people who were such a huge source of support for me. I will be forever grateful for their kindness and friendship. After a few pictures, many hugs and even some tears, I was off on the trail! 

My first picture on the trail. Half Dome on the left. Nevada Falls on the right. 

Check out this video from when I first started: 

Half Dome on the left. Illilouette Falls in the split of the tree. 

So here I am... on the Panorama trail enjoying all it has to offer. Great views, a nice gradual decent, peace and quiet. Wait, what was that? Did someone just yell my name? Goodness, no. Why would someone be yelling my name? This made no sense to me. I keep walking. But wait! There it was again. 

"KEIRNAN FROM PENNSYLVANIA!" 

Ok, that's creepy. How did they know I'm from Pennsylvania? I was starting to doubt my psychological fitness for the trail at this point. 

"WHAT?" I yelled back. Like someone was going to answer. Really? What am I thinking? Ok, so I just keep walking. It's way too early in my hike to be getting delusional. It's been 5 minutes since the trailhead. 

"KEIRNAN! I HAVE YOUR WALLET!!!"

FREEZE! 

My wallet? OH SHOOOOOOT! That means that Gary, bless his soul, is trekking after me trying to catch up. I was seriously hiking FAST. I feel bad for ANYONE who would try to keep up with me in that moment, let alone an older gentleman. I turn around and run as quickly as I can back up the trail. Gary. There he stands, breathing quickly with my small black ZPacks wallet in hand. Oh Gary, I am so so sooooo sorry that I forgot my wallet on Rosemarie's car seat and that you had to chase after me. I have no idea what I would have done had you not been an absolute saint and came after me with it. We all talk about trail angels, but by George, you really live up to that title! Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!!!!!

Ok. Shake it off. Refocus. No time for feeling guilty. I have a task at hand! 

At this point the weather was starting to get a little darker. We were supposed to get storms, so I was really hoping that it would hold off until I got to camp. This video shows the clouds coming in. 

Not too long after I took that photo I ran into a lady named Bobbi. She looked at me and I looked at her and we knew right away that we were THE Bobbi and THE Keirnan from our Facebook group: Ladies of the JMT (also the group that I met Jan, Sherri and Rosemary in). We giggled and embraced. I was so excited to run into her. As previously stated, I wasn't to start until the following day. I knew she was starting a day before me. So when I picked up my permit and started a day early, it put us on the same schedule! She introduced me to her husband and we hiked for a little while together before parting ways. We were both camping in Little Yosemite Valley that night, so we new we'd run into each other again. 

Half Dome

After a little while I met a man and his three children. We ended up talking and hiking for at least a mile or so. They all had matching TShirts and he explained that he owned a printing company and that every year for vacation they make family TShirts. It was pretty cool actually. All of the kids said they really liked it too, which surprised me, especially from the preteen. The older boy was a Boy Scout and when he found out I worked at REI he was pretty excited. We all went to the overlook to take pictures of the Falls. The dad was quite nervous about the kids getting too close to the edge. For some reason it really warms my heart to see Dads out with the kids, whether it be in the woods or just in a store. Dads didn't used to spend quality time with kids as much as they do now. It's really great to see that. His wife and baby were back at the campground because one of them wasn't feeling well. I hope they were able to enjoy the rest of their vacation after some rest. The dad and kids and I all walked together to the bridge before parting ways. 

Illilouette Falls

The bridge over Illilouette Creek. You can see the dad and the three kids that I hiked with in this picture to the right of the tree in the center. At this point my decent from GP has ended and I am not beginning my trek up towards Nevada Falls and the JMT. 

View of Yosemite Valley from the Panorama Trail. 

I found it interesting that some of the trail had once been paved. 

FINALLY JOINED UP WITH THE JMT!!!!! I was so excited at this point that I let out a little "Whoop!" This picture is looking northbound on the JMT. If I would have started at the Happy Isle trailhead, I would have come up from that trail. 

This sign was near the other, but this is going southbound. Only .2 miles until Nevada Falls crossing. 

Looking down over the falling water of Nevada Falls. 

The JMT crosses a bridge above Nevada Falls. This picture is looking northbound. I had just crossed the bridge. 

The last picture I took of the day. Only 1 mile to go until camp. 

After a little over 6 miles I finally reached my camp for the night.  Little Yosemite Valley is a pretty awesome little campground. There are probably around 50-100 people who camp there any given night, and you have to have a permit in order to camp there. They have elevated (up on stilts) composting toilets for use. There is a river that runs near by (The same river that feeds Nevada Falls). There are JMT hikers, PCT hikers, Half Dome Hikers, Boy Scouts, and I'm sure several other types of outdoor people. I was looking forward to engaging with them. One lady, Kim, had a LotJMT (Ladies of the JMT) headband on, so I went up to her and we started talking. Yep, I knew who she was from the group too! Her and her hiking partner had a ZPacks Duplex, so we talked about that a little as I set up my ZPacks Hexapod Solo-Plus (Thank you Catherine!!! After I got use to it I absolutely loved it!!!). There were two other gentlemen there named Don and Val who camped behind me. I met Dan there. And Bobbi and her husband showed up as well. All of these people played a role in my hike and more stories of our interactions are to come. 

There's wildlife here too. I actually had a coyote come within 3 feet of me when I came out of the restroom. I rounded the stairs and there he was! Just trotting along without a care in the world. He looked at me like he had seen a thousand other just like me. I bored him. He continued on his way. There was also a bear as well. Now, the ranger came around and warned us that a bear had been coming by. She gave us all of the instructions we needed and said that if she came around, we were more than welcome, and encouraged, to join as a big group to scare her off. This kind of excited me actually. I have always wanted to see a bear in the wild. I saw some up in Alaska at Katmai National Park, but for some reason, that just didn't feel the same as seeing a bear unexpectedly near your tent or on the trail. It felt more like seeing them at a glorified zoo. Catch my drift? So anyway... the bear came. Did I get to see it? No. Why? Because I slept through the whole dang thing! I didn't hear her. I didn't hear everyone getting out of their tents. And I didn't hear all of the yelling! WHAT?! How? I must have been absolutely exhausted. Of course, crying profusely in the morning (because of my dad) and then hiking 6 miles unexpectedly (because I started a day early) can do that to you. 

So here I am, in one of the Nation's most beautiful parks. My tent is set up. I have my REI Flexlite chair out that I am relaxing in while eating my fresh turkey sandwhich with some Honey Mustard and Onion pretzels. I have great people around me. I have the satisfaction of knowing that my hike started a day early and I have many wonderful days ahead of me! What more could I ask for? I was definitely content! 

Completed!

Sorry to leave anyone hanging who was keeping up with my blog! 

I finished the trail on August 2nd! No words can describe how amazing it felt to finally reach the summit of Mount Whitney! I wish I had pictures to share, but my phone died just before I got to the summit, and Donny's died as soon we got to the top. We are waiting for some friends to email us pictures that they took for us. 

I'm back in Pennsylvania now and will be going through pictures (all 2,000+ between Donny and I) and will gradually post stories and pictures about the hike. 

Thanks for the support! It was an incredible journey! 

No news is good news

After a couple days of rest it is time to get back on the trail. I am not sure when I will have reception again, so no news is good news from here on out. 

Though I started out by myself, I am now hiking in a large trail family that is sure to continue to grow. 

Sara joined me in Tuolumne Meadows. Danielle and Ryan joined us at Lyell Fork. And now we have Donny, Alyssa, Tiffany and Sarah, though the last 3 mentioned are only with us for a few days. 

I'm looking forward to hoping back on the trail and catching up with my other friends who are ahead of us now due to our extended stay in Mammoth. 

My summit date for Mt Whitney, and the end of the JMT, is August 3rd. I most likely will not be posting anything between now and then. 

Please continue to support and pray for us as our journey still consists of 170 miles over 17 days. The hard part of the trail is yet to come and we are supposed to get some weather next week. 

Thank you all! I will update when I can! 

A few pictures.

On my way! 

Beautiful views from the Panoramic Trail. 

More great views. Storms are rolling in. 

Found my Sara!!!

Waiting in line for our walk in permits. 

Beautiful Lyell Canyon

Our first sunset. View from our campsite at Lyell Fork. 

We hiked from all the way down by that river. 

Our little trail family on Donahue Pass. 

Thousand Island lake and Banner Peak. 

Sunset from our campsite at 1,000 Island Lake.