Today, I forgot to write anything in my journal. So the 2023 me is just winging it, based on the photos, a map, and my possibly faulty memory. Here goes:
We awoke to the most beautiful morning. Perfectly still lake and clear blue skies. After lazing around camp and taking breakfast overlooking the lake, Emily and I decided that we would hike out today, and visit there ghost town of Bodie tomorrow. Neither of us had ever been there, and we were curious. And though this area of the Sierra is incredibly beautiful, it is also pretty populated. It IS the Fourth of July, of course, and one would expect a crowd. Not that we saw any crowds, but we sort-of expected them.
We began to climb out to the JMT. Beautiful views of Garnet Lake!Finally, we will be turning our backs to Ritter and Banner. But we still had to turn and look often.So close to ready to go! I feel so much better today. My legs feel springy and my pack feels light. My youthful step is regained. Emily is strong and steady.
At every turn in the trail there is slightly different list, and I keep taking photos, thinking that each one will be better than the last. Not true, but it doesn’t stop me.
From our campsite, the trail winds uphill for a mile or so until it reaches the John Muir Trail. We turned south and walked down to the Garnet Lake outflow and the little footbridge. Just across the bridge, we turned east off the trail, roughly following the creek down to the San Joaquin River and the River North Trail.Goodbye to Garnet Lake. It was finally warm enough that we stopped for an actual swim at a little beach just out of this frame. It felt so good to immerse ourselves in the cold water!It’s funny. I am still wearing the same pants, shirt, gaiters, and gloves that I wore on the JMT in 2014. I guess good equipment doesn’t wear out that fast. Same trekking poles, too. I think I have a new hat and of course my new pack (Emily is using my old one). I’ve been through lots of pairs of shoes since then. I love the feel of the New Balance Minimus trail runners, but they only seem to last about a year.After a long and winding steep path, we hit the San Joaquin. This trail is certainly more popular than any of the other new we’ve been on.We stopped to dawdle by this little slide, and Emily started making up verses to “I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground.” This entertained us for a few miles.
I wish I was some moss on a rock (2x) Moss on a rock, I wouldn’t have to talk. I wish I was some moss on a rock
I wish I was a bubble in the stream (2x) A bubble in the stream, I’d just float along and dream. I wish I was a bubble in the stream
I wish I was a fish in the flow (2x) A fish in the flow, I’d know just where to go. I wish I was a fish in the flow
I wish I was a dipper in the spring (2x) A dipper in the spring, I’d just dip and dance and sing. I wish I was a dipper in the spring
I wish that I was naked in the creek (2x) Naked in the creek, haven’t bathed in a week. I wish that I was naked in the creek
I wish I was a pebble in the stream (2x) A pebble in the stream, oh how my skin would gleam. I wish I was a pebble in the stream
That’s as much as I wrote down. There were probably more, and maybe a few that aren’t fit for public consumption.
It’s easy to figure out where we are on the map. We’re looking at San Joaquin Mountain and The Two Teats. Well-named!And across the river valley are the granitic Sierra, looking so different from the Nevada-facing volcanic mountains in the previous photo. I love those big bread-like domes.I think this is our last view of Ritter and Banner, before we head toward Agnew Pass. Say goodbye!Pretty little Summit Lake. So lush and green, even in this drought year.i asked Emily to take a photo of me with this venerable old lodgepole, and she caught some magic.Minus the magic, you can get a better idea of this great tree.We came around a curve and topped a rise, and suddenly, there’s Mono Lake and Nevada stretching out before us. This whole side of the mountains is volcanic rather than glacial. Red cinders everywhere. And just below us is Gem Lake, where we spent our first night.Emily struck some poses on a likely-looking pedestal rock, in anticipation of documenting some photos of me which I won’t show here. Every year, for maybe at least the last twenty, I have taken photos of myself standing in tree pose, usually around my birthday, usually in a national park or other wilderness setting, and almost always without clothes. It’s hard to do on one’s own, to set the timer, and hobble barefoot over the rocks and hit a good pose in ten seconds. So I took advantage of Emily and asked her to take this year’s photo. Since I’m not going to show it to you, I will tell you that it is a thing of rare beauty and grace, nicely framed against the Mono Lake backdrop. Afterwards, we were joking about how easy it would have been for me to fall off that rock and really hurt myself. That would be very hard to explain to the rescue crew.We skirted Spooky Meadow. It was a little scary for some reason.the trail down to Agnew Lake is “not recommended for stock”. It’s really exposed and rubbly and goes for a long way over a very unstable rocky hillside which looks like it has seen its fair share of slides.Here’s a good view of it.Back down past Agnew Lake, and out of the slide area, I feel much safer. We came across a couple of giant blazing stars. I can’t remember having noticed these flowers before. They are so big and showy, even as they are wilting in the heat of the day.
We finally made it down to Silver Lake and the van. Weary, hot and dusty. We ditched our packs and went to the lake for a swim. Of course, the wind came up again right then, and it was cold. But we did it anyway. Just enough to get rid of the trail dust and sweat and feel new again. Then it was a drive up Highway 120 a few miles to a lovely campground. We found a site and settled in for the night. There was a big Spanglish-speaking group that had about ten sites together. The multi-generational gathering was celebrating the 4th with a barbecue, lots of laughing and singing, and promenading from site to site. It looked like so much fun. But I pooped out early. The phone says we did 10.2 miles. Our camp was near a beautiful creek. Tomorrow, Bodie, here we come.
High Sierra Rambles 