Sunday, July 10, 2011

Day 41 (6/27) Brian vs. Altitude

Wake up at 9,500 ft in camp. Climb 1,000 ft. Descend 2,500. Climb 2,500. Descend none. Climb 1,000. That's my day in a nutshell. I'm currently camped at 11,250 ft, which is once again a new personal high. Thankfully my lungs and body have started adapting to the thinner air up here, so I didn't struggle nearly as much as yesterday. Sounds like I'm winning this matchup.

So let me fill in the rest of the details for today. That first climb brought me to a really cool lookout where I could see out to the east for miles and miles. I also came across a huge snow bank and proceeded to make iced coffee using one if those starbucks via instant coffee mixes. Delicious. I have there more from the hiker box and I intend to make all the same way.

As I started my descent I crossed a saddle between two peaks. I wasn't 30 seconds past it when I heard a distant rumble. I looked back, and to my absolute shock I witnessed a jet fighter (F-16 or F-22) banking hard through the gap between peaks, not more than 100 meters off the ground. I swear if I had thought fast enough I could have read the numbers on his wing. Some kind of training must be going on, because throughout the day I heard about a dozen jets screaming around the mountains. Maybe since its the end of the month they’re using up their remaining fuel quota...

Shortly thereafter Steamy caught up to me, and we hiked together for most of the day. At lunch we caught the Bum Brothers, but they took off before us and I didn't see them again all afternoon. Steamy was having problems with his shoes rubbing his ankles raw, so he tried walking barefoot for a bit, then took the blunt force approach. Pulling out his knife he sliced and hacked away until the offending material was all on the ground. He said it worked wonders, so that's positive. I'd have to be in dire straights before I took a knife to my boots, but I guess we all have our breaking point with these things.

Reports had mentioned we would be off snow only until Trail Pass, and we hit that at 4pm. The next one was Cottonwood Pass, and that was now over 11,000 feet. Plus, we would be walking on the northern face of the mountain, so I was definitely concerned about snow. We were on and off snow banks for the whole 5 miles, and that can sure be challenging. The worst part is getting on and off the snow because the edges are the thinnest and most likely to cause you to slip. Also, all the snow melt was creating lots of tiny rivers along the trail, so for once water was not a concern. We even came to one point where there was a snow bridge over a rapidly moving channel of water. I tested it with my poles before hurriedly crossing. In the last half mile to Cottonwood Pass we hit our first real snow field which stretched for a couple hundred feet along the trail. I've been so glad to have these boots here, not only for traction but also for the fact that they are waterproof and let me slog straight through the small puddles and streams.

Over dinner I had an amazing view of the mountains changing colors as the sun began to set, and the only downside was that the vista would distract me long enough for the mosquitoes to strike. The cool thing about today is for the first time I now have snow capped peaks in every direction. Throughout the day there were two that moved steadily southward from my perspective, and now I can look our in any direction and see mountains. I’ve truly entered the heart of the Sierras. I can't wait for the point in a few days when I'll be able to look out from a high point and see nothing but the snowy Sierras for miles upon miles.

Miles Today: 17
Trip Mileage: 751

Photo: The view of the Sierras



Photo: My constant hiking partner

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