Day 39 (6/25) Who Cares About Weight When You Have Scenery Like This?

The plan was to get out early this morning with Positive ID. He slept in, but I was in no mood to wait around after two days off, so I packed up to get out of here. The bear can weighed a ton, plus I added the weight of my ice axe, and other winter gear. With 2L of water for the hike out, the pack was absolutely stuffed, and I hardly wanted to pick it up. Tom has a scale out in the front yard, and I weighed in at 70.5 lbs. Apparently that is the record leaving Kennedy Meadows this year... Well, more than half of that is food and water, so the weight should drop quickly. I hope. My real concern is for the structural integrity of the pack, so I’m going to have to avoid bouncing so I don’t rip out a shoulder strap or something like that. I got pancakes and coffee, then said all of my goodbyes. Somehow, even this monstrous weight didn’t earn me a trail name...

The hike back to the trailhead showed me that the weight was going to be a bit of a problem. The pack isn’t designed for this much weight, so I have to put an inordinate amount on my shoulders instead of allowing my hips to carry the majority of the weight like usual. I wasn’t too thrilled about this, so a few miles in I stopped, ate some of the food, drank a bunch of the water, and started sorting through gear. I swapped out the baskets on my trekking poles for the winter ones, and put the smaller (lighter) dirt baskets in my pack. I wrapped all my para-cord on one of my trekking poles, and stuffed my pockets with small gear like my headlight, emergency blanket, and so forth. Overall, I probably pulled about 6-8 lbs off my back, and I could definitely tell the difference. When I stopped for lunch I was passed by the Bum Brothers (Marcus & Travis). They had left an hour after me, but with lighter packs, they were making much better time. Oh well, I’m just glad to be on the move again. I figured some of the other guys would catch me later in the day, but that never did happen. The hiking was relatively similar to some previous sections, with lightly forested areas, some burned sections, and a generally uphill slope. That all changed 10 miles in, when I came around a bend and looked out over Beck Meadows. I froze in my tracks, and a smile crept over my face. I looked out over a lush green meadow, ending in a set of mountains, and through the middle of them, loomed a snow-capped peak. The Sierras were more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. I apologize because the photos really don’t do it justice. If you ever have the chance, taking a trip out here is totally worth it, and I haven’t even made it to the best parts yet... This trip has been a dream come true, and I hated going to bed at the end of the day because it meant I had to wait another 8 hours until I would be back hiking again.

Miles Today: 14
Trip Mileage: 716

Photo: Beck Meadows, where I honestly could not stop smiling