- Daily mileage 9
- Total mileage 763
- Hours hiked 6:00 am to 3:00 pm
Today was equal parts fantastic and pure torture.
We, the group of 9 renegades who are trying to slow down in the Sierra got going at a leisurely 6 in the morning. After a quick 3 miles down to Rock Creek, we faced the daunting reality that the full melt is on in the mountains. Before we left Kennedy Meadows, the forecast for Bishop (which is the closest town to us but is located down at the bottom of the Owens Valley) was calling for temperatures of over 100 F all week. Up here above 10,000 feet, it has not even been close to freezing at night and the days have been noticeably warm. All of which makes perfect conditions for accelerated snow melt. And Rock Creek was in full flood.
Rock Creek in full flood. We had to find a way through that with no bridge
My initial gut feel was that I would have to turn around to the closest pass which was less than a day back and then catch a ride to Bishop where I would either wait out the heat wave or give up on the PCT dream. Not a good feeling. It looked like the best alternative for crossing would be a log suspended about 5 feet over a raging torrent. Justin the Kiwi and I decided to scout out other possibilities upstream. As luck would have it, we found a great crossing about a mile up. Game back on!
There were stunning views everywhere up here
The only big climb of the day followed at 1,500 feet. Now, that sort of a climb should be pretty routine by now, but at over 10,000 feet, everything is exaggerated. Anyway, made it to the top and took yet another long break. The views all day had been amazing and this spot was no exception.
More stunning views
The trail from there over to the Whitney turnoff was a bit rough, but eminently doable. One creek crossing involved a calm and very cold immersion into water right up to the male thermometer. Glad I am not shorter!
Now sitting around camp right next to the trail where everyone is coming down from Whitney in various stages of exhaustion, I have made the rational decision to let everyone else go up tomorrow and I will mosey up the trail with another group of hikers. I am getting low on both food and energy, so using up both to do a side trip does not make rational sense to me.
I do not understand this sign!
I could never get bored of the scenery up here
Home for the night
Spectacular!
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