Alright here's Week 3... And hopefully Week 4 will be up in the next couple days! A caveat about these 2 weeks... I to my utter and most unfortunate dismay lost all of my digital photos! My card appeared to have corrupted itself for this 2 week period so I basically have only a few film shots that I took and a couple iPhone photos that I shoot while climbing. Therefore Rogue has given me permission to use some of his photos to illustrate these next couple of weeks. I shall credit them.. Alas I hope this never happens to me again and next year for preventative measure I will use smaller memory cards to attempt to prevent this issue. So let's begin!
Day 15- July 17- Ladder Lake to Lower Dusy Basin
Today we made our way down from Ladder Lake fairly easily. We followed a large rock filled chute until it ended in a bench with trees & brush. We followed through mild brush until we reached the steep final descent to the Middle Fork. It was brushy but not horrible. We avoided the granite slabs & were down in about an hour & a half total. We forded the Middle Fork & began the slog up the trail. We stopped & chatted with Dina from last year at the Le Conte Ranger Station. She told us of a rescue that involved none other than our Belgium friend from the spring almost 2 weeks before. He hurt his leg coming off of Muir Pass by Helen Lake. He not only caused quite a commotion but also gratified some large rocks by Muir Pass to signal for help. Dina was not amused as she had to go clean that mess up. We then slogged up the Dusy Branch under intense heat until we reached the first lake. We both decided it was time to get out of the heat so we stopped there. Dinner was delicious… Taco Rice, Bean, & Cheese Burrito. Amid talk of glorious food that we would feast on at Parchers we went to sleep. The wind gusted a bit during the night but nothing major.
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Day 16- July 18- Lower Dusy Basin to Parchers Resort
Yes! We have arrived at Parchers finishing our first section. It was 14 days & quite tough at times but nothing like last year arriving at Parchers.
I'm referencing our section that included the Enchnated Gorge, Goddard Creek and the awful weather from last year in which I arrived at Parchers looking completely like a hobo with tattered pants, a ripped backpack, holes in my shoes and completely famished. Today we pushed over the pass in about 4 hours to here which was a good pace indeed. Rogue told me he though a bear went through camp around 4 A.M. but I slept soundly. Here we finally enjoyed our chili-cheese dog lunch with chips & root beer. Definitely fulfilling in all its glory. Charged up the camera battery & relaxed all day. Ate chips & salsa for dinner & enjoyed another day of good weather. Although it’s threatened to rain for quite a few hours & storms are around. Tomorrow we met up with Derek for more glorious food in Bishop.
Day 17- July 19- Layover
We finally took a nice shower today. A feeling that never gets old after being the mountains for over 2 weeks. Soon after, Derek & Larry showed up. We were very excited to get down to Bishop to order our Carne Asada Burritos & dump Chili-Cheese Fries all over them... A tradition that we started last year. We got down to find a tailor to repair my pack but since it was Sunday I was out of luck so we went to Carl’s Jr. to get our Chili-Cheese Fries. We got there only to be disappointed by the fact that they don’t serve them! What sad sad news that was. Our dreams were shattered but we still managed to enjoy our delicious Burritos. I even had a salad which was easily one of the most refreshing things I have ever eaten. After, we went to Wilson’s & I got new La Sportiva Approach shows that look very well built. Another year and another visit to Wilson's midway through a Summer. Hopefully they last more than 20 days. After a stop to the Vons for some last minute things we were back up the mountain. We got back to Parchers & started to sort all our food as it started to rain. We talked with a gentleman who has climbed in the Sierra since the 70’s. He said he tried Nor Pal & chickened out on the chock stone. Certainly disheartening but we’ll have to see. Eventually dinner time came around & we all finally went to Bishop Creek Lodge. Derek, Larry, & I enjoyed some beer & drinks at the bar & I even got a free drink. Eventually we got our pizza & Chili Cheese Fries & heaven on Earth became a reality. Instead of dumping them on burritos we dumped them on a pizza and truly enjoyed what it means to eat food (real food) for the first time in weeks. We didn’t finish either & to my dismay Larry & Derek threw ours away! We went back to Parchers & did our laundry & drank a few beers until it was time to sleep. Larry & Derek were definitely drunk by the time we went to sleep and that was a funny sight to see. As you can see our layovers are filled with getting food, eating that said food, and thinking about getting more food to eat! That is one thing I know will never change after weeks in the mountains!
Day 18- July 20- Parchers to Dusy Basin
We all got breakfast and went over Bishop Pass into Dusy Basin. It was hilarious to see Larry's pack & his gear as it was all heavy & for car camping. As we made our way up the pass it started to rain quite good. Soon, we were tromping through Dusy to our lake below Columbine Peak. The terrain was fairly mellow but Larry as not having it… He complained about being wet & his feet being tired & wanting to get there. It was certainly comedic, since Rogue and I face conditions like that weekly.. Hell sometimes even daily and it's just all part of the adventure of living in the Sierra. Soon though, we got to our lake & made camp. The rain had stopped & I made do with a shitty site. I fished with Derek for a while & got a few bites & Derek reeled in a few tiny fish. As dinner time rolled around it got cold and windy & we all ate dinner inside our tents. Rain was off and on for a while. Soon we were all asleep expecting more stormy weather as the winds were blowing more clouds in.
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Day 19- July 21- Dusy Basin to Barrett Lakes
We started up Knapsack Pass in the morning under decent skies. Since we were traversing around the going was very rough. Excessively large boulders & plenty of Class 3 moves to go around & through them. Eventually after much toil we made it to Knapsack Pass. The view was grand in both directions… Out to the Palisades & Barrett Lakes & the Black Divide & Muir Trail. Rogue said that we took the easiest way across into Palisade Basin & made it far harder than Thunderbolt or Isosceles Pass. Definitely like us to do something like that. Always making **** harder for ourselves. We climbed up to Columbine Peak via some minor Class 3 but mostly Class 2 rocks. Larry was sketched a couple times but made it just fine. The view was supreme but clouds were building so we said our goodbyes. From there we went down into Palisade Basin. It was definitely a very awesome place with granite shelves all around & the Palisades rising majestically & prominently above. It didn’t take long for it to start raining lightly. Soon, we found an excellent campsite all cleared on a knoll above the largest Barrett Lake. Just as we were pitching our tents the storm really let loose. Everything got wet quickly & I soon shoved everything into my already wet tent floor. Typical Rogue and I adventure.. Rain comes in.. Everything gets wet and you just sit it out. The storm lasted for a good while with decent rain & hail. Not a lot of thunder & lighting though. It got cold soon thereafter. Eventually it let up for dinner only to start back up again & so we fell asleep to dark & stormy skies.
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