Re: 81 Days in the Sierra w/Rogue Photonic July 1st-Septembe
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:23 pm
Week 3
Day 15- July 15- Layover
On our 2nd layover day we did laundry & what not. Unfortunately, likely because of the fire & the shorthanded staff at VVR there was no lunch, which was thoroughly disappointing. Rogue & I ate a hummus sandwich since they made those. Fortunately my rash subsided by this time, but oh boy, it would come back soon enough. The washing machine really was quite shitty & the water pressure at the showers fluctuated severely. VVR was not scoring any good points at all, and frankly it was not a super pleasant experience like it usually is. I know it was no one's fault but regardless of that it made for less pleasant layover days, especially when Rogue and I look forward so much to being at VVR in particular. One dinner while good was stupidly expensive, $14 for Chili-Cheese Fries… a bit unbelievable especially since it was hardly enough to be a full meal.
Day 16- July 16- Layover
Today was our 3rd final layover day & fortunately BBQ day. When I asked at Breakfast if BBQ was happening I got a No! This really ruined the mood given we were looking forward to it so much since on our previous trip in we didn’t get any. Later, I found out to our great relief it was happening. But as a nice surprise to the list of **** shows at VVR this time, there was no lunch again that day… Not even sandwiches! Always fun to expect delicious food & literally get nothing. I'm sure we scrounged together whatever they had at the store so we weren't completely without food. Throughout our days there we met some characters including 2 Pack. This guy has been travelling the Sierra for years and claims to carry 170 pounds via 4 Bear Cans, 2 packs, (one of which is in front), & not resupply for 60+ days. His stories were beyond ridiculous including the fact that he actually & very seriously owed the government $101 million for allegedly starting a forest fire (one of the largest in CA history). He was a trip no doubt. We also chatted & had dinner with a mom & daughter. The girl was only 17 & she was going solo from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney. Very impressive & inspiring. We met another 17 year old boy who was the only one left of his friends & he was going solo to finish the JMT as well. Today, someone stole multiple beers of mine which really pissed me off and thus I ended up stealing someone’s. Alas when BBQ came around we were disappointed by the quality. Not to say it was bad but no comparison to previous years. And on top of all that the fire kicked into overdrive causing the number of firefighters to go from around 20 to like 120! All of VVR’s resources now had to go towards that which made things even harder considering VVR was already short staffed. When I really had it is when I knew 20 pies had been made for BBQ night but not a single one was ready apparently…They hadn’t cooled enough or some nonsense like that. And of course my tent got a hole in it at the top from the poles… just lovely. I fixed the bar as best I could & patched the hole so I can only hope for a nice dry summer. And speaking of weather, from the forecast I got it looks to be a dry July with a continuous wind out of the West preventing any monsoonal moisture. Sleeping was rough due to the smoke.. not unlike our experiences last year during the Rough Fire.
Day 17- July 17- Florence Lake to Goddard Canyon Jct
Well, the day had come finally, when we had to leave VVR and head back out there. Since VVR was serving no real breakfast we headed to Mono Hot Springs to get some Burritos & Hot Pockets. We definitely had a satisfying breakfast, even though we wished it was at VVR. We only hoped that VVR would finally figure everything out by the end of August. Fortunately the fire was fought heavily & was looking to be contained quickly. At Mono we met a hippy dude who is their winter caretaker. He’d been doing it for decades and he told us of his time in the early 70’s in the Acid Wave of Yosemite Valley. He truly is a relic of the Sierra. Anyways we got our ferry no too long from there & set out around 11. Fortunately because of all the food issues at VVR my tab there was considerably less than originally thought so at least there was one plus to there being so many issues. We beat along the hot and dusty trail until lunch rolled around when I had very little & Rogue ate a whole burrito he bought at breakfast. Onward we pressed until I noticed my legs burning… and the rash made its nasty return. Ah... the return of that burning and fiery inferno that my legs would enjoy. Where & what the hell it came from is still a real mystery. Onward we pressed and my legs got worse till we reached the bridge of the San Joaquin where I took my pants off and soothed my feet and legs via the cold fresh water. That water was exceptionally cold and on any average day for me I wouldn't have enjoyed it, but since my legs were on fire (literally I can't imagine them actually burning in flames being worse at that point) it was pure heaven to submerge them. Soon, we were at camp and enjoying a nice shaded & forested area along with a fire. We wouldn't have a forested area or a fire for about a week. The next week would feature high camps in Evolution Basin. At least we weren't expecting as much snow as the previous section and we would drop below 10,000 long before 10 days unlike the previous section. Even though my legs burnt I slept soundly after replacing the bottom pieces from my other pair of pants. I definitely knew that I couldn't contaminate my sleeping bag from whatever it was that got onto my pants.
Day 15- July 15- Layover
On our 2nd layover day we did laundry & what not. Unfortunately, likely because of the fire & the shorthanded staff at VVR there was no lunch, which was thoroughly disappointing. Rogue & I ate a hummus sandwich since they made those. Fortunately my rash subsided by this time, but oh boy, it would come back soon enough. The washing machine really was quite shitty & the water pressure at the showers fluctuated severely. VVR was not scoring any good points at all, and frankly it was not a super pleasant experience like it usually is. I know it was no one's fault but regardless of that it made for less pleasant layover days, especially when Rogue and I look forward so much to being at VVR in particular. One dinner while good was stupidly expensive, $14 for Chili-Cheese Fries… a bit unbelievable especially since it was hardly enough to be a full meal.
Day 16- July 16- Layover
Today was our 3rd final layover day & fortunately BBQ day. When I asked at Breakfast if BBQ was happening I got a No! This really ruined the mood given we were looking forward to it so much since on our previous trip in we didn’t get any. Later, I found out to our great relief it was happening. But as a nice surprise to the list of **** shows at VVR this time, there was no lunch again that day… Not even sandwiches! Always fun to expect delicious food & literally get nothing. I'm sure we scrounged together whatever they had at the store so we weren't completely without food. Throughout our days there we met some characters including 2 Pack. This guy has been travelling the Sierra for years and claims to carry 170 pounds via 4 Bear Cans, 2 packs, (one of which is in front), & not resupply for 60+ days. His stories were beyond ridiculous including the fact that he actually & very seriously owed the government $101 million for allegedly starting a forest fire (one of the largest in CA history). He was a trip no doubt. We also chatted & had dinner with a mom & daughter. The girl was only 17 & she was going solo from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney. Very impressive & inspiring. We met another 17 year old boy who was the only one left of his friends & he was going solo to finish the JMT as well. Today, someone stole multiple beers of mine which really pissed me off and thus I ended up stealing someone’s. Alas when BBQ came around we were disappointed by the quality. Not to say it was bad but no comparison to previous years. And on top of all that the fire kicked into overdrive causing the number of firefighters to go from around 20 to like 120! All of VVR’s resources now had to go towards that which made things even harder considering VVR was already short staffed. When I really had it is when I knew 20 pies had been made for BBQ night but not a single one was ready apparently…They hadn’t cooled enough or some nonsense like that. And of course my tent got a hole in it at the top from the poles… just lovely. I fixed the bar as best I could & patched the hole so I can only hope for a nice dry summer. And speaking of weather, from the forecast I got it looks to be a dry July with a continuous wind out of the West preventing any monsoonal moisture. Sleeping was rough due to the smoke.. not unlike our experiences last year during the Rough Fire.
Day 17- July 17- Florence Lake to Goddard Canyon Jct
Well, the day had come finally, when we had to leave VVR and head back out there. Since VVR was serving no real breakfast we headed to Mono Hot Springs to get some Burritos & Hot Pockets. We definitely had a satisfying breakfast, even though we wished it was at VVR. We only hoped that VVR would finally figure everything out by the end of August. Fortunately the fire was fought heavily & was looking to be contained quickly. At Mono we met a hippy dude who is their winter caretaker. He’d been doing it for decades and he told us of his time in the early 70’s in the Acid Wave of Yosemite Valley. He truly is a relic of the Sierra. Anyways we got our ferry no too long from there & set out around 11. Fortunately because of all the food issues at VVR my tab there was considerably less than originally thought so at least there was one plus to there being so many issues. We beat along the hot and dusty trail until lunch rolled around when I had very little & Rogue ate a whole burrito he bought at breakfast. Onward we pressed until I noticed my legs burning… and the rash made its nasty return. Ah... the return of that burning and fiery inferno that my legs would enjoy. Where & what the hell it came from is still a real mystery. Onward we pressed and my legs got worse till we reached the bridge of the San Joaquin where I took my pants off and soothed my feet and legs via the cold fresh water. That water was exceptionally cold and on any average day for me I wouldn't have enjoyed it, but since my legs were on fire (literally I can't imagine them actually burning in flames being worse at that point) it was pure heaven to submerge them. Soon, we were at camp and enjoying a nice shaded & forested area along with a fire. We wouldn't have a forested area or a fire for about a week. The next week would feature high camps in Evolution Basin. At least we weren't expecting as much snow as the previous section and we would drop below 10,000 long before 10 days unlike the previous section. Even though my legs burnt I slept soundly after replacing the bottom pieces from my other pair of pants. I definitely knew that I couldn't contaminate my sleeping bag from whatever it was that got onto my pants.