I made it back to civilization after three weeks+ in the backcountry and it's good to get caught up with this HST Meet-Up thread.
I am very sorry to hear about Michael's mishap while descending from Lake Catherine, but also very happy to hear that he made it out safely.
Sshgirl I am also bummed to read about the theft in your camp near 1,000 Island Lake. I judge no man but I do hope the thief suffers from the bad karma he or she created that day.
It was a lot of fun seeing some familiar faces (Hobbes, Oleander), meeting some new people (VHS, ghost, Ken & Garrick) and of course meeting Maverick after so many years of correspondence. Maverick your goodwill toward cross country Sierra trekkers has had a very positive effect on us all! A while after the meetup I met a newer member (Asoulthang) fishing Dumbell Lakes who said he was following the itinerary you outlined for him. I have also followed some of your suggested routes and discovered new routes that I never would have considered. Thanks Maverick.
I had a great time at the meetup 'campfire' sharing stories and hearing about the adventures of the other members. Many thanks to Oleander and ghost for sharing your food and salt tablets the next morning, they made a huge difference. Maverick's designer chocolates were also very much appreciated. Congratulations to Garrick on his very first backpacking trip with Ken!
After suffering from allergies due to the miles of hiking through fields of wildflowers on the northern part of the SHR I was ready to go home after the meetup, but during the hike back to Tuolumne Meadows I started to feel better. I spent the next day in Mammoth mailing back some gear and loading up on more salty foods and Hammer Endurolytes and decided to stick around for the next two week section of my journey.
I ended up leaving Reds that evening with 15 days of food and camped near the Mammoth Crest. For the next two weeks+ I stitched together portions of the SHR, SoSHR, KCHBR and some of my own favorite x/c routes and passes and exited via the Whitney Mountaineers Route. I felt great most of the time and averaged two x/c passes each day. Days 18 and 19 were tough as my stomach felt like it was eating itself from the inside
I will do a full trip report, but until then here are a few photos from the trek:
Some of the HST crew:
The custom/homemade cuben fiber shelter that VHS was using:
Mt. Ansel Adams:
Wildflowers in Virginia Canyon (near the north/beginning of the SHR):
Camping at Shepherd Lake with Sky Pilot Col visible in the distance:
Crazy emerald pools in the basin to the north of Arrow Pass:
Camping below Feather Pass:
The view from Puppet Pass, storms finally clearing after spitting rain all day:
Sunset on Humphreys:
Holy $h1!, the view back down after climbing the north side of Snow Tongue Pass:
Camping below Mt. Russell:
The last sunset, looking down on Wales Lake:
The last pass, Russell-Carrillon Col:
22 days in the same shirt & shorts: