CONTINUED
Day 4
What a day. The highs and the lows. The day started well. I wasn’t packed up until 8:15. Three Island Lake was still big and gorgeous as I circled around at the bottom of the lake and headed up the west side with Sharp Note Lake in my sights. I was feeling good and enjoying the slow climb and amazing view of the deep blue depths of Three Island Lake. Then I arrived at a wall of boulders. I figured that the lake was on the other side of these boulders, and all I needed to do was to climb up and around them. At first, I started at the north side of the boulder wall, but that petered out quickly. I decided it would be easier to backtrack a little and head to some granite slabs and grassy ramps on the south side of the big rock blocks. It was much easier reaching the top of the rock wall there, but there was no lake in sight, just a field of boulders, not the grassy meadow I had hoped for. I poked around a bit, looking for a reasonably easy way through the boulders, but eventually decided it wasn’t worth it. I had plenty of other sights to see.
- Morning at 3 Island Lake, next up Sharp Note?
- Looking back on my way up to Sharp Note
I headed back down to Three Island Lake, passing by Flat Note Lake and multiple ponds before beginning my wandering around Medley Lake. Eventually, I reached the upper end of Sandpiper Lake. By noon I had reached the outlet of Sandpiper Lake and stopped for a short break to filter water and sit for a bit before descending back down to the PCT. I was having another good day.
While stopped at the Hilgard Creek crossing for another water break and a sock and foot rinsing, I met an older lady and found that she and her husband were planning on ascending the trail to Lake Italy and over Italy Pass eventually arriving at Pine Creek Trailhead. I asked her if she had done much off-trail trail hiking. She said that she had done a little, but she had been told online that the trail was easy to follow all the way to the trailhead. I let her know that wasn’t my experience the two previous times I had gone that way. I let her know that I lost the trail several times but was always able to pick it back up by just heading up with the creek to my right. It wasn’t difficult, but I wouldn’t describe it as an easy trail. I met her husband about ten minutes later further down the trail to Bear Creek and had a brief conversation with him about how far to the trail junction and the trail to Lake Italy, etc.
Next, I came across a young lady looking really beat down (her sister posted on the JMT Facebook page about a week later, concerned that she hadn’t heard from her in over a week). She wanted to know how far to Marie Lake, since she had planned on camping there that night. It was already 4:00 PM, and I tried to convince her to stop sooner. Telling her my story about treating this like a vacation and not worrying about plans made under fluorescent lights. She even said that she was planning to take a zero at Marie Lake. To me that made it more obvious there was no reason to continue pushing today – she looked really tired and miserable already – and I tried to convince her to stop in the next couple of miles and just take a nice easy 2-mile hike to Marie Lake the following morning. I mean that’s practically a zero, right? I hope she started pacing herself better and enjoying her time on the JMT, something I didn’t learn until leaving MTR when I hiked the JMT.
I exited the JMT onto Bear Creek Trail. Bear Creek Trail, sounds like it follows Bear Creek, right? Well, if I had looked at my maps, I would have known there is a big climb up and away from the creek. I began the climb with about ½ liter of water. I reached the top with about two swallows left and a very dry mouth. I was not enjoying my chill, relaxing day now. Fortunately, I found a small stream running with cold water shortly after and was able to chug down about a liter of water and leave with 2 more liters in my pack (I saw the trail followed the creek, but I guess I was a little impacted by my dry stretch). I arrived back at Bear Creek shortly after, but still happy to have water in my pack. I kept going down stream, looking for a decent site that didn’t already have someone at it. I eventually settled on a flat spot well above the creek with a big rock to hide me from the trail. I did not enjoy the last couple of hours of my day along the oh so wonderful Bear Creek Trail. I had not hiked the easy day that I had originally planned, and I was feeling it. I am writing this at VVR, as my pen also ran out of ink, like I had run out of energy and patience.
Day 5
I woke up this morning feeling much better, only a light soreness in my knees, but still filthy. No matter, a hot shower awaited me at VVR. I was back on the trail before 7:00 and made the Bear Creek trail cut-off by 8:00. Along the way, I ran into five guys headed up to Lake Italy. Seems like Lake Italy is becoming a rather popular destination. The top of the cut-off trail offered some views of a very low Lake Edison and the gray granite beyond. I met some nice hikers at VVR, including Sara (name changed), who was still getting over the death of her boyfriend almost 18 months ago. He died rock climbing, but they don’t know how it happened, no reason, no closure. She started crying as a wave of sorrow hit her. Soon after a smaller wave of sorrow, the first in quite a while, hit me as I remembered the death of my grandfather in August 1985, 36 years ago. As the years go on and we are further from the death of a loved one, the waves becoming smaller and less frequent, but they don’t go away. They never go away. But, that’s all right, it’s how those loved ones continue to live on, in our memories and our hearts. She was embarrassed to be crying, but she had no reason to be.
- Lake Edison is looking mighty dry
Day 6
I had lunch and dinner at VVR yesterday, and the cook this year was not on par with past chefs they have had. How unfortunate. But, the new owner seems to be a good one. I hope he keeps VVR hiker friendly. It seems he will as he first came to know about VVR when he was injured while hiking the JMT and got off trail at VVR. His mom told us how he fell in love with the place then, and now, a few years later, he owns it. I also discovered that I brought a tent with no tent stakes (always forgetting something), so I just cowboy camped at VVR like I have been doing the whole trip. I hope the rain stays away.
I met someone else from my hometown today at VVR. He grew up in the same city as me, and even knew about the little private school that I went to, as he went to our rival school. What are the chances? I had one last meal at VVR, a half-pound bacon cheeseburger with a Coke, before heading back into the wilderness. I decided to give Bear Creek Trail a second chance. Nope, I still don’t like it. It’s still longer and has much less shade than the Bear Ridge Trail. I am camped just below the big climb up and away from the creek at a nice site in the trees on the opposite side of the creek from the trail. I’ve eaten my dinner, rinsed my clothes that are now drying on a line, and the sun is setting. I saw several piles of bear scat the day before and heard reports of a bear from other hikers. No bears please.
- Reflections on Bear Creek
Day 7
Another good day in the mountains. I guess I just needed to stay away from any civilization. I started hiking at 6:40 and reached the Lake Italy Trail around 9:00. A little after 10:00, I stopped at an ice-cold stream of water coming down from Hilgard Lake. I rinsed off before filling my dirty water bag. It was then that I discovered a small hole in the bag where the filter screws on. It was a small whole, but it will force me to only gravity filter my water, which means a 35-minute break now, in the shade, alongside a small ice-cold stream. Darn it.
Heading up the obvious trail that wasn’t so obvious in the past, I saw cairns leading across the Hilgard Branch. It seemed early, to be crossing the stream, but I followed them anyway. They led me up hill, and about 10 minutes later, I finally realized they were leading me to Brown Bear and Teddy Bear Lakes. That settled it. I had thought about detouring to the lakes on my way to Lake Italy, and now I definitely was. I arrived at Teddy Bear Lake a little before 1:00 and continued on to Brown Bear Lake. Wow, I am glad I made this detour, so beautiful. I set up for a nice long break a little after 1:00 PM, and seeing only a couple of guys fishing in the distance, decided to take a dip in the lake and rinse out my clothes, as I like to do every afternoon. I figured they wouldn’t mind a guy skinny dipping. The water was cold, but not too cold. After drying off, I made a lunch of beef Ramen with beef jerky (the real stuff without any sugar) and dehydrated mushrooms with a Snickers bar for dessert. Ah, it was so nice here.
- Fuzzy, wuzzy little Teddy Bear
- Bigger brother brown bear
A couple of hours later after a short nap, I packed up and started back for Lake Italy. As I walked by Teddy Bear, I saw a lady was camped there. Oops, I guess it wasn’t just me and the two guys there when I took that dip. She seemed very nice, and I only thought later that I should have asked if she was someone from the HST forums, Maiathebee maybe? Something about her said HST, maybe the quick wit. I continued on to Lake Italy and found a flat spot about 1/3 of the way up the lake where I unpacked before going for a little exploring at 4:00. It was early, but I didn’t feel like pushing all the way over Italy Pass and making camp at the upper ends of Granite Park around 7:00. This is a vacation after all.
- Looking ahead to tomorrow
After a hot Knorr rice side for dinner, I lay here writing in the gusty wind with the sun going down wrapped in my down quilt with my hands numb from the cold. The views are beautiful; the atmosphere is serene. What a great day.
- Another beautiful evening show in the high Sierra
