My JMT Trip Report 7/31-8/20 2006
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 5:09 pm
I’ve finally got some time to write up my JMT trip report… it’s been hectic all week trying to get things caught up at work and home. I’m still in the process of going thru all my pictures, but I’ve posted a few of them, scattered throughout the trip.
http://rbreen3.photosite.com/JMT-2006/
Anyway… I had a GREAT time! I had originally planned on going solo, but ended up with a partner – a friend of my older son asked to join me. He had gone on almost all the backpacking trips I took my sons on when they were younger, and he really fell in love with backpacking. I was a little unsure at first, but we had a great time. We both have pretty even temperaments and never had any disagreements or problems; we both carried our own gear and pulled our own weight… and it worked great.
We started at Happy Isles via the Mist Trail on Monday, July 31st. The weather was perfect the whole time on the trail! Everything was going great and as scheduled until the end of the 4th day… we had just started to set up camp at Garnet Lake when I started having some really intense chest pains – really scary. They finally did stop but I told my partner that I wasn’t comfortable going when I wasn’t sure what had happened…. Even though I’m in the “prime of my life” (I’ve been on my self-proclaimed “prime plateau” for years now) I didn’t want to be wreckless. We talked about it and decided that we would exit the trail when we got to Reds Meadow and I would go to Mammoth to get checked. Anyway… to make a long story short, the Mammoth E.R. was wonderful, and after a long afternoon and lots of tests, they were able to determine that, although they really weren’t sure what caused the chest pains, they could definitely rule out the heart or lungs. So I got my OK to get back on the trail. (*Allyn, that’s why I didn’t run into you and your brother.
)
We hitchhiked down to Bishop; we knew we were already behind schedule and would have to skip some of the trail. In hindsight we could have/should have gone in at North Lake and entered via Piute Pass, but I was a little nervous about pushing too hard, so we opted for South Lake and Bishop Pass. I was sad to have missed the Evolution area and Muir Pass (my favorite Pass) but I was REALLY happy to get to see the Mather/Pinchot/Glenn Pass areas and the Rae Lakes!! I hadn’t seen some of that area since the late 60’s!! How beautiful it was! It was even sweeter because for those couple days I thought I was going to have to quit.
It would be really hard to even say what area I loved the most… it really was all so beautiful. I guess I could say that one of the areas I really enjoyed was between Pinchot Pass and Woods Creek. As we descended from the Pass the landscape went through so many transformations… the rock, the plant life, the river as it went from calm to raging waterfalls, and then to end it at Woods Creek was that incredible suspension bridge (how cool was that!); I really enjoyed that day.
We had a lot of really great campsites, and a couple not-so-great, but it was all fun. Mosquitoes were really bad in a few places – Upper Lyell Canyon and the Rush Creek area especially, but for the most part they weren’t too much of a problem. I guess I can definitely say that my least favorite area was Deer Meadow…. but nothing that a good chain saw wouldn’t fix. There were so many trees down over the trail we lost count. The problem was not really the inconvenience of going around, but that the trail is becoming so latticed with side trails trying to get around these trees; what a mess it was.
Now, some of you may scoff at this, but I brought my mp3 player. I certainly didn’t listen to it all the time; some days not at all, but...ahh… listening to the soundtrack from “Dances with Wolves” or “Legends of the Fall” as I’d come up over a pass and to see the incredible views before me… well, all I can say is that it was very dramatic. I was listening to “Les Miserables” (my favorite) as I was going up Glenn Pass and a wonderful older gentleman approached me, and I immediately recognized that I met him three years ago on my last JMT hike and at almost the exact same place on the trail! (What an amazing coincidence!) We talked for a long time, and eventually he asked me what I had been listening to; he said that it was his favorite Broadway show also. As we discussed this wonderful musical it wasn’t long before we were both in tears. Anyway, the bonus for me is that, from now on, every time I listen to these wonderful pieces of music I will always remember these beautiful scenes, these wonderful experiences.
We actually made good time, and got to Whitney a couple days earlier than we had expected. We lugged lots of extra water up from Guitar Lake and spent the last night on top of Whitney in the hut (cold… but very cool!!!). After the last of the day hikers left, about 5:00 P.M., it just became so quiet… so peaceful – the perfect last day. The sunset was a little disappointing, but we had a really nice sunrise. We exited on Sunday, August 20th.
We met so many great people on the trail, but on our descent from Whitney I had the pleasure of meeting two people whom I have grown to admire so much over the last few years – I met Bob Rockwell as we were approaching the Lone Pine Lake area, and when we got down to the Portal I met Cory (Snow Nymph). Pretty Cool!!
We took a couple days, and a few side trips and day hikes in the Bishop area, and then went back to Yosemite to pick up the pickup. We finished off the trip with a day hike up Half Dome. This was my 6th trip up Half Dome, and I still don’t like those darn cables, but the view is always incredible!
What a GREAT trip!!
http://rbreen3.photosite.com/JMT-2006/
Anyway… I had a GREAT time! I had originally planned on going solo, but ended up with a partner – a friend of my older son asked to join me. He had gone on almost all the backpacking trips I took my sons on when they were younger, and he really fell in love with backpacking. I was a little unsure at first, but we had a great time. We both have pretty even temperaments and never had any disagreements or problems; we both carried our own gear and pulled our own weight… and it worked great.
We started at Happy Isles via the Mist Trail on Monday, July 31st. The weather was perfect the whole time on the trail! Everything was going great and as scheduled until the end of the 4th day… we had just started to set up camp at Garnet Lake when I started having some really intense chest pains – really scary. They finally did stop but I told my partner that I wasn’t comfortable going when I wasn’t sure what had happened…. Even though I’m in the “prime of my life” (I’ve been on my self-proclaimed “prime plateau” for years now) I didn’t want to be wreckless. We talked about it and decided that we would exit the trail when we got to Reds Meadow and I would go to Mammoth to get checked. Anyway… to make a long story short, the Mammoth E.R. was wonderful, and after a long afternoon and lots of tests, they were able to determine that, although they really weren’t sure what caused the chest pains, they could definitely rule out the heart or lungs. So I got my OK to get back on the trail. (*Allyn, that’s why I didn’t run into you and your brother.
)We hitchhiked down to Bishop; we knew we were already behind schedule and would have to skip some of the trail. In hindsight we could have/should have gone in at North Lake and entered via Piute Pass, but I was a little nervous about pushing too hard, so we opted for South Lake and Bishop Pass. I was sad to have missed the Evolution area and Muir Pass (my favorite Pass) but I was REALLY happy to get to see the Mather/Pinchot/Glenn Pass areas and the Rae Lakes!! I hadn’t seen some of that area since the late 60’s!! How beautiful it was! It was even sweeter because for those couple days I thought I was going to have to quit.
It would be really hard to even say what area I loved the most… it really was all so beautiful. I guess I could say that one of the areas I really enjoyed was between Pinchot Pass and Woods Creek. As we descended from the Pass the landscape went through so many transformations… the rock, the plant life, the river as it went from calm to raging waterfalls, and then to end it at Woods Creek was that incredible suspension bridge (how cool was that!); I really enjoyed that day.
We had a lot of really great campsites, and a couple not-so-great, but it was all fun. Mosquitoes were really bad in a few places – Upper Lyell Canyon and the Rush Creek area especially, but for the most part they weren’t too much of a problem. I guess I can definitely say that my least favorite area was Deer Meadow…. but nothing that a good chain saw wouldn’t fix. There were so many trees down over the trail we lost count. The problem was not really the inconvenience of going around, but that the trail is becoming so latticed with side trails trying to get around these trees; what a mess it was.
Now, some of you may scoff at this, but I brought my mp3 player. I certainly didn’t listen to it all the time; some days not at all, but...ahh… listening to the soundtrack from “Dances with Wolves” or “Legends of the Fall” as I’d come up over a pass and to see the incredible views before me… well, all I can say is that it was very dramatic. I was listening to “Les Miserables” (my favorite) as I was going up Glenn Pass and a wonderful older gentleman approached me, and I immediately recognized that I met him three years ago on my last JMT hike and at almost the exact same place on the trail! (What an amazing coincidence!) We talked for a long time, and eventually he asked me what I had been listening to; he said that it was his favorite Broadway show also. As we discussed this wonderful musical it wasn’t long before we were both in tears. Anyway, the bonus for me is that, from now on, every time I listen to these wonderful pieces of music I will always remember these beautiful scenes, these wonderful experiences.
We actually made good time, and got to Whitney a couple days earlier than we had expected. We lugged lots of extra water up from Guitar Lake and spent the last night on top of Whitney in the hut (cold… but very cool!!!). After the last of the day hikers left, about 5:00 P.M., it just became so quiet… so peaceful – the perfect last day. The sunset was a little disappointing, but we had a really nice sunrise. We exited on Sunday, August 20th.
We met so many great people on the trail, but on our descent from Whitney I had the pleasure of meeting two people whom I have grown to admire so much over the last few years – I met Bob Rockwell as we were approaching the Lone Pine Lake area, and when we got down to the Portal I met Cory (Snow Nymph). Pretty Cool!!
We took a couple days, and a few side trips and day hikes in the Bishop area, and then went back to Yosemite to pick up the pickup. We finished off the trip with a day hike up Half Dome. This was my 6th trip up Half Dome, and I still don’t like those darn cables, but the view is always incredible!
What a GREAT trip!!
HA! You're right Snowy!! I DID exit on Saturday!! I had totally lost track of days by then, and wrote it down wrong on my notes.
. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to plan any other hikes any time soon - ballet classes have started and the first Nutcracker rehearsal is this weekend, and to add to that I've been asked to make three new costumes :retard: . It's going to be a busy Autumn.