Solistice in the Sierra

21 June---Got a phone call from Tuolomme Meadows this morning. Kitt and Erin were waiting for the Post Office to open and had some time.
     Their departure from Mammoth Lakes was not at "first light" as they'd initially intended. The shuttle bus that was to take them back to the trailhead at Red's Meadow didn't leave town until 0900. This gave them the chance to stop by the PO once more, where they were able to retrieve a pair of knee stabilizer straps I'd sent the week before. They made it back on the PCT and banged out 14 miles.
     Next day they crested Donahue Pass and spent a long and lovely day in the Ansel Adams Wilderness area---like roaming through pages of a calendar or one of those large coffee-table books published by the Sierra Club. They covered 24 miles and reached Tuolomme Meadows late in the day.
    Plans are to break up the 7 day haul to South Lake Tahoe with a detour to Bridgeport in three days time, at which point they'll be able to mail the bear cans back and lighten their loads somewhat.

     Some snail mail notes are en route which will hopefully allow for a retrospective post on the 200+ miles through the mountains.
                                                   Faithfully submitted by the Fairy BlogMother




   

Mammoth Lake, CA.

Back in town once again! The last section of trail was a challenge, the passes were tall, the fords were cold, and the food was... repetitive. We did a better job in this section of choosing foods that were rich in calories and fat, but after many days we were still eating the same routine. We are excited to have a smaller section of trail ahead of us, we are less then 40 miles from our next resupply. this means we can carry better food! Thankfully we are rich in supplies thanks to many friends and family that sent care packages to Mammoth. Thank you so much to my Mom and Dad, Randy and Deb, My Aunt Ann, Natalie, and my family for the birthday cards. We are set on food for the next hundred miles or so and can be thankful to have such fine hearts wishing us the best from afar.

Bishop, CA.

Trail Update Mile 789.0 : Erin and I are in Bishop, staying at the Hostel California, a new place for adventurers to stay in town, offering great rates, good people, and a wonderful kitchen. We are taking an extra zero day to rest my knee, and will be returning to the trail tomorrow. Hope everyone at home is well, the weather is wonderful here and we are loving the Sierra Mountains, so much better then the desert.

The passes have been snowy above 10,000'. Going over Forester pass was a real treat, amazing views and mountains beyond mountains covering the horizon. We did not climb Mt. Whitney, due to a shortage of food, we thought it would be better to move on and climb the mountain some other day. In the next section we will be going over at least one pass each day, sometimes 2. And this means we have a 2-3,000' climb each day, and with our planned 18 mile days we are in for a real workout.

We are making the most of town when we still can. I'll put up pictures soon!

Pictures from Kennedy Meadows to Forester Pass

Hiking ahead of the thunder head

Forester pass is the notch ahead.

Looking north from Forester

Made it up when the snow was still firm, and descended in the sunny afternoon.