SierraJourney - JMT
Cheryl’s Journal:
7.75 hours hiking
Average Heart Rate=106, Max Heart Rate=140, Min Heart Rate=49
Total Calories=2344
Today was not as easy of a day as I originally thought it would be. We still hiked over 9 miles with 2000’ of elevation gain and 6 days worth of food. We hit the trail a little before 7:30AM and made it into the Park just before 9AM. It was a hot grueling day from there. The climb up and away from the river to Evolution Valley was steep and hard. My body is tired from the same torture day after day. When the trail finally flattened out it still took forever to get to McClure Meadow. We found out that Dave Gordon is the ranger here. He did not remember me and he hadn’t seen Grace because he had been out hiking the last 3 days. He gave us good weather reports and no bear problems. He also told us we just passed the best site in the meadow. He also told us going up Cartridge Creek was a Bushwhack, So Adam and I are reconsidering our itinerary. We will also check with the ranger at LeConte when we get there. We may just day hike over Cartridge Pass and spend the day there. We are trying to stay flexible.
Anyway we got the primo site, did laundry, and got in the water ourselves, very refreshing. Adam is taking tons of pictures. As the sun goes down, the mosquitoes come out. It sucks to kill so many and not even make a dent!
Tomorrow we head up canyon to Evolution Lake and we plan to day hike up to Darwin Bench. The sunset here is amazing and we still have 2 more full days here!
That is why we are taking our time, to enjoy as much as we can.
Day 11 - Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow (Evolution Valley)
August 6, 2008
Day 11:
Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow (Evolution Valley)
Adam’s Journal:
Partly cloudy, Monsoonal, Warm
Our campsite by the river was nice, except it didn’t give you any privacy for the morning routines. We got a nice early start because we had already resupplied. This morning we finally crossed the bridge into the Promised Land. It was like coming home. During the switchbacks up to Evolution Valley, we were able to see Red Mountain and nearby Hell For Sure Pass. We had been to those places before, and had seen the entrance to Evolution Valley. It’s like we have linked together (geographically) two separate trips.
That wasn’t enough to take away our pain and soreness. We both feel it had caught up to us today, especially with our extra heavy packs. We thought that our slower pace would be easier on our bodies. I can’t imagine doing this trip in only 2 weeks.
When we got to Evolution Valley, we went to the Ranger Station to meet up with Dave Gordon, the stationed McClure Ranger. Cheryl knew him as the Charlotte Lake Ranger when she worked at Kings Canyon NP. We had a good talk, he told us where the primo campsite was, and gave us some pointers concerning Lake Basin. Basically, he said the approach up Cartridge Creek was basically bush whacking. He recommended long sleeves, long pants, gloves, and goggles. In summary, he said it took Ranger Bob (LeConte) 10 hours to go from the Middle Fork to Marion Lake. He suggested just going in and out over Cartridge Pass. Cheryl and I talked about it, and I believe we decided to go ahead and go through Palisade Lakes, over Mather Pass, and drop down to the South Fork then we’ll day hike into Lake Basin. We’ll still be able to meet up with Keith and Terra at Lake Marjorie. With our bodies so tired, and having heavy packs, we figure this will be the best way to go.
Our campsite is the location of the famous sunset shots at McClure Meadow, looking at Mt. Darwin, etc. Too bad the monsoonal clouds completely cleared away for sunset. Oh well, it is still spectacular! We got to camp around 3PM, did some laundry, and bathed in the river meandering through the meadow. Absolutely beautiful! Just staring at the landscape draws you in and captures you. I’m glad we had the chance to spend the afternoon here. I’m glad there is no road here – lets keep it hard to get to.
Tomorrow, we plan on hiking up to Evolution Lake for camp, but day hiking into Darwin Basin. A hiker said that area was spectacular (he had come over Lamark Col). This place is full of beauty – I’m glad we have a couple days to explore it. I’m being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
