pct day 34 - 06/08/13

it's my mum's birthday. that was my first thought. not bad for not really ever knowing the date or day of the week while out in the wilderness. happy birthday mum! (even though you will read this after the fact . . .)

this was the most challenging day, bar none! the morning was totally great. i made my way down the remaining 8 miles from mather pass and then started the 10 miles up to muir pass. (as a side note, i have been hiking the john muir trail as the pct since i started the whitney side trail) i met a jmt sobo hiker about 4 miles from the top and was warned that i was in for some snow. now, to give you an idea of my speed, i typically can hike between 3-4 mph, even on the ascents. this is how i get so many miles in the day while still stopping to enjoy the views and interesting souls i meet. ya, it took me 2.5 more hours to get to the top of muir pass. i hiked thru a couple miles of snow. here is a pic on the way up . . .



unfortunately, i have no other pics on the way up or at the top because of the snow blindness. the sun on the snow was so intense that under my chin and my eyelids are burnt. i was squinting even with my sunglasses on.

but, here is a picture of a lake on the way down. so amazingly clear . . .



yes, those are mountains reflected on the surface.

the snow on the north side was not as much as on the south side, oddly enough, and the grade of the trail was not enough to glissade, but hopefully i will catch a video of me slippin and sliddin soon enough.

i actually had plans to do over forty miles today, getting me close enough to lake edison at mile 878 so i could catch the 09:45 ferry over to vermillion valley resort. by 19:00, however, my body was in full protest. my feet were in a lot of pain from being wet and cold for nine hours. at one point i had a pain so sharp i was afraid a large chunk of my right heal came off. i know gross, right? so i stopped and quickly set up my tent, because the mosquitos are unbelievably ferocious, made a big dinner, and will go to sleep momentarily.

my lesson for today is simply to not get so stuck on an idea held by my ego mind that i sacrifice my body or soul. sacrifice not required . . .

39 miles from cs819 to just before the florence lake trailhead. 858 miles total.

- tribhu (tree-boo)