Staying here for the night
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Staying here for the night
View the location or send a reply to Brad Wilson: https://explore.delorme.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=1a07d7c3-ffe0-41cd-91ff-67d4cc5eb92c&adr=brad1400.pct2016%40blogger.com
Brad Wilson sent this message from: Lat 37.640491 Lon -118.971763
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To Red's Meadow and Mammoth!
Another day of walking in the fantastic Sierras.
We are into more accessible areas and on a weekend there were plenty of hikers out.
From our campsite next to Lake Virginia we headed generally downhill to Red's Meadow.
We passed the 900 trail miles mark today.
Tim hiked in a couple miles to meet us. He was able to ride his motorcycle to Red's Meadow, but private cars are discouraged due to the limited parking there and not wanting to cause traffic issues with the shuttle busses that run to Mammoth.
In the horse camp area of Red's Meadow we met a PCTA volunteer who was starting cooking dinner for a group of volunteers who were out doing trail maintenance. He offered us beverages and watermelon and a shade tent to sit under.
Saw Mountain House and Karel, hikers we have frequently run into on the trail, at Red's Meadow. Got a milkshake from the cafe and caught the shuttle bus to Mammoth.
Thanks to my cousin Jody for the use of her Mammoth condo for a couple days of rest!
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2021 Update:
Another day of walking in the fantastic Sierras.
We are into more accessible areas and on a weekend there were plenty of hikers out.
From our campsite next to Lake Virginia we headed generally downhill to Red's Meadow.
We passed the 900 trail miles mark today.
Tim hiked in a couple miles to meet us. He was able to ride his motorcycle to Red's Meadow, but private cars are discouraged due to the limited parking there and not wanting to cause traffic issues with the shuttle busses that run to Mammoth.
In the horse camp area of Red's Meadow we met a PCTA volunteer who was starting cooking dinner for a group of volunteers who were out doing trail maintenance. He offered us beverages and watermelon and a shade tent to sit under.
Saw Mountain House and Karel, hikers we have frequently run into on the trail, at Red's Meadow. Got a milkshake from the cafe and caught the shuttle bus to Mammoth.
Thanks to my cousin Jody for the use of her Mammoth condo for a couple days of rest!
Photos from today: https://www.b-photo.com/Travel/PCT-2016-Day-by-Day/July/July-9/
Mighty Mouse's blog for today: http://www.timandgerri.com/blog---2016/day-81-9-july-mile-89176-90663
Silver Pass
Woke up in the hiker hostel in VVR. The hostel is a tent cabin with six beds. Mighty Mouse, Share Bear and I had it to ourselves.
After a big breakfast of pancakes and breakfast burrito, we got a ride back to the trail in one of the boats from the camp. A bit of a late start to the day, but the stop at Vermillion Valley Resort was worth the time. We were able to resupply for the two day hike to Red's Meadow out of the VVR store.
We hiked through big pine trees and up Silver Pass, and we spent a couple hours at the top of the pass eating lunch and enjoying the view. Met a family doing the JMT. Parents and two kids, 10 and 12. The kids were having a great time and asked us lots of questions about our hikes and gear and food.
We ended up having to hustle down from the pass, and then up a pretty steep and long ascent to the campsite where we are now, listening to frogs serenade us at 10,000+ feet next to Lake Virginia.
----------------
2021 Update:
Woke up in the hiker hostel in VVR. The hostel is a tent cabin with six beds. Mighty Mouse, Share Bear and I had it to ourselves.
After a big breakfast of pancakes and breakfast burrito, we got a ride back to the trail in one of the boats from the camp. A bit of a late start to the day, but the stop at Vermillion Valley Resort was worth the time. We were able to resupply for the two day hike to Red's Meadow out of the VVR store.
We hiked through big pine trees and up Silver Pass, and we spent a couple hours at the top of the pass eating lunch and enjoying the view. Met a family doing the JMT. Parents and two kids, 10 and 12. The kids were having a great time and asked us lots of questions about our hikes and gear and food.
We ended up having to hustle down from the pass, and then up a pretty steep and long ascent to the campsite where we are now, listening to frogs serenade us at 10,000+ feet next to Lake Virginia.
Photos from today: https://www.b-photo.com/Travel/PCT-2016-Day-by-Day/July/July-8/
Mighty Mouse's blog for today: http://www.timandgerri.com/blog---2016/day-80-8-july-mile-87875-141-miles-89176
Staying here for the night
View the location or send a reply to Brad Wilson: https://explore.delorme.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=54b651ba-c0ad-4cb6-b8a0-794832ab997d&adr=brad1400.pct2016%40blogger.com
Brad Wilson sent this message from: Lat 37.517366 Lon -118.934512
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Vermillion Valley Resort
Got up this morning and packed up, hoping to get to the boat that would take us to Vermillion Valley Resort in time for lunch.
We managed the six or so miles that took us up about a thousand feet and then down about two thousand and arrived at Thomas Edison Lake by 10:45. The boat arrived a few minutes after we got to the landing spot and we enjoyed the ride down the lake. Jim and River Pants, a couple who we have been leap frogging on the trail passed us in the speedier boat they got a ride in.
VVR is mostly centered on the hiker crowd. Many PCT hikers send packages here for resupply, and John Muir Trail hikers do the same. There are also lots of other hikers in the area that stop in for meals or supplies.
Dinner was good, and hopes are high for breakfast before we head back across the lake to resume hiking towards Mammoth.
---------------
2021 Update:
Got up this morning and packed up, hoping to get to the boat that would take us to Vermillion Valley Resort in time for lunch.
Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) is a semi-rustic resort in the Sierras. It's on Lake Thomas A. Edison, which was created in 1954 as water storage and for hydro power.
VVR runs a ferry service across the lake for PCT and JMT hikers to get to the resort.
We managed the six or so miles that took us up about a thousand feet and then down about two thousand and arrived at Thomas Edison Lake by 10:45. The boat arrived a few minutes after we got to the landing spot and we enjoyed the ride down the lake. Jim and River Pants, a couple who we have been leap frogging on the trail passed us in the speedier boat they got a ride in.
VVR is mostly centered on the hiker crowd, at least at this time of year. Many PCT hikers send packages here for resupply, and John Muir Trail hikers do the same. There are also lots of other hikers in the area that stop in for meals or supplies.
Dinner was good, and hopes are high for breakfast before we head back across the lake to resume hiking towards Mammoth.
Photos from today: https://www.b-photo.com/Travel/PCT-2016-Day-by-Day/July/July-7/
Mighty Mouse's blog for today: http://www.timandgerri.com/blog---2016/day-79-7-july-mile-87318-87875-141-miles
Staying here for the night
View the location or send a reply to Brad Wilson: https://explore.delorme.com/textmessage/txtmsg?extId=2df05e85-ec56-4174-aa9e-07c3e830d1a7&adr=brad1400.pct2016%40blogger.com
Brad Wilson sent this message from: Lat 37.37595 Lon -119.01264
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Sierra mosquitos
Oh, and Selden Pass
Another beautiful day in the Sierras. Last night was noticeably warmer sleeping than the previous, mostly due to being about 3000 feet lower in elevation.
A good portion of today's trail was in pine forest, which was great because the trail surface was often smooth and even, in contrast to the chunky rock surface that seems to be common in the mountains, when everything is rock.
However, in a couple of the wooded areas there were swarms of mosquitos that followed behind and would descend if I stopped or slowed a bit too much. I was hiking with Share Bear and Mighty Mouse, and each of us seemed to have fifty to a hundred mosquitos hovering around, waiting to land and suck our blood.
We had three stream crossings that required wading. One named creek, Bear Creek, and two other creeks that were as deep but didn't have names on my map. Of course, stopping to change footwear for the crossings let the mosquitos land, so everything was done in a hurry.
When we set up camp, dinner was uncomfortable, with clouds of hungry mosquitos held at bay by DEET (better living through chemistry) and my rain jacket worn with the hood up.
Our camp site tonight does have a lovely view of a wooded valley. Somewhere below us is Bear Creek, the stream we crossed earlier today. And just a few yards away is another stream. After having come through the dry areas in Southern California, the abundance of water is amazing.
Oh yeah, we climbed up and crossed Selden Pass.
Photos from today: https://www.b-photo.com/Travel/PCT-2016-Day-by-Day/July/July-6/
Mighty Mouse's blog for today: http://www.timandgerri.com/blog---2016/day-78-6-july-mile-85588-87318
