I have to type this fast because the computer I am working on (at the Bishop Library) will kick me off in 20 minutes.
Due to my car breaking down, my parents drove up to Marysville, picked me and my car up, and began to drive back down to AZ. Along the way they dropped me off at Fresno, where my boss had arranged for me to spend the night at a Park employee's house (a John Muir impersonator, a very nice guy). This employee drove me to work with him on Sunday to Grant Grove. At Grant Grove I was able to catch a ride with the Park courier, who was just leaving for Cedar Grove, where the Roads End trailhead is. I began hiking to 60 Lakes Basin from the west side around 2:30 pm using the Bubbs Creek Trail, which is quite pretty and not that steep, until you factor in my heavy bag - I hadn't anticipated needing a sleeping bag to hike in and had forgotten my spare one in my car (now heading to AZ) - so had borrowed a fairly heavy one from the park employee at Fresno. I also wasn't carrying a bear can, and so needed to find a camping spot with a bear box that night. I had planned on spending the night at Junction Meadow (arrival time 7:00 pm) but the bear box there was inexplicably locked, and I wasn't able to find the "second" bear box that was supposed to be there. Thus I ended up hiking to Vidette Meadow (arrival time 10:00 pm), thoroughly exhausted and ready for bed. I believe my "dinner" that night was a bag of peanut butter M&Ms.
The next day I took an inexplicable 5 hours to hike the remaining 6 miles (granted 4 of them were up hill, but still...) - I think I was just tired and beat. I pumped myself up with the thought of seeing the cabin crew and Rae Lakes Ranger at Rae Lakes, but when I arrived no one was home - I had forgotten it was Labor Day, and most people get that day off. Sad, I hiked to 60 Lakes Basin, and waited for my partner to arrive.
The next morning my partner still hadn't arrived, and I soon learned via Park radio that she had delayed her start time a day due to pulling a leg muscle. She would arrive the next day, leaving me a free day without work at 60 Lakes. I have spent days alone in the backcountry before and been fine, but for some reason being alone that Tuesday really hit me. On the plus side, I ended up starting and finishing a 700 page book that day.
This last hitch was marked by rain, or the threat thereof. It was hardly ever sunny, and even then it was cold, and so my partner nor I took swims in the alpine lakes to "clean" ourselves. We were both quite smelly by the end of this hitch. Due to the threat of rain, we started work early, took minimal breaks, and worked ourselves to the bone, so that when it did rain, we didn't have to work in it. In the end, we completed everything we needed to do (and some additional things too!) and only worked in the rain once. It was a good hitch - made us feel quite productive and successful.
My partner and I visited the Rae Lakes Ranger once to have dinner and spend the night (it was the night that it was supposed to rain the hardest - and it rained pretty hard). We had a delicious bean, polenta, and steamed squash and broccoli dinner and got to stay in the ranger's tent - staying safe and dry. The next day we hung out with the trail crew (who had just arrived at Rae Lakes to work on Glenn Pass) before going back to 60 Lakes to work again. It was a fun time, and a good way to spend the worst of the rain storms.
I am still loving working at 60 Lakes and love working with my partner, who is a delight to work with, easy to talk to, get along with, share things with, and listen to. I don't think we've had a disagreement yet.
My partner and I hiked out on Wednesday, starting around 12:40 pm (a half day of work). It only sprinkled on our side of Glenn, which was nice. Between Glenn and Kearsarge Passes we ran into 30 minutes of an amazing hail storm, which covered the ground in hail so that everything was white - pretty impressive.
My partner had left her car at Cedar Grove, anticipating snow during her last hitch, and also anticipating me having wheels to get us around on the east side. With my car breaking down, neither of us had a way to get into town from the Onion Valley Trailhead. During our hike out, we basically hoped to find someone at the trailhead who would be willing to give us a ride. Luckily, when we got to the trailhead, we found one person there, who ended up being the Camground manager there. She had just arrived from her weekend, and yet decided to take an hour out of her night (it was around 7:00pm) to drive us down the mountain to Independence. It was extremely generous of her - we were very greatful, especially since we had nothing to give her in exchange.
My partner and I decided to splurge and rent a motel room for the first night out, and we took hot showers for the first time in 2 weeks - pure bliss. We then went to a French food restaurant in Independence, which had delicious food, before going to bed in clean beds - more bliss. It was wonderful.
Yesterday my partner and I paid for breakfast (pancakes!) and wandered around Independence until other frog crew members hiked out. We had lunch at the French food place (yum) and dinner at the Thai food place (yum) and we all camped out in the middle of nowhere somewhere east of Bishop, where I probably only slept 3 hours, but at least I didn't have to pay.
The rest of this weekend we plan on attending the Millpond Music Festival before going back in. I do not know what internet access I will get after today, so may not be able to post again until Oct 7th or so. Since I am at the library, there is no chance of posting photos either (my laptop and card reader are now in AZ).
It will be hard to come back to "normal life". Things in the backcountry seem so peacful, but as soon as I return to the frontcountry I am attacked by mental dramas and real world issues.
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