JMT // Day 8

V.V.R. –> Sallie Keys Lakes

17 miles

We woke up around 6:00 and were in no rush. The boat wasn’t leaving until 9:00 and breakfast began at 7:00. I sat with Peter and Swede after I ordered myself breakfast: two servings of hash-browns and about 4 cups of coffee. It was delicious and so much food I couldn’t finish it all. Marc did not receive his re-supply yesterday (probably since he mailed it out the day that we started the trip, about a week ago, and they suggest mailing it to arrive two weeks before you do). The woman at the woman at the counter said they should be getting mail today around 4pm, but there’s no guarantee. So Marc considered missing the early boat, waiting for the mail, and possibly catch the later boat and we would just get in a couple miles tonight, or maybe we’d even have to zero. So we figured we would just have a relaxing day around VVR.

Once we saw all our friends getting ready for the ferry, Marc changed his mind and we scrambled around getting our things together and ready for the boat (and the next 9 days). My pack was the heaviest it’s been when it was fully loaded.

When we got back to the other side of the lake, our friends convinced us not to skip any sections of the trail, and to go up and over bear ridge instead of taking the other connecting trail that skips over it. Swede and our other friend 15 set out at a faster pace than us, and Peter and Medicine Man fell behind.

Let me tell you, with a super heavy pack climbing up the endless switchbacks over bear ridge felt like torture and I was annoyed that we decided to take the harder trail. We climbed for 3 hours and my shoulders were killing me with all the weight. I had to take frequent breaks to rest my pack off my shoulders.

Our goal for the day was to hike to Marie Lake and camp there, but once we got close to it we came across the 100 mile marker for SoBo JMT. We were ecstatic and re-charged with energy. We decided to play some music to keep the energy high and we pressed on to go up and over Selden Pass.

Hitting 100 miles felt incredible, I have never hiked that many miles before, nor did I think I ever would. Seeing that marker was a huge boost in confidence and motivation.

We pushed our way over Selden Pass, another gorgeous lake and snow filled mountain top. With every pass we hike, I have a hard time choosing a favorite. They are all so stunningly beautiful. We made our way over the top and began the descent. We thought maybe we would find a campsite along one of the lakes on our way down, but every spot we came to, there were clouds of mosquitoes.

We were both getting tired and a little cranky and I was doubtful we would find a place to escape the mosquitoes, so I eventually had to tell Marc to stop. We settled into camp about 5 miles short of Muir Trail Ranch. We cooked up dinner, and ate together in Marcs tent, trying to get out of the tent as little as possible. We had an early night since we were both exhausted and frustrated by the mosquitos.

I have been sleeping better, my hips don’t hurt me as much any more. I know what positions work for my sore body, and how to use my sleeping bag a little better. It could also be that I am just more and more exhausted by the end of each day and my body really needs the sleep.