Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - June 14th
Day 59: Friday 14th June Sally Keyes Lake - Mono Creek
The final ascent up to Selden Pass was easy on frozen hard snow. It was still early
enough in the day for the descent to the Marie Lake to be easy as well. The trail then
descended down Bear Creek for a few miles through pleasant open woodland before
reaching the Bear Creek ford. The National Park officials have made a couple of
attempts to bridge this creek but these bridges have been washed away by the spring
snowmelt.
I was getting attacked by mosquitoes as I prepared for the crossing. The water was
deeper than it looked and I ended up getting my shorts wet. I got into the open where
there was enough breeze to discourage the mosquitoes and, after doing some washing
and putting the tent out to dry and sleeping bag out to air, I had an early lunch. This
area was a lovely spot where there were gently rounded granite slabs, known as Roches
Moutonnées, which had been smoothed off when the valley was filled with a glacier in
the ice ages. These granite slabs were common throughout the High Sierra and were
good for good sunbathing.
“Jaybird” came through with his sister, Naomi. I had thought that “Jaybird” was
well ahead but he had gone off the trail to attend his sister’s graduation and she had
joined him for the High Sierras. Naomi had trouble crossing the creek and “Jaybird” had
to go back into the water to rescue her. With “Jaybird” and Naomi were Scott and
Rachel. Scott was an American geophysicist who had married Rachel, originally from
England, last October and they now lived in Vancouver, Canada. Rachel was always
losing things and “Jaybird” had to catch up with her with the trainers she had crossed
the river in and then left behind. The two Joes also came through as I was leaving.
Further down I missed the trail junction climbing away from Bear Creek, partly because
both my altimeter and the time I had taken both suggested I was not yet anywhere near
the junction. The trail I actually followed was well trod since the majority of thru-hikers,
who had not resupplied at the Muir Trail Ranch, used it to drop down the 6 miles to the
Vermillion Valley Resort on Lake Edison to collect their supply boxes. After a mile it
was obvious that I had gone too far, but there was a trail marked on my map
reconnecting with the PCT. Unfortunately the map was wrong and it didn’t connect. I
was very reluctant to retrace my steps so I headed straight up a line of granite slabs
straight up the hillside, and managed to rejoin the PCT 600ft further up the hill. It took
a lot more mental and physical energy scrambling up a steep rocky hillside with a heavy
pack than it did plodding up the trail. From the top of the ridge was a 2,000ft steep
descent down, with 53 switchbacks, to Mono Creek. This is just as tiring as walking
uphill, but was made easier by the use of walking poles, which are designed to take some
of the strain off the knees and transfer it to the arms and shoulders. I camped by Mono
creek amid swarms of mosquitoes. At 7,850ft, this was the lowest I had camped for 2
weeks.
Day 59: 15.2 miles 8.14 hours Camp: Mono Creek
The final ascent up to Selden Pass was easy on frozen hard snow. It was still early
enough in the day for the descent to the Marie Lake to be easy as well. The trail then
descended down Bear Creek for a few miles through pleasant open woodland before
reaching the Bear Creek ford. The National Park officials have made a couple of
attempts to bridge this creek but these bridges have been washed away by the spring
snowmelt.
I was getting attacked by mosquitoes as I prepared for the crossing. The water was
deeper than it looked and I ended up getting my shorts wet. I got into the open where
there was enough breeze to discourage the mosquitoes and, after doing some washing
and putting the tent out to dry and sleeping bag out to air, I had an early lunch. This
area was a lovely spot where there were gently rounded granite slabs, known as Roches
Moutonnées, which had been smoothed off when the valley was filled with a glacier in
the ice ages. These granite slabs were common throughout the High Sierra and were
good for good sunbathing.
“Jaybird” came through with his sister, Naomi. I had thought that “Jaybird” was
well ahead but he had gone off the trail to attend his sister’s graduation and she had
joined him for the High Sierras. Naomi had trouble crossing the creek and “Jaybird” had
to go back into the water to rescue her. With “Jaybird” and Naomi were Scott and
Rachel. Scott was an American geophysicist who had married Rachel, originally from
England, last October and they now lived in Vancouver, Canada. Rachel was always
losing things and “Jaybird” had to catch up with her with the trainers she had crossed
the river in and then left behind. The two Joes also came through as I was leaving.
Further down I missed the trail junction climbing away from Bear Creek, partly because
both my altimeter and the time I had taken both suggested I was not yet anywhere near
the junction. The trail I actually followed was well trod since the majority of thru-hikers,
who had not resupplied at the Muir Trail Ranch, used it to drop down the 6 miles to the
Vermillion Valley Resort on Lake Edison to collect their supply boxes. After a mile it
was obvious that I had gone too far, but there was a trail marked on my map
reconnecting with the PCT. Unfortunately the map was wrong and it didn’t connect. I
was very reluctant to retrace my steps so I headed straight up a line of granite slabs
straight up the hillside, and managed to rejoin the PCT 600ft further up the hill. It took
a lot more mental and physical energy scrambling up a steep rocky hillside with a heavy
pack than it did plodding up the trail. From the top of the ridge was a 2,000ft steep
descent down, with 53 switchbacks, to Mono Creek. This is just as tiring as walking
uphill, but was made easier by the use of walking poles, which are designed to take some
of the strain off the knees and transfer it to the arms and shoulders. I camped by Mono
creek amid swarms of mosquitoes. At 7,850ft, this was the lowest I had camped for 2
weeks.
Day 59: 15.2 miles 8.14 hours Camp: Mono Creek
Marie Lake from
Selden Pass
Selden Pass
Marie Lake
Rosemarie Meadow
Rosemarie Meadow
Jaybird and Naomi
at Bear Creek
at Bear Creek
Scott and Rachel
Bear Creek
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