A Walk in the High Sierra with a Fiancée (but not mine) - Linda Crossley
By Linda Crossley
"Huh, it makes you feel old when your first passport's about to expire" said A as we were waiting to go through passport control. "Wait until your second's nearly expired" I replied, head held high. A's jaw dropped and eyes popped "HOW old are you?"
Poor A sits on the plane, fiancéeless thinking "What have I let myself in for - 3 weeks back-packing with my Granny".
We moved from plane to bus to train (2 hours delay), to motel (temperature well into the 30's, humid, no air-con) where we soaked towels in cold water to cover us as we caught 4 hours sleep before the next bus to Yosemite.
El Cap and Half Dome soared above us whilst we dazedly wandered about Yosemite valley buying whistles (extra bear armoury) and drinking final beers.
Next evening as darkness fell on our first day's walk, we had a discussion. A had to shed some pack-weight but what could be left in the wilderness leaving minimum impact? (We took our wilderness responsibilities seriously - carrying out all waste, even used loo-paper?!) Next morning A went off to bury 5kg of nuts and on we went.
The John Muir Trail, 200 miles through the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Yosemite to Mount Whitney is quite simply the best walk I have ever done.
The trail follows river valleys, goes through woods, over high mountain passes, crosses meadows covered with alpine flowers - amazing purples, reds and yellows. There are deep blue lakes, snow-capped peaks and gurgling streams. Granite boulder-strewn wastes, burnt, twisted tree stumps following forest fires and steep hair-pinned paths.
We soon fell into a comfortable rhythm. The days were warm and sunny, the nights cold and the skies so full of stars. We camped wild. By beautiful Lake Virginia the lake turned from blue to liquid gold to iridescent pewter to pink as the sun set. In the north sky, we saw our first shooting stars.
We cooked over fires (below the tree line) and swam daily in lakes so cold it took your breath away. We sat watching oh-so-cute marmots, ground squirrels and chipmunks. We dined on beanfeast and cous cous, nuts and muesli bars, hot chocolate and whisky.
Apart from the beginning and end of the walk, we saw very few people, perhaps 6 to 10 a day. Most were Americans who have fascinating packs. They are mostly external frames and they seem to carry everything on the outside - trainers, huge water containers, mugs, and clothing, sleeping mats? We wondered what was inside. There were some Brits. We met "Burnley Man" who asked A if he'd had any problems with "Burs". A, a bit puzzled replied "No" and thought "I've not noticed any such plant and can't really think burrs would be such a problem anyway." (A lives in Hampshire). We did see a bear one night. It walked into a clearing about 30 feet from the tent. Much bashing of cooking pans scared it off.
As we headed south, the landscape became more barren. Where springs erupted or rivers ran, there were amazing splashes of livid green amongst the rocks and sand. The trail was easy to follow, wooden signs indicating our way. At Rae Lakes, the summer warden displayed notices recounting ever increasingly ingenious bear tactics to obtain backpackers' food and quotes from the writings of John Muir.
Our final camp by Guitar Lake was down below Mount Whitney. Next morning we set off early to climb to the summit before the sun hit. From the final pass, the 2-mile ridge walk to the summit was along a superbly constructed path with stunning views down both sides to the valley bottoms. We were both very quiet as we reached the top. It was a fitting end to a wonderful walk but I felt no real sense of elation. A summed it up when he said "I don't want this to end, I just want to keep walking on and on and on..."
I'd definitely recommend this walk to anyone whom likes backpacking with 2 main tips: apply for your wilderness permits early - February for August walking and keep your pack weight down. Many thanks to Ian Pomfret for his excellent hints on this and advice about the whole walk.
