160 Miles on the John Muir Trail, 1992
THURSDAY, JUNE 9 -- DAY 11 (LAST DAY)
I arise at 6:00am, having waited until the guy next door began stirring. Sound carries well through this hut. I could hear him snoring all night. But he's a working man so I didn't want to disturb him, even though I have been awake for an hour. The sun has been up for awhile and although the sky is fairly cloudy, the sun is out and the sunrise may have been a good one -- I don't know, because I missed it by staying in bed. But that's okay, before sunrise it would have been a little too cool to be standing outside for any length of time.
I didn't sleep very well last night. It took me a long time to get to sleep -- I think that I was nervous about where I am. And it seemed cold, even though my thermometers indicate an outside low temperature of 31° and an inside temperature of 35°. I don't know if it was the altitude or the fact that I was so tired, but it felt 15° colder than that. I can feel that I've lost a few pounds over the last 10 days and I wonder if having less body fat contributes to my sleeping cold. I also felt clammy in bed from not washing, and my sleeping pad just wasn't comfortable and bothered my middle back. I tossed and turned all night. I'm not complaining though, because the hut is very cozy and this was my last night of sleeping in a bag!
Its breezy this morning, but generally pretty nice. The sky is mostly cloudy with hazy sun, but the air is not clear and not really conducive for photography. I spend some more time chatting with the park service guys -- they are friendly and glad to talk. They have been here for two weeks and have one week yet to go. They started with a crew of six, but as their work approached the end, they are down to just the two of them. They say that when they first arrived at the hut, the door had been partially dismantled for firewood, people had burned fires inside the hut, and there was human waste inside. It just shows that there are slobs everywhere, even up here.
The park service guys tell of ignorant people who bring young children up here who are miserable and crying. Others come without warm clothes. Some come without water and beg for some. It just kind of gives the feeling that people in general, are idiots! They also claim that marmots eat human waste and that when they cleaned out the nearby pit toilets, they were clogged with dead marmots that had crawled in and couldn't get out. Suddenly, marmots don't seem so cute.
I gab with them for awhile longer and then start down the mountain at 8:15am, heading for Whitney Portal and civilization. I'm really looking forward to a hot shower, a good meal and a real bed. Nevertheless, I've got all day to cover the eleven trail miles and have time to dawdle along. By the time that I reach Trail Crest Pass at 10:00am, I have passed a several dozen people climbing for the summit, coming up from Trail camp I suppose. The sky has turned fairly nice with frequent sunshine, but is still mainly cloudy. The sky looks encouraging to the west, but to the east low, puffy white clouds are forming in the Owens valley.
Below Trail Crest Pass, the trail is hidden by snow in many places and is in bad shape. There are many secondary trails where people have scrambled straight up or down the slopes, cutting switchbacks that were hidden under the snow. I now realize how lucky I was on my previous two dayhikes of Mt. Whitney, when the trail was dry and in excellent shape. Today, it would be impossible to count the 97 switchbacks, as I had done in the past. On the way down, I meet a guy that I swear could be an older brother. The two of us look very much alike, but he is 8-10 years older.
By the time that I arrive at Trail Camp, which is the uppermost of the two campgrounds along the Whitney trail, the puffy white clouds that were forming in Owens valley have ballooned into a massive cloud bank that obscures my view to the east. I am still in sun here, but won't be for long. Pieces of this cloud bank occasionally hide Whitney from view. The sun may not last much longer so I stop here for lunch. I'm happy today, knowing that the hike is almost over, and satisfied with my accomplishment. At the same time I'm starting to feel a little let down. I've looked forward to this trip for so long that in some respects I hate for it to end, but at the same time I'm extremely excited about it ending! Definitely mixed feelings.
Sure enough, by the time lunch is over and I leave Trail camp, the sun is gone and I am engulfed in a cold fog. Fortunately, it doesn't last long and within ten minutes it has risen above me. Now the high peaks are obscured and in the valley below is clear. I've had some really strange weather on this trip.
Its downhill every step of the way and this trail is rougher the I remember. In fact its as rough as any I've been on during this entire trip. By the time I come to Mirror Lake, I'm back in the trees and the trail has become smoother, making for easier walking. There are fewer people too, but still way too many. I miss the backcountry where one can walk for hours without seeing anyone else. The rough trail and the number of people kind of makes me think that I have had enough of Whitney and that I won't be back anytime soon. Besides I've done it up right on this trip, having slept at the top. Mt. Whitney is spectacular, but there are many other big mountains to climb too.
The rest of the journey is pleasant and uneventful, but long. It seems like that when I reach Lone Pine Lake, the ending trailhead should be not far beyond, but its actually another hour from here. At 2:00pm, I arrive the exit trailhead and the end of my hike. I'm sad and I'm glad, but mostly glad. I notice that the trailhead mileage sign is gone. I take a few pictures and head for the parking area.
My car is still in the lot, undisturbed and with all of its tires still up. I take off my pack, which I won't have to wear again for awhile. I thought that I would hate my pack by now, but instead I've grown accustomed to it and it is not bothersome at all. Now that I'm presumably stronger and the pack is lighter, hauling the backpack is almost as comfortable as dayhiking. I would have previously never believed that a 45-pound load could feel so good.
I attempt to start my car and remember that I had removed a fuse to keep it from starting. But where is it? Where did I hide it? I can't find it and have to use a spare. I head for the town of Lone Pine and for some reason, it feels odd to drive. I'm not sure if its because I haven't done it for awhile or because my head is in another world, but it feels weird! I do manage to make it to town safely, but I feel as though I have to really concentrate on the road much more than usual.
When I arrive in Lone Pine, I see the couple from Georgia that I saw below Timberline Lake yesterday. I talk with them for a few minutes and discover that they too, had gone on past Guitar Lake yesterday and crossed over the mountain and made it all the way to Trail Camp.
I check into the Dow Villa motel and get a simple room with a common bath across the hall. The price is right: $21 + tax. Boy, does a shower feel good! I've definitely lost weight and feel thin to myself during my shower. What a fun way to slim down! After I have sufficiently cleaned up, I walk to a nearby pizza parlor and order a pizza and a pitcher of diet Coke. This is the only pizza parlor in town and is directly across the street from my motel.
"We toss 'em, they're awesome!"
- Pizza FactoryThe pizza tastes good -- really good, but is actually not that great. That is, I've had better, but this one is especially welcome. When I'm done and sitting at my table, the Georgia guy comes by and asks me to join them at their table to chat. I oblige, and learn that this is Jerry and Bonnie from Georgia and Jerry is an airline pilot with Delta airlines, flying the big ones -- DC10's! They say that if I was going stick around until tomorrow, I could meet the rest of their hiking/fishing group, which includes Chuck Yaeger ("the General") and Bud "Andy" Anderson (whoever that is)! As tempting as that is, I'm not really interested. I'm ready to leave and don't want to hang around for another day.
After pizza, I've got time to kill so I browse town for awhile, mostly just looking through the gift shops and during this time I bump into Jerry and Bonnie two more times. I get ice cream, buy post cards and then stop at the grocery for snacks and Cokes for tomorrow's long drive home. In my room, I write post cards, review my trip and plan my route back to Phoenix. Later, I go out to mail my post cards and to gas the car. I'm back in my room and in bed at 9:30pm.
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Day 10
