Sunday, August 21, 2016 - Resupply

Noah had been reluctant to get out of bed numerous mornings during the trip. Not today. We had decided last night to get up at 6:00 am and be on the trail by 7:00 am. We all decided not to eat breakfast because Barb was bringing Schat's cherry turnovers to the resupply and we wanted room to stuff ourselves with pasties rather than eat oatmeal or granola. Noah was up at 6:00 am sharp, packed and ready to go by 6:20 am. By the time we got the tent packed and other preparations completed, we were on the trail at 6:30 am. We only had 4 miles to walk, and our inspired pace got us to the trail head at South Lake at 7:45 am. Barb and Craig were not expected until 10:00 am. We busied ourselves with getting the garbage out of our packs, then set up the solar charger and lay in the grass in the shade waiting for them to arrive. They did at 9:15 am. 

News of Ed and Sally were top priorities. Ed had returned home after a difficult exit from Horseshoe Lake with Craig. Craig said Ed was employing OxyContin on the 5500' descent down to Road's End to control the pain in his knee and only had about five to ten degrees of motion. 

The brakes on the van were making a horrible racket for Sally as she entered the Valley after driving back from Road's End where she dropped us off. She took it to the shop in the Valley. One of the front brakes had lost its pad and the metal backing was pressing directly on the disc, making a horrible noise and scoring the disc. Why does the van always act up for Sally when I am not around?

The worst was when I heard about Jake and Helen getting trampled by a spooked horse at the fair. I can't imagine the grief and sorrow that Di and Mike are suffering through! I know there is little I could do if I was at home, but I wish I could be there to support them. 

Barb surprised me with the news that she and Craig had forgotten my food resupply box in Sally's camp. I thought she was kidding, but they did actually forget all my food for the next ten days on the route. However, they had all Craig's food for the remainder of the route, so I was able to put together breakfasts, lunches and dinners for ten days, plus snacks. 

Barb had deli fixings for sandwiches. We ate lunch, then with clouds again building, Craig and I said goodbye to Barb, Dave and Noah and headed back up the trail toward Bishop Pass. 

We set a steady pace up the trail, encountering many people going in and coming out on this busy August Sunday. 

A woman named Barb caught up with us and passed us, packing a heavy load. We kept up with her after we passed and talked for ten or fifteen minutes while walking. She was freighting food and supplies into the LeConte area for two clients, a businessman and his wife from Hong Kong that were hiking the North Lake - South Lake loop. These two required nine support personnel from Bishop Mountaineering to bring in fresh food, tents and other gear for them each night. Barb was one of four carrying in asparagus, fresh chicken, and other delicacies for tomorrow night's meals. She pulled off the trail to let her other porters catch up with her, and we kept going. As we started up the final stretch to the pass the rain started to lightly fall. We put on rain coats and covered our packs, but it did not last long. 

When we got to the pass we had two options we were considering. One was to just begin the descent down the trail toward the JMT 3200' and 6 miles away, or to return through Thunderbolt Pass to Barrett Lake so Craig could have the opportunity to fish the lake he had missed by walking out with Ed earlier in the week. The weather in the direction of Thunderbolt Pass looked the least threatening, so we decided to try for it. Climbing over a 12,300' pass in a lightening storm is never a good idea, but  we thought maybe we could slip through it before the lightning to the west moved to our location. I retraced my steps of the day before, using the GPS on my phone to follow closely our successful track. About a third of a mile and 300' below the pass it started to rain. We stopped and put up my tarp on the face of the mountain, securing it to the rocks and cliff nearby. We quickly put on warm clothes, then sat under the tarp, dry for the moment and had a bite to eat and rested. The rain quit after about half an hour, so we disassembled our shelter, packed up, and continued our climb to the pass. We cleared the pass about 5:30 pm, then began the 900' descent to Barrett Lake. We arrived about 6:30 pm only to discover someone camped right on the shore at our fishing spot. We dropped our packs in the meadow and fished for an hour with little success. Craig had moved down the shore quite a ways. It was beginning to get dark and the sky was threatening again, so I grabbed my pack and headed around the lake to the south to find a snug place for a camp. At 11,500', there is only boulders, granite slabs and patches of soil, but I found a cozy spot and began pitching our tarp. Craig return with a nice 15" fat trout. While he cleaned the fish I got camp erected. By headlamp, under our tarp, we fried the fish for dinner and enjoyed a Schats Monkey Bread pastry for dinner while the rain fell all around. A quick cleanup and food secured in bear cans and we were soon asleep.

For me it was a 12 mile day with lots of elevation gain and loss. But, I was glad to get Craig to Barrett Lake for its large fish.