As tough as yesterday was, today was a superior hiking day that I thoroughly enjoyed! Doodlebug, Nitro and I all got up early according to our pre-agreed-upon plan to beat the heat. Nitro, not being a morning person, struggled getting herself packed up and Doodlebug and I got a head start out of camp. We faced two early morning steep climbs and managed to tackle both before taking our first break. After almost an hour break, I had to move on because I had had enough of fending off and killing multiple biting flies. Doodlebug waited a little longer to see if Nitro would show before she resumed hiking. The trail quickly became beautiful with lots of shade provided from Jeffrey Pines, Black and Live Oak and White Firs. For a change, we stopped side slabbing and actually walked on trail that one could step off to the side without falling off a mountain. I was in heaven through the miles of forest, then open sunny areas with nice views through the Piute Mountains we are now hiking in.
After 9 miles I stopped at our first water in 19 miles at Robin Bird Spring. It was a little after 11:00 and lunch seemed appropriate, so I dug in. Doodlebug arrived a little while later, and an hour or more after I had stopped, Nitro showed. She was struggling with not feeling well, but was still managing to do the miles. After lunch we filled up on water and, despite the heat, agreed to do two more miles to Cottonwood Creek. Once there, we agreed to push on. I took the lead and stopped at Landers Creek, which in most years is not flowing by June. There was ample water and a nice pool to soak the feet and legs in, so I took full advantage. I had a chance to do some peaceful meditation there as well, and about 45 minutes later the gals arrived. They had just seen a large rattlesnake on the trail, which I missed because I had been so far ahead.
We decided to eat an early dinner (4:00 p.m.) at the creek because we had to load up on water there. The next on-trail water is a whopping 35 miles from there. After dinner we pushed on several miles, reaching a high point around 6:30 p.m., near the summit of St. John Mountain. Mosquitoes were already on the attack. Doodlebug’s feet were hurting, and I had a new blister forming on the ball of my left foot, but we decided to get another mile or two in anyway.
Finally, a little after 7:15 we found a level campsite on the side of the descent of St. John Mountain. Mosquitoes showed up instantly in droves, so we quickly put on long clothing, despite the heat, set up our tarptents, and dove into them to escape the buzzing swarm. For only the second night since starting the hike, it has been warm enough to sit inside the tarptent without having to bundle up. I spent the last hour relaxing, eating a whole bag of sour skittles (my new favorite trail snack, along with the Flamin Hot Cheetos with Limon) while listening to Nitro chowing down on a whole bag of Gummy Worms. We have four and a half more days to get to Kennedy Meadows, and I believe I could eat all the remaining food in just two days. Our hiker hunger is really kicking in.
Officially we are in the Southern Sierras, and this afternoon we got our first glimpse of towering mountains on the distant horizon. We are only 20 trail miles from the Sequoia National Forest. Yet, the mountains just ahead are barren with no trees and the forecast is for very hot conditions, so tomorrow could be a miserably hot hiking day. We’ll be up early to get as many miles in as possible before the heat stifles our progress. I saw cumulus thunderclouds to the north over the high Sierras – yippee!
Today’s weather: sunny, low 48; high 88. Today’s mileage: 19.5; cumulative mileage: 612.7.
