Agua Dulce to Bishop
Trip Start
May 15, 2005
1
6
13
Trip End
Oct 2005
Bishop,
California,
United States
Friday, July 8, 2005
Here's what we've been up to: After we left Agua Dulce we ended up staying with Joe and Terri Anderson in Green Valley. This couple has been hosting hikers for years and made us feel so welcome we didn't want to leave. If I'm ever down that way again I would love to just stop by and say hello and thanks for everything. Hard to find more generous and altruistic people. After hiking through a small portion of the Mojave Desert we stopped at the town of Mojave. That place was ready to blow away. A new freeway bypass around the town had a devastating impact on the businesses. Luke and I will make it a point to never go there again
01 - Joe and Terri Anderson
. Luke began having real problems with one of his shins. So bad that he decided to hitchhike 140 miles ahead to Kennedy Meadows and wait for me to hike that section alone. The Mojave (we began pronouncing it with a hard "j" and long "E") was actually more beautiful than I expected. Along the way I met another geat couple, Stacy and Keenan. They were also thru-hiking so we hiked and camped a little together. We all arrived in Kennedy Meadows in about 6 days and found Luke lounging comfortably. I don't think he'd walked more than 50 feet since I saw him last, which was great for his leg. He basicall had a 6-day party with all the thru-hikers that came through the campground. We both had fun in different ways.
As I've mentioned in previous updates, Kennedy meadows is the entry point to the high Sierras. We only hiked about 10 to 15 miles a day to slowly get Luke back into hiking mode without re-injuring his leg. We reached Mt. Whitney in a few days, the highest Mountain in the lower 48 states. The hike up to the sumit at 14,491 feet was actually very easy for us after all the miles we'd put in. We were so acclimatized that even on the summit we felt absolutely no different than any other elevation we'd been. On our way down we passed a guy that looked like he was about ready to keel over and die, but he was only 10 minutes from the top, so we said good luck and continued down to camp
02 - Me at the Anderson's
. Later that night the rescue helicopter landed about 200 feet from our camp at Crabtree Meadows. It was stopping off for first aid supplies on it's way to rescue that poor guy we passed. He had made it to the simmit but had bad Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Some of us helped the chopper crew load supplies, including a Gamov bag. This is a cylindrical bag maybe 7 or 8 feet long. Once the sick person is placed inside, it's pressurized to simulate a lower altitude. I had previously only seen them used on mountains of Everest proportions. Luckily, there happened to be two rangers on the summit, Rob and Major, who were able to radio for help. They spent the night on the summit with the victim. Had they not happened to be there he would likely have died.The views from the top were amazing. My pictures just don't capture how massive the Sierras are. We were blown away (not litterally).
The highilight of the next few days was climbing up and over Forrester Pass, the highest point on the entire Pacific Crest Trail at 13,180 feet. Whitney is not technically on the trail. We encountered deep snow about two miles before and after the pass and mostly post-holed our way through. Again, the views were breathtaking. We had crampons and ice axes with us. One snow-filled chute on the way up was steep enough to die on if we fell, but was still doable without crampons. I decided to use mine since we carried them all that way and hadn't yet put them to use. We ended up only hiking about 9 or 10 miles that day due to the slow progress, but our camp that night was the best of the trip. Being from Seattle, I've always thought of the Cascades as the most beatiful mountains in the country, but I have to say the high Sierras may top them. Luke commented that it was so beautiful that we should have to pay by the hour to even be there
03 - Luke at the Anderson's
. I probably shouldn't write that down, as the forest service may implement that as policy. Don't get me started.The town we're in now, Bishop, is great for resupply and has some of the best bouldering in the country. I drove down here a few years ago for just that.
We'll head back into the mountains in a couple days, assuming I find enough money to keep going. Right now I'm looking for very short-term work here. Luke will continue either way, as he should.
As usual, thanks for all the emails. They mean a lot. And a special thanks to Carrie and Sophia in Seattle for sending me a birthday present here in Bishop. I turned 34 on June 28th. One more year and I can run for President.
Drew
