On day thirteen Molly and I had the pleasure of hiking over Muir Pass and past the splendid lakes that lie in it’s shadow to the north.  Wanda Lake, named for John Muir’s eldest daughter is home to a rare treat, frogs living at 11,500′.  As we walked past Wanda lake we were startled by the plop, plop, plop of frogs jumping into the lake as we passed by.  We stopped to admire the frogs living in this relatively inhospitable environment.  Check this post for more on the Mountain Yellow Legged Frog.

Muir Pass was in my opinion one of the easiest 12,000′ passes along the trail, the final ascent from Evolution Lake is just 1200′ and it is a very gradual slope all the way up.  While I was reminiscing about the Muir Pass summit experience I began to realize that more often than not I felt that reaching the summit of each of the eleven passes was relatively easy.  Why were they “easy”?  I think it has a lot to do with the strategy we used while hiking the trail.

Like most others who hike the JMT we had an itinerary planned long before we even set foot on the trail.  That itinerary remained unchanged for exactly one day before we modified it for our hiking strengths and weaknesses.  Pretty early on we decided to attack the big climbs in sections.  The basic strategy is to look at the passes and plan to hike up approximately half of the required elevation on one day, then camp and hike up the rest the next day when you are fresh and relatively full of energy.  But like the saying goes hike your own hike and follow a strategy that works for you!

8-8-2009
Once again I woke up with a sore throat and felt weak much of the day.  I tried sleeping without socks last night and that did not work very well, my feet froze.  We had only a 1200 foot ascent to Muir Pass but every foot was amazing.  The lakes were a gorgeous teal blue that Molly said looked unnatural.  The Climb to the pass was easy and the descent was long but not too difficult.  In my mind Silver Pass still holds the record for worst descent.  We are camped near Big Pete meadow and are taking advantage of the altitude with a warm campfire.

Finding images that compel me to capture them can sometimes be challenging.  Sometimes I try to force an image or take a picture that does not feel right, those images very rarely turn out to be something that I am proud of.  Other times images come at me in a flood and it takes all of my concentration to make sure all of the technical aspects of image capture come together.  One of the good days was August 7 when we were hiking through the Evolution Range.
I felt ill the whole day but really wanted to make it to Evolution Lake before we stopped for the day, and I am really glad we made it there.  As the golden hour came the mountains were wrapped in clouds and set aglow by the setting sun.  The scene felt natural and I was able to find several compelling compositions in the span of an  hour.  As a photographer, these are the days I live for!

8-7-2009
I don’t know what is going on but I still feel sick!  I still have a sore throat and still feel low on energy.  Sick or not we still gained 2800 feet and walked 12+ miles for the day.   We passed 130 miles in total today and I am determined to finish this hike!  I did not take many pictures today, mostly because I was focusing all of my energy on hiking.  When we arrived at Evolution Lake a spectacular sunset unfolded and I quickly rattled off a hundred frames or so.  We found a neat wind sheltered spot for our tent but in the process of pitching the tent I broke one of the guy lines.  I fixed it with a square knot and then found someone’s discarded shoe string.  That shoe string may come in handy.  Just before we came over the crest to Evolution Lake we heard the “Cheeseburger Bird” for the first time.  I was really starting to doubt the existence of this bird until I heard the unmistakable song.

When We were relaxing at VVR a weather report came in that was somewhat alarming.  The Dweeb Report (yes that is what it is called) was predicting a weather freak-show starting on the sixth.  Predictions were for three to six inches of snow down to seven thousand feet with substantially more on the passes.  A report like this presents a difficult decision for backpackers and an especially important decision for backpackers who pack as light as Molly and I do.

We are not equipped for snow travel so in the event of snow we would likely be holed up in our tent for a couple of days until it warmed up again.  Several backpackers decided to extend their stay at VVR to see how the weather played out.  I spoke with a couple attempting to hike the JMT with their two young children, they had decided to end their trip at VVR.  They had already been trapped in a hailstorm on Donahue Pass and were concerned about hypothermia in the event of a snowstorm.  Us?  Well, ever the skeptic i decided to ignore the weather report and continue Hiking.  I had bailout points marked on the map and was ready to live with the decision.

As it turned out there was no snow, no rain, just some clouds and a ten degree drop in temperature for a day.  Seldon Pass was EASY Molly and I both felt like we just flew up the pass and cruised down the other side.  In retrospect I think Seldon Pass is the easiest pass of the entire trip.

8-6-2009
Last night I had dreams about being sick and that led to me feeling ill again this morning.  We slept in so that I could recover and finally got up around 8:00.  I felt 90% but still have a scratchy throat.  Most of the day was cold and cloudy, especially the hike up to Seldon Pass.  Once late afternoon came the clouds had mostly disappeared but it was about ten degrees colder than normal.  The day’s hiking was easy and I kept thinking that Seldon Pass was the Yin to the Silver Pass Yang.  Tonight might be our last campfire as we are mostly going to be above 10,000 feet from here on.

Well, Its been way too long since I have updated the site.  First it was mid-terms then it was finals  and then a much needed vacation.  Molly and I spent Christmas in Estes Park, Colorado and New Years on the beautiful island of Kauai.  I have some photos to share from those excursions but first I have a few more to share form the JMT last summer.

VVR is somewhat of a cruel Joke, you spend a night there enjoying some nice hot food, a warm bed, and a soothing shower.  Then the next day you wake up and have to trudge straight up a 1500′ ridge only to go straight back down, no views just up and down.  In the way down I did find a gem though in this Photo which I call “Sheltering Cedar”.  I did not see it at the time but this photo has become one of my favorites from the trip.

8-5-2009
I haven’t felt well most of the day and that has made hiking hard.  I’m not sure what happened, maybe something I ate?  The hike out of the valley was brutal, by far the most elevation gain  in the shortest distance thus far.  When we had come back down into another valley we ran into a guy named Ron who used a different trail to skip the difficult up and down.  he said that he went the traditional route last year and had no desire to do it again (me either).  When we made it to our campsite near Bear Creek I was feeling horrible. Some mashed potatoes lifted me up quite a bit!  Ron then stopped by and it turns out he lives in San Diego.  We talked for quite a while about his JMT hike last year, he had a few really good suggestions for us that we hope to put to use in the days to come.  We exchanged emails and I hope we see him again.  I am feeling much better now, hopefully this bug has passed.

This Monday November 2, 2009 at 6pm Molly and I will be speaking about our experience on the John Muir Trail.  The talk will be preceded by a potluck dinner.  All are welcome to join us for an evening of reflection and discussion.

I will have a couple of prints on display at this event.

Who:  Matthew Parker and Molly Vetter
What: A Discussion of their 20 days on the John Muir Trail
When: November 2, 2009 @ 6pm
Where: First United Methodist Church San Diego

8-3-09
Great Day!
I see a pattern forming.  When we get on the trail early we tend to have excellent days.  Last night was cold (-2 C according to our British friends) and it was difficult to get going but we did and were on the trail by 7:00.  Throughout the day we leapfrogged with the British guys and an extended family on a week long trip.  We saw the kids that were doing the yo-yo while we were stopped at Duck Creek.  We stopped at Purple Lake for a rest.  I took some pictures and  “washed” my shirt.  At Victoria lake we stopped for dinner and a shower.  The shower was cold but it felt great to be clean.  We camped (Note:  I just asked Molly to get me my headlamp and she told me to bugger off!) near Fish Creek, had a dessert of pudding and saw an awesome sunset!

In my last post I talked generally about the equipment that I carried on the trail.  Today I’d like to review a few standout pieces of equipment.
Selecting ultra light equipment is unfortunately not as simple as going down to REI and picking out the one that fits best, works best or looks best.  Most ultra light equipment manufacturers sell only from their website and advertise only via modern day word of mouth.  It took me a long time researching this and that to finally determine what equipment i was going to use.  In order to save you some time here are my recommendations.

Backpack- Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus
Selecting the backpack was probably the single hardest decision.  The pack had to hold all of the other items and do it comfortably.  Additionally it had to withstand the abuse I was going to subject it to over three weeks and 230+ miles.  I read several reviews of the previous versions of this pack and it seemed with the 2009 version they had worked out all of the issues with the older versions.  As soon as the Mariposa Plus arrived I filled it up with its hiking load and was releived to find that not only would it carry all of my gear it would also carry a Wild Ideas Weekender inside!
On the trail the Mariposa plus was consistently comfortable with my typical load of ~24 lbs(including camera gear).  Molly and I each carried a bear canister.  We had one Wild Ideas Weekender and one Bear Vault BV 500.  The Bear Vault is more comfortable when carried in this pack due to its slightly smaller diameter.  If I were to d it again I would add 6 ounces and carry the Bear Vault.  I really liked the external mesh pockets, they were perfect for stuffing unused clothing layers for easy retrieval.
By the end of the hike there were a few spots in the main compartment fabric that had either suffered a puncture or abrasion damage.  The ripstop fabric was very effective at preventing the spread of damage.  The damaged sections did not impact the function of the pack in any way, however if it had rained the damage would have let water in.  Whe we returned home I emailed Gossamer Gear and told them about the damage, the replied quickly and said send it in.  Two weeks later I had the backpack back in my hands ready to use.  They had gone through the packs with a fine toothed comb and fixed every damaged location no matter how minor.  I was very impressed with their service.

Sleeping Bag- Montbell Ultra Light super Stretch #3
In my mind a sleeping bag is successful if it keeps you warm when it’s cold and lets you breathe when it’s not.  The Montbell Sleeping bag did that very well in my mind.  This bag squishes down into a package just slightly larger than a nalgene bottle and then fluffs up enough to keep you warm on a 30 degree F night.  I was cold one night during the trip.  That night Molly and I decided to sleep Just below trail crest on Mt Whitney at an elevation of 13,550 ft.  That night the temperatures got into the low 20′s or perhaps the teens, temperatures far below what the bag was designed for.  While I was cold I did not die and was able to sleep reasonably well.

Clothing-Merino Wool
I tried merino wool for the first time this trip and I am hooked for life.  There are several manufacturers of this stuff (I guess I mean processors as sheep are probably considered the manufacturers), but we got ours from Icebreaker.  There are many amazing things about merino wool but my favorite two are; a lack of odor and warmth even when wet.
We washed our clothes every three or four days but this did not prevent my Railriders Nylon shirt from becoming soo nasty that I refused to wear it on the last day.  The Icebreaker shirt in contrast never held an odor and never made me want to vomit.  If I were to do it again I would wear a very light weight Merino Wool shirt instead of the Railriders Eco Mesh shirt.

8-2-09
Heavy Day.
Today was scheduled to be an easy day and for the most part it was.  We slept in and did not get on the trail until 10:00 or so.  We had a light breakfast in anticipation of the big lunch ahead at Reds Meadow  We arrived at Reds Meadow right at noon and immediately checked on our resupply package.  Along with our package was a note from Dad and the $20 I had lent him for the bus after he lost his wallet.  He had found his wallet right where Mom said it was.  Lunch was good but maybe a little bit too much food.  I had a bacon cheeseburger and a chocolate malt it was yummy!  While at Reds Meadow we met a guy named “Boots” who was hiking portions of the JMT/PCT and taking pictures of everyone he met along the way.  He took pictures of me fixing up Molly’s blisters which were pretty bad today.  The Hike to our camp at Deer Creek was easy but my pack weighs more now than it has so far.  I look forward to eating some food and lightening the load a bit.  Deer Creek has tons of mosquitoes and this led us to have our first campfire.  The campfire was surprisingly  pleasant!  Tomorrow will likely be longer than scheduled.

Day 5 included the first of many special treats along the trail.  As you can probably imagine the logistics of a trip like this are complicated and if you can get a little extra help from family and friends it makes the trip much easier.  Our first resupply occurred at the Touolume Meadows post office.   That resupply package had just enough food and digital storage to get us to Thousand Island Lake where we would meet my parents.  My Dad volunteered to meet Molly and I at Thousand Island Lake with enough food to get us to Muir Trail Ranch.  When I delivered the 17 pounds of food to him the look on his face was one of shock and horror, it was much more food and weight than he had planned on.  I quickly developed an alternate plan that had us stopping at Reds Meadow to pick up food two days later.  Dad was relieved.  At some point Mom decided that she too would like to try backpacking again.  The last time she went backpacking was sometime before I was born and apparently it was an unpleasant experience.  Mom and dad spent the spring and summer getting in shape for the hike and they both seemed to be looking forward to it.   So late in the afternoon on the last day in July (also their anniversary) Mom and dad met Molly and I at Thousand Island Lake.  We shared the stories of our respective hikes and ate relatively yummy freeze dried food.  Thanks Dad for volunteering to carry the food to us, it made the trip much more fun to have a family meet-up along the way.

7-31-09 We woke to a beautiful sunrise in our best campsite thus far.  After a quick breakfast of blueberries and oatmeal we were on our way to tackle the rest of Donohue Pass.  We quickly encountered a difficult river crossing and we both decided to stick one foot in the river instead of potentially falling all the way in.  The only problem with this plan was that I did not have a completely dry pair of socks to change into.  I ended up hiking for several hours in slightly damp socks.  (At this point I learned the joys of Merino Wool, after 5 minutes I could not feel the wetness and my feet were no worse for the wear!)  We were on the summit by 8:30 and then made the long descent toward Island Pass.  We climbed Island Pass without any trouble and recognized the site where we camped with the rest of the family two years earlier.  We arrived at Thousand Island Lake at about 1:00 and awaited the arrival of Mom and Dad.  When they arrived at 3:00 they were very tired but seemed to recover pretty quickly.  I was glad I had sent food to Reds Meadow instead of giving it all to dad to haul up the mountain.  We camped above the lake with a view of the Ritter Range.  The sunset was Spectacular!

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”  John Muir in Our National Parks

When John Muir Wrote Our National Parks Yosemite had been a national park for barely ten years.  He had successfully rescued it from certain destruction at the hands of those who sought to obtain great personal wealth at the expense of the natural wonder that is Yosemite.  Unfortunately I fear that John Muir would be appalled at what Yosemite has become.  More than any other national park I have been to, Yosemite is exactly what John Muir was trying to stop.  Everywhere you look there is some type of concession and a large corporation is making a handsome sum providing the services that the millions of visitors each year crave.  How can the modern visitor to Yosemite go home to the mountains when you really never left civilization?
On July 30th we left civilization.
Once we were five miles from Toulumne Meadows the number of people dropped dramatically, I only recall seeing a half dozen or so.  I finally felt like  I was going home.  Gone were the composting toilets, the frequent pack trains taking supplies to people staying at the High Sierra Camps, and the unprepared day hikers.  I was finally really enjoying myself.  I Love the High sierra

The image above was captured shortly before sunset from our campsite halfway up Donohue Pass looking towards Lyell Peak.  I’d like to think that John Muir would have selected the same campsite due to the amazing views that we were afforded there.

7-30-09
Awesome Day!
We decided to sleep in today and take advantage of the Toulumne  Meadows Grill that opened at 8:00.  After Breakfast we took our time packing up and gave some extra food to the guy we met yesterday (I had no desire to carry anything that was not absolutely necessary).  We hit the trail around 10:00 for the long flat hike up the Lyell Canyon.  Around 12:30 we stopped by the Lyell fork of the Toulumne River and took a much needed “bath” in the river.  We lounged around for the next hour and a half or so and enjoyed the amazing scenery.  This was Relaxing!  about 3:30 while we were on the canyon floor  it started to lightly rain, but we continued to hike on towards Donohue Pass.  At 5:00 we were just beginning our climb to the pass and the rain turned to hail.  We quickly found a place to put our tent and waited for the lightning, hail, and rain to let up.  After the weather cleared we moved to a much nicer campsite with an incredible view of Lyell Canyon and Lyell peak.  I can’t think of a better way for a day to pan out.

Day three on the JMT was much easier than the day before.  The location we were in for sunrise did not lend itself to grand vistas but I was able to get several interesting shots. On this morning the wildflowers were sparkling in the sun creating a light show on a microscopic level.  I frequently find that I enjoy trying to find the beauty in small scale rather than trying to make the shot of the grand vistas work.

What do you think of this shot of the Shaggy Hawkweed?

7-29-09
We broke camp much earlier today and were on the trail by 6:30.  The hardest climb of the day came at the beginning of the day but the rest of the day was mostly flat or downhill.  Around 9:30 we passed Sunrise High Sierra Camp and made use of their composting toilets.  Sunrise looks like a nice place to stay!  We arrived in Tuolumne  Meadows at 3:00 under very black and very ominous looking clouds.  As soon as we had taken cover under the store awning it began to hail.  About 4:30 the rain and hail stopped and we made our way to a campsite at the backpackers camp.  We met a guy camping next to us, he is an out of work web developer who has decided to hike all of the trails in Yosemite National Park.   He arrived in May and plans to stay until the snow drives him out sometime in October.  Tomorrow should be an easy day!