June 25, 2012 - Frozen Frogs and Fatigued Feet

Day 11
McClure Meadows
Elevation: 9600 ft
Miles: 17
Trip: 164

The Sierras continue to kick my butt - and every other body part involved in walking. Today's hike to Muir Pass (and Muir Cabin!) wasn't steep but it was long. I think I prefer a pass like Pinchot or Forrester, where the elevation comes at you all at once; you pump hard for a while and you're at the top. Forrester was my favorite, partly because it was my first of the Sierra passes. The others get muddled in my memory, but Forrester will always be sharp in my mind. Next time I do this section, I'll be in shape from starting at the Mexican border, and able to enjoy the scenery without wheezing so much. At one of the lakes on the way to Muir, we saw dozens of frogs - leopard frogs, I think. How do they live in such cold water? I've heard of frogs being frozen in water, then thawed and re-animated. Amazing! I'm not surprised that landmarks around here have names like "Evolution" Creek and "Darwin" Pass. Just walking past the lakes gives the impression we're in some pre-historic land. We also saw a pika today, only the second of the trip. I would have expected to see them all over, overseeing the Sierras like their Northern cousins in the Beartooths. Maybe the warm spring affected their population negatively somehow...we haven't even seen any of their haystacks.

We'll get to Muir Trail Ranch early tomorrow, maybe even before noon. Another 12-miles-before-12 day! Then a sublime soak in the hot springs - with a beer we sent in our resupply package. Heaven. I admit I do need a break too. My feet aren't used to this much abuse. But I've hiked over 15 miles most days so I know my pain comes for a reason. In another week, I bet I'll be hiking twenty-plus days without a problem. Maybe two weeks - when we're out of the Sierras. Hopefully my shoes can handle the miles until then - and my feet can handle the shoes.

As much as I gripe about the difficulties and frustrations of this trail, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, with anyone else. Andrew is the only person I could stand for this amount of time, and definitely the only person who could stand me.

Shaggy says:

The climb up Muir Pass was amazing. We started early again and made it to the top before 10 am. There was no snow, all the way up. It was so windy on top that the hut was extremely inviting. We joined four other hikers and ate lunch in the hut.
   I spent some time catching frogs in one of the lakes today. I am pretty sure they were northern leopard frogs. They  had gone extinct some time ago in the Sierras. The reason being pollution. Frogs are very sensitive to changes in there water. They were reintroduced though, about three years ago, and are thriving in the areas they were reintroduced to. I personally am in full support of any species willing to help lower the population of mosquitoes.
   I also spent time catching some fish today. I caught 4 with my bare hands, all beautiful rainbow trout, all too small for us to eat... oh well. Still fun to know I can do it.
    I love the Sierras so much. It is also a good feeling to just walk all day. Not a care in the world. Just left leg, then right leg. We stopped after 17 miles today. Laurens feet were tired, and I craved a dip in the Evolution Creek. The water was warm, it felt so good to wash out my nasty shorts and boxers. Also felt good to rinse myself on a secluded beach along the creek. This is really livin.
   Tomorrow we will pick up our resupply at Muir Trail Ranch. Very excited to find out what all we put in our bucket. The one thing we do remember is two Lewis and Clark Brewery beers. It feels so good not resupplying in a  town. We won't be able to spend any money, nothing to buy there. Instead we will get the stuff we sent ourselves, load it in our packs and head out. There are also some hot springs in the area we plan to check out.
"Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength." -Hasidic saying

The trail leading to Muir Pass. It went up quite a bit after this.

Harassing wildlife, a great way to make sure this fish stays far, far away from humans in the future.

Lucky for this golden trout, he was way too small to eat (plus I think he's protected by law...)

Inside the John Muir hut, roof view. A pretty amazing feat of architecture, I think.

Getting creative with the camera.

The yellow ninja moves too fast for cameras to capture!

The wind outside howled so loudly we didn't want to go outside again, but of course the trail called to us.

How neat is that?

Wildflowers on Muir Pass. It just never gets old.

More wildlife harassment. Just helping build their fear of humans...

These frogs were able to survive because no invasive trout ate their eggs. Bad trout!

You know you want a pair of these shoes. But not everyone can pull of this level of cool...

This can be my home. Really, I don't need anything else.

One happy yellow-bellied marmot, soaking up the sun.

Good thing the winters are so harsh, or there would be McCabins all over this place.

This is what happens when hikers don't eat cheeseburgers and icecream for a week. Scary stuff.