Chapter 6: Bishop to Vermillion Valley Resort
Getting a hitch back to trail was a challenge once we got back to Independence, which made me all the more glad I had provided so many rides of my own while I was resting in Bishop. On our way over Kearsarge Pass and back to the PCT, we ran into quite a few hikers who had struggled through the snow, hail, and lightning over the past few days. All of which I was happy to have avoided.
To avoid a slight chance of bad weather of our own, however, we hurried over Glen Pass and as we neared the top, the sky turned from pleasant to warning of an imminent storm. Below us lay the gorgeous Rae Lakes, but we barely noticed them as thunder started to roar in the distance and hail began.
We ran from tree to tree, trying to get out of the hail, until the thunder became perilously close. At that point, the safest point was to get lower to Middle Rae Lakes, and we ran, hearts pounding, to get to safety as lightning struck nearby slopes and bodies of water.
Despite a few close calls, the storm eventually passed and a group of hikers who had the same idea stepped out of their shelters to enjoy the beauty of the lakes. This enjoyment was quick, however, as the mosquitoes came out in force and the sun set. We hid in our tents and attempted to dry off.
Pinchot Pass was only 14 miles away, but the mosquitoes and creek crossings slowed us down. We carefully climbed towards treeline and were optimistic until dark clouds once again appeared on the horizon around 1 PM. Unsure if we would make it over the pass in time, and seeing plenty of evidence of lightning strikes at higher elevation, we sheepishly set up camp in a slightly safer spot just below treeline.
For the next few hours, we felt silly, as the surrounding sky was still calm. A hiker who joined us when we first hid decided the coast was clear, packed up, and continued the climb up. Not ten minutes later, we heard the first peals of thunder, and ten minutes after that, a heavy downpour caught us, with lightning crashing uncomfortably nearby. Cool Rocks and I hunkered down for the evening and decided to make up the miles over the next few days.
We cleared Pinchot early the next morning and met Aquawoman. Tackling the pass early also meant we could press on towards Mather Pass. Before too long, Cool Rocks and I found ourselves caught up to a crowd climbing Mather. Mather was the first patch of snow I had encountered in a long time, but it didn’t seem bad enough for me to put on my microspikes. Instead, I dodged the snow by jumping from boulder to boulder, only to have one slide out from under me.
In order to avoid slipping down the side of the pass, I slammed myself down, landing hard on my knees, scrambling, and landing hard on my knees again. Instantly, the world grew dark and my head felt as though it were on fire. I lay down, with my head firmly stuck in the snow to cool off, and Cool Rocks made sure I was okay. Eventually, the adrenaline wore off and when I finally made it off the side of Mather Pass, fatigue hit me like a freight train.
I was able to stumble to Lower Palisades Lake, where everyone checked on me again. I insisted I was fine, and napped while the others fished nearby. When I awoke, it was dinner time, and we all set up camp at the lake, with thankfully fewer mosquitoes. As the night grew dark, Cool Rocks and I took a picture at Palisades Lake, looking back towards the pass.
The next morning I felt better, and we climbed down the Golden Staircase to the King River. As we started our climb to Muir Pass, we chanced the freezing water to swim in the river for a bit. The rest of the climb to Muir Pass was long and strenuous, with both of us needing to stop for the occasional break. About 4 miles from the top, near mid-afternoon, we reached a beautiful meadow and felt tempted to stop, but we instead decided to send it.
Snow completely covered the final mile to the top, making it hard to find the trail. Several times I post-holed through snow to nearly fall into the icy river below. Thankfully, another group of hikers, including one named Bandit, was always around me, so I felt relatively safe, if deeply fatigued.
On top of Muir Pass, I crawled into one of the few huts on the entire trail, and we all caught our breaths after an incredibly tiring day.
The next day we walked through the Evolution Basin and wanted to take our time, but instead suffered through intense mosquitoes. We were joined by Guppy, who borrowed some of my bug spray. Shortly after, we also had our only real water crossing of the Sierra Nevadas this year.
Near the border between Kings Canyon and Sierra National Forest, I was waiting for Cool Rocks and hung out with Clementine and Abby - two hikers who I had seen a few times but hadn’t gotten to know yet. Before leaving, they let me know to keep an eye out for Brumby, whom they missed.
Cool Rocks and I tackled one last climb for the day and passed through a ferocious mosquito cloud as we did so. As we set up camp just past the mosquitoes, Bandit appeared from the trees where the mosquitoes were clustered. With a shell-shocked look on her face, she asked us simply, “what the fuck was that?”.
The next day was the evening before Cool Rocks’ birthday, so we took a dip in Heart Lake just below Selden Pass. Back at the top of the pass, we met Fish and Brumby. The pair chose to try to make it to the shuttle to Vermillion Valley Resort, which left at 5 PM. Cool Rocks and I were in.
Looking at my maps, we found a shortcut that led Bear Creek Trailhead, where we could catch the shuttle and was separate from the Bear Ridge Trail that most people took to VVR. Determined, we pushed hard that day and kept a solid 4.5 mph pace, despite a fair amount of elevation gain and loss.
After taking no breaks for almost 8 miles, we reached a junction between Bear Creek Trailhead and Bear Ridge Trailhead. Because we believed Bear Creek Trailhead to be a valid alternate pickup spot, we took the shorter route to Bear Creek Trailhead, only to get there and realize there was no way a shuttle could make it to this 4WD and high-clearance only trailhead.
As our hearts sank, however, a high-clearance vehicle made its way to us and a group who planned to camp here that night and hike the next morning let us know we were really looking for Bear Creek Cutoff Trailhead. With us looking pathetic, the driver, Gary, gave us a ride over the steep technical road. We found out he was an environmental scientist whose wife had just passed and had come out here to remember her.
After a bumpy drive, we reached a dirt road where Gary flagged down a line of horses and mules. A pickup following the line allowed us to ride in the back, as the driver, Zosha, was on the way to VVR. At VVR, we reunited with Guppy, Aquawoman, Divebomb, Foxy, and Trippy, and together we celebrated Cool Rocks’ birthday.
As the birthday celebration raged on around me, however, I worried about my trail family, as it sounded like they were having their own struggles and challenges. Despite how much I enjoyed hiking with Cool Rocks, I missed my trail family and decided that, due to them planning to take a side adventure to Yosemite, I could catch up to them.
