Start: 0745 - next to Tule Lake
End:  2045 - Mono Creek
Miles (today): 20
Miles (cumulative): 934 (794 PCT, 90 alternate, 50 off)

The late day yesterday caused us to sleep in a little, but that's ok.  Sleep is good.  I was hoping for an earlier finish to today (so I could get even more sleep) but it just wasn't in the cards.  That's ok, too.

This morning I gave Nick some of my extra snacks because he said he was hurting yesterday (see, rationing my food turned out to be a good thing!).  Then it was up Selden Pass.  My morning was great - I felt strong and fast and before I knew it I was at the top.

The top of Selden Pass turned out to be a fantastic meeting place!  I was up there a while waiting for Nick (it turns out he wasn't having a good day) and while there I met Jet Pack, Monster Style, Day Hiker, and Peter, a section hiker.  Escalator and Kyle (the guys we met at Kearsarge Pass) showed up, too (Kyle hurt his knee so they are moving slowly).  After a while I started to worry that maybe Nick was ahead of me (I did go off the trail to take care of business at one point) but he finally showed up.  It turns out that on the way up the pass he slipped on a rock during a stream crossing and fell in (just got his feet wet, although walking in wet shoes and socks isn't fun).  

After a quick lunch together, I decided to leave  the pass before Nick because A. I had already been there well over an hour and B. I'm slower at downhills and wanted a head start.  Just as I was about to head down the other side, though, Ducky shows up!  I thought she was still a day ahead of us but she stopped to resupply at Muir Trail Resort.  So cool to run into her!  She told me about how her and Special K were fed by a ranger and said she knew I'd be jealous.  LOL.  We wanted to camp together tonight but the rest of the day foiled our plans.

On the way down the pass I walked with Jet Pack, Day Hiker, and Monster for several miles.  It was so weird to walk and talk with other people but it was a good weird - I really like getting to know other people out here.  The only reason I didn't hike with them further was because I ran out of water and decided to wait for Nick at a water crossing.  As Nick was walking across the log over the water he slipped and got his foot wet (again). I think he also hurt his knee a little.  Poor guy.

While Nick was drying off and while I was sterilizing water, Ducky walked up.  She asked about our plan for fording Bear Creek, another famed crossing for the sometimes high water and strong current.  We didn't have a plan (honestly, I forgot all about it) so we decided to all do it together.  

Fording Bear Creek wasn't too bad but here is no way I would have done it alone. The water came to my upper thigh (my shorts got wet) and even though it was cold it was very refreshing (let's hope they are all refreshing).  The current was pretty strong, though, and at one point I felt a rush of fear when I couldn't find good footing and nearly slipped.  We crossed facing the current - Nick, me, then Ducky - and when I almost slipped I saw Ducky looking at me with concern out of the corner of my eye.   I felt I couldn't let her down or put her in danger by slipping and so pushed away the fear and pulled myself together.  Jet Pack, Animal, Day Hiker, and Cowgirl were all on the other side, watching us cross (I wasn't exactly fond of having an audience but they are good people and, well, what else are they going to do while drying their shoes?) They celebrated when we all made it safely to the other side.  

While we dried our shoes (we wore our shoes for better grip but took out the inserts and removed our socks), we got to watch Escalator and Kyle ford the river (I suppose everyone gets an audience today).  I was really nervous for Kyle because of his knee - my legs took a lot of strain going across and I couldn't imagine crossing with a knee injury like his!  At least he didn't have a pack to carry across - Escalator carried his pack across for him (which meant he forded the river three times!).  Everyone crossed just fine.

We were hiking for only a mile or so when we came upon yet another ford, which was a letdown because I thought we were done with all that business.  Sigh.  Once again we stopped to take out our shoe inserts and remove our socks.  I know a lot of hikers just walk across and don't bother to take out their shoe inserts or remove their socks or even dry their feet off afterwards - this definitely saves a lot of time but I wouldn't want to hike in soggy shoes all day (I don't need blisters).

Around this time is when Ducky and I realized that our goal of camping together at Mono Creek wasn't going to happen. It was almost 1700 and there were still about 8 miles to go.  Ducky didn't want to hike past 1900 (I don't blame her, neither did I) and her calf muscle was bothering her, so she decided to only hike 3 more miles.  Nick and I, however, pressed on - we have a resupply at Vermillion Valley Resort and want to be able to make the 0940 ferry in the morning.  I was sad we weren't going to be able to camp with Ducky but hopefully we'll have another opportunity later.

There were a few more creeks to cross but at least there were logs to cross with.  At one creek we had to walk on three different logs to get across - it was ridiculous.  

Equally ridiculous was the fact that there was a bridge to cross a little stream.  Ducky and I both felt that the bridge would have been more useful elsewhere (you know, like Bear Creek or the one where we used three logs to get across)

Just as we reached the uphill switchbacks, Nick stopped to put on some bug repellent lotion.  I waited while he looked in his bag for it and watched as his searching became more and more frantic until he said, "OMG, I can't find my ziplock with everything in it." He looked through his entire pack and, sure enough, the plastic ziplock wasn't there.  He couldn't remember where he last took it out and was a bit in shock that it was gone.  We talked about what "everything" entailed - mostly replaceable items like his toothbrush, earplugs, sewing repair kit, batteries, and 50' cord.  We decided it wasn't worth going back to find and so continued on.  

Not too long after that, while going up the switchbacks, I had a bathroom emergency.  Switchbacks are tricky places to have such an emergency because the terrain is steep and there aren't many places to hide.  I chose a big tree at the end of one switchback, figuring it was so late that there wouldn't be any hikers on the trail.  

Wrong.

Three southbound John Muir Trail hikers (JMTers) walked down the switchback and the tree, while big, didn't cover me from that angle.  Nick had passed by me and tried to stop them from getting too close, but it was too late - they saw.  I was a little embarrassed but just a tad.  They were really cool and understanding and I know that if the situation were reversed I wouldn't think anything of it... So I let it go.   The lesson here is don't have a bathroom emergency while going up or down steep switchbacks.  

It was a long day but I had fun.  It's nice knowing I'll get to sleep in a little - we only have 1.5 miles to hike tomorrow morning, so we can leave at 0830 and easily make the 0940 ferry to Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR).  Also, I absolutely love sleeping next to water - the sound is hypnotic and makes for good sleeping.  

I just stepped out of the tent and the stars took my breath away - they are so beautiful! I also saw a shooting star!  It was a good end to the day.  :) (Part of me wants to stay up and look at the sky, the other part really really wants to sleep.)

Along the trail: