Start: 0800 - Mono Creek
End: 1030 - Vermillion Valley Resort
Miles (today): 1.5 off
Miles (cumulative): 935.5 (794 PCT, 90 alternate, 51.5 off)
Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) is a great place. It's not much - a store, a restaurant, cabins - but I love the feel. It's like a nicer version of Kennedy Meadows with fewer people.
We hiked the 1.5 miles to catch the ferry, which was due to arrive at 0940. On the way we ran into Flash and Music Show? (Ben and Gerry), which was a pleasant surprise. They gave us the scoop on VVR - apparently the generator is down so many of the things we wanted to do, like shower, charge devices, and do laundry, were unavailable. (This was sad news to me because my phone really needed a charge and I had already used my spare battery).
While we waited for the ferry, (we got there at 0845) we chatted with Back Out and Yes I, two hikers I met yesterday while going up Seldon Pass. Escalator and Kyle (now Chapstick) showed up, too, which is amazing given Chapstick's knee and ankle situation.
riding on the 'ferry'
When the ferry showed up it was really just a guy on a boat that could only take 4 people at a time (I think the lake is too low for the big ferry, or maybe the actual ferry is broken, I don't know). The poor guy had to make several trips to get everyone to VVR.
You get one beer on the house (and they have a great selection!) so Nick and I celebrated two months on the trail (two months!?!) with some semi-cold beer.
celebrating 2 months on the trail with free beer
My spirits lifted a bit when we were told about some trail magic - apparently someone left a ton of fruit behind for us to enjoy! I ate an apple, grapes, a pear, some watermelon, a few cherries... It was great. A lot of hikers were enjoying the fruit (of course). I made a comment about being bummed that I couldn't charge my phone and a hiker told me I could use his external battery - he dropped his phone during a crossing and it no longer works so he had juice to spare. I was so thankful! We talked for a while and he mentioned that he also lost his sunglasses. Not having sunglasses in non-snow conditions is terrible (I did it for a few days in the desert); not having sunglasses while walking over snow is unthinkable (my eyes water WITH sunglasses). Happily, I could help him out - I had found a pair of sunglasses on the trail and was planning to hiker box them. So we traded - a phone charge for sunglasses. :)
G - I gave him those sunglasses for a phone charge off his external battery
Lunch at VVR was wonderful - you could either have a steak sandwich or a hamburger, so Nick and I ordered one of each so we could try both. They came with fries which tasted great, too. In my pre-trail life I wouldn't eat such food, but I need the calories and if that's my only food option I'm taking it. (So far my weight is holding steady and I want it to stay that way.)
Hikers continued to show up all day, Ducky being one of them! Her calf isn't feeling the best so she decided to take a zero here instead of at Mammoth. I feel horrible for her but it was great to see her all the same. She ended up getting a room with a hot shower and, even though I'm sure she would have let us shower for free, Nick and I gave her some money to use it.
In the afternoon, Escalator found the board game Risk and OF COURSE Nick wanted to play. I chose not to join in because 1. That game stresses me out and 2. I can't play Risk with Nick (he's too into it). Instead, I chatted with other hikers (Iike Yes I and Back Out - those guys are great to talk with) while Nick played Risk with Escalator, Chapstick, Tater Tot, Ducky, and Goldie.
Yes I and Back Out
The game of Risk (the board was from 1980)
I left to take a shower and when I came back Ducky asked if I knew where Nick was. Apparently it was his turn but he had gotten up (to go to the bathroom?) and hadn't returned. Uh oh - I knew he was having a good time but I should have paid closer attention to him (he forgets that his tolerance isn't what it used to be because he's lost a lot of weight, we're at higher elevation, and he hasn't been drinking as often as he used to).
I found him in one of the bathrooms and he wasn't feeling the best. The first words out of his mouth were "I f'd up but I'm ok". LOL Poor guy! I let him ride out the worst of it in the bathroom (per his request) and guiltily ate a fantastic steak dinner with Ducky. The waitress paid us a huge compliment by saying we looked too well put together to be thru-hikers- Ducky and I laughed and said that's because we had our town shirts on. :)
We were halfway through dinner when Chapstick called my attention to Nick slowly and carefully making his way to the tent. I watched him to make sure he chose the right one, finished dinner, and then went over to help him out (ex blow up his air mattress, get out his sleeping bag, get him some food and water). Poor, poor guy!!
It's been quite the day - I wonder how Nick is going to feel tomorrow!