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| Granite Peaks - Sierra Nevada 2007 |
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| Meadow from Above - Sierra Nevada 2007 |
I had mapped out in advance a projected dayhike that would take me from Little Pete Meadow to Muir Pass. I had known in advance that the goal was problematic since the distance involved was over 12 miles. But in the end it wasn't the distance that was the issue, it was the heat.
From the notes:
8/24/07—Friday
6:30 AM—Get up. Warm—51º.
8:00—Leave for dayhike after cutting moleskin for toes. Sun
not up yet. Heading north on the JMT.
8:40—Sun. Warm!
8:50—Big Pete Meadow.
9:00—Breakfast. Refill hydration unit.
10:00—M&M break. Really tough trail . . . don’t want to
knock myself out.
10:15—10,000-foot sign.
10:50—Top of canyon. Meadow, scenic.
11:15—2nd meadow. Will have lunch here and return. 70º in
shade.
12:00 PM—Pills and start back. (Change of sox—great!)
12:45—10,000’.
2:10—Back at camp. For not even coming near Muir Pass, a
very difficult hike! Sun bouncing off granite, the heat penetrating my boots.
Not pleasant.
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| Le Conte Canyon View - Sierra Nevada 2007 |
2 comments:
Mike:
I guess i'd thought of you as more of a photographer than a mountaineer, but I'll have to revise my sense of that.
In my own blogs about Gary Snyder, I mentioned my adolescent fantasies of living a life in the outback, an eventuality
that faded fast once I'd gone on to college and started a family.
The digital age now makes wilderness photography easier. Galen Rowell, were he alive today, probably
wouldn't enjoy the same caché he once had.
Still, there's no way to avoid the sweating and grunting. Those blisters aren't any fun either.
I retired in 2007, so this trip was a post-retirement thing. Wouldn't mind going back, but if it was tough 12 years ago, don't think I'm up for it now.
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