After 5 days of rest (and a lot of thought), I decided to finish the last third of my JMT hike. We already had reservations at Mono Hot Springs for my original mid-hike's re-supply, so we drove back and stayed in a cabin for a couple of nights and explored the area. Early on Saturday morning, August 20th, Rox dropped me off at the NW corner of Lake Edison and I hiked back onto the JMT.
Everything had to go right this time because Rox said she was not coming back to bail me out again
... it was finish the hike or a long Greyhound bus ride back home. I planned a more conservative 9-day hike to Yosemite, averaging a little over 10 miles a day and sleeping at the lowest altitude possible in order to acclimate more slowly. I didn't realize how sick I was the first time until I saw how great I felt the second time in. Everything went as planned - I was sleeping and eating well, and felt strong all day long. I even found it exciting walking in the rain, thunder, lightning and hail (I can't believe it hailed on me in the middle of August!) The beauty on the northern part of the JMT made it all worth it (as usual, pictures don't do it justice). The climbs were still challenging, but I found them invigorating instead of taxing. I finished on 8/28 at 3pm as planned and Rox picked me up at the trail terminus in Happy Isles, Yosemite. We stayed 1 night at a very romantic B&B (The Yosemite Rose) before driving to Carson City, NV to visit our friends, Wayne & Bonnie. We stayed with them for a few days, driving around the Lake Tahoe area one day and, on another, going to Virginia City before finishing the night off at The Golden Nugget's Best in the West Rib Cook Off
.
After a nice visit with W&B, it was on to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons for 10 days to do some exploring and hiking with our friends, Paul & Phyllis, from Boston. We were lucky to be able to procure reservations at the Old Faithful Inn for 5 nights. What a great place to stay - the Inn was built in the early 1900's and still has that original rustic feel which is perfect for this area. The Inn is located right next to Old Faithful and I had to apologize to Rox; I thought her stomach or something else was rumbling every 45 minutes or so, but it was just Old Faithful doing what she has done for years! We saw bison, elk and Pronghorn antelopes everywhere, but couldn't find a bear or wolf to save our lives.
After a great 5 days in YS, we drove to the Grand Tetons, which is right next door but exhibits such a different topography. It's impossible not to be in awe of the severe peaks that rise from the valley floor. The mornings were brisk, but we managed to get in a couple of hikes looking for wildlife
. We expected to see a lot, but elk and antelope was about all we saw. However, on our last day we finally spotted a family of black bears. Mama had sent the cubs up to the top of a tree that overhung the highway to hunt for berries. We were able to drive right under them and it looked like they would fall to the roadway any minute... but they didn't. Feeling slightly guilty for a couple of reasons, we had dinner at the Mural Room in the Jackson Lake Hotel, where $42 buys two (count 'em) delicious lamb chops!
After a couple days in the GT's we headed south to Jackson Hole to do a little river rafting. We did a calm float in the morning and, while it was quite beautiful, we preferred the exhilarating white water trip in the afternoon along the dynamic landscape of the Snake River. We really enjoyed the rapids and got completely soaked in ice-cold water for 2 hrs. There were bald eagles and osprey everywhere, as well as river otter and mountain sheep. After a great day of river rafting, we headed towards Salt Lake City, via Park City. There we walked around the Temple Square area before saying goodbye to Paul & Phyllis, and got ready for our long (10hr!) drive home the next morning.
It was fun to see parts of our beautiful county, but always good to be back home. That said, I am already planning for my next backpacking trip to the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile in December (I don't speak Spanish, but I hope Paine isn't Spanish for torture!) The weather is unpredictable - it can snow any time of the year and the winds have been known to reach 100mph. I know I have piqued your interest, and there is still room if anyone wants to join me...
Back on the John Muir Trail
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Mono Hot Springs, California, United States
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2025-02-13
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Phyllis S
2016-09-17
That was awesome Mark ! Thanks !
Bonnie and Wayne
2016-09-18
Glad you had a great time at Yellowstone and Grand Tetons and got home safe. It was sure great to see you guys,