Days 60 and 61

(Originally written on Saturday, July 4)

We reached the ferry landing on Edison Lake about two hours before sunset two nights ago and passed the time by fishing (no luck), making mental lists of what we needed to do at Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), and dreaming about all the real food we were going to eat. The ferry didn't come until the next morning at 9:30ish so we had plenty of time!

When the ferry did come the next day we were ready to roll. First thing we did was get to the restaurant while they were still serving breakfast. I had my two favorite things: biscuits and gravy, and a breakfast burrito. Hot coffee topped it all off. I was in heaven. Shortly after that, I went to work removing the 11 days of grime I had accrued. Then I ate some more. Then I did laundry. And then I ate some more. It was heaven. Do you see a pattern?

This morning I made sure all my gear was good to go back out and crammed all my food for the 3-4 day journey to Tuolumne Meadows into my bear canister. Then I had a big breakfast before heading back out onto the ferry at 9 so that I could get a good day of hiking in.

With a pack that wasn't nearly as heavy as when I left Kennedy Meadows, I was feeling good. By 1:30 and after seven miles, I had climbed all the way back up to 10900' after starting under 8000'. I rewarded myself by drinking a can of Coca-Cola I had carried up the mountain. After that, I ended up hiking with some of the folks I had met or reconnected with in the previous days. We had heard of a hot spring not far from the trail and so we thought we'd check it out and camp nearby for the night. Well, it was not easily found and we spent a great deal of time looking for it. Thankfully, all was not lost because the miles we went helped us continue to move down the trail. Tomorrow the plan is to get back on the trail and get some good miles in. But it is very late tonight so we shall see.