Our 2007 John Muir Trail Attempt (Day 10)
Day 9 examined our trek from the Duck Lake junction to Squaw Lake.
Day 10: Squaw Lake to Quail Meadows [Pictures]Distance: 8.3 Miles
Elevation Changes: 10,200 - 10,895 - 7,870
Today's hike was easier than most, seeing as the sole ascent was a mere 700 feet and would occur first thing in the morning. We "slept in" today, delaying our exit from camp until about 7:00 AM. Prior to starting the JMT, we had planned on ending today's leg at Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR). In fact, we were schedule to take a rest day here, much like we did at Reds Meadow on Day 7. VVR is a popular rest spot and resupply point along the JMT. It has a restaurant and cabins for rent (as well as locations for tents).
What makes VVR unique is the mode by which JMT hikers reach it. VVR is at the west end of Edison Lake, while the JMT runs about a mile east of the east end of the lake. While there is a trail from the JMT circumnavigating Edison Lake, the lake is several miles long. Consequently, the VVR staff operates a ferry from the east end of the lake to the west end, which runs twice a day at 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
While we had initially planned on stopping at VVR and enjoying a rest day there, we decided to skip VVR in its entirety for a couple of reasons. First, we were hiking with my in-laws and a family friend, and the family friend needed to be off trail by a certain date that was fast approaching. Second, due to the dry conditions the lake was not as deep as usual, meaning that the ferry could not arrive at its usual location. Usually JMT hikers have to hike one mile off trail to reach the ferry pickup, but now that was extended to two miles. So, for the above reasons, we decided to instead lay up at Quail Meadow, a campsite at the junction of the JMT and the trail to the VVR ferry pickup point.
The first stretch of the day's hike - from Squaw Lake up to Silver Pass - was rather easy and uneventful and offered some great scenery. The picture below shows the view looking westward from our ascent to Silver Pass. The mountains in the distance are the backsides of Mt. Ritter and Mt. Banner, which we passed in front of back in Day 5.
After climbing to Silver Pass, the remainder of the day was a 3,000 foot descent to Quail Meadow. Here is a picture of yours truly atop Silver Pass, surveying the upcoming descent.
The descent to Quail Meadow is more challenging that we initially expected. Granted, going downhill is far easier than going uphill, but a steep downhill can be challenging in its own way. And this was a steep downhill in many places. What makes it challenging is that it is hard to go down a rather steep incline at a controlled speed when you are tired and you are carrying 45 pounds on your back. Thankfully, the majority of the descent provided exceptional mountain scenery, and the vistas helped erase some of the physical pain.
We reached Quail Meadow in the early afternoon and considered pushing on. However, the next leg of the trail is up Bear Ridge, which climbs close to 2,000 feet in a few short miles. Tired from today's incessant descent, we decided to call it a night and utilized the extra time to bathe and do laundry. We also ran into some other JMT hikers who we had leapfrogged a number of times in the past 10 days, including one hiker who used to live in San Diego and was a regular at Cowles Mountain (more of a small hill than a mountain, really; my wife hikes up and down Cowles once or twice a month). In any event, these guys were headed to VVR.
My wife asked if it would be uncouth to ask them to take our trash and dispose of it at VVR. I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, so I did, and they kindly accepted; the gentleman from San Diego was, in fact, so kind as to share with me a snifter of the top shelf whiskey he had brought along. That is one thing that I really enjoy about backpackers - almost every single backpacker is outgoing and kind and willing to help. If you're resting and say hi to just about any person in the back country (who is obviously there on a long haul), chances are they'll stop and strike up a conversation, sharing with you their trail experiences so far, interesting things they saw or experienced on trail, and a bit about their lives off trail. Compare that attitude to the attitude you usually find amongst day hikers. With day hikers, half of them won't even make eye contact, but the other half will smile and say hi and stop and chat (I like to think this latter half of day hikers are also backpackers).
In any event, after bathing and laundering, we ate dinner and went to bed early, anticipating our tough climb over Bear Ridge tomorrow. I'll detail the trip up Bear Ridge in a future posting. Until then...
UPDATE [2007-11-13]: Read about Day 11.