Our 2007 John Muir Trail Attempt (Day 11)
Day 10 examined our travels from Squaw Lake to Quail Meadow.
Day 11: Quail Meadow to Marie Lake [Pictures]
Distance: 12.5 Miles
Elevation Changes: 7,870 - 9,920 - 8,960 - 10,550
Today's hike started with a 2.5 mile, 2,100 foot climb up Bear Ridge. The trail starts with a gradual ascent through some of the lushest forest regions on the JMT, with many birch trees and lots of cool shade. This was definitely the coolest and wettest portion of the JMT trail we had seen to date. Unfortunately, many of the birch trees have been defaced by hikers who have carved their names into the trunks. There is literally several dozen birch trees along a short stretch that all have very large engravings.
The gradual ascent gives way to a series of long and unrelenting switchbacks. This stretch of trail is under the cover of trees, which helps with the temperature, but obscures the view. Eventually, we crest Bear Ridge and stop for a snack around 9:00 AM. The trail then follows the ridge line for a bit longer before descending nearly 1,000 feet into a valley.
The descent was not easy. It was under the sun during late morning and much of it was on hard rocks, which can be hard on the knees. Thankfully we were rewarded with nice views of the surrounding mountains.
After reaching the floor of the valley, the remainder of the day was a fairly gradual incline of 1,600 feet to 10,550 ft.
Tomorrow's goal was another near 11,000 ft. pass (Seldon Pass) and then a sharp descent to 7,600 ft. to Muir Trail Ranch, a popular resupply point on the JMT. Initially, we had planned on hiking only to Rosemarie Meadow, which is 2.9 miles before Seldon Pass and sits below 10,000 feet. However, upon reaching Rosemarie Meadow we felt energized enough to push on to Marie Lake, another 1.5 miles closer to the pass and 600 feet high (at 10,550). In retrospect, I'm glad we pushed on, as it made Day 12 a tad easier, but I think we all overestimated our energy, as the final climb to Marie Lake from Rosemarie Meadow was very tiring.
When hiking over high elevation passes in the High Sierras, it is important to be over the pass by early afternoon at the latest. The High Sierras frequently get rain and lightning storms in the early afternoon (although we did not experience a single drop of rain our entire JMT trip). Clouds usually start forming around noon, and by 1:00 or 2:00 or 3:00 there's rain and lightning. By late afternoon, everything has (usually) cleared out. These storms can appear quickly and if you attempt to tackle a pass during the early afternoon you may get caught in a potentially dangerous situation. Consequently, in our planning we always tried to end our hikes near a pass so that we could knock them out in the early morning. Not only did this alleviate lightning concerns, but it also made the hike easier, as in the morning it's cooler and you have more energy.
Upon reaching Rosemarie Lake, we pitched our tents, ate dinner, and crashed hard. The scenery was beautiful, but we were all too tired to enjoy it for long. Seldon Pass was visible from our campsite (although it is not shown in the picture below).
Tomorrow's hike took us from Marie Lake, over Seldon Pass, and down, down, down to Muir Trail Ranch. I'll cover that leg of our journey in a future post. Until then!
UPDATE [2007-11-15]: Read about Day 12.