I'll be honest with you. Today kicked my ass. Kicked Maddie's, too. But no one ever said this was easy, and the trail provided some spectacular scenery.
It seems we're slipping into our usual habit of saying one thing and then doing another. By that I mean, we say we're going to get an early start, but we end up on the trail even later than the previous morning. Insomnia made its once-in-a-blue-moon appearance in Maddie's reality last night, giving her a taste of my every other night. Sympathetic to her plight, I happily granted her the extra z's in the morning when she was finally able to nod off. So we stayed inside until the tent became too stiflingly warm, drenched in the sun's rays.
Still in awe of the vista afforded by our campsite, we leisurely packed up, ate a bit of breakfast--bars, dried fruit, and oddly enough for me, beef jerky--and hit the trail at 9:48am.
The weather has proven remarkably cooperative. I have become so accustomed to precipitation while backpacking that three consecutive cloudless days feels almost surreal. We continued our path toward Isberg pass with no intention to make an ascent. Instead we resolved that we'd essentially drop down into the adjacent canyon and reverse course to Merced Lake. As per usual, however, we underestimated even that consolation route.
The first hurdle was Lyell Creek, which was swollen to the ranks of river at this point in the season, making its fording problematic. We searched for the better part of half an hour to find a safe place to cross, and managed to find a long, slick tree suspended over the rapids, the only such link we could find. Crossing the stream any other way would have been dangerous and foolish, so we settled for this mildly less so option.
I took both our packs across, leaving Maddie to concentrate, as she's had a couple of spills on such slick bark. We both made it over safe and sound, and commenced what would be the most punishing set of switchbacks I have ever encountered. Perhaps we've tackled ascents with more impressive numbers--more elevation, more switchbacks, in adverse conditions--but for some reason these just felt harder. They were steeper than most, for one. But they were also covered with patches of snow for a sizable portion. Between the two of us we fell and slid careening down a few feet of snow no fewer than 5 times.
Once atop the climb, we continued for several miles along what felt like a pointless series of ups and downs that took its toll on morale. Part of the idea behind using your vacation time for backpacking is that it becomes somewhat goal-oriented. Lunch by a lake, an amazing vista atop a pass, long easy stretches through peaceful meadow. Sure, we love just walking in nature, but I think the dozens of stream crossings and marching up and down through dense forest sort of wore on Maddie a bit today. And I don't blame her. She's been feeling a bit queasy from the altitude, and the weakness that descends from lack of calories can really exacerbate even the mildest of annoyances.
But once again, she soldiered through it, the two of us brazenly wading through streams in our shoes, with only making miles on our minds.
Once down in the canyon, we followed the river that runs to Lake Merced. This stretch having rounded the corner for the return journey, was where the day really picked up. We walked for miles of flat, serene wilderness that reminded us both of Lyell Canyon near Tuolumne.
We walked until we just didn't feel like walking anymore. We found a good spot to set up camp by the river and didn't even bother making dinner. Maddie couldn't put any food down and I made do with a few snacks. We played gin, talked for a few hours, and sat silent as darkness enveloped our little home for the evening. And with the sound of rushing water echoing all around me, and the hopes of a good mid-day lunch by Lake Merced tomorrow, I'm going to bed!
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