Hiking and Things: DAY 8: Deer Creek to Virginia Lake

Last night was the coldest night I've experienced on the trip. I guess I had gotten hot earlier in the night and took off my pants and socks, but this move proved devastating when I woke up at 3:30 shivering and too tired/lazy/out of it to fish for them in my bag and put them back on. And so I condemned myself to another 3 hours of cold half-slumber. When I awoke again close to 7, I had even bigger problems. I had a stabbing pain in my stomach very similar to what it felt like in 2nd grade when I had H. Pilori, a bacteria that caused stomach ulcers. This was alarming, but I distracted myself by packing up and eating some food. I went and got us some water at Deer Creek, the last source for 5.5 miles, we took a photo for a fun group of people, and we were off.

It was, per our guidebook's description, more monotonous forest. At least the grade was gentle enough for us to fly up at well over 2 mph. We met an elderly gentleman with whom we would leap frog for the rest of the day, and his company was greatly appreciated. He's hiked the trail several times, and we delighted in hearing about how the trail used to be.

I gotta say, we crushed those miles. They FLEW by! And by the end of our initial climb, the vistas through the trees to the west became visible, further fueling our excitement.

Views through the trees

Happy hiker

More views

Views views views...you get the idea

Close to the top of our 900 foot climb

Beautiful cirrus clouds

The next couple of photos were taken climbing out of Duck Creek en route to Purple Lake. This second of three ascents consisted of switchbacks with steps much too high for the average or even above-average person's height, making each step more like a shallow upward lunge.

On the descent to Purple Lake

Feeling great!

On the way down to Purple Lake is when Maddie's knees started giving her some problems, so we took it easy. Stopping for a pack train to pass was a welcome break. When we finally arrived at what we hoped would be the swimming hole of our dreams, I gave her an ibuprofen and we sat and soaked our feet. Although the weather was warm while we climbed, the wind kept a chill to the air that made both of us hesitate to jump in. Having bypassed showers at Reds Meadow, I felt overwhelmingly filthy, and after a good 15 minutes of vacillation, I flung myself into the water and scrubbed myself wildly. Maddie stayed ankle deep and washed her hair a little bit. The dip was refreshing, but with the wind chill, it took me well into our resumed day's hiking to regain warmth. Another setback from the dip was that I was exhausted on our final climb. I felt like I was living in a perpetual yawn. Rolling into Lake Virginia was a sight to behold though.

A pack train blocks the path

Strollin into Purple Lake

Just after full submersion...It took me wayyy too long to warm up again after this moment

Purple Lake is lookin' a bit blue, wouldn't ya say?

Can you see Maddie being dwarfed by our ascent?

View of Lake Virginia from our campsite

A nice campsite, indeed

We did the usual: set up camp, ate dinner, and other general chores. Then we went and relaxed by the lake for little while until it got too cold.

In my element, that's for damn sure

Lake Virginia

The sun was hurting her eyes, so I thought I'd help out

The only other pose without the sun hurting her eyes

Christmas card worthy? Perhaps...

Relaxing by the lake

Just lounging by Lake Virginia when I'm not boiling quinoa or curry #PlacesMyPotGoes

I must have waited outside the tent for close to an hour for the alpenglow to set in. I got too cold and went inside our tent to play gin rummy with Maddie, which was a lot of fun. Just when we were getting tired though, Maddie exclaimed, "Graham, look how pretty the mountains are! The alpenglow!" Despite the supreme comfort I had just created for myself inside the warmth of our tent, I ventured out for one last photo opportunity and to grab my handkerchief. Got some good shots off before I was about to freeze. Why the handkerchief, you ask? Plain and simple. Boogers. I've noticed a general increase in booger production when I go camping, and it's gotta be dealt with somehow. Sorry for the details. This is what you sign up for when you read my blog.

And now I'm going to sleep. Goodnight everyone and I hope all is well back home! We've got a really tough couple of days ahead of us until our brief (and hopefully glorious) respite at Muir Trail Ranch. Until tomorrow!