Sierra Rendezvous 2005

“boobs and boots? hum...I have 'em both!
hikerchic5
10:44:11 PM
8/02/05

yep =)”

“Part 4….

Dawn again. Why do I start each day with dawn?
The sky is clear and crisp. So crisp in fact someone said our water puddle froze last night. The sun is cresting the mountain to the east, casting its rays to the west. The colors of the mountains are amazing! Brown, black shadows, tan, golden sun, white snow. The contrasts and the depth takes my breath away. I go over to my stove for a cup of tea, panting all the way.

All too soon it’s time to pack up, we need to catch up with the advance party today. Wasn’t it Custer who said “Don’t divide your forces.”? I wonder if there’re any Indians around here.

It’s a good trail, a little downhill, a little snow, a place to pump water, nice views of Tyndall Basin. Tyndall is where the Geezers will be spending the next couple of days. On we go skirting the basin. When we got to a clump of trees someone said it was break times. As we were snacking and chatting it dawned on me that there was no reason for the Geezers to loose approximately 245.768 feet to meet the advance party only to have to gain it again. It was quickly decided the Geezers would depart here. Dividing our forces yet again. Has anyone seen any signs of Indians?

We said our good byes, Landscaper, wannbp, Om, David and me, and set off into the basin. We tried to maintain our altitude walking cross country. This was the best part of the trip so far. Flowers, no uphill, views, free in the wilderness, no problems, not even a trail to hold you in. Like a true mountain man! What was that? Did you hear an Indian?

We did pretty well on the altitude until we got to Diamond Mesa. Go through the rocks or drop down and go around. Around we went watching the clouds coming in. Welcome to the Sierra, early afternoon and the rain is coming. The storm seems to be going around us to the north and south. We get chuckle thinking that our main group to the south is getting rained on. The lightening is starting, the thunder sounds ominous. We keep watching the sky. The storm is building and starting to come for us. The lightning is CLOSE and the thunder is LOUD! It’s time to set up camp. We pick a low spot with only a little slope. We set up quickly. WIND! LIGHTENING! THUNDER! It looks like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are coming and they’re not bringing flowers. Oh well time for a nap.
Awakened a short while later, the clear sky to the east starts a conversation about breaking camp and moving to the lake we had planed on camping by. The clouds to the west do nothing to change the topic until those standing outside start getting wet. Must be the Fifth Horseman. Time for another nap.
Land, wanna & Om get in a day hike to the lake before dinner. A pleasant dinner with good conversation. Our plan changed again. Instead of spending a whole say in this treeless basin we’d go to Anvil Camp and spend two days there. Bed time comes. Do Indians like to attack at night?

Dawn again. What is it with all these dawns?
Answering the call, I was away from camp. When I started back, I couldn’t see our camp. Down in a draw, this would be a good place for an Indian ambush. All of my nerves are on alert.
Breakfast, pack, walk. That’s what we do.
Cross country, jumping the stream, rounding the marsh, looking at the flowers, at the mountains, at the sky. What a great start of the day. As we near Shepherd Pass we meet Chaffer. He has just come up the pass. A nice chat and we push on. We take the required group photos around the pass sign. On we go around the corner to get our first look at THE PASS!!!! There is a snow field we must cross if we are to go on. A snow field so steep that one wrong step will send us sliding down and down to be deposited as a broken crumpled heap on the scree far below. For the first time I see where death would be preferable.
Immediately wannbp, Om, and Landscaper decide they want to see Mt. Whitney again. David says he’ll check out what’s on the other side of the snow field. The ladies refuse to watch this foolhardiness. I follow David. He can’t be left to do this alone, besides food is getting a little low. Across the snow. Left hand in the snow, right hand on the pole, one foot after the other, adrenaline pounding in your ears. We make it to the other side only to see the thousands of feet of scree we now have to descend. On, on we go always on. The pole held like a lance, the back leg bent, the front foot planted sideways, SLIDE. Five feet down. Repeat. Slide. Slide, There’s a hint of the trail, walk 15 feet to the right, slide, slide, repeat. ROCK!!! CRASH! BOOM! BANG! Someone else is starting down. Dang this has become a very busy all of a sudden. Slide, slide, repeat. David is starting down now. Rocks are falling. Slide, slide, repeat. I reach the snow toward the bottom. Kick step, stomp step, across the sun cupped snow. I reach the bottom. Safe at last!!! David makes it down. He too is safe! “Hey, that was fun, you want to do it again?”

The trail from here is made out of rocks the size of hand grenades, as soon as you step on them they blow up and take your foot with them. On we go, watching every step we take, through a field of boulders. Boulders the size of cars and houses. OK, they were small houses. On we desend watching the land change. Changing from talus fields to willow thickets to Fox Tail to Douglas Fir. We arrive at Anvil Camp and take much needed rest.
As we’re eating I say to David, “It’s 2 o’clock, you want to walk the next 6 miles and get out tonight?” “YEAH, LET’S DO IT!!!” He replies.
On we go, ever on. Walking through the trees we spot several nice looking camp sites. On, on we go. Soon we leave the trees behind. The sun is warm on our skin. We are thankful we’re not doing this tomorrow when the desert wind would be blowing up the canyon. We marvel that anyone would think that this could be a pass. The near vertical walls leading to THE PASS. And I use that term very lightly. On we go switchback after switchback, down, down, down. Down until we can see the dreaded 15,000 foot elevation gain. Now it’s up, up, up! The trail steepens and climbs. Up, up, only by sheer will power do I make the summit. Ta-da-da, I take a victory stance, arms akimbo, I look around, master of all I see. I see the trail going up! This is only a ridge.
Up again, up, up, the will power is pushed again. The trail steepens and climbs. Up and up. I can see the top. Push. Up. Almost there. Ta-da-da, I take another victory stance, arms akimbo, I look around, master of all I see. I see the trail going up! This is only a ridge. Fooled again. Cruel, cruel trail builder. I curse you!
Again it’s up. On and on, up and up. It’s starting to rain. A welcome rain that cools everything down. On and on, up and up. The rain is getting stronger. When I make the summit, the real summit, it’s raining so hard we just keep on going, no victory stance, no high 5. On we go, now into a new drainage. Down, down, switchback after switchback. We’re out of water. The next place to pump water is at the bottom of this canyon. On and on, down and down, switchback after switchback not with no water. All of our clothing has dried now. On and on, down and down, switchback after switchback not with no water. Dang, this is a long trail!
We get to Symmes Creek. It’s chocked with avalanche debris, except at the trails crossings. We push on not even stopping to pump water. We push on, on to the car. The canyon turns and there is the car! OH! The sweet car! We made it.

To be continued...
last edited: 8/03/05 12:57:25 AM”

“"It looks like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are coming and they’re not bringing flowers. Oh well time for a nap."

Gotta love that writing style!”

“fun stuff Nav keep it comming!”

“great writing Navi”

“Damn Rick, you never told us you were a good writer. One of the best TRs ever.”

“I just figured out I have your gear. Auburn cap,compass and shirt and socks in a stuff sack. Has to be yours. Or a Cleveland Browns fan. Sorry 8(. I can't see how to e-mail you but if you'll e-mail your address I'll mail it to you.”

“jvz, just burn that damn Auburn hat ;)”

“JVZ....I'm sure Puddlejumper would love to have to have that HAT! email me and I'll let you know her address! It's a personal thing between her and "War Eagle"! LOL!!!!

Navi....I've decided I want you to write my obituary when the time comes....you can make any situation funny!!! Too GREAT!!!”

“hey creekjumper, how are your's and puddle's knees doing”

“I volunteer Navi to write all TR's of which we go on. Great writing, my man!

JVZ, can you check you truck bed/truck interior for a cyclometer? Small watch-sized thingy w/ digital display.”

“Great TR Navi. As long as is says, "To be continued...", I'll be lurking.

Hey a question for anyone. Did any of you see or encounter any pack stock of any kind? Just curious. Any black flies?”

“yep but no flies that I recall”

“flip - We only encountered one packer...carrying kayaks for some sort of trip down the Kern River. Two wranglers and about 8 pack horses.”

“Ewker....Knees are getting better. I tried to run the other night but it didn't work out so well, I paid for it the next day. So for now, I'm sticking to walking. Puddles knee is getting better. It bruised pretty good and she stayed off of it a bit, but I think she will recover. She is up in Chicago right now visiting my sister, so I'm sure they are not sitting around too much.

Flip....as Phil said we did encounter a pack train carriing Kayaks to the Kerns River. We asked where they were headed and said they had been hired by a group of "world class" kayakers which included a lady who had won a Silver medal in the last summer Olympics. She was going to attempt to be the first female to Kayak the Kerns from the head waters down river. A documentary was going to be filmed recalling the event. It was pretty cool.”

“I suspect sinister undertakings going on in your letter. I want no part of your evil deeds. Whats it worth to you? Opening bid.......”

“puddlejumper is partying in Chicago..lookout everyone”

“flip - shamus and I saw a handsome young cowboy with a few horses on our way out of Vidette Meadow then the next day coming up Kersarge Pass. I took photos (for om).”

“I went all thru my truck and I don't have the cyclometer. It probably burned up on re-entry down the Portal road to Lone Pine.”

“I know what you mean JVZ (nightrider). I ended up with virtigo when I got home from changing elevations so much. Took me 3 days to feel normal.”

“JVZ....I'm sure a bribe (or shall we say "finders fee") would not be an issue to obtain the lovely Auburn (cough) hat left carelessly behind by one Eagle type person. Once obtained by the lovely and caring Puddlejumper, I'm sure the hat will be given all proper respect (stomping and spitting) it deserves by a friendly foe. We would then be more than thrilled to forward the hat to it's rightful owner with a note explaining it's careful and thoughtful handling. We, of course, will pay ALL postage fees in order to assist in this matter in the quickest way possible.”

“lol@creekjumper....don't forget to give it a swift kick for me”

“No problemo Ewker!”

“thanks pepperdog! i did not get one this year for my collection. (handsome cowboy picture)...it was a tradeoff i guess....i was sent a bear instead of a cowboy! jai~~”

“songbyrd601 - I can't believe that you are blaming your discomfort on elevation changes!

om - believe me - seeing a bear in person is much better than seeing a cowboy in person. A photo of a cowboy is just about all you need.”

“How about a bare cowboy?”

“jvz....u spoke my mind! ~~~~~chaps only...heh”

“Heh,heh, heh. Ya'all are just kidding right. What a rivalry you guys have going. There's a compass too. Wonder how Eagle found home!! Maybe you would want to make it so it only points SE.
Really tho is there anybody that can contact the Eagle. He isn't in here much I know and I don't want to go back thru 2000 posts to see his. Really I'm stumped on how else to get him.”

“Ok for you but I'm out of it.(my eyes,my eyes). Oh well nothing new to a Californian. I knew you'd like the scenario tho.”

“Pepper Dog...Now Now, it only takes 1 day to recover from a stupid hangover. Actually, I felt a lot better a couple hours after our lunch stop for those yummy burgers.
Seriously though... I seem to always be affected by the elevation change. Dosn't stop me from returning though.”

“jvz, you have email. It is War Eagle's email”

“wow navi! Shepards Pass sounds like Sawtooth Pass with all the slipping and sliding. Where the heck was I while all that was going on?

songbyrd, sorry to hear about the vertigo. I've had that before. It's no fun. Not from altitude changes though. I just got it for no apparent reason at all and that was years before I got into backpacking.

om loves her cowboys, doesn't she? :)

creekjumper, glad to hear you and pj are doing better. Take it easy on those knees, girl. Quit that running!

I didn't hear about that story of the kayaks. I only saw the horses with the cowboy and cowgirl going by us on the trail but didn't talk with them.”

“Thanks Ewker for the address. Now that I've contacted him it kind of looks like a bidding war should start on that cap..I'm seeing a slow response to this idea so I may need some marketing help to beef this up a little. How about I throw in my Woodstock shirt?”

“jvz, sorry you would have to pay me to take that ugly hat off your hands”

“I'll bit $1 if you pay the postage.”

“Part 5

Now that we’re safely in the car driving across the desert, headed for the first convenience store, I remember that the town of Independence was named after FORT Independence. The fort being built to quell an Indian uprising. David and I alone in this gawdforsaken waste land with a history of Indian problems, suddenly I’m not feeling too well.
Onward! Ever on. The first store we find has lost their liquor license. NO BEER! A week long hike and NO BEER! Pepsi will have to do. 8^(
The decision to stay in Independence has been made to save us from driving into Lone Pine and back to get the cars parked at Onion Valley. We find a small, spartan, room and clean up. The shower is almost in the luxury category. Cleaned up and rehydrated we go in search of something to eat. Finding the only restaurant in Independence closed it’s off to Lone Pine we go. Sure glad we didn’t want to make that trip! The drive does afford us a view of the fires in the mountains. Wondering how this is affecting the rest of our groups and if the Geezers have been able to make contact with the Wheezers.
On the trail I was unable to use my mantra, “Burger…Beer…Burger…Beer…” because we’re planning on having a Whitney Burger tomorrow. Somehow “Enchilada…Beer…Enchilada…Beer…” just didn’t make it but it did set up a craving for Mexican Food. Well at least one thing has gone right today, the restaurant in Lone Pine has a Taco Salad. While this isn’t real Mexican Food it does satisfy the urge. Clean and full I’m ready for the drive back to Independence, if I can stay awake.

The next morning the bed is so nice I roll over and go back to sleep. Then a shower. Oh! I’m living like a king! Contact is made with Solitary Hiker. He’s in Bishop and he’ll be down our way in an hour. No restaurant has materialized over night, so off to the convenience store for a breakfast of Pepsi and Ding Dongs. Ok, so I’m not a very rich king. Back to the room where I’m forced to watch 2 hours of Knight Rider! Dang kids! Much more of this and the Indians might not be such a bad thing.
Solitary shows up and we discuss the happenings of the week for each of us. Up to Onion Valley where we easily find Wind Walker’s car. Wannabp’s car is another matter. We click the panic button at every Honda in the parking lots. Not just Pilots but Civics and Accords, every Honda until Sol notices that there’s a Subaru key on the ring. The first Subaru we try is Hiker chic’s. Off to the Portal we go. On the way up the hill we stop to watch a helicopter drop water on the fire. The fire is so inaccessible the fire crews are not climbing up to fight it. It must have been started by a lightening strike. A lightening bolt that missed us the other night. A rare photo opportunity! On we go, always on, but this time on to a Whitney Burger. Dang that’s good and the beer is good too. We’re able to make radio contact with Hodgeman. They have heard from the Geezer Group 2c. All is right with the world so we have another beer.

We had talked about camping at the Portal but Sol says he stayed at a really nice motel with backpacker rates in Bishop. Hi ho it’s off to Bishop we go. A nice drive with nice conversation and views of the fires in the mountains. Arriving at the backpackers’ motel in Bishop we are informed that it’s Friday and the backpackers discount doesn’t apply on the weekends. I’m starting to get really tired of making plans in advance only to have them dashed.
We are able to get a room. Soon it’s time to walk over to the La Casita for Mexican Food and a Margarita. Mexican Food two nights in a row! I think my craving has been satisfied. Back to the room and a little more tequila. The TV comes on, thankfully the Knight Rider is not on at this hour. Sleep comes easily.
Morning and a walk to the bakery for tea and a bagel. Life is again good.

Time to head for the Portal. We get there after Songbyrd, War Eagle, Gemini and Ewker have already ordered their burgers. We order ours and talk to the folks still on the trail. Soon everyone has gotten out. Burgers are eaten, beers are drunk and souvenirs are bought. The post hike party has started. We enjoy the peace of this place with the sense of accomplishment, waiting for check in time at the Dow Villa.

Time to load up the packs and make sure everyone has a ride. A few minor hassles with checking in but the party is continuing in the parking lot. The Wheezers & Geezers Ale and the McBeer comes out. On and on, we party on, always on.
A dinner survey is taken. No one cares where we eat. Soon we are sauntering down the street to the Mexican restaurant. Mexican Food three nights in a row!!! I don’t have a craving anymore!!! Eight days on the trail with the silence of the wilderness and we celebrate in the noisiest place we can find.
Back at the Dow we find a courtyard that has a few tables. Sitting around comparing notes we add a table for the new arrivals. Shamus and Pepperdog bring some pretty dang good tequila. We add more tables. More tequila, more tables, more tequila. More tequila and it’s time to move on, some to their rooms some to the hot tub.

Morning again. Why does every day have a morning? What’s up with that? Breakfast across the street, and it’s time to hit the road. Goodbyes are said, hugs are given, goodbyes are said again. Cars are being loaded, goodbyes are said. I get my group, Trekkngirl, Ewker, and War Eagle, in the car and head for the driveway. Stop! We have to say goodbye!
After an uneventful ride across the desert we get into L.A. just in time for the traffic. The out of staters, being unprepared for L.A. traffic, had to pee. Stuck in the “fast” lane and no exit in sight. I know the next three exits don’t have “facilities”. At least I was having fun. An emergency averted, I got them to LAX in plenty of time to go through security.

Thus the end to another Trail Talk Palooza. Seeing good friends, meeting new people, and traveling through great country. Now all I have to do is write a trail report.

The End.”

“bump”

“ok - it's official. Navi is now the official Trail Talk Trip Reporter!

Great trip report. I felt like I was there!”

“I'm only going to do Trip Reports of trips I was on. And they have to be of Epic Proportions.”

“a nice ending to a nice report, navi!

Yes, and where is the next epic trip? I think this one tired everyone out that we hardly talked about where the sierrapalooza will be next year.

On the trail, there was some of talk of Norhtern Yosemite but then some said there might be a problem with permits....someone else mentioned way up north to Trinity Wilderness or Mt. Shasta area. I'm game for wherever!”

“Great trip report Navi!”

“David and his Night Rider! Dang Kids!

Right on, Nav.”

“I'm confused! Does that surprise anyone? Wait.....don't answer that!”

“No surprise. But what are you confused about?”

“Navi-
Great stuff, thanks! Miss you guys...”

“hey pepperdog! What's your email address? Your other one came back to me as a bad address. Or does anyone else know it? Hopefully she'll pop in here...I'll go into other threads and try to find her.”

“chic, try this one: annieb@davis.com from her profile. Works for me.
last edited: 8/10/05 9:07:45 PM”

“thanks nav. I found it that way too after I posted that. I was using one she responded to on the last sierra trip emails.

But thank you!moooah!”

“Navi, your report makes me envious of what was an awesome adventure missed - I wish Pepperdog and I could have done Whitney, I just didn't have it together this time.

However, I had a great time with great company and didn't meet a backpacker or cowboy that I didn't like - I'd do it again in a heartbeat - next time I'll be better prepared.

My thanks to Hodgeman, using Hikerchic as his super model, he gave a great class on backpack fitting - my carry out was a vast improvement - no major sore spots.

As to Creekjumper and Puddlejumper, you are impressive, and always welcome at my house.”

“how cool is that....people are talking about me!”