Vermilion Valley Resort to Campsite on Lake Virginia
Wow...here I am on day 80 on the trail. Incredible!
Sleeping in a bed and not having to pitch the tent last night was great. The springs in the mattress were a bit springy and it was pretty cold in the canvas tent we slept in, but in the morning it was easy to throw everything into our bags and be all packed.
Breakfast was served at 7:30 AM, so we arrived right when they opened the doors. It was nice to not have Carnation Instant Breakfast and a protein bar for a change. I had a breakfast burrito and split pancakes with Brad. It was pretty good.
Sleeping in a bed and not having to pitch the tent last night was great. The springs in the mattress were a bit springy and it was pretty cold in the canvas tent we slept in, but in the morning it was easy to throw everything into our bags and be all packed.
Breakfast was served at 7:30 AM, so we arrived right when they opened the doors. It was nice to not have Carnation Instant Breakfast and a protein bar for a change. I had a breakfast burrito and split pancakes with Brad. It was pretty good.
After breakfast we went up to the canvas tent and grabbed our bags. By the time we got back to the store the people taking the first ferry back to the trail had departed, so we had to wait for the next one that departed just after 9:30 AM.
After the ferry ride. We got ourselves together and were ready to hike just after 10:00 AM.
Even though we had a late start, we still plan on hiking 14-15 miles so we have less than 15 miles to hike to Mammoth Lakes tomorrow. The first thing standing in our way is Silver Pass. This pass consists of a 6 mile, 2,902 feet climb that started right when we got back to the PCT.
The climb was long and steep at times, but the views were great:
The climb was long and steep at times, but the views were great:
Finally, after about 4.5 miles of climbing, the pass was visible....at least I think that is the pass we are climbing in the background.
Just under the pass was an amazing looking lake. The color of it was just incredible.
Finally, we made it to the top around 2:30 PM.
The pass was very busy today. When we arrived up there, Trout, Legs, and Caral were already there. We then noticed a family of four making their way up the other side. When they arrived we were surprised to see two kids, age 10 & 12 with their parents. They are hiking the entire JMT....amazing. The kids were very inquisitive and asked many questions about our time in the trail. Of course they loved my rattlesnake story. This was one time I didn't mind telling the story again.
The family left and two 19-year-olds showed up. They are hiking the JMT in honor of a friend of theirs they was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. There sure are many hikers on the JMT/PCT at this time.
We figured we better get going since it was now after 4:30...what the heck are we doing hanging out on the pass this late when we still have almost 7 miles to go to make or goal of camping on Lake Virginia.
Share Bear was the first to finally get going:
The family left and two 19-year-olds showed up. They are hiking the JMT in honor of a friend of theirs they was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. There sure are many hikers on the JMT/PCT at this time.
We figured we better get going since it was now after 4:30...what the heck are we doing hanging out on the pass this late when we still have almost 7 miles to go to make or goal of camping on Lake Virginia.
Share Bear was the first to finally get going:
Here is a view of Squaw Lake...I can't believe how beautiful these alpine lakes are.
Since we were headed downhill on a very rocky trail, the going was slow.
Over 1.5 miles later we made it to Fish Creek marking the bottom of the pass.
Now we have to climb over 1,200 feet and 3 miles to get to Lake Virginia. Although it was a couple of hours before sunset, the sun goes behind the mountains and makes for some wonderful lighting for pictures:
The climb kept going and going.
Finally, we had a view of Lake Virginia:
There were many campsites close to the lake that were already taken by the time we got there. We were lucky enough to find a nice spot with the help of another hiker that pointed out a spot for us.
Here is the view from our campsite:
Here is the view from our campsite:
Tomorrow we make it to Red's Meadow and Tim. From there, we take a bus into Mammoth Lakes and stay at Brad's cousins condo...we can't wait! Until then...