I wanted to hike the JMT again without all of the snow on the high passes. As my mountain sister Laura Molnar noted, the Sierras keep giving. Two years ago it was snow, scary stream crossings and mosquitoes -- this time it was rain storms, wind, fire and biting flies.
I drove up to the Whitney Portal on Monday July 15 and met Saint Laura, who drove us to the Moose Lodge in Bishop. Our friend Karen Robinson joined us for dinner (she was vacationing in Mammoth). Karen had generously offered to take me to Yosemite. I insisted that she stay the night before my trek with me at the Ahwahnee. Laura treated us to fabulous barbecue and we enjoyed various sumptuous whiskeys. After a lovely breakfast in Bishop, Karen and I headed north (Laura had to work).
It was surreal to drive to the Ahwahnee and have the porter take my backpack and Karen's luggage to our room
Karen made reservations for dinner, then ironed my long sleeved hiking pants and shirt as shorts and t-shirts were not permitted. We joked that I would hang the shirt and pants from a hanger off the back of my pack. We enjoyed a fabulous meal at the restaurant, cruised the git shop, then hit the sack after a night cap.
Day 1, Wednesday July 17
As we were checking out the next morning, we went to the Ahwahnee coffee shop and learned that our female barrista was an ultra-runner. I had a feeling of deja vu and asked if she knew Ryan Dacey (Taco). Turns out we were talking to Torrey -- Ryan's girfriend. Cue the Twilight Zone music...
At the Happy Isles TH, a young buck and doe welcomed us and stayed long enough for Karen to snap their picture. This wonderful woman kindly accompanied me for the start of my journey. We got a some funny looks -- folks were probably wondering why I had the backpack and Karen had a daypack. I started singing as we neared Nevada Falls and a woman asked if she could take the picture of a singing backpacker.
After having lunch near the Half Dome trail junction, Karen headed back. I refilled my Camelbak at Sunrise creek and ran into to a fellow who said we'd met on Whitney in 2010 -- he was also hiking the JMT with his wife. When I asked about the trail (we were near the JMT/Clouds Rest junction, he pointed to a switchback. Should have done my own beta.
I started climbing and noticed a lot of folks coming down wearing daypacks (internal alarm should have sounded -- strike one). I kept leap-frogging three fellows who turned out to be visiting from France -- they also wore daypacks (strike two). My hip flexors were cramping big time and I thought, what the heck, I don't remember the JMT being this steep. Then the Frenchman Luc asked me how much further to Clouds Rest
Arrgh!!! I consulted my map, sure enough 
And I was out of water on a dry trail. Chevalier Luc gave me 1/2 a liter. When I got to the upper trail junction to Clouds Rest, I met two backpackers (both Richard's) who were also out of water.
I took a quick picture and all five of us started heading down. After about a 1.5 mile descent, we crossed a blessed stream with pretty wildflowers. I decided to take the second trail junction to meet up with the JMT at Sunrise High Sierra Camp. The two Richards and three Frenchmen turned north to Tenaya Lake and I turned east to Sunrise. I arrived at a lake just as the sun was setting. Quickly pitched camp, cleaned up and ate -- I was completely knackered. A nice hiker walked over and invited me to share his group's campfire. I thanked him but declined -- I wasn't fit company for anyone at that point. I had muscle cramps throughout the night -- too much exertion with a full pack and not enough water and salt.
Day 2
A new day! It was a relief to rejoin the JMT after passing through the Sunrise High Sierra camp. I liberally applied DEET before dropping into the meadow as this was where I was nearly eaten alive two years ago. A marmot ran directly across the trail in front of me as I hiked over Cathedral pass. Stopped at Cathedral lakes for lunch and noticed that 1) it was getting hot and 2) flies were landing on me in spite of the DEET
I drank liberally from creeks as I dropped into Tuolumne. Went to put on my Salomom runner's cap and discovered I'd lost it. Grrr...It wasn't a pleasant descent due to the heat and flies, but at least I was going down -- the poor folks hiking up looked miserable. I left the JMT and walked along the road to take the quickest route to the Tuolomne store and grill. Started to feel human again after a few IPAs, cheeseburger and fries. I made my way to the backpackers camp area, pitched my tent and laid down for a nap.
Post nap, I met Audrey and her three fabulous girlfriends from Berkeley. They kindly paid for my site. We had a great time talking that evening and the following morning.
Day 3
I was having so much fun chatting that I got a very late start (10 AM). This turned out to be a critical mistake due to the heat. I was behind schedule but thought I could easily make good time up Lyell canyon and go over Donahue pass. Ha ha. I drank often and doused my head as I made my way up the canyon. As soon as I started to climb in earnest, I discovered I had nothing in my legs. I had to take frequent breaks in spite of my snail's pace.
When I reached the Macclure creek crossing, I was completely spent. I saw a group of three young adults camped out and asked if I could share their site. I literally had to sit on my bear cannister in the shade for about 20 minutes before I could do anything -- I was light headed and nauseated. The three hikers were very gracious and noted that the climb had kicked their butts as well. I finally recovered enough to pitch, clean up and cook dinner.
I ate half of my dinner outside my tent and carried the rest into my tent. As I napped on my stomach, I heard scurrying noises and looked up to see a brazen female marmot less than a foot from my face (and my dinner). I shooed her away. She retreated a few feet and then stopped and turned around to see if I meant business before she took off for good.
Once recovered, I thanked my campsite companions (Chris, Katie and Noah from Los Angeles) and apologized for being in a "coma" when I first arrived. They were also hiking the JMT and had started from Tuolomne meadows that morning at 8 AM. I felt better knowing that the heat had also adversely affected them in spite of their youth.
Day 4
We were all refreshed after a night's sleep and eager to get over Donahue pass before it got hot. I really enjoyed seeing what the trail up to Donahue looked like without snow. When I reached the spot where I went off trail two years ago, I took a picture to commenorate "Ellen's folly." I was in shade for most of the climb up Donahue and relished the cool morning air. Before long, I reached the pass and was heading down. Caught up with Chris, Katie and Noah before their faster pace took them ahead.
As noon approached, the heat started to become oppressive again. I found a nice shady spot near Island pass for lunch. Discovered I'd lost one of my new bandanas
Ran into my three friends again at 1000 Island Lake. Took a break and did some laundry before heading towards Garnet Lake. I noticed that clouds had rolled in and suspected that we would be treated to a late afternoon Sierra thundershower.
Found a good spot to camp near the lake which would accomodate lots of folks if my JMT friends wanted to join me. When I dropped my pack, a crack of thunder rocked the air. Three guys who were also going to pitch there threw their packs on and ran off. My friends rolled in as I was pitching my tent, which was challenging due to the wind. We managed to get our tents up and into them before it started raining. This was a very noisy system -- lots of thunder and wind but not much rain. The flashes of lightning were not near us.
Suddenly everything stopped. We popped our heads out (picture turtle heads emerging from their shells) to see if it was safe to come out. Cooked dinner and chatted before diving back into our tents for round two of the system. We joked that it felt like a Hawaii afternoon thundershower at 10 thousand feet. The stars were gorgeous that night -- the system had scrubbed and freshened the night sky.
Day 5
I was out of breakfasts (at this point I was one day behind schedule), so had spaghetti instead. It was a bit rough on the gut for the climb out of Garnet lake, but provided a perfect, sustained energy source for the rest of the day. I felt very good climbing out of Shadow lake -- the best I'd felt on the entire trek so far. Fell into a great rhythm descending and made good time to the JMT/PCT junction.
As I sat sipping water at a stream, a female hiker who we'd met at Garnett lake came up. We talked about the storm and the dryness of the Sierras compared to two years ago. She seemed to know a lot about the area and when I asked about her background, she said modestly "I wrote a book on the JMT." Turns out that I had just met Liz Wenk, author of THE book on the JMT. Very nice and humble woman.
I continued on to Red's Meadow Resort -- that last bit past Devil's Postpile seems to take forever. In fact, women pushing strollers were going faster. My fuel had run out -- I was starving. Went into the restaurant and ordered food (special was pastrami and swiss on rye), then went to the store to get IPA and my resupply. A fellow at the counter said he could tell I'd been on a long hike. When I asked how he knew, he went to the doorway and did a perfect impression of me staggering into the restaurant -- hilarious.
My three young friends arrived and I treated them to dinner. We enjoyed a fabulous desert of peach pie a la mode. We managed to also do laundry and shower before boarding the bus to the campground. Put our cannisters in the bear box and assured my friends that I've never seen a bear in the backcountry. In spite of feeling great the whole day, I had restless leg syndrome and didn't get much sleep.
Day 6
5:30 AM. Clap, clap, clap, "Bear!" Clap, clap, clap, "Bear!"
Oh yeah
Morons in the camp across from us had left food out and their bear box open. The big boy ate his way through their camp, then looked around for desert. My friends followed the guy clapping, yelling and chasing the bear while I stayed in our camp with a death grip on my whistle.
Following that excitment, we walked up to the restaurant for a hearty breakfast before the big climb out of Red's Meadow up to the Duck pass junction. My young friends treated me to breakfast. I bought a pair of socks just for sleeping in (had forgotten to pack the one's Sally gave me). We climbed up past the Red Cones from the Rainbow falls fire. Fortunately it was overcast.
Unfortunately, every fly in the vicinity was attracted to us. Even with DEET, they were maddening and kept landing on my skin looking for a DEET-free zone. All of us were waving our hands in front of our faces. One bit the palm of my hand near my thumb. The area promptly swelled and began itching. We filled up on water at Deer Creek, our last good water until the Duck Lake outlet. I stopped to get a snack and left my sunglasses on the log
On the way to the Duck Lake outlet, we met Roy, an admirable Israeli hiker with cerebral palsy. Our initial plan was to get to Purple lake, but by the Duck Lake outlet, we were hammered. I looked up at the sky, decided to pitch, and encouraged my friends to do the same. As I was eating dinner, all hell broke loose. This time the rain was fierce and the wind howled, dwarfing the sound of stream near us. Once the rain stopped, I stuck my head outside my tent and watched the rapidly moving clouds in the night sky. It was an incredible experience.
Day 7
We woke to a gray and gloomy day. My stuff was still slightly wet when I packed up. I struggled to get my butt up and over to Purple lake. On the climb out of Purple, it started raining and I stopped to put on the pack cover and a rain jacket. Ran into Roy again at Lake Virginia. I ate lunch on the ridge before dropping into Tuly Hole as I worried to avoid a battle with the mosquitos.
I started to feel strong again climbing out of Tuly Hole to Silver pass. A pack group was going down, so I stepped out of the trail. Suddenly I heard a man yelling "Get out of the way -- he's going to slide right into you."
I moved further off the trail but was worried about the horse, which had been injured in a fight with another horse. His rider was walking behind the horse yelling at hikers to get clear. The same thing happened to Katie.
Met Chris, Katie and Noah at Squaw Lake and we decided to keep going. My eyes were bothered by the glare and Chris gave me his sunglasses -- a life saver. Once over Silver pass, I was looking for a place to pitch in case all hell broke loose again. I found the spot that I camped at with two friends four years ago when we hiked the middle section of the JMT -- a lovely knoll just above Silver lake.
Unfortuntely, there was toilet paper under every rock in the tent areas. I was able to find a relatively clean area and set up camp. It was depressing to see what had once been a lovely camp so shabbily used. I slept well, looking forward to going to Vermillion Ranch the following day. The humidity in the air made the mountains look as if they were covered with gauze.
Day 8
The day started well -- it was relatively clear. I took a few pictures looking back and descended to the creek crossing, which was downright scary two years ago but easy this year.
I really dislike the descent from Silver pass to the Vermillion/JMT junction. The footing is lousy -- large talus, lots of scree, slick rocks and high steps. I stopped to have lunch just past Pocket Meadow. As I continued down, I made the mistake of looking to the cliffs on my right. My right toe caught a rock and I went down hard on both kneecaps. The momemtum and weight of the pack also brought my upper body down and onto my right forearm.
I felt like I'd been sliced with a knife. I'd landed on rock, which not only peeled the skin off but gouged a big hole in the muscle of my forearm. It really hurt and I just had to sit for a moment and gasp. Blood was gushing everywhere. I fumbled my medical kit out of my pack, put a red bandana on my arm and headed down to the creek. I kept rinsing and tried to slow the bleeding. I was finally able to slather the area with Neosporin and cover it with three large band aids. I was still shaky as I headed back up to the trail.
Another group of packers was headed up. The lead horseman said they'd brought along a white horse just for me. Sure enough, a pretty white horse with blue eyes. They stopped to let me pet him. Just the balm I needed.
I arrived at the JMT/Vermillion junction in plenty of time to take the water taxi which took groups of four between 3 and 5 PM. A paper sign below the trail junction sign had odd instructions to not walk on the lake bed. Huh? I headed down the trail (formerly 1.4 miles to the ferry pickup) and ran into a group of hikers who told me to 1) stay on the Vermillion trail -- don't go to the old pick up site and 2) look for the ribbons directing us off the trail to the new taxi area.
As I kept hiking, it was immediately clear why the former water taxi site was not in use. The lake bed was completely dry. I could barely see water as I stared into the distance. The other weird thing was the smoke. The smoke had started to come in from the west as I approached the JMT/Vermillion junction and just kept getting worse.
I looked for ribbons and didn't see any. Kept the faith and kept hiking. The Vermillion trail constantly goes up and down. I went far enough to see the lake had water but still didn't see any ribbon. At one point, I went back to see if I'd missed the ribbon. It was now well past 3 PM. I kept hiking, becoming progressively more tired and disspirited. Then I ran out of water.
The air was filled with smoke, my shirt was stained with salt and I was thirsty and on the verge of tears. Finally crossed a stream and drank in water as if I were breathing air. Discovered that my Camelbak was missing its bite valve and I'd lost another bandana. I kept walking and finally came to the outskirts of the Vermillon resort. Asked campers where the main buildings were and went XC to get there.
When I arrived outside the store, several JMT hikers kindly asked if I needed medical attention. I thanked them but said I was in beer (anesthesia) mode. Jim took one look at me and asked what the hell had happened. I told him as I rumaged through the beers looking for IPA. An employee said they were out of IPA. I stated, "After the day I've had, you better not be out." I did find an unfamiliar but excellent brand of IPA. Jim said their routine beer delivery hadn't come that day. Of course.
I briefly saw Chris, Katie and Noah. They had camped 6 miles past Silver pass the day before and taken the water taxi to Vermillon. The smoke really bothered them and they were ready to quit. I never saw them again that night or the following morning. I was hoping to encourage them to continue on.
I bought a bunch of large bandaids, a JMT cap, my first buff and a new bandana. There were no replacement bite valves. I met a very nice woman PCTer named Halfstep who gave me prescription Motrin for my arm and a hiker from Boston who'd finished the marathon 9 minutes before the monsters set off the bombs. Ate dinner, showered, did laundry and pitched outside in front of the store as Boyscouts had filled the backpackers' tent.
Day 9
Enjoyed an enormous breakfast before catching the water taxi. The absence of water in Lake Edison meant we were driven on the dry lake bed for about a mile to the water taxi. It was a small metal boat with an outboard motor and could only transport four hikers. Enjoyed the boat ride but the low lake and smoke were very depressing. We were dropped off about 1 mile from the old launch site and opted to walk along the dry lake bed. We rejoined the trail at the dry dock site. About a mile and half later I was finally back on the JMT.
Call me crazy but I love the killer climb out of Vermillion. The trail gains 2 K in a little over 3 miles. It started to rain shortly before the Bear ridge junction. I put the pack cover on and kept motoring to the Bear creek trail junction. At this point, the rain started in earnest. I donned my rainjacket and kept climbing along the left side of Bear creek. My rationale was that I would be wet whether I pitched or kept hiking, so I might as well keep hiking.
The sound of my breathing, footsteps, poles, creek and thunderstorm all became one -- I was in the zone. I climbed by other hikers who'd pitched their tents or were standing under trees waiting for the rain to subside. I reached the Bear creek crossing and was happy to see that I could cross on rocks. My feet were already wet from the storm, so a mis-step into the creek wouldn't make much of a difference. Two years ago, the stream was over waist-high, very fast and nearly took me out.
As I resumed climbing on the other side, I noticed patches of white stuff along the trail. What the heck? Stopped to look and found pea-sized hail. The trail started to climb up through rocky slabs in a dense fog -- I was glad to see cairns to confirm the route. The sky started to clear when I reached upper Bear Creek meadows. By the time I reached upper Marie lake, I could actually see Seldon pass.
A lovely campsite beckoned. I had just pitched my tent when another JMTer named Nick passed by. Like me, he was having fun hiking in the rain and just "going with it." I invited him to join me and he accepted. He was able to catch several trout for his dinner. We enjoyed post dinner hot chocolate and watched the sun set. Nick was out of fuel so I gave him my small fuel cannister. On of the JMT, we take care of each other -- I told Nick he'd have the opportunity to help out someone else.
Day 10
We awoke to a lovely, smoke-free morning. Nick and I had way too much fun chatting -- it took us three hours to break camp. I made quick work of Seldon pass and descended by Heart lake and Sallie Keyes lakes. I stopped to have an early lunch and put on DEET (biting flies were back) before the final drop into Muir Trail Ranch. I'd forgotten that the descent was a crap scree fest.
Finally reached the Muir Trail Ranch cut off and joined scores of other
backpackers picking up their resupplies. I checked the medical supply bucket and found a nearly empty bottle of hydrogren peroxide and cottom pads. Threw away the gross, bloody bandaids and went to work on cleaning my forearm. Then had fun checking the other buckets and enjoyed people watching as all of us sorted out our backpacks. The snack bucket was chock-full of tral mixes -- forget the nuts -- where are those M&Ms?
Nick arrived and gave a fishing lure to Johnny and John -- a really nice father and son from Long Beach who would do me a huge favor down the road. The only problem with the Muir resupply is that it's too easy to get complacent and pitch early. I finally roused myself and slowly made my way up the junction trail to get back on the JMT. I wanted to at least make it to the Piute pass/JMT junction.
I felt good when I reached the junction and decided to keep going. It started to rain again -- another classic Sierra afternoon thunder and lightning storm. I put the pack cover back on and kept hiking. Made the mistake of not donning my rainjacket and soaked my Patagonia long sleeve shirt. I started to run out of energy and feel a bit cold. Started looking in earnest for a place to pitch and found one after crossing the bridge to the other side of the creek.
I pitched in a drizzle and went about the business of eating dinner and cleaning up. Neglected to cover my boots. It rained on and off all night.
Day 11
Got up, poured water out of my boots and packed up wet. It was another gloomy, overcast morning and rain dripped from the trees. After about a half mile, I reached the JMT/Goddard junction and started climbing the Stairway to Heaven -- the entrance into the magnificent Evoluation basin. I opted to cross Evolution creek wearing my boots, since they and my socks were already wet. Thanks to rain, the water was higher and faster than expected.
Once on the other side, I wrung out my socks and dumped more water out of my boots. The sun was making a valiant effort to come out, so I hung my wet Patgonia shirt off my backpack to dry. Enjoyed lunch at McClure meadow and passed Colby meadow where Sally and I had camped last year on our South to North Lake loop. Hunkered down for the climb up to Evolution lake.
At upper Evo lake, the thundershowers resumed. I kept climbing. I wanted to get as close to Muir pass as possible before stopping. Passed by Saphire lake and then came to Wanda lake, where an arrogant hiker (boasted about how quickly he was doing the South to North Lake loop) told me I still had a "long hike" to Muir pass. Duh...I could see the pass but it didn't seem to be getting any closer.
I collected three liters at the last stream and slogged on up. The weather was trying to clear. When I reached the hut, I was surprised to find an Asian man in his tent inside. I asked if I could join him -- no problem. He went outside to photograph the sunset and I held my tent and rainfly out in the wind to dry them off.
I planned to just sleep on the rock bench in my bag on my air mattress but discovered why my Japanese room mate Yoshiki had pitched his tent -- it was dripping inside. I pitched next to him. As I was cooking dinner, I realized that I'd forgotten to buy fuel at Muir. I was using the small cannister that I'd loaned Nick. Uh oh -- I was going to have to ration fuel until my resupply.
Day 12
Watched the sunrise and got a picture of the shadow of the Muir hut on the mountain. Yoshiki gave me a lovely picture he took in Japan as a gift. Descending from Muir was a PITA -- I'd forgotten exactly how much. Ran into two JMTer's from San Luis Obispo who'd started a day ahead of me. I finally reached what I consider the "nice" section where the trail descends next to the middle fork of the Kings river past Big Pete meadow and Little Pete meadow.
I had a bad sinus headache, which was not helped by the jarring descent and bright sunlight. Enjoyed lunch in Le Conte canyon near the ranger station, then continued to descend to the JMT/Road's End junction. I saw my first deer since Yosemite -- a young doe who ran off before I could get her picture. Reached the junction and started the climb up to Deer Meadows.
When I reached Deer Meadows, I'd planned to camp at a campsite we used four years ago which would accomodate a large number of folks. There was a solitary tent at the site with laundry hung off a line. Yoshiki joined me and asked if we would camp there. The lone wolf came out of his tent and gruffly announced that he'd picked the site because he wanted to be ALONE. He said there was another site about 1/3 mile up the trail. What a jerk.
I called him several choice names as I struggled to get my pack back on. Later it occured to me to ask him why he was camped along the JMT if he wanted solitude
At least getting angry energized me and eliminated my headache. Found the campsite up the trail and asked the gentlemen camped there if Yoshiki and I could join them -- they said of course.
Day 13
I'll admit it -- I love the Golden Staircase. It begins the climb up to Mather aka "Mother" pass. It is a very steep climb up through colorful rock formations and has breath taking views in all directions. The wildflowers at the stream crossings were gorgeous. As I approached the plateau concealing the Palisades lakes, I expected Moses to show up with the 10 Commandments.
As a climbed by the first lake, I heard what sounded like a big rock falling to my left. Rounded a corner and discovered a group of trail workers. Phew -- good, the mountain side wasn't going to fall on me. I passed the second Palisade lake and settled in for the long slog up the barren, rocky switch backs to Mather pass. I remember it being a butt kicker and wasn't disappointed.
When I reached Mather Pass, I was amazed to find myself alone. Weird. Usually there's a group of backpackers kicking back and enjoying the views. Made my way down into Upper Basin and continued descending to the South Fork of the Kings River.
At the crossing, I ran into the two SLO JMTers again, who said they were planning to camp at Bench lake. Sounded good to me, though I forgot about the 700 ft vertical gain. At least it was pretty and shaded. When I arrived, the SLO hikers were in the lake. They suggested hiking up the ridge to the west to find a flat spot to camp. I did and found a large plateau with several good spots to pitch. It had been a long, hard day and I was knackered.
Day 14
It was a cold night and I awoke to find condensation on my tent and sleeping bag. I hung camp long enough to dry out my tent and sleeping bag. Pinchot -- one of my favorite high Sierra passes -- was waiting.
When I got back on the trail, I ran into a Korean JMTer who'd I'd met while heading up to Seldon during the storm. Everytime we'd run across each other, he would say "You strong!" We had similar hiking styles -- not the fastest on the trail but we'd keep plugging away. I was a faster climber but he would motor past me downhill.
As I headed up Pinchot, I'd forgotten the twists, turns and false saddles. Finally reached the pass and was amazed to yet again find myself alone. I headed down to Twin Lakes, where I stopped on the trail to have lunch. Suddenly John and Johnny appeared. They said they thought I was the hiker on Pinchot they were trying to catch.
We shared war stories about Mather and Pinchot -- Johnny noted laconically that Mather was "intense." Also discussed the hassle of constantly having to dry out our gear. When they asked about my resupply, I told them about Saint Laura helping me and rationing my fuel. They remembered that I'd shared fuel with Nick and asked if I wanted a small cannister as they had more than enough.
That gift was huge. It removed a great deal of stress over worrying whether the fuel would last to cook dinner that evening. Plus it meant I could even have warm oatmeal in the morning.
John said I was one of their favorite characters on the JMT and they were glad to help. Apparently, I'd really impressed them when I charged past them up Bear Canyon in the storm. We discussed our camps for the evening -- I recommended Arrowhead Lake about two miles Rae Lakes. Also asked if I could camp with them if I made it to Arrowhead. They said they'd keep and eye out.
The descent on the JMT next to Woods creek from the Sawmill junction to the Roads End junction is a PITA -- it rolls up and down and has lots of talus, scree and wet rocky steps. There's also no shade. At least the creek is pretty and provides nice background noise. I enjoyed crossing the suspension bridge and took a break on the other side to do laundry. I also needed a rest before tackling the 4.5 mile climb and 2 K elevation gain to Arrowhead.
As I climbed up to Arrowhead, I cursed myself for suggesting it as our evening campsite
Passed by a campiste where a fellow asked if I was "Ellen" and he directed me to John's and Johnny's camp. While I pitched, cooked dinner, did laundry and cleaned up, John and Johnny fished. They had to catch and release due to the small size. At one point, John caught the line and Johnny swam out into the lake to retrieve the lure -- true manliness 
Day 15
It was a cold night but the stars were beautiful. John and Johnny made quick work of breaking camp and we said goodbye. It took me a while to warm up and dry out. When I reached Rae Lakes, my permit was checked for the first time by Ranger Dave.
I was looking forward to my resupply at Charlotte lake as I had eaten my last breakfast, minimal lunch and had only one more dinner. I put Gatorade powder into my Camelbak for extra calories for the climb up Glenn. Unfortunately, the Camelbak leaked all over the bottom of my pack and my clothes. At the beginning of the climb, I took off my shorts and t-shirt and rinsed them out in a stream. Unfortunately, I still had a backpack with a sticky bottom compartment and zipper
Gatorade works much better when it's inside, not outside. I'd forgotten the steepness of the climb and it seemed to go on forever. Used up my last remaining carbohydrate gels and Shotblocks to get up the damn pass. Finally, I reached the pass and ran into other backpackers who were going north. It was very windy with steep drop offs on both sides and I was getting knocked about much more than I liked. As quickly as possible, I got off the pass and headed down the first little lake for lunch and laundry.
As I was packing up to head to Charlotte lake, a couple came up and asked where I was heading. When I told them that I was a JMTer resupplying at Charlotte, the woman got a gleam in her eye and asked if I was the "Lewis party."
"No, I'm the Ellen party of one, why?"
"Well, when we passed the Charlotte lake junction sign, we saw a note from the Charlotte lake rangers indicating they'd confiscated the Lewis' party's food."
Oh great
I was taken aback at how the woman relished sharing this unfortunate news. Perhaps she also likes to watch traffic accidents. I continued the descent to Charlotte and thought about what I would do if I had no resupply. I was running a big energy deficit from the day before and from hauling my tired butt up the steep Glen switchbacks.
I became progressively more depressed as I approached the Charlotte junction. Read the sign, swallowed, and glumly started walking downhill to the lake. The descent seemed to take forever. I heard my name called once I started walking by the lake -- it was the folks from the day before who'd directed me to John and Johnny's camp. I asked them the whereabouts of the bear box.
By this time, the low blood sugar and low mental state were really taking their toll -- I felt like I could barely move. I reached the bear box and mentally tried to prepare myself for bad news. Opened the box and was overwhelmed with happiness and relief to find my resupply with a note from Saint Laura. It felt heavier than I remembered. When I opened it, I discovered that Saint Laura had added a bag of Sierra Mud cookies and huge bag of beef jerky.
I sat on the bear box stuffing Sierra Mud cookies into my mouth as tears of joy ran down my face. I sat and ate until my blood sugar rose to a level where I could function again. Packed everything up and headed back towards the large campsite where the hikers had called me by name. I asked if I could join them and offered to share the incredible cookies. It was two Boyscout leaders from Visalia -- Steve and Matt -- and their two charges.
The Charlotte lake rangers stopped by to see how we were doing -- they said they'd heard there were cookies
As I asked for the bag back, the two Boyscouts looked mortified -- they'd eaten all the cookies. The rangers took this in good stride and laughed -- I'm sure they've seen their share of hungry Boyscouts. I owe the rangers a debt of gratitude...and of course, some cookies.
Had a great evening chatting with Steve and Matt. I now had an abundance of food and ate two dinners -- the next day I was going over Forester pass.
Day 16
I had my usual late start so I could dry everything out. The 400 foot climb out of Charlotte Lake to the JMT was a nice warm up. When I reached the JMT/Charlotte lake junction, I had about 9.6 miles and a 3.7 K elevation gain to Forester pass -- bring it on!
At the JMT/Roads End junction, I passed a group of guys doing the Onion Valley/Whitney loop who asked where I was headed that day. When I responded, "Over Forester," they scoffed. I just love it when people underestimate me.
Near the Bubbs/Vidette creek junction, I caught up with a limping hiker and gave him Alleve for his knee. Shortly thereafter, I caught up to the rest of his group -- three brothers originally from Simi Valley. They had hiked out over Kearsarge and were resupplied by their friend (Bob) with the painful knee. These four guys were really nice -- I felt they embodied the spirit of the JMT.
We talked about evening campsites -- all of us wanted to get over Forester. I said I would aim for the Tyndall/JMT junction based on the time of day and how I felt. I stopped for lunch about the time we reached treeline. The guys arrived as I was heading out. Bob was feeling much better, thank goodness.
I settled in for the long climb. My memories of Forester from 2011 were that it was a long and steady climb. It was a completely new experience without snow. Still very difficult, but manageable. With about a thousand feet to go, I heard a strange call. I looked down the trail but couldn't see my four friends. Later, I found out that Saint Laura was yodeling to me from University Peak -- the call of the High Sierra Moose
I hung out on Forester for quite a while, taking pictures and just enjoying having the pass to myself. An inquisitive marmot ran off before I could get his picture. I finally started the long descent towards the Shepard pass junction. As I neared the Lake South America junction, I heard a noise and saw another marmot running down the trail on my left. He also disappeared before I could get a photo.
I started looking for a campsite in earnest after passing the Shepard pass junction. Found a nice large site with a bear box. I pitched, ate and cleaned up -- beautiful Tyndal creek was close by. As the sun set, my four trail friends (the Three Muskateers and Bob) rolled into camp. I supplied Bob with more Alleve. We were all pooped after the long day and hit the sack.
Day 17
It was another cold night. I took my now customary long time to break camp, which included doing some laundry. I thought this would be fairly easy day after Forester -- ha, ha. Somehow, I'd forgotten the long climb past the Bighorn Plateau to the JMT/High Sierra trail junction. After several hours, I caught up with my four trail friends at the Wright creek crossing.
After a snack, I descended to the HST/JMT junction and passed the campsite where Sally and I had frozen our butts off two years ago. From there, it was 4.2 miles of climbing and descending to Crabtree. Once the trail turned east towards Crabtree, I felt like I was heading home. It was even great to stop at the wagbag bucket. Met a lawyer named Stan (High Sierra trail) who joked that we should take more than one, since they were free
Refilled my Camelbak and started the climb up to Guitar lake. Right before Timberline lake, I started feeling shaky and lightheaded. What the heck? Realized I was becoming hypoglycemic and downed a carbohydrate gel. After about 10 minutes, my symptoms abated and was able to continue climbing. I love the rock formations above and below Timberline lake.
Finally reached Guitar lake, dropped my pack and started looking for a campsite. I had hoped to stay near the tarn above Guitar lake, but Stan's group of six guys had already camped. Most folks pitched their tents against the rocks by the lake. I found an open, sandy area inbetween the two rocky areas. I had to use both stakes and rocks to keep my tent from blowing away. The water coming from the Artic lake outlet tasted great and was close by.
I ate two dinners. I didn't want to bonk again and this also helped lighten my pack. My three gallon Ziplock bags of trash weren't heavy but it was difficult volume-wise to get everything in the pack. Organized for the morning at much as possible and went to bed -- the stars and milky way were gorgeous.
Day 18
As I got up at night for bio-breaks, I could see headlamps of hikers heading up. I was the last one to break camp at Guitar, but it was still cool and shaded for the climb out of Guitar to the Whitney junction. I felt great and made good time up the switchbacks. Ran into other JMT and HST hikers at the group backpack area. Dropped my pack, put on suncreen and grabbed some food, water and cellphone before heading out.
Just like two years ago, I felt amazingly light and fast for the last 1.9 miles to Whitney -- it was awesome to be altitude acclimated and carry less weight. At the summit, I was able to let my older sister know that I had summited. Took pictures and traded stories with other folks on top. Of course, the marmots were out in force -- we had an especially photogenic fellow who was also on the shy side. I told my marmot story (the potato chip thief) to the group near me. A young man named Kevin took my picture and then alerted me that another marmot had run off with my bag of beef jerky. I cracked up -- the intelligent critter had left the empty potato chip bag.
I signed in at the hut and started down. Suddenly, I felt a breeze and caught a glimpse of a blonde mustache and hat. The lightbulb went on and I yelled "Steve!" Sure enough, it was my buddy Steve Faucet from San Diego who had created the jet lag. After a quick hug, he resumed his speedy alien DNA pace to the peak. Met his friend Steve at about 14 K, where a runner coming down hill almost took us out.
Saddled up at the junction. I met my four JMT friends who were dropping their packs. Bob looked at me and said "Woman, I need you!"
Gave him more Alleve. It actually felt good to go uphill for a bit to Trail Crest. I made my way carefully down the switchbacks to Trail camp, where I ran into Stan, who had fallen and hit his head. I recommended that we hike together for a bit to make sure he was OK and he agreed. Had a nice chat and before long we were at Mirror Lake. He resumed his faster descent pace.
After crossing the logs and passing Lone Pine lake, I started to speed up and sing show tunes. Singing helps pass the time, lets people know you're coming up on them, and generally enusres that everyone will leave you alone because you've scared the hell out of them
I yelled "woo hoo!" at the trailhead and make tracks for the Portal store. Just as I laid my hands on an Arrogant Bastard ale, Liz Amparo Romano grabbed me in a bear hug. She bought my yummy burger and a beer. An anonmymous hiker also bought me a beer -- I must have looked pretty needy. Gave another JMTer a ride down to hostel where I took a long bath before sinking into oblivion.
