Week 15.5

 Thank you to those of you who check EVERYDAY to see if the blog has been updated!  And those who regularly read our updates.  This greatly encourages both Darrell and me.

Last week I was able to get reservations at Yosemite in the Housekeeping units for three days for perfect timing for meeting up with Darrell as he reached Mammoth Lakes.   Father (see below) also joined us.  We love sharing Yosemite.

In the most recent blog, I mentioned that I dropped Darrell off at Independence where he could hike the part of the trail that he had to jump due to adverse snow conditions that were sucking the energy and joy out of him.  It turned out to be a wise move.  Whereas before he could barely get eight miles a day and was doomed to run out of food before his next pit stop, this time the snow was melted off the trail mostly and he was able to make good mileage.  He had planned to hike to Vermilion Valley Ranch and ferry across Edison Lake to resupply before he made it to Mammoth. He was able to make such good mileage that he eliminated this time consuming stop and had enough food to make it to Mammoth where I picked him up for a side trip to Yosemite.

He was able to enjoy the majesty of this great mountain range and bask in the beauty of the peaks and rivers and hidden lakes and flowers and meadows, remote scenery that most people never see .

This part of the trail runs through the John Muir Wilderness and shares part of the John Muir Trail.  Darrell met up with a hiker here that walks his pace, and they traveled together for several days.  His trail name is Father (imagine being 66 years old and calling a fellow hiker who is 47 Father), and he is from Germany.  He also was going to stop at Vermilion Valley Ranch, but Darrell encouraged him to continue with him straight to Mammoth.  Father hadn't stocked up with enough food to go the extra days without stopping, but he and Darrell laid out their respective food supplies, and Darrell was able to share his bounty with Father, and they both had enough to eat without the extra stop.

This part of the trip was not without its challenges.  There were thunderstorms almost every afternoon, and they were mostly able to continue on through them and remain dry.  Check out these ominous skies and Darrell's garb to keep warm and dry while he was hiking.

These clouds not only brought rain, but also hail and snow.  It was great timing that when the hail started they came upon the John Muir cabin where they could duck in and wait it out.  He and Father and eleven others huddled into this small stone hut until the worst of it passed.  Great opportunity for storytelling and snacking.

Another advantage of returning after the snow had melted some was that the creek crossings were not perilous.   Darrell wore his water shoes through one creek and another one he crossed over on a fallen log.  Father didn't feel confident in walking across the log  and chose to walk through the water in his flip flops and somehow lost one of them and was not able to retrieve it.

The trail is not without perils.  This is a search and rescue helicopter.  Someone at home reported that they hadn't heard from their hiker for two days and he had indicated that he was getting low on food when they last spoke before his gps lost power.  The rangers questioned hikers as they passed to see if they had come across this person.  A few remembered him; he was found a little bit off trail and was reunited with his family. (I'm not sure of the gender so I just used he; I hope that doesn't offend).

Darrell, on the other hand, hasn't been in need of rescue in the wilderness, but he has had his injuries on public transportation getting to and from the trail.  Last post I told you about his bloody face from the train; this week he fell and bumped his head when alighting the steps from the trolley that  shuttled him from the trail to Mammoth.  This reminded us of a similar experience he had  on our family ski vacation in 2007 where he also fell when getting off a shuttle bus at Winter Park Ski resort and injured his back.

Peekaboo!

This is a grouse fanning its feathers.

I'll head off into the sunset.  

Please pray for Father.  After Yosemite I dropped Darrell off at the shuttle stop so he could get back on the trail, and Father planned to stay in town for a couple more days to take care of some business before heading back.  He ended up having to stay longer than he had planned because he fell ill.  He is very discouraged and wants to recover quickly so he can get back on the trail again.

If you haven't had a chance yet, please consider donating to World Vision for clean drinking water for children around the world.  That is why he is hiking.  You can use this link:  https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy

Thank you.