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Day 166 - JMT Muir Pass to LeConte Canyon

We woke up to wonderful reflections off Evolution Lake.  The smoke from the previous night was gone, leaving the high alpine (11,000+ foot high) mountains in stark relief to the morning sky.  We've settled on a 5:30am wakeup call combined with a leisurely breakfast and a 7-730am pushoff, as our smoke defense.  Get miles early!  We need to do 12-14 miles per day to make Mount Whitney, the famous trail finale, in seven days.  These mornings are so wonderful: we wake up in complete darkness, have hot coffee and a yummy breakfast at sunrise, then hike as the rising sun creates each new day.

We passed beautiful lake after beautiful lake on our way to Muir Pass.  When we reached Sapphire Lake, I felt compelled to jump for joy off a large boulder.  What a joy this life can be.

We reached the famous Muir Hut, an emergency shelter at 12,000 feet built by the Sierra Club in the thirties.  The remoteness of this pass and the danger of the terrain in storm conditions warranted its building.  The large stone plaque and moose rack inside gave a very hunting lodge feel.

The view going down the south side of the pass was rocky, remote and alluring.  I love nothing more than staring at layer after layer of rocky mountain.  My feet didn't like the view though: we had 3,500 feet to descend and my weary feet, used to my normal 175 pound frame, were collapsing under my new self+pack 215 pound frame.  My socks all had holes under the bridge of my feet and my insoles were beginning to hole-up as well.

Stopping at the "Rock Monster," we took a photo while being eaten alive, talked with a nice mother-daughters group from Oregon, and repaired our feet.  I cut two large, thick moleskin pieces, placed them under the bridge of each foot, and wrapped my feet with surgical tape.  It looked silly but this additional support was what my feet needed.

We pushed downhill ferociously, stopping for a minute to take this shot of the smokey mountains, fading sun, and happy hikers.

LeConte Canyon amazed us, the views improving with every step.  The surrounding mountains, some 3000 feet above us, rose from the ground without warning, with sheer rock faces resembling Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite.  We were laughing with joy-- "a real pinch me, I must be dreaming" moment.

Bob captured that "pinch me, I must be dreaming" feeling perfectly in this golden shot.  This day, LeConte Canyon was God.

Resisting the urge to camp in the otherworldly LeConte Canyon meadow, we pushed onward, finally turning up the adjacent valley towards "The Golden Staircase."  The Staircase was a series of steep switchbacks carved into a cliff, a big climb that preceeded a longer, equally steep climb to Mather Pass.  With nearly 4,000 feet to climb tomorrow, we marched forward as darkness set in.  We passed one decent campsite in search of a better one with a view, but the fire-burned hill territory had few good options.  We eventually settled on a small site with a large tree.  We did our chores (water treatment for me, cooking for Bob) and then collapsed in bed, exhausted after a brutal, memorable 19 mile day.
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