Encounters on John Muir Trail

Most people are respective of Nature, they don't litter, they don't destroy any natural features. Still, I was amazed how clean the trail, and what is more all camping sites along the JMT were. But as soon as I got on much more popular Mount Whitney Trail, I saw pieces of trash, plastic bottles and wag bags* left behind. In 251 miles, the ONLY thing I found on the JMT that did not belong there was a bag of peanuts somebody forgot. Yes, there is a difference between occasional hikers and those who truly love Nature. OK, got that off my chest.

What I really want to write about is all those wonderful encounters on the trail that made my trek even more amazing.

I will start with the animals because it was their home I was visiting. 

I almost befriended a deer. It came one evening to my camping site and did not seem to be bothered by my presence at all. I must assume that the grass near me was of a better quality than that several feet away because the deer came within arm's length of me. We looked at each other and I even talked to her but she was the contemplative type and did not answer. Then she went over to my bear can and smelled it. That was the end of our friendship. She took off as if somebody was chasing her with a gun. I had no idea my cooking was that bad.

Stags I saw on the trail were a lot less brave and ran away as soon as they saw me. What kind of men are they?

If you look closely there are two mosquitoes in the frame. The rest must
be camera shy

In one of my previous posts I mentioned a bear, I was sure was visiting me at night but I am sure he/she saw what a professional camper I was and realized there was no food to be found. Or maybe the deer told him/her about the bear can odors. Sierra bears are really harmless, which I have learned a couple of years ago in Yosemite Valley when a bear followed me to the tent cabin and it took quite a bit of effort to persuade it to leave. 

Then there were numerous marmots and chipmunks who, though curious about my backpack, did not want to have anything to do with me. I felt sooo rejected. But then there were mosquitoes who tried very hard to make up for the marmots' and chipmunks' behavior. One even bit me on the lip. What was she thinking, that I would turn into a handsome mosquito prince? I only want to know what Dalai Lama would do if an army after army of mosquitoes attacked him. But then I am not Dalai Lama...

There were also two-legged creatures on the trail and I want to write more about them because in all my hiking/backpacking trips I have never met so many wonderful people.

There was a young couple, Pete and Mary (Pete is the one who was spreading rummors about me warning other hikers about getting lost on Donohue Pass). JMT was Mary's... first backpacking trip! I met them twice, three days apart, and was surprised to see that not only they had not divorced yet but actually seemed to enjoy the backpacking experience. Mary impressed me to no end.

Or how about those four guys, Joe and his teen son Kale, Dan, and, what was the forth one's name(?). They could not find any camping sites further away but there were some very close to where I was staying. They asked if it was OK with me if they set their tents there. We ended up talking and laughing way passed my bed sleeping bag time. When I was leaving very early in the morning, Dan was waiting for me on the trail just to tell me not to worry about the Mather Pass, which everybody I talked to seemed to be very concerned about. He assured me I was going to do just great and wished me a great journey. I was practically choked up when I left.

Mary Jo, and Jim were probably the friendliest and most inviting people I have ever seen in my entire life. I won't gossip too much but the amount the stuff they carried made a Japanese writer for an outdoor magazine (I will write about him later) snap a picture of their campsite filled with chairs, pots, pans, solar showers and so on. They were not doing JMT but still even an 8 day long trip with so much stuff must be tough. Jim was spoon feeding me Mountain House meal I was not familiar with, and Mary Jo, a teacher, and I, a homeschool mom spent endless time bitching talking about education. And then there was fly fishing but I would rather not say how well I did. :)

Tatsuya (Tatch) lives in Japan but seems to be spending a lot of time in the US. He runs ultra marathons like Western States 100, and hikes JMT. He seems to understand English perfectly well but does not really speak it much. Still, he was such a joy to have around. Jim was showing him fly fishing too and being a much more patient person than some bloggers whose name I won't mention, Tatch caught a fish. 

Had I known he wanted to see the sunrise from Mt Whitney I would have woken him up when I was leaving in the middle of the night but I had no idea and he missed it by good 40 minutes. Still he was very happy to see me and even though he was infinitely faster than me, he patiently hiked with me down the mountain.

And then there was Ross an Aussie living in London. We kind of started together after one creek crossing and continued on for the next couple of days. At first I thought that maybe he was annoyed by my presence because he did not talk at all, but then he waited to make sure I did not kill myself at one of the fords and I realized that maybe he was fine with my quiet company. We had to start communicating when we got lost. OK, not really lost but totally confused because a well visible trail vanished all of a sudden in a fast moving creek and there was no sign of it on the other side. Grudgingly we took our boots off and crossed. The trail was there, only hiding. I was fun to have a bitching company about steep passes and snow and laughing at the stuff his sister insisted he took with him since she was the one equipping him here in the States (you know, typical backpacking stuff like a huge thermos bottle and even bigger bear spray with a holster).

Mondo was a black guy doing Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which is only ten times longer than JMT. That trail starts on the Mexico border and goes all the way to Canada and practically everyone does it in the northerly direction. He was so much fun to chat with that I wanted to talk him into changing directions. I learned a lot about preparation for PCT should I ever be crazy enough to do it (hmm...). Then I noticed a toy sticking out from his backpack's pocket. Mondo told me that when he goes to town for supplies and needs a ride to a store, since he is black, that raccoon puppet makes him somehow look less threatening. Somehow I did not need any puppets to enjoy my chat with him.

How about a really funny guy who entertained Ross and me for quite some time with the stories of his previous JMT hikes. I noticed he had water bottles clipped to his shoulder belts but in those bottles were... cigars. Apparently he likes to have one as a treat after a long day of hiking. This is not what I would want to do but still, I found it rather funny.

And then there were angels like Audrey at Muir Trail Ranch who, when she heard of my brother in law passing, went out of her way to be helpful. She waved all internet use fees, offered me the use of it way after hours should I need to communicate with the family, and showered us with hugs on our departure.

Brandy is a very sweet guy who shuttles people and supplies on the ferry on Florence Lake. Not only was he a joy to talk to but he would not take any money from me for the ticket only because I helped him to load a few empty resupply buckets onto the boat. C'mon Brandy, you will soon go broke if you keep on doing things like that.

Jim, the owner of Vermillion Valley Resort makes thru hikers feel like at home and he starts with offering them free bottle of beer. Camping for backpackers at VVR is free and the food (not free) is sinful. Talking to Jim is a joy. Not only is he funny but he is a great source of information about the area and the trail.

You know what? I think I will stop now. There are so many other people I enjoyed meeting on the trail, this post would get way, way too long. What I think I wanted to say is that there is some kind of camaraderie in the backcountry I have never seen on any other trails. People seem more friendly, more approchable, more concerned for each other. I wonder how come we are not always like that when we get back into civilization?




THE END

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*Wag bag containing a highly absorbent  substance is a requirement for the Whitney Zone since most of the area is exposed rock and one cannot dig to hide human waste. One uses the bag as needed and is supposed to carry it out. I have done it in the past and it is not a big issue, and the benefit of using it is that it leaves the trails and surroundings clean and smelling fresh. BTW, the bag does not smell in the backpack either.