I started out on the trail at 6:50 today since we had a long climb up to Silver Pass in front of us. The climb ended up being a quite pleasant one – lots of wildflowers and scenic spots along a bubbling creek. As I climbed I noticed quite a bit of smoke to the north, and could even smell it at some times. Never figured out what it was from.
I got some of my favorite photos of the trip on the climb to Silver Pass. As the sun rose and turned the ridges and peaks orange, the reflected colors along the creek were beautiful.
On Silver Pass we met a group of three ‘Old Guys’ who were on a several day trip along the JMT. We joked around with them for a while and they advised us of the incredible food of Chef Roy at VVR. It made me hike a bit faster since that pie sure sounded tasty…
The descent to Pocket Meadow, and then Quail Meadow, was initially a nice hike. But as the elevation dropped the trail got very hot and dusty. I found myself dreaming of a nice cool swim in Lake Thomas A Edison before hopping on the ferry. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the lake I found it half empty. Construction at the dam had drained the lake and what was left was a muddy mess. So much for a refreshing dip.
There was a crowd of over 30 people who showed up for the ferry, so they made two runs to Vermillion Valley Resort. I really enjoyed my time at VVR. Jim, the owner, had us set up our tents (for free) outside the store, and then we set up our tabs. The place is really hiker friendly and we met several other JMT hikers who were hanging around. Chef Roy’s food was some of the best I’ve had – and I’m not just saying that because it was my first hot non-backpacking food in a few days.
This day’s stats:
- Mileage: 12.08 mi
- Ascending: 1901 ft
- Descending: 3347 ft
- Cumulative Mileage: 67.28 mi
- Cumulative Ascending: 11,113 ft
- Cumulative Descending: 12,132 ft
