[pct-l] After Action Report – Oct 2012

[hiker97 at aol.com]

Yes, once again your PCT hero and trail raconteur, Switchback, has cheated death.  This time on the 10,000 foot Horseshoe MeadowFull Moon Expedition.  This is justoutside Lone Pine, CA.
I made a Friday afternoon dash to Lone Pine and checked intothe Dow Villas Motel’s Norman Clyde room overlooking the street below.  I visit nap land.  Soon many hamlets up and down highway 395would be smoking ruins from sacking and pillaging.  This year’s crop of attendees to the FullMoon Expedition were very mountainman in appearance and demeanor.  I heard that many a fair maiden was spoiledforever to the attention on any other type of man.  Makes sense to me.  The group this year was rugged looking, butmale model looking too with a two day old beard.  I don’t know why women like these bad boys ofthe mountains, but they sure do.
For dinner I went to the Merry Go Round just up the street fora fish dinner.  Very nice.  By the way, the John Wayne booth is the last oneon the left as you enter.  That was hisfavorite booth to eat in when he came there.
Between sacking duties, I found time to go up to BishopSaturday morning to Jack’s for a great breakfast.  Then I went over to the Schat’s Bakery to buylots of goodies to take home if the bears don’t get it.  The inside of my Prius smelled like freshbreads.  I drove up the South Lake andjumping off point to Bishop Pass and the JMT Trail.  There was a little snow around, but nothingserious.  It looked like higher up on thetrial it was much deeper.
After driving back down out of the mountains to sunny skiesand temperatures, I decided I would get a pedicure.  So, I stopped off for an 11:20appointment.  That was fun.  I was thinking of a manicure too, but decidedit did not fit my mountainman trailtown sacking mystique.  Though, my finger nails were beginning to accumulatea lot of charcoal from all the fires I set.
I drove back down to Lone Pine and headed up to the 8,300 footWhitney Portal store for lunch of veggie burger and fries.  Doug, the store proprietor, sure makes someof the best French fries you would ever want to eat.  Outstanding. They had a picture on the wall of the store of the highest tornado everrecorded in the U.S.  It was along thecrest of the Sierras nearby in July 2004. That was something I never knew about. I buy some wood bear writing pens for the daughters of the manager ofour breakfast eatery back home.
Then I went down to the Dow Motel for a meritorious combat napand remote controlling the tube.  When Iwoke up it was about time for the drive up to 10,000 foot Horseshoe meadow totest out some new sleeping gear.  Theparking lot up there has a few vehicles like last year.  I did not see anyone around at 6 PM.  I set up my gear and tested it out.  Everything seems to work okay, so I piledeverything into my Prius and headed back to the Dow. 
Once there I went down to the Merry Go Round again and thistime had a nice Chinese salad.  I talkedto the help about various things, including me getting a motorcycle trike formy next visit.  There were lots ofmotorcycles on the road on this trip, including some trikes.  
Sunday morning I leave at 5 AM and head back to LasVegas.  It is a nice drive through DeathValley and Beatty NV.  Beatty is havingBeatty Days celebrations.  I wonder ifthe Exchange Club ladies are giving any free samples.  Not for me, but so I can report back to thehiking community the latest information. I never did find out, but I did see lots of motorcycles and trikes upthere.  This usually means fast women areprowling the area.
Overall, a great trip to the eastern Sierras.  Copious amounts of fun had by all.  I look forward to next year’s expedition ofsacking and plundering.
Your obedient servant and trail rapscallion,
Switchback the Trail Pirate