[pct-l] how we quit the JMT

[tarbubble at yahoo.com (emma eyeball)]

--- Steve Courtway <scourtway@bpa-arch.com> wrote:
> could you expand on the ignominious nature of the
> hike ?
> 
> that stuff's entertaining hahaha

ohhh, what the heck.  i keep meaning to type it all up
on trailjournals.com, it's already partially there. 
and about 2/3 of the photos are up too, but not
captioned yet.  

i'm the gal who was trying to bring her toddler-aged
son along on a hike of the JMT (with an option to
leave him with Gramma at VVR).  

the short version of our tale of woe is that we didn't
plan enough flexibility into our schedule.  due to
some events utterly beyond our control, we got on the
trail too late, tried valiantly to get back on
schedule, lost a critical piece of equipment (our
combination trekking & tent poles - branches wouldn't
have really worked for this particular tent), didn't
realize we could have replaced them in Tuolumne, and
so thought we would never make it to VVR on time to
meet my parents & send the baby home with them (they
only had one free day to come up and get him).  so
that was the first time we quit.

2 days later we went back to Tuolumne.  we were caught
by surprise in hail & sleet on Donohue Pass and i got
soaked (and mildly hypothermic).  the next morning the
clouds were still ugly and my rain jacket was still
useless (it was a cheapo jacket that had
passed "the shower test" so i foolishly trusted it - i
know better now).  i was pretty happy to be alive and
wanted to stay that way, so we said "maybe we just
weren't meant to do it this year."  watching the
weather turn ugly as we rode down from Tulomune, we
knew we'd made the right choice.  it turned into a
nasty storm, we could tell from down in Owens Valley.

but we still had a food cache that a friend of mine
had left at Kearsarge lakes, so on Labor Day weekend
we went in to get it and at least do the last 20 or so
miles of the JMT.  that was mostly a success, although
we skipped Whitney because the clouds were dark and
suspicious.

the biggest problem for us was that my husband had
saved up his vacation days for a year, we only had so
much time, and that spectre kept hanging over our
heads.  the next time, we'll go in with more time and
with more backup plans.  at least now we know there's
a little gear shop in Tuloumne, which would have been
good to know when we were there.  but oh well.  we
lived and we learned and the trail is still there.

ha ha ha, indeed.  ;)

-tb



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