Editor's Note: The following is pulled from the journal that I kept while hiking the John Muir Trail this past month. I'll post each entry for the next few weeks. If you are just tuning in, you can go to the first day of the journal here.
Tuesday, Aug. 3rd, Day 16. Tried multiple nightlapses and stills last night. Too many things to work with: brilliant stars, a bright Milky Way, lakes, reflections, mountains, our tents! Did some stills then set up a so-so lapse of our tents. When I got up 2 hours later, I tried a few more still shots, then saw and even better lapse of our tents with the Milky Way above and the moonlight creeping in, so started that one. Must have gotten too cold, there's a lot of noisy, corrupted frames, and the battery died sometime before I got up to stop it. Think I'll chill on the night lapses for now.
Woke early to tackle the 7+ miles to LeConte Canyon and Bishop Pass trail junction where Brad and Julie were headed. Took a piss and shit in a nice little corner overlooking the unnamed lake we camped on, now part of me will always be there:) Steep downhill over freshly frozen snow pack patches tool some time, but as usual, the scenery was unreal, and the camera was constantly out. Much harder trail on this side of Muir Pass, I did not envy the northbound hikers we passed on the way down!!
Eventually the grade lessened, and we moved faster thru forests within the canyon, steep granite on either side. Bri's toe was beginning to hurt bad when we made it to the junction, said our goodbyes to B and J, and had a nice soak in the river there. Knocked out the next 3.4 downhill fast, then turned up from our lowest elevation until we reach the end of our journey (8070 ft), toward Mather Pass. Only went about 2 miles when we found the Russians, looking tired. They had been searching for a camp since the uphill began, but the forest was brutalized by avalanches, so nothing was campable. We pressed on a bit further with them to find a good spot in some intact forest, had a dip in Palisade Creek, cold as usual, dinner, chores, some Russian lessons, now bed. Tomorrow, a BIG 3000+ foot climb to Mather Pass, not looking forward to the Golden Staircase in the morning...
-llg