 |
| The last pass of the High Sierras! |
 |
| Victory atop Silver Pass. |
 |
| Granite Chief Lake, just north of Silver Pass. |
 |
| The Minarets, Mt. Ritter and Branner Peak dominate the skyline to the northwest. |
 |
| Looking back at Silver Pass as we sweep around and descend the northern flank. |
 |
| Smiles finds a wee granite chair. |
 |
| Not a bad view! |
 |
| The moon rises above the sharp ridgeline uphill of Fish Creek. |
I woke up this morning and indeed my shins were still destroyed. I could barely walk at first, and it was slow-going getting out of camp. We climbed to the top of Bear Ridge then I gingerly descended to Mono Creek at 1.5 mph or less, some 3000 vertical feet and 4 miles below Bear Ridge. Smiles exhorted me to try and find out whether there was any alternative route to Mammoth via the Vermillion Valley Resort a few miles to the west, but after a few satellite texts with my dad, it appeared that we were committed. I was hopeful about the 6 mile climb over Silver Pass, since uphill was generally less aggravating than downhill, but my shin splints were disagreeable. For some reason, I tried withholding food from myself to goad myself to the summit, but had an eventual realization that I was just making myself more miserable. We stopped at a random wide spot in the road for lunch and tried to pep ourselves back up for the remainder of the day. Eventually we clambered over the top and had a beautiful view of the Ansel Adams wilderness, the Minarets, and Mt. Ritter to the northwest. We descended steep switchbacks, slowly, again until Fish Creek, when we headed back uphill. We made camp and I almost set the woods on fire after some alcohol tipped out of my stove. A very difficult day. Looking forward to Mammoth, only 18 miles away.
No comments:
Post a Comment