Thurs. Sept. 1        Miles today: 24.3         Total so far: 1,924.2         Sierras Section I

Today was a special day!  We crossed the 1,900 mile mark, AND it’s our daughter Mercy’s birthday!  We are so proud of her–she finished high school in 3 years instead of 4 (her best subject was math), did a year of college before deciding she wanted some adventure instead of more school, joined the US Marine Corps and spent 4 years serving as an avionics technician, keeping those Marine pilots airborne! While she was in avionics school, she was nicknamed “IBM” which referenced both her math whiz skills, and her 5′ 2″ height (IBM = Itty Bitty Marine).  While in the Corps, she also learned scuba diving and rock climbing and spent 2 years in Japan at the Marine Air Corps base in Iwakuni.  After the Marines, she went back to college, got a degree in accounting, worked at that for awhile, and then decided she wanted to use her math skills at something where she was really helping PEOPLE, not just number-crunching.  So she applied to and was accepted at the pharmacy school of Oregon State University.  Her plan is to someday be a pharmacist aboard one of the “Mercy Ships” run by Youth With a Mission.  The ships are like floating hospitals that go to third world countries and care for the poor who have no doctors or hospitals.  Right now, while in pharmacy school, she is serving as board treasurer for a group called Love, INC (which means “Love In the Name of Christ”) which connects people in need of practical help with people who would like to provide help.   So Happy Birthday, Mercy!   We wish we could be with you today!

Well, Bill and I had a very happy morning, because last night’s ominous clouds did pass us by–not a drop of rain or a breath of wind all night.  Whew!  We bounced off onto the PCT into a bright 40 degree morning, stopping for breakfast at Wilmer Lake.  I was impressed with the nice work done to get the trail around the very boggy edge of the lake.  I guess it makes up for some of that horrid “cobblestoning”! 

The trail was kind today–nice and even, not too steep.  By midmorning, we were in Grace Meadow, with a very pretty river running down the middle.  We stopped for a rest and a Snickers bar, and I was studying the maps, trying to figure out the names of the mountains that ringed the meadow.  With surprise and delight, I discovered that we were sitting near the foot of Kendrick Peak!  What’s the big deal about that, you may ask?  Well, if you know anything about the “Lady Washington”, the first ship ever to arrive on the coast of California flying the AMERICAN flag, you’ll know that for some time her captain was a complex, fearless man named Kendrick.  He was a fascinating rascal–they really ought to make a movie about him someday!  Oh well, at least there’s a mountain with his name!

On we went, through beautiful wildflowers (where there were clouds of mosquitoes, even in September!!).  We climbed past Bond Pass till we reached large, blue, windy Dorothy Lake and walked almost all the way around it before stopping to cook lunch.  Bill wrote his journal notes, while I set up our two bear cans as a windbreak for my “kitchen”.  I have come to the conclusion that much as I detest the bear cans, they are good for three things: 1) Keeping food safe from bears   2) To sit on in camp    3) To be windbreaks for the  stove.  It was so windy by the lake, that I doubt I could have kept the stove lit without the bear can protection.

After lunch, we were up and over Dorothy Pass and OUT OF YOSEMITE!  We started cheering, “No more bear cans!  No more rangers!  Load the cans with rocks and throw ’em in the lake!  No more picky rules!  Hip, hip, hooray!”  A “cowlady” resting at the pass with her horse and dog commented, “You guys seem pretty happy!”  When we told her why, she said, “Amen!”  Not only that, but the instant the trail crossed the Yosemite border and into Toiyabe National Forest land, it went from horrid cobblestone to a beautiful raised DIRT trail, lined with rocks on either side to keep the dirt in place, winding through a granitic, bouldery landscape.  Wow, was it great to be able to walk on wonderful, wonderful DIRT again!  As we followed the winding, twisting trail, the landscape gradually switched from “granitic” to “volcanic”.  There was even a small, lovely canyon with a waterfall and wildflowers.  What more can you ask?

Through the trees, we began to get glimpses of amazing volcanic mountains.  Our goal was Kennedy Canyon, where we planned to load up on water for 10 waterless miles that included a 1,500 foot climb and 1,200 foot descent to Sonora Pass.  We reached the canyon, got water, ate supper and pushed on up through the forest.  We ran into a whole herd of Angus cows, complete with cowbells!  It sounded like a crazy cowbell symphony when they ran off! 

But pretty soon, the big climb took us out of the forest and onto increasingly bare mountainside, where the PCT makes LONG switchbacks up and up.  At one point there was an obviously non-official trail heading steeply up that looked like it might be a shortcut.  We stopped and debated whether to try it, but not being able to see for sure where it went made us hesitate, so we stuck to the PCT official trail  (Turned out later, it really was a shortcut and did reconnect with the PCT.  Oh well.)  The sun was almost down, and the wind was really blowing strongly.  The only place we could find to camp was a little slight hollow place at 10,500 feet.  We had to be REALLY careful as we set up our “cowboy camp” (didn’t DARE try to put up the tarp with such a strong wind) because the wind wanted to blow away anything we set out.  But the result of all the wind was a gloriously clear night sky.  We could see the Milky Way in all its glory–Psalm 19, for sure: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”  And what’s really cool is that one of the things God did when He made and positioned planet Earth, was He put us in just the right spot in the Milky Way galaxy that we can SEE the galaxy.  Our view is not blocked by anything.  We have prime “grandstand seats”.  If Earth were located elsewhere in the galaxy, we would not have anywhere near the glorious view.  I highly recommend the book “Rare Earth” by Halton Arp.  He really lays it out clearly what a miracle it is that there could be ANY planet like Earth, where life is possible.  Our perfect positioning in the Milky Way galaxy is part of that.  (Sorry, Star Trek fans–and I am one of those!–but Earth is the only planet where life is possible.)  Tonight, we had a glorious view that God made possible.