Thurs. August 25        Miles today: PCT miles 4.3 (plus more to ferry)  Total so far: 1,791.1    Sierras  H

It was hurry and scurry at 5:00 this morning.  We had 4.3 plus 1 1/2 miles to go before 9:45 am, and we had no idea what the trail would be like, other than downhill.  Would it be rocky or smooth?  The guidebook used the word”dusty”, so I was hoping for smooth!  Also, we’ve found that the trail mileages here in the Sierras seem to be incorrect.  We would swear we’d done 2 miles, but the data charts would insist it had been only one.  So we were concerned!

Down the north side of Bear Ridge we went, counting switchbacks (53, according to the guidebook; I counted 56) on what turned out to be mostly smooth trail, whew!  Near the bottom, we went through a lot of quaking aspen groves, where it seems many generations of hikers have used the smooth white trunks to carve their names and a date. I saw some dates going back to the 1940’s!  We reached Mono Creek and the trail junction for the ferry, in plenty of time, so that we could stroll the 1 1/2 miles to the boat dock.  Lake Edison was beautiful, and the cove for the dock had clear, not-too-cold water, with about 4 other hikers already lounging about on the rocks.  They were all just “regular” backpackers who come here often because they like hiking around here.  Pretty soon we were all “talking gear’ and looking at each others’ stuff.  I got out our 1/2 ounce beer can stove and made a mocha drink, which the other hikers found quite fascinaing, since they all had heavier, white gas stoves.

Finally we saw the ferry coming in, late–but that’s normal, we learned later.  A load of hikers piled off, then came a brisk, cheerful fellow with a plastic bag, calling, “Fresh FRUIT–Come and get it!”  Well, we all descended on him like a pack of ravenous wolves!  I got a peach, Bill got a banana, and there were oranges and plums, too.  Yum!  Pretty soon, we were off on our “cruise” of Lake Edison. The ferry captain pointed out osprey nests as we roared along.  He said that since they’ve been doing more stocking of fish in the lakes around here, the osprey population has just been booming.  Riding the ferry is a blast–it flies the American flag AND the Jolly Rodger!

Arriving at “VVR”, we checked in at the store.  Turned out hikers get one night free in tent cabin #4.  Good!  Next on the “to-do list” was EAT!  We had a “mountaineer breakfast”–3 eggs, 3 bacon, hashbrowns, 2 big hotcakes, and some watermelon.  Still hungry, we topped it off with peach pie a la mode.  Ahhh, much better!  Now to find tent #4–turned out it had 4 bunkbeds with MATTRESSES!  No sleeping on the ground tonight!  We claimed a bunk, got our resupply box, collected soap and towels for showers, and started on chores.  The laundry setup at VVR is fun–a washer and dryers sitting outside on a wooden platform.  I began sorting through our resupply food–and there was an abundance.  Besides what we’d mailed to ourselves, we had some freezedries given to us by a fellow ferry passenger (he insisted!) and the RICHES of the 2 “hiker barrels” in front of the store.  Wow!! I had never seen such awesome hiker boxes except at Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce.  However, we noticed that all the chipmunks and squirrels around here seem to know about Tent #4–there was a constant parade of them going in.  This made us worried about sharp little teeth mixing with our backpacks, so we stowed the packs in the bear boxes outside.

The signs posted around VVR said that lunch was from 11:30–2:30.  Well, we showed up at 2:03, planning on a hamburger plus that promised “first beer free”,only to be told, “We’re closed.” “What?” we said.  “But the sign said ‘Lunch Till 2:30.'”  “Too bad” was the answer.  And that’s sort of how it was around VVR–a sort of laid back, “Oh, whatever” feeling.  If you are obsessed and uptight, don’t bother coming.  And if you are a vegetarian, forget it.  This is a real beer, meat-and-potatoes place.  So instead of a hamburger, Bill went to the hiker barrel and put together a great lunch from what he found there–chicken, mashed potatos and other goodies.

After that, I settled down to write journal stuff, and around 5:00, a HUGE ferryload of hikers came in.  All of them were doing the John Muir t Trail, and Tent #4 became a beehive of activity, with a race for the showers and laundry.  Poor things!  We had it easy this morning!  Many of the crowd turned up their noses at the “yucky” matresses on the bunks, and set up tents outside.  Silly fussers!  But in view of the crowds, Bill and I figured we’d better head for dinner at 5:30 sharp.  Dinner was a great green salad, then roast beef with baked potato, glazed carrots and the free beer. 

After dinner I wandered around a bit taking pictures of the fun signs posted around VVR, did some more writing, then went early to bed.  The other hikers stayed up till I don’t know when, sitting around the campfire just outside the “outdoor bar.”  Stories were being told about how several hikers died trying to get through the Sierras in June this year.  One didn’t make it across upper Evolution Creek.  Someone spotted his backpack out in the lake.  Sadly, he was still attached to it, and was very dead.   Bill and i had already checked the PCT register in the store to see if anyone we knew had made it in June–yes, two of them had!  The store owner said the ones who made it through all the snowmelt creeks and deep snow came into VVR “looking like zombies, they were so exhausted.”  But we also learned that in that violent storm a little while back, what had happened was several weather systems sort of collided with each other, right over the Sierras, and the result was a sort of “weather mayhem” for 16 hours, during which a couple of campers were killed at Vidette Meadows.  Again, we thanked God for His protection over us.  Hmmm, you may say.  “How come God protected YOU and not those other guys?”  Well, there could be any one of a number of reasons, one of which is, “Well, if you’ve been basically thumbing your nose at God and ignoring Him and wanting Him to stay out of your life, then why should you suddenly expect Him to protect you when you’ve been telling Him to get lost?”  Another consideration is, “Well, if it is true (and I believe it is, based on what God says) that this life on earth is just the beginning of an awesome, incredible life with God that goes on forever, then what’s so awful about “moving on” (dying) and going to be with God?”  There are any number of other possibilities, but those are two basic ones.  Anyway, Bill and I are not afraid of dying in some lightning strike.  We figure as long as God has work for us to do, we’ll be carrying on till it’s time for us to “go home.”