Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports 2009 Summer Trek

Day 22

I hit the trail late at about 9:30am and quickly came upon Deer Meadow which was different in the way that the meadow is located all in the forest offering a setting that you could walk right by and never know you passed the meadow. On the other hand along the trail was a brilliant garden display of numerous flowers which boasted a very tranquil setting. Moving a bit further on I noticed the canyon walls were covered in red wild flowers which is a very rare sight in my experience but as I moved on the majestic flow was hampered by some slight pain I was feeling in my foot as I walked and I entered a burn zone which had numerous down trees which required allot of climbing through bushes and awkward maneuvers. Passing down the canyon I heard a faint tune on the wind and I was curious for a moment what the hell it was but it quickly picked up as a man was sitting by the creek playing a flute. His tune was some sort of old folklore type melody that had me in a surreal sort of trance as I passed through the area with this tune playing. It made me really wish I knew how to play a flute! As I began up Leconte Canyon very dark clouds formed over head and thunder began over the Palisades to the point I was sure I was going to see heavy rain but not a drop fell. It was still very early in the day when I came upon Little Pete Meadow and my hurting foot had kept getting worse all day to the point I decided to call it quits for the day. This canyon was like the one of the night before. A strange energy was extremely powerful and despite any worries with my foot I was in the best of moods as I set camp in this wonderful location and set out to take a nice bath in the river. As I had began to bathe two does came quickly straight for me from down wind. I assumed they could smell me and thought I was a mate but as they got within about 20 feet of me they decided I was not their type and darted off in the other direction. The deer in this location were many and they were friendly as they grazed 15 feet away from me in my camp. After talking to the interesting ranger of this canyon and PCT thru hikers I had to call it a night an prepare to move on.

Day 23

As I left Leconte Canyon my foot had no pain at all and would not for the remainder of this trip which just shows you have to know when to quit. Moving up to Muir Pass was mostly a slow grind as I had 3000 feet to climb over about 6 miles. The whole way offered amazing views one after another. As I got closer to Muir Pass the water levels were extreme! Creeks were roaring and small lakes had completely over flowed their banks but the snow was not heavy enough to make for any difficult navigating. As I crossed a huge inlet to a small lake below Helen it began to rain and hail hard so I broke out my rain shell and then booms of thunder began to sound directly over head and I was out in the open above the tree line completely exposed so I thought "this is really bad" so I found a nice little nest between a couple large rocks that was comfy and dry to hide out in. Not long after I had been in here lightning struck very close by with deafening intensity! I sat and waiting for another 20 minutes but nothing threatening sounded and I could see a clearing in the clouds over Muir Pass so I decided to move on. Moving past Helen I had only to navigate easy mostly level snow fields and I neared the top of the pass. Reaching the top I find 3 other hikers in the hut planning to stay the night. The three were interesting to talk to and I hung out for nearly two hours and as the sun started to set they asked if I was really going to go down that day and convinced me to stay in the shelter which turned out to be a really fun experience. One man was from Oregon and had stories of travels around the world and the other two a father and his daughter were both successful thru hikers of the Appalachian Trail and were a couple goofy personalities. After an evening of jokes and fun it was time to close this day.

Day 24

I was slow to hit the trail as the father and daughter always started late also and we spent allot of time talking. It happened to be my birthday and they did a goofy birthday song which was more comical relief. But finally they got moving and it was time for me to do the same so I set out at about 10am. Moving down I couldn't help but feel a bit sad like I was leaving friends behind. It's interesting the quick bonds that can form on the trail when your all alone. It was not long though until I was walking along the shores of Wanda Lake which was a completely breath taking experience and the photos I took here remain some of my favorite from this trip. Moving quickly down the trail I began passing through the amazing Evolution Basin. One beautiful lake after another but other then to look and take pictures I did not stop. Not even for lunch as I just felt so good and the trail was all down hill 9.5 miles to my destination of the day. As I moved down the final switch backs in Evolution Valley rain began to fall steady but lightly and I came upon Colby Meadow thinking it was McClure Meadow so I set up camp and made a fire in the rain. The day was still young so I lounged around lazy and relaxed for the rest of the day putting an end to an easy and enjoyable day.

Day 25

The morning routine began like any other except as I lay in my tent eating a particularly horrible breakfast a man came walking up and I talked to him for a bit about various things before he eventually moved on and it was time for me to do the same. I took off down the trail thankfully not under assault by winged demons to the point of needing armor but the pesky bastards did what damage they could with such a small fighting force. As I came to McClure Meadow I decided to go out onto it and enjoy what views it had to offer. The morning wash out of the Eastern view made for poor viewing but it seemed very similar to Colby in every respect. Beginning to leave I engaged a few hikers in conversation and was approached by a stock train leader who needed up to date info on the snow conditions of Muir Pass. This infact was the first stock I had seen on the trail so far on this trip. Moving along I finally reached the crossing for Evolution Creek which I believe is the worst water crossing the JMT has to offer. The Rangers had posted signs about crossing 50 yards up stream where the water was not so deep but as I had got to the trail crossing a couple had just completed it and said it was not all so bad so I gave it a go and made it without much trouble. It was thigh deep and fairly swift moving but not really rocky like other creeks that add an extra challenge. From this point the trail became a long down hill slog offering many wonderful views of cascades and large canyons but when you hit bottom it remains a mostly level slog. The heat became a factor as it pounded me at this lower elevation of about 7500 feet. As I crossed the bridge officially leaving Kings Canyon National Park the heat was at it's peak but on I must push! This section of trail was irksome as some one thought it would be a good idea to pave the trail with broken up rocks so your slogging along having a hard time on this rocky trail as the landscape around you is a smooth dirt forest floor. At about 3:30PM I strolled into the Muir Trail Ranch and met the nice woman Pat that runs the operation and I eagerly resupply by dumping all the food I could replace into the hiker bins. All my lunches of cheese had to go! And go they did! I was able to switch out 3 out of 6 days of breakfast so I was doing ok. The only down side to all this was 3 young guys had got there just before me and had already cleaned the free bins out to an excessive extent. If it was good they took it! It didn't matter that they had way more food than they could possibly eat. After having long conversations with other elderly ladies that gave me interesting insight into the area I finally departed down to the hot springs to find camp but to my dismay among all the other hikers present there we also 25 native Americans there doing their traditional trips so the place was quite crowded. After asking around I talked to some guys and they let me set up in their camp. After 25 days on the trail I was eager to soak in the hot springs so off I went crossing the river and finding the springs. About 5 young Indian girls were in it as I arrived. The springs themselves were not much to look at, a pool of muddy water in the middle of a meadow but oh my! To feel that hot water was so incredibly relaxing I had to stay in the thing for about an hour. After awhile the girls had left and 4 young Indian boys came and got in and they told me about their traditions of coming to these locations and getting blessed. After a good soak the young boys and I wanted to check out the lake on the other side of the reeds that I had been told is a nice lake with mildly cold water more like a home swimming pool but as I walked to it that was probably no more than 100 feet I was having a hell of a time making it! Every bit of my energy was drained and as I stood on the shore I began getting so tired and dizzy I was almost ready to pass out. I fought the sensations the best I could and sat down with my eyes closed until I was able to get a hold of myself. After allot of thought I believe I was extremely dehydrated due to the really hot weather that day, not drinking nearly enough water and then soaking in a hot spring for an hour with no water at all! Thankfully I did not pass out as that would have been more embarrassing then anything else. Finally I returned to camp, had dinner and talked with the people I was sharing a camp with. This turned out really well for me since they were on their way out and had all kinds of goodies they wanted to empty from their packs including home made beef jerky that was so delicious!

Day 26

I got up a bit late most likely due to having company and I began making breakfast which required actual cooking today since I had taken a freeze dried egg meal from the Muir Trail Ranch but it turned out to be a powder to cook up. After some nice chatting with the others in camp they set off before me and I eventually hit the trail. Right away leaving the area the trail was very steep and my full pack load was a major burden but I was able to press on at a steady pace as my morale was still high from getting rid of most of my nasty food. As the trail climbed it was more and more of a horrible slog. The trail was exposed on endless switch backs. Hot, dry and the flies were absolutely horrible! After a nice chat with a young lady I manged to reach the top as thunder clouds started to boom a bit off in the distance and I reached Senger Creek and made the first lunch I had enjoyed in awhile despite the onslaught by flies and winged demons working together. I searched the area and attempted to find the tree an older woman at the Muir Trail Ranch had told me about. A tree with a 150 year old carving in it of a man wearing a top hat but I did not find it until I had resumed and crossed the creek. Hmm I thought. Not exactly the art work I had pictured but interesting anyway. As I climbed higher the cloud cover had compounded and now was complete and I felt my stomach cursing me for eating those nasty eggs this morning and it was not long before they had me taking a break just as it started to sprinkle. The rain never came down too hard but continued lightly as I reached the Sallie Keyes Lakes. Although I was sharing the lake with a number of other hikers I only saw them each once and the place maintained an unusual level of peace as the rain had stopped and the clouds had begun to break up. The lake itself was showing a beautiful reflection as it's waters were completely still. The Winged demons were not horrible but bothersome and they had me retire to my tent after finishing camp chores and I prepared myself for a nice dinner that I had gotten from the free buckets. At about 8PM I heard drops falling and was surprised to look out and see that the sky had completely clouded up again. As the sun set I was taken back! My god I thought! The entire sky was burning with a solid color of orange! One solid color! I wanted to get out of my tent and go to the end of the lake were I knew an award winning photo could be taken but the falling rain and winged demons on the side of my tent made me just stay and enjoy this majestic sight from the comfort of my bed.

Day 27

Packing up was a bit more wet then normal as the rain had continued until about 5am which is a rare event in these mountains. Resuming the trail I enjoyed the beautiful sets of lakes as I left Sallie Keyes and passed by Heart Lake which was a charming little lake that not only was a heart by shape but had a large rock peak over looking it that was also shaped like a heart. It was not long before I was conversing with more interesting hikers before reaching the summit of Seldon Pass which was a wonderful one offering a stunning view of Marie Lakes and I ate lunch on top with a few other hikers I chatted with. The hike down was pretty standard until I reached the bottom and took a break after fording a major creek. As I sat a girl came by and proceeded to fill her bear barrels with water. I asked her if she was washing in them which was an idea I had not thought of. It would save the weight of bringing a kitchen sink. I talked to her for awhile and she turned out to be a Student Conservation Association crew leader and we talked a bit about trail work which I had been wanting to do. Once back on the trail this section began through the trees and when it was time to stop I found a very nice camp site with a comfortable bench to sit on by the fire and closed out another day.

Day 28

Waking early I found that my super nice camp site was anything but! Looking by my head where my camera bag was sitting I found it completely covered in some kind of tiny orange larva like things! Ack!! I thought! What the fuck!? Apparently they were small enough to climb through the netting on my tent and they were every where! Wile packing up I did my best to clean them all out and hit the trail which continued to be a viewless slog and when I began climbing up to Bear Ridge I ran into a guy that I talked to for about 30 minutes that told me many well, interesting stories... This day continued to be mostly a slog as I dropped off Bear Ridge and began up once again toward Silver Pass. I ran into a poor english speaking French man that told me he never has a camp fire because it's too dangerous which I disagree. continuing up the hill I felt like a machine and was blasting up it but this perhaps proved to be a mistake as when I reached the last trail junction up to the pass my shin was starting to hurt me allot and I had already learned not to push it any further so I decided to stop here which had a very nice camp site. After setting up I had a nice bath in the near by creek which was not nearly as cold as many of the other creeks, did laundry and then used a wet towel to clean out the rest of the little orange buggers in my tent. Ate a nice dinner by the fire and closed the day.

Day 29

Getting ready the pain in my leg was gone and I began the climb up Silver Pass. After enjoying many beautiful sights along the way and talking to more hikers I reached the top and wow! This time I was alone on top and this pass had to be one of the nicest the JMT offers! Ritter and Banner dominated the distant horizon and there was a certain romance associated with those mountains for some reason. Perhaps all the research I had done about them and also visiting the Reds Meadow area just a week before I left and seeing them then they were the only sight that I had seen before since I left Wallace Creek! Dropping down was a wonder with one beautiful lake after another and talking to more wonderful people along the way. Reaching the junction to Cascade Valley I took it by mistake since the sign was a bit odd and it said Purple Lake in that direction but I had not gone far before I realized my mistake. As I climbed toward Tully Hole my leg was starting to hurt again but I could not find a place to camp until I reached Tully Hole and it had a nice spot where I talked to a group of hikers for awhile. Just before setting up camp a very large group of young kids came by and it turned out they were from another state and were doing the JMT in 2 sections in 2 years. They looked for a place to camp and ended up going right out into the middle of the meadow which must have been hell as the winged demons were terrible here! I felt bad I had not offered them to stay in camp as it was quite large. As I sat by my fire and ate a couple flying ashes burned some good sized holes in my shirt.

Day 30

As I began the climb out of Tully Hole I was glad that my leg was not giving me any trouble. I burned through the switch backs without a problem since it was so early and I was rested up. The views were spectacular as I moved along through beautiful sites once more. Lake Virginia showed itself to be one of the more beautiful lakes I had passed in awhile and I made ok time as I moved on and down to the beauty of Purple Lake chatting it up with lots of people along the way. As I left the shores of Purple Lake I was irked that the trail started to climb allot. Purple Lake was allot higher then where the trail was going but for seemingly no reason I just kept climbing and climbing and it began to take it's toll on me as I ran low on water. This section had been the longest stretch of the JMT with no water even though it was only 5.4 miles. Moving along one stock train after another began to pass me. A product of Reds Meadow I thought and slogged down to Duck Creek for a late lunch as it began to sprinkle a bit. As I slogged on I ran into and had a chat with a couple nice ladies for awhile about our hikes and the snow conditions ahead for them. When I ended up telling them my internet name so they could find my photos they knew who I was and although they did not say it they knew of a number of peoples dislike of me. The day began to wear thin as I trudged along and reaching Deer Creek I became really irked by the winged demons that assaulted me. They were not in large numbers but the freaks like to attack the face and drive you crazy! Slogging on the trail became a sand slog that was getting me more annoyed and more tired as I went. The trail was so dusty my shoes were white with fine dust. Reaching what I thought was Upper Crater Meadow which was my intended stop I did not see any decent place to camp so I pushed on further until I found a nice site by a creek. It had a fire pit but there was no good place to sit by it and beside me being tired the winged demons were in great number so I retreated to my tent early and cooked out my door as a hundred of them sat outside like vampires. Thoughts rang in my head "what if Chris is not there tomorrow?" "What if he is a no show?" I had arranged for Chris to come up to Reds Meadow to bring me a resupply but I found myself ahead of schedule so I had sent a message to him at the Muir Trail Ranch letting him know that he needed to come two days early but I had no way of knowing if he got my message or if he for some reason could not make it so it was all a guessing game.

Day 31

Getting up earlier then I had for weeks I decided to skip breakfast and just get down to the Rainbow Falls trail head where I had arranged to meet Chris. It was only about 4 miles to the bottom of the hill. As I approached the parking lot and slowly cars started coming into view I was scanning them as I got closer thinking nope that's not it, nope not that one, nope, nope, nope but as I walked out into it I saw his car and found him still asleep inside. Knock, knock... We went straight to the store and bought some soda and snacks. Mmmmm it has been so long! I had not had a store to buy anything from since day 10! We got a camp at Reds Meadow and went to the Cafe for a double cheese burger. Meanwhile we made some plans for what to do since it was so early and Chris suggested a day hike to Shadow Lake so we set out for it. Chris was horribly out of shape and had to sit down often on this easy hike. I did not know that the JMT actually passes along Shadow Lake on it's Western shore but I am glad we came here because our trail put us on the Eastern shore which was nicer with a view of Ritter & Banner. After relaxing by the lake with sprinkles of rain here and there we returned to camp and set out for Mammoth for some pizza and I decided to buy food because I couldn't handle anything in my resupply. Later that night I tried the hotspring showers but I found them to be way too hot to enjoy much. Better then ice cold water anyway.

Day 32

After a lazy morning Chris and I went and checked out the Devil's Post Pile and then went to see Rainbow Falls but Chris stayed in the car as he was too lazy to hike the 2 mile round trip trail. The day was pretty much uneventful until I came back from the showers to find two hikers in camp that Chris had invited to stay so I had a nice chat with them and they payed 10 dollars for the camp which helped with the 20 dollars a night to stay and I was so low on money I was going to need it! Chris needing to get home waited until 7PM to sneak out without paying and set off home.

Day 33

After another lazy morning I decide to take the shuttle up to the Devil's Post Pile trail head to cut 1.5 miles off of the days hike. Near Johnston Meadow I talked to a nice Ranger for awhile and continued the slog. This section of trail did not prove to be particularly interesting but the weather kept me guessing. Booms of thunder sounded near by and it began to rain fairly hard but not for very long at all. Reaching Rosalie Lake it began to sprinkle and I took shelter in my tent for awhile and cooked up a new type of food I had for this section and was not too thrilled with the results.

Day 34

Leaving Rosalie Lake the trail drops down to Shadow Lake where I watched two Bald Eagles fly about which were the first and as of 2011 the only ones I have seen in the Sierra. The rest of the day was an easy slog and as I reached Garnet Lake I was astounded by the incredible beauty of this lake! By far the best lake I had ever seen. As I arrived in the middle of it the rain was falling steady as I set up. Thankfully the winged demons were few and did not taint such beauty with their evil. I got up many times during the night attempting to do a proper star trail photo but I failed.

Day 35

I made a point to really sleep in this day as I was only going 2.5 miles to 1000 Island Lake. As I climbed up the switch backs the view over looking the lake was amazing yet I wanted more so I climbed out a bit to really get a view which was serene. Finally pulling myself away I move on and begin to drop down to 1000 Island Lake at about 12PM. I did not think the beauty of Garnet Lake could possibly be exceeded but it had been! The massive area that is 1000 Island Lake is Eden incarnated. The shores were lined with wild flowers and waves gently splashed on it's sandy beaches. I found a decent place to camp and went for a swim. The waters were warm and it was pure bliss to be in such a perfect place at this very moment in time. Even the winged demons were no where to be found. That night I tried once again to do star trails and failed.

Day 36

Making breakfast I had brought a can of corn beef hash so I was looking forward to a nice meal but I had not even finished emptying the can when a dog came over wanting in on the meal so I had to share. As I finalized the pack up I went down to the lake to top off my water and as I approached the shore I saw a young lady bathing in the lake. I had to stop as I was amazed at the composition that engulfed her. She was standing in perfectly glassy water and had the appearance of floating on the water. Combined with her good looks and the amazing scenery all about I couldn't help but think about what an amazing photo it would have made. All this of course was observed in around 3 seconds and I quickly took a path to the water far away from her so I would not disturb her. The day before as I swam I had done so without a shirt on which is something I never do and it had probably been over 10 years since I had. The cost was a sun burn over my body and bad on my shoulders which would be another pain the rest of the trip as my heavy pack rested on my shoulders. Leaving this lake was hard to do and the amazing view offered as you climb the trail away from it did not help. I was really glad I had decided to do the John Muir Trail from South to North since I had never seen these sights and they were making my last week amazing! The grind up Donohue was a typical one although I thought seeing Waugh Lake completely drained was an interesting sight. Heading down Donohue was a beautiful slog and I couldn't help looking up at Mt. Lyell and thinking I should be climbing it but down I go. I had cut Ritter, Banner and Lyell out of my hike because I decided I did not want to carry the extra weight of an ice axe and crampons. When I finally reached what I call Kuna Creek Meadow I found an ok camp site and set up. I tried making a fire but everything was really wet and I could not keep it going and I finally gave up on it annoyed that I had wasted so much time on it that I was not able to eat dinner before it had gotten dark. In general I was getting very bad energy from this area for some reason and it was not helped when as I lay in my tent I hear a very loud yet far off scream AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH then BAM! as a gunshot goes off and the voice is silenced. What the hell is going on in this canyon I thought?

Day 37

I got on the trail a bit earlier this morning because I was excited about getting down to Tuolumne Meadows for a burger. Lyell Canyon is probably the longest stretch of easy trail the JMT offers and I kept slogging along not taking any breaks other then to chat with a number of people as this canyon was heavily populated. Finally I exit the trail into a parking lot and find myself a bit confused. I look back and it says JMT yet I look forward and I see no indication of where the trail goes from here? Frustrated I just start walking down the road out of the parking lot and I see a trail following along side it so I decide to take that to get off the road. Finally I had had enough and needed to sit down for a few minutes as I had been hiking for hours with no break. As I hit highway 120 I had noticed that the trail I had taken was indeed the JMT. Going to the grill the place was packed and I got my food talking to a few people as I waited. I was lucky enough to be joined by an interesting fellow and had a nice chat with him for a long time until it was finally time to go. Walking down the road to the Cathedral Lakes trail head I cross by a trail with a sign saying Cathedral Lakes so I say screw it and take that and once again this turned out to officially be the JMT. Reaching Cathedral Lakes I set up a nice camp and took a bath in what was once again warm water then I sat down for a great dinner as I had bought a can of chili, a block of cheese and a bottle of soda from the Tuolumne Meadows store. Generally my morale was really high as it had been a great day and a great night free once again of winged demons. It had seemed they finally were gone for the season and sadly my trip was coming to an end. A very important note that I have forgotten along the way is that my foot was bothering me each day and this actually had been the worse so far. My attempts to rub it actually made it worse and I was becoming worried about it as my shoe had a break down of the rubber in some way that made it so it was like I had a rock in the center of the primary pad of my foot behind my toes. This was causing some swelling which would get worse throughout the day then be ok in the morning but today was the worst it had felt and I was near limping at this point. This fact did not serve to dampen my morale at all though.

Day 38

As I started out I was worried that this morning my foot was feeling like it would by the end of the day but push on I did. As I took the junction to Clouds Rest I stopped and talked to a couple people camped here for over an hour and I was happy to see a bathroom I could use as I was a bit worried about my TP supplies anyway. Resuming the trail I encountered a group of 3 guys near the summit of Clouds Rest and they said they planned to stay the night up there. At first this disappointed me because I was hoping to have the summit to myself but they took up a spot out of sight and I only even saw them when I went over and talked for a bit. Clouds Rest itself proved to be the most beautiful summit I had ever climbed! In every direction is an amazing sight and to make it better a storm was moving in from the South which put on a unique sunset which was breath taking! I set up my bed right next to the cliff and enjoyed a wonderful night.

Day 39 Tuesday August 4th

I awoke on this final day of my journey. The thought that this night I would be sitting back at home was not real nor desired. All the sights I had seen, all the difficulties I had over come all led to this inevitable finish line and the declaration of victory. Or was it? The morning was a windy one from the still mounting storm to the South and as I ate breakfast my sleeping bag took off over the cliff but lucky for me it got caught and I was able to retrieve it. Working my way down the trail and closing in on the junction to Half Dome I passed up the sources of water thinking there would be another but I was mistaken. Of course as I began up the Junction to Half Dome it was a steady crowd of people going up. Since I had come this far I was passing up all the day hikers even as I wore my full gear. Making my way up I had spent a good deal of time chatting with a group of people and since all I had was about 1/4th of a liter of water a woman that had extra was nice enough to give me a bit more so I had a half liter. Not exactly the best thing when your fighting your way to a summit after a night of limited water as it was on Clouds Rest. Finally reaching the cables I decide to drop my pack and make for the summit. The going was slow as it was single file up the cables and it would stop constantly. A fact that I did not enjoy since it was steep enough that my shoes would slowly slide as I stood on the rock. A young girl behind me was crying with fear. I told her not to panic and tried to give her some encouraging words. Amazingly she made it all the way to the summit. On top I found it was just covered in people! The view was amazing but not as good as Clouds Rest. I spent a good amount of time sitting on the edge as others called me crazy. One of the guys I spent time talking to had brought a kite to fly on the summit which made for a different experience on an alpine peak. At 12:30 I decided I should head back down since I was on a schedule to meet my family at the bottom. I took to climbing outside the cables and running backwards repel style all the way down which freaked many people out as I went but was definitely the highlight of climbing Half Dome! Reaching the bottom in less then 10 minutes and retrieving my pack I laughed as I heard a guy telling another "some guy just ran down the cables! I didn't know you could do that!". As I made my way back down the trail I was hurting for water and even though I was hurting for a break also I kept going with nothing but water on my mind. Finally I crossed a tiny trickle in a mud puddle which was like finding gold. Slogging down the switch backs was taking it's toll as it was nearly 8000 foot of altitude loss for this day and as I reached the foot bridge below Vernal Falls I was startled at the fact that there was probably 100 people there. I had told my family to meet me at the large mileage sign at the start of the JMT which I figured was an easy marker for them but as I got there no one was there. I waited for a bit and chatted with a few tourists before I decided to go get on a shuttle and find a pay phone to try and call them but as I walked across the bridge to the shuttle I spotted them in an odd location searching for me. So my adventure this year came to an end and back home I went which was not a pleasant prospect considering at 11PM it was hotter then the hottest part of the day in the Sierra! It did not take long upon returning to confirm what I feared. That instead of rejuvenating me with new life to function every day it instead further diminished my compatibility with American society. The dominating question in the end was the same one I began with. What comes next?