We took some group pictures in front of the meadow and said a tearful goodbye. Precious memories made there and I will miss that little corner of the world.
On the rock to the right is Jeremy's solar charger. He carried it on top of his pack and it allowed him to recharge batteries for cameras, the GPS, and the tracking device.
Such a beautiful place. Thank you, Lord, for allowing us the privilege of being there.
Our camp looked so lonely as we left. :(
We were already off the trail, and we decided to do some cross-country so as to keep our elevation and not have to descend and then come back up. We skirted around over glaciated granite, ever looking back for one last view of Mt. AA. Using the GPS we finally found the trail that led to Merced Lake, but it took a good hour and a half or so to only go about a mile. Already we were off to a slow start.
The Junipers....so incredibly beautiful!
Before long, rain started again. We were low on water, so Jonathan and I decided to use our faster pace to get ahead to the next water source and get some water filtered for the group. We made it to the stream, covered our packs, and got to work. Once we had enough filtered, Jonathan made his way back with relief. It's kind of eery being left alone in the woods, but I kept my bear whistle handy. :)
Jeremy had purchased a new water filtering system for this trip. It was a neat set-up that used gravity to pull a bag of dirty water through the filter and then into the clean bag. You can see it hanging from the tree. Keeping us all supplied with clean water became my job and I felt like I was a nurse keeping the IV drip going. Between six people drinking water and using water for our meals, we used gallons.
I believe Jonathan ended up carrying Mom's pack down to the stream. This was only the beginning of his carrying others' packs and retracing miles back and forth on the trail.
After grouping back up we took a breather and then carried on. Our goal was Merced Lake, which included a descent of about 2,000 feet and about nine miles. Somehow we managed to stretch that nine miles and make it quite a bit longer. We weren't making good time and the slow pace became concerning. Carrying a heavy pack at a slow pace doesn't make it easier, it only prolongs the amount of time you have that burden on your back.
Jeff had been on this trail several years earlier with his brother and was excited to rediscover this balancing rock. The whole rock moved like a teeter totter. Here's to Paul!
So as the day was getting long, we could see Merced Lake down in the distance. Honestly, it didn't seem far away at all. We were excited to be getting closer, but the endless switchbacks down the side of the mountain seemed to never make our destination within reach.
I love this picture of Jeff. I wrote that Dad had met Jeff through his AA research and collecting. Dad and Jeff have corresponded a lot over the last year and a half or so and were able to meet in person last summer. It wasn't until the Friday (Day 1) that we met up to head to YNP that Jeremy, Jonathan, and I met Jeff. As much as Dad had told us about Jeff, I'm sure each of us wondered how spending eight solid days together with a "stranger" would work out (us strange to Jeff and he strange to us!). Well, from the get-go it was perfect. Jeff fit right in with our family. He is joyful, easy going, has an optimistic outlook, a great sense of humor, and loves to laugh. He has so much knowledge of the Yosemite Valley, flora and fauna, John Muir, Ansel Adams, and the Sierras. I called him a walking encyclopedia and enjoyed so much learning bits and pieces from him. We were all so glad that Jeff was able to join us on this trip, for the memories made would not have been so dear without him.
So carrying on with what turned out to be the longest day of our trip.... You can see the spot of lake and what I believe is the back of Half Dome in setting sun. It was gorgeous, but we were in trouble. We still had a long ways to go down and that lake just didn't seem to be getting any closer. Hiking in dim light is difficult, hiking in pitch black is near impossible.
We finally got down to a level point in the trail and thought that the majority of the switchbacks and rocky trail were done. According to the trail signs we thought that we only had about a half mile or so to go. Dad said we would camp at the Twin Bridges a couple of miles before Merced Lake. We all felt at our limits, but Mom especially so. She readily gave up her pack and Jonathan and I had a short tiff over who was going to bear the weight. Jonathan was already so overloaded. I felt confident that with less than a mile to go and level trail I could make it, so Jonathan strapped Mom's pack onto mine. I keeled a bit under the 75 pounds or so. Remember the 1/3 weight rule? Yeah, my max should have been 40 pounds. But carry on we must and I found some gumption to take off.
Jonathan and I set out at a quick pace, only wanting to get to our final destination and get the weight off our backs. We just wanted to be done. It was getting very dark, we had not had supper, we didn't want to take the time to stop for a snack or even to drink water. We just wanted to be done. We were sure we could get to camp shortly, get things set up for the others, and lay our weary heads to rest.
That flat trail didn't last long. We were very quickly back on continual zig-zags, with legendary trail work at our feet. In the early Yosemite years trail crews had built an amazing trail, laid so well with cobblestone so as to keep the trail through the winter and spring snow and rains. But at night, in the dark, with hiking poles getting stuck between rocks, with jello-y legs and unsure footing, with constant descent, empty bellies, and overweight burdens on our backs? We used our flashlights and headlamps, but it was at times very difficult to follow the trail. I hated that riffraff, but at the same time was thankful when it was there because it told us that we were indeed on the trail.
As Jonathan and I carried on, we had the sickening feeling that we were not going to find camp at the earlier spot Dad had determined, but that we were going to end up going all the way to Merced Lake. We were sickened, too, because we were concerned about the others behind us, knowing that when we had left them, they were already at their limits. Mom's eyesight is not the best in the dark and that was equally concerning. At any time, someone could twist an ankle on the riffraff. Jeff's knee was not well after his incident with Molly.
After what seemed like endless eternity, we made it off the switchbacks, to flat trail, and to the Merced River. The trail signs indicated that we were still .8 miles from the Lake, but we could go no farther. We threw the packs down, sat down, guzzled water, and dug out the satellite phone. No signal. It was 10pm. I was ready to set up tents in the middle of the trail, but Jonathan went on a few paces and ran into a ranger station. As providence had it, a maintenance guy just happened to be there that night. He said we could pitch our tents there and also allowed us to fill up our water bottles with his filtered water supply. He seemed to sense our dire circumstances and said to wake him up if the rest of our group was much more delayed and that he could radio out for help.
Jonathan and I were beat. We were sickened to discover that we had four of the five water bottles between the three packs, as well as the water filtration system. We wanted to call Amy or Chris to have them check on the tracking device to see where the rest of our family was, but we could get no satellite signal for the sat phone. We knew that the remaining water bottle with Jeremy had only a slight bit of liquid in it and that we had easily left the group two hours prior. We also had two of the three tents, as well as three of the sleeping bags. Sinking hearts, and fear for the well being of our loved ones.
Somehow adrenaline kicked in and I got to work setting up tents, pads, and sleeping bags with the hope that the others would make it down the trail and be welcomed to their awaiting tents and beds. While doing so, I saw a beady yellow light moving around in the distance, then there was a second with it. It was too high to be a small animal. I freaked and yelled to Jonathan that I saw EYES. Much to our relief, we then heard a whinny from Kyle's horse, not a bear! Jonathan stoked the fire that Kyle had left. It ended up being somewhat of a guiding light that could be seen from high up the trail.
We kept calling out the Clark Whoop, but to no avail. Finally we saw a light way up through the woods. Jonathan grabbed the water bottles and ran up the trail, hollering out and receiving whoops in return. I sure don't know how he did it because my legs were walking jello. I tried to follow behind and finally caught up to Jonathan returning down the trail. He had Jeff's pack on his back and said, "It's just Jeff." Oh how my heart sank again. I was so glad that he had found Jeff, but it made me all the more concerned for Dad, Mom, and Jeremy. By this time it was 10:30-11. Jeff had tried to keep up with Jonathan and I when we split from the group, but eventually got left behind on his own.
Jonathan gave me Jeff's pack and then went back up to try to find the rest of the family. I tried to hobble up the riffraff some more to meet Jeff. My was he a sight for sore eyes, but a sorry sight at that. He was hobbling along so on his bum knee, had taken a fall at one point, and had to lay on the trail a while trying to get the energy to get up again. I helped Jeff get down to our camp, and got him settled in his tent. He was too tired to even eat a bite.
Meanwhile, Jonathan arrived back down with Dad's pack. He had found the rest, but they were still up quite a ways. I tried to follow Jonathan up again to meet them. I was alone on a dark trail, constantly scanning for flashlights, hearing noises around me, and with my bear whistle in my mouth. Yes, I was about to freak out. I finally trudged up enough and found a sight that brings me to tears. There was Jeremy, guiding Mom baby step by baby step, shining as much light as possible on the trail. He was telling her exactly where to place footing, what to step over, what to watch for. So tender and caring, and Mom so determined to get to safety.
We finally made it to our camp. All six of us in one place. So very thankful for God's protection on would could have ended up being a very different night. It was after midnight. We had been hiking for over fourteen hours. Despite our desire to do nothing but crash in our tents, our bellies protested and we heated up just enough water to hydrate a warm meal. That chicken teriyaki never tasted so good. Jonathan, my new hero, was given a double serving all to himself (as Jeff had gone to sleep without a bite). He must have added another 4-5 miles with all of his ups and downs on the trail at the end of our day. I think he slept as he ate.
I am humbled that God looked past some very unwise decisions that we made. I am thankful that Kyle happened to be at the ranger station that night. I am thankful that no one was terribly injured. I am thankful that Jeff still claims to know this crazy family after what we put him through. I am thankful for two amazing brothers who went over and above to help care for Dad and Mom. I am thankful. I am forever changed because of the bonding experiences we shared on Day 6, our longest day in the Sierras.
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