Day 37: To the Mountains We Go

I tried to sleep in and made it until 5:45 before unzipping my tent and heading to the lodge. I managed to eat two of the massive pancakes as part of the ‘Hiker Breakfast all-you-can-eat pancakes’.

The rest of the morning was spent tearing down camp and loading up my bag. I am carrying 8 days worth of food into the mountains so my pack is likely the heaviest it’s been since starting -- It weighs 40 lbs! Our itinerary is aggressive since our plan is to go ~200 miles to Mammoth Lakes in one push. Most people break up this section to make the carries easier. 

Next, I caught a shuttle to the trail head I left from on Saturday and ‘slack packed’ / ran the 2.2 miles up trail to a further trail head. This would save 2 miles walking with my pack later in the day. 

My friend Parker arrived early afternoon. Parker has experience in the upcoming type of terrain (snow, using ice axes, etc) and is extremely fit so I asked him to join this section. He came ready to hit the trail, despite starting his day at like 3am on a plane from Chicago to Los Angeles (and then to Kennedy Meadows).

I ordered a pizza to go and then we hit the trail with it in our packs (a good first night dinner). We hiked 11 miles and arrived at camp as darkness was setting in. 

Miles: 13.6

Total Miles: 929