Week 12 on the trail

1000 Miles - Yahoo!

This week I've been wading through more raging rivers, I've passed the 1,000 mile marker, and I have escaped from the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains. Crossing rivers continues to be an exercise that requires utmost concentration. It's surprising how strong the force of the flow can be, and any trip or stumble could be disastrous. Major river crossings are planned for early morning, when snow melt is lowest, and hence flow slowest, but this is not always possible. In these cases, rivers are never crossed alone - it's definitely a case of "the more the merrier" if someone has to be rescued after falling and possibly being swept down river! The thousand mile marker was reached, which meant that the end of the Sierra Nevada mountain range was only 20 miles further on.  Sonora Pass, at 10,000 feet, had to be crossed, then it was down the other side to Kennedy Meadows North for resupply and a first shower in 8 days. Stopping for a break at the top of Sonora Pass I saw what was to be my last sighting of a fluffy marmot, but I did get it on video. Then it was down through more snow, to the Sonora Pass trail head where, to save us an 8 mile road walk, three of us hitched a lift to Kennedy Meadows North. The guy who picked us up was an electrical contractor who had decided to take a few months off to go gold prospecting in the area. Back in the gold rush in the 1800's, large gold deposits were discovered, and some remain to this day. So we all squeezed into the back of his van, which was full of all his contracting paraphernalia, plus a bed, cooker, fridge and TV! It was cramped, but we were glad of the lift.

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