Day 7 - Setting Up for Muir Pass — Walking People Out of Poverty

Start Time 6:55 am

End Time 3:00 pm

Start Mileage 827.5

End Mileage 836.3

Distance Walked Miles 8.8

Elevation Gain Feet 2569

Today, we planned a shorter day to set us up for going over Muir Pass in the morning.

We were on the trail by 6:55 am and only had a mile to walk before stopping for breakfast. As far as walking goes, this was the best part of the day as it was relatively flat or downhill. The bonus was the amazing trees I saw as we wandered through the forest and I hope you enjoy the pictures below.

After a relaxing breakfast, it was time to get back to work as the trail from here on in was only going one way and that was up!!

We started and all realized this was going to be a difficult day. The upside, however, was the magnificent scenery we were encountering and hearts and spirits were overflowing with what we were seeing.

At this point the climbing wasn’t that severe, however, the heat was causing problems. One of the negatives I haven’t talked about is the dryness in your throat from a combination of heat and altitude. You just cannot drink enough as 30 minutes later you are dry again.

We stopped at a shaded area for lunch and I took advantage of the warmer weather and breeze to dry out the fly sheet of my tent. I woke up at around 1:30 am to the sound of a light pitter pattering on my tent, and although it didn’t last it was enough to dampen the fly of my tent.

After lunch was the most difficult part of the day as we had a steady climb in hot weather. Most of the steps were up but there were a few, short, sections that were level for a few feet but they didn’t last!

One thing I should mention is that for most of the climb, we were accompanied by a spectacular river that was cascading down the valley. It was quite impressive.

On the way down I met a delightful young woman and we chatted for a few minutes. It turned out the young lady was from Norway but was of Rwandan descent. Anyone who knows me will recognize I have an affinity for the Rwandan community.

The young lady was called Alliance and her trail name was Goat, like most Rwandans I know had a lovely smile. It was a very pleasant meeting and then it was back to climbing the mountain.

Dan and I were trying to hurry to the campsite as we knew space would be at a premium but were caught by a young Canadian woman, Claire, who recognized Huckleberry and I were Canadian due to the Maple Leaf on my cap. The young lady originated from Quebec but now lived and worked in Colorado. We knew we were not going to beat Claire to camp but felt confident Woody would reserve us a couple of spots.

I did advise Claire to ask Woody if there were any spare spots so she wouldn’t be forced higher up the mountain. There’s nothing worse than being forced to climb extra miles at the end of a long, arduous day.

Huckleberry and myself were the last to reach camp at 3 pm and immediately set up our tents, and got fresh water. We saw Claire setting up her tent and invited her to join us for dinner if she was interested.

After getting my tent and sleeping mat set up I decided I would try to nap, as it had been a grueling day. Although I rested, I didn’t sleep and after 30 minutes or so I decided to do my blog, which has fallen behind.

We had a very nice visit with Claire who was a very bright, intelligent young woman with an interest in the sciences. Claire also expressed an interest in learning more about Opportunity International which I left up to Dan.

It’s now almost 8 pm and we have a big day tomorrow so it’s time for bed.