The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. JM
16 July 2010
"Connie, we're up and moving!" yelled Darlene my way at 6am. She and Al were already packed and ready to go. "We'll see you at Reds!" The mosquitoes were really bad this morning and they were an incentive to get up and moving as well.
And with that started my lone hike down to Reds Meadow. I was not in a good mood, and the wet and rainy weather didn't help any. What would have happened had I fallen into a creek and there was no one there to help me? Although I at one point caught up to the two within viewing range, I let them get ahead of me so that I could at least finish the short hike in peace.
This was a pretty section. Although mostly downhill, there were a few small uphills as well.
I recognized the area north of Mammoth Lakes. This area was studded with steep, narrow canyons and rushing waters. I recognized the crags. But once I got near the Devil's Posthole signs to Reds Meadow were misleading. Where was I to go? It turned out others had the same difficulty finding their way, when in fact all we needed to do was follow the horseshit uphill. That part wouldn't have been so bad, but it began to drizzle an hour from the meadow and my rain gear was packed deep and low. Another couple right behind me was also confused by the signs but helped me find the way.
Needless to say, I was not in a good mood for most of the morning. I was upset for being deserted, left alone in the lingering drizzle, and then the last half mile to the resort was poorly marked. (And I wasn't the only one with navigational problems!) I couldn't get to Reds soon enough to through off my pack, dry out, and warm up with decent coffee.
One of the first things Darlene told me when I met her at Red's was that she was in a bad mood, too. "Neither am I!" I retorted, which seemed to shock Darlene. I was in no mood to hear her reason, but I soon learned why. Her mood was validated: half of her resupply food was missing from her package, and whoever opened the package replaced the loot with worthless old art books.
And then she told me the inevitable: "Al"s dropping out" she later said. What conversations took place in her tent last night that provoked Al to decide to drop out now? I liked him and would miss his absence, and seeing him arrive at Reds wet and tired an hour after I had arrived saddened me.
I sat inside the restaurant for a long time just drinking coffee. It seemed to take me a while to warm up from the cold morning. Al later joined me, ordering a large stack of pancakes called the "Backpacker." The grill got a steady flow of customers, many of them through-hikers.
I liked the employees at Reds. Service was friendly and fast, prices were reasonable, and they catered to backpackers and hikers. No one gave me trouble for lingering in the restaurant most of the morning. "We're used it it!" said one blond server. And Tarri, the cashier at the store, was just as friendly. She later served me four beers (two each) that Darlene and I drank inside.
All of my batteries got recharged, which took most of the morning/early afternoon. I didn't talk with Ray as I wanted Ray and Darlene to have some privacy. Half of Darlene's resupply box was missing and the food contents were replaced with old books. The personnel at Reds claimed they were not at fault. Ray was able to get her other edibles, but the mystery of the missing foods remain.
Being at Red's for the day, however, was relaxing, so my bad mood didn't last. The first thing I did was order a bottomless cup of coffee and sat inside the restaurant to warm up. I had plenty of resupplied food and thus didn't order anything else. Candy, chocolate and Darlene's Fig Newtons didn't appeal to me.
A lot of people were at Red's, both day trippers from the shuttle stopping here to eat ice cream, to PCT thru-hikers socializing in the area. The majority of the hikers were here in the early afternoon. Many, like us, were busy re-packaging their resupply packages in the space between store and restaurant. Old tree stumps served as tables that we used for our gear. I had packed more than I needed and gave the rest to Al to place in the bear box back at the trail head parking.
Ray (Darlene's husband) and Terry (Al's wife) did not arrive until 4pm. I didn't mind, as I simply enjoyed time off the trail. Darlene washed our dirty clothes and we took hot showers from the famed hot springs shower near the camp site, walking a quarter mile through a fragrant meadow full of wildflowers.
Once Al and the others got back on the shuttle bus back to Mammoth, Darlene and I were on our own. The crowds dispersed with the last shuttle bus at 7pm and the only sound of civilization were from behind the restaurant. We had a nice, intimate conversation once we were alone, the best we had on the entire trip. She graduated from the same high school I had, only five years earlier, and at a time when girls weren't given the same chances to excel athletically. Had she been able to go out for track or cross country like I did, I am sure she would have been a great runner. Nonetheless, she's done well without that extra mentoring and should be proud of her life accomplishments. She went from not much to quite a bit and has a nice, plush lifestyle now to show for all that.
There were some interesting people in this through-hiking bunch but most didn't linger. One group that we chatted with was a group from Europe consisting of an Englishman, a German and an American. The German, from Mainz, was the first person I met who brought along a full-sized Canon dSLR 50D on this trip. How did he manage to keep it from getting dunked, dropped or muddy? The carrying case alone looked like a four-pound bag strapped to his waist belt.
We ended up getting the last hotel room at the site, a corner room in a log cabin-like building behind the restaurant. The room had two king-sized beds and a shower but no TV or telephone. Hearing the news would have been nice but I need to learn to get away from all that which upsets me.
A friendly camp cat came up to us for company. I petted her, but apologized for not having any food for her. Darlene noted that she looked like she recently had birthed some kittens.
She then invited two more guys, young PCTers who asked if they could share our room for a small cost. Darlene didn't mind; for $30 they got the floors and extra pillows and were respectful of our need for quiet time. I stayed up late to read my Greyfriar's Bobby book while Darlene lay on her bed with her iPod. Once the last shuttle bus drove off at 7pm, the area became quiet, with not even the sound of rushing water nearby. This was one of the few waterless spots we had.
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