Mile 1033 to 1057.
I tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep at all last night. Searching for a reprieve from the boredom of laying in my tent, I decided to step outside. The Milky Way hung over my head and I felt as if I could reach up and touch it. I reached back into my tent and pulled out my camera. I instantly regretted sending home my tripod a day earlier, and went to look for some rocks to balance my camera on. It wasn’t an easy task, but I managed to get a few shouts. The stars were even brighter than when I was up at 12,000 feet at the Muir Hut.
When dawn rolled around, we were all ready on time for once. As we left camp, we entered a forest and proceeded to battle snow patches for the first two hours. No matter what we do, it seems like we can’t escape the snow. We are all definitely fed up with it.
The goal was to do 25 miles today and it felt good to have a challenge. It would be our longest day since the desert. Bedazzled and I were soon out in front and enjoyed periods of chatting and silence. We did 10 miles by 10:00 and were aiming to do 15 miles by 12:00.
We had heard a rumor that there might be trail magic at mile 1048 on July 14 and 15 while we were in Kennedy Meadows. A backpacker headed the opposite way on trail informed us that the rumor was true! By that time, we were only 2.2 miles from the magic. Even though we were close, those were the longest 2.2 miles of the trail. I kept checking the milage left every 10 minutes. After a little off trail detour .7 miles from the magic, we finally arrived. The setup was incredible. A grill, mini pizza oven, coolers, tables, chairs, and more. A huge thank you goes to Alan, who was the man who made all this happen. He made cheese burgers, personal pizzas, caprasi salad, humus dip, and more. There was even cold brew coffee. Never have I eaten so well on trail.
After two and a half hours, we left with full bellies and the energy to hike the remaining 10 miles.
Bedazzled and I found a campsite on the top of a mountain and are cowboy camping. There was a good sunset and we hope to get a great view of the stars. Hopefully the wind isn’t too bad.
Wow. Thank you for sharing your experience with all of us. Incredible photography. As I prepare for my own thru hike in 2018 I am still wrestling with what camera to bring. Would you mind sharing what you are using ? Safe travels !!!
Kirk
Hey Kirk, I am using the Fujifilm X-T20 with the 18-55 f/2.8-4 lens. It has been a great setup so far, and I have been very impressed by the build quality. It sits on a Capture One clip by Peak Design on the bottom my shoulder strap. It has been dunked in a river, fallen on, eaten snow and dust over the last 1,300+ miles and is going still going strong even though it isn’t weather sealed. I like the compact size of mirrorless cameras and their relative weight savings as well. I would definitely look into them. Fujifilm also makes the X-T2, which is a weather-sealed camera. I have used the Sony A7 as well and that could be an option if you like their lenses. The Sony A6X00 could be an option as well, but I don’t think Sony’s apsc lens are high quality. I previously had the A6300, which I sold to get the Fujifilm. Let me know if you have any specific questions. The camera will definitely be worth the weight. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Owen, thank you for the information regarding the camera(s). I agree, when you can capture pictures as you have, short of carrying a full size SLR, it has to be worth it !!! Thank you for sharing. Good luck on your trek. Be safe.
Kirk
I am zooming through your daily logs of the trip, your doing a nice job on your photography. I thought you were using the a6300, so I was surprised then you said here Fujifilm X-T20. I was looking at the X-T2 for this trip, it is heavier and bulkier. Are you using a shower cap over the camera on the Peak Design clip or anything? Did you notice a difference in color between the Sony and the Fujifilm ? Fuji has a sharper sensor, and yes I agree, sharper lenses then the E-series lenses.
You have done a great job overcoming your nerves in the mountains. I grew up around Alaska mountains, but have not done river crossings like what you are experiencing, great job. And again Thanks for presenting your trip. Oh, for you next Thru Hike, there is a new GoPro, Fusion, 360 image stabilized, that lets you select crops of video footage with more normal views, good picture quality, and records sounds, water proof, I think these will become great Vlog tool. Cheers.
Is that a shooting star!?
Probably an airplane