JMT 2016 Journal — Day 9 of 25: A Naked Man Donald Ducking in the Woods
Memorable views this day include a tree cemetery, a pair of cinder cones, and a naked man’s dong (spoiler warning: no picture of the latter)
On July 20, 2016, my friend Ovi and I started our 25 day thru-hike of the world famous John Muir Trail (JMT) in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. What follows is a day-by-day recounting of that epic adventure.
Previously: Day 8 of 25: Devils Postpile and Trail Angel’s Spoon
Thursday, July 28, 2016
(Spoiler Alert: while there is a story about a naked man in this installment, there are no pictures. Sorry to disappoint.)
Our original plan for this day (as indicated on Ovi’s detailed spreadsheet) was to remain at Red’s Meadow and take a rest day. However, neither one of us cared for the sad patch of dirt relegated to the backpackers camp, and we also realized not hiking today would mean a 15 mile all-uphill hike the next day, to the tune of 2500 feet of elevation gain. So we decided to split the difference and do around 6 miles today, and call it a nero day.
Unlike yesterday’s rather disappointing dinner, the Mule House Cafe was stocked up on breakfast items, so I tried to stuff down as much pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and OJ as I could, knowing we’d be back to dehydrated meals again for a while. My up-and-down appetite was only so-so today, but I made the most of it before we hit the trail around 9:30 am.
Just outside of Red’s Meadow, we came across a curious sight. The forest before us had been shorn almost uniformly, with thousands of tree trunks snapped off about 10–12 feet off the ground. It was as if a giant hand wielding an equally improbable scythe had cut down acres of trees.
At first we thought this was another wildfire aftermath, but that didn’t explain the almost uniform height of the remaining stumps. We later found out through other hikers that this devastation was caused by a freak storm 5 years earlier. Although I suppose a fire may have also been involved, either pre or post storm.
Much like the burnt forest from day 2 of the hike, it was encouraging to see nature rebounding from a natural disaster, with new growth already springing up everywhere. Many of the evergreen saplings looked like perfectly symmetrical Christmas trees.
The trail kept climbing upwards, and we soon entered a more established pine grove. Eventually we found ourselves looking out at a pair of cinder cones (steep conical hills surrounding a volcanic vent) called the Red Cones. Geologically speaking, these features are quite young, having estimated to have erupted as recently as 5000 years ago. In retrospect, I wish we had taken the spur trail to hike to the top of the cones, experiencing the crunch of the red pumice underfoot. But it was a hot day, and we were focused on putting in minimum mileage, so we kept to the JMT.
We had lunch at Upper Crater Meadow, where we encountered a large family with multiple young kids who were extremely loud. I was conflicted when they eventually ended up camping near us at the junction of Deer Creek Crossing. While I appreciated seeing parents bringing their kids into the wilderness to introduce them to the joys of backcountry camping, I was annoyed that they didn’t offer any supervision or guidance to them. The kids were acting in an obnoxious manner, screaming and shouting and throwing rocks, with no regard for the other people camping nearby.
Since we were camping at under 10,000 feet, campfires were allowed. Wanting to take full advantage of our nero day, we decided to gather firewood for later that night and enjoy a campfire for the first time on this hike. I also set up my portable hammock, taking a nap that was unfortunately interrupted multiple times by the aforementioned kids.
Later in the afternoon, we both decided to do some laundry, despite having used the coin-op washing machines at Red’s Meadow the previous day. Far from cleaning our clothes, I think those ancient appliances actually made matters worse by distributing the dirt and grime evenly across all our garb. Dumping out our food supplies, we took turns going down to the creek to fill our respective bear canisters with water, the other person standing guard over the piles of food to keep opportunistic critters away. After adding a bit of biodegradable Castile soap (I used the ubiquitous Dr. Bronner’s) to the “tub,” I set about washing my few articles of clothing.
Mindful of Leave No Trace practices, I dumped the used water a few hundred yards away from the creek, and hung my clothes to air dry. Earlier, we had noticed a middle-aged couple camping near us, behind some trees. At one point, the gentleman disrobed and walked buck-ass naked to the creek to bathe, his “tentpole” dangling in the wind. Back at camp, he put on a t-shirt and nothing else, Donald Ducking it while going about his camp chores. So, yeah, a far cry from the secluded, quiet campsites we had been used to.
Journal Entry, 7/28/2016
While having dinner, a doe walked through our campsite, stopped to look us over, then continued on her way down to the creek.
As dusk approached, we lit our fire and enjoyed the crackle of the logs and the familiar scent of campfire smoke. Another hiker (not Nature Man) wandered over and joined us for a bit, chatting about his experiences on the trail. Ovi and I had also planned on doing some star gazing later, but once again we were foiled by incoming clouds at night.
When you’re hiking for so many hours a day, without the routine of a typically busy modern life, your mind has plenty of freedom to wander and ponder all sorts of esoteric topics. At the time of this hike, I was still fairly active as a freelance comic book writer, so often times during the day’s hike I’d think about various story ideas. I’d let them percolate in the back of my mind until they congealed into a somewhat workable premise. This night, while journaling, I jotted down a couple of the ideas I’d been toying with. One was a rather dark and cynical sci-fi tale that I’m not sure I’ll ever do anything with. But the other was something that related to my experiences on the trail, and I still think there’s a germ of a good idea there. Maybe one day I’ll try to flesh it out more.
Journal Entry, 7/28/2016
Story idea: young adult graphic novel set in a post-apocalyptic world, but the opposite of the dystopian dust bowls we’re used to seeing. It’s a world where nature has reclaimed her domain, everything is lush and green. Very few humans remain, and they live in harmony with nature, having abandoned most forms of technology. An inquisitive young girl pours over old books and learns about the JMT. She decides to find and hike the route, despite warnings from her tribe. Maybe she’s accompanied by a friend? Or perhaps a dog? A classic man vs. nature story, her challenges are all related to her environment. Bear encounter, lightning storm, altitude sickness, etc. Ultimately about perseverance and the spirit of adventure and discovery.
The short day of hiking, capped off with a perfect campfire, had my spirit soaring as I headed off to my tent. It would be our one and only time making a fire during the whole trip.
