Day 1 : Panorama Cliffs

Sunday June 29, 2014
13 Miles this morning
13 Total Miles

I got back to the backpacker camp as the sun was setting. I met a couple of guys who are also doing the JMT but they are starting from a different trailhead. Felix, Kevin, and Tommy are all great guys. It would be fun to meet up with them again in a few days.

We sat around the table in our campsite talking for a few hours. They are from Santa Barbara. 

Felix was originally from the eastern part of Germany and he can remember when he was little how they didn't have anything. They were in east Germany and the Russians kept exporting German resources. He remembers how his dad was involved in the protests just prior to the Berlin Wall coming down. 

Tommy is a middle school teacher and loves what he does. He still young and filled with hopes and dreams for his students. He is only doing part of the JMT because he is heading home to Fresnos to pack up his stuff and move it to Santa Barbara. Oh yeah, if his wife is reading this, he is looking forward to celebrating his second anniversary on July 2. 

Kevin is a fun guy. He was telling us the story of a previous trip to Yosemitr when the rangers woke him up in the middle of the night and asked him where his food was.

After dark a couple of PCT thru-hikers showed up with a six pack if beer each. They regaled us with tales of the deserts and the passes and the adventures of the  last sixty five days. Bugs, Waffles, and Room Service had left the PCT and come down to the valley because Waffles and Bugs are from I think they said Belgium and Austria. Anyway, Room Service had come with them down to the valley. 

I am not really sure what time it was when I went to bed but it had been dark a long time, maybe eleven or so. After I got settled in another bunch of people showed up and made all kinds of ruckus and kept shining their head lamps across my tent. It seemed like forever before they finally got the stuff setup and went to bed.

I woke up at four o'clock and laid around till four thirty when I got up and got to return the favor and make a ruckus while they were all trying to sleep. 

I had breakfast and was planning on stopping at the Peets Coffee in Curry Village. I changed my mind at the last minute and instead hiked straight across the valley to the beginning of the Four Mile Trail. It climbs four thousand vertical feet to Glacier Point.

The views were amazing as I climbed. The air was cool and I was in the shade until I reached the top. A young guy with his family, probably about sixteen or so asked me about my solar charger and where I was going. It was fun to tell him about my stuff and my gear. 

I stopped at the snack bar and got a drink and some ice cream. The last ice cream I'll be able to have for a few days. I stopped here at the top of the Panorama Cliffs because I got cell coverage I thought I would post this now because I don't know if I'll have any coverage for the next few days.