Donahue to Thousand Island Lake

I started out about 5 am and ran into Ken and Theo again, they had a great campsite just on the other side of the bridge at McClure, will have to take note of that area for future trips.  The trail up to Donahue was easy except for the one deep water crossing before the top.  There were several people ahead of me who seemed to make a bigger deal out of this and I should have gotten my camera out and done a video of their various methods and difficulties.  It was some of the best entertainment.  I am not sure why they struggled but each did.  The water was thigh high due to all the snow fall we had had during the winter. I am ever so grateful I purchased a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves.  I simply changed shoes and walked across, it was nothing and they would come in handy many times over. It was amusing to watch all those who thought flip flops would somehow work. Donahue pass was easy and I encountered my first snowfield at the top making route finding a little interesting as there were many paths carved out by previous hikers. 

There was a strange box at the top of the pass for wilderness surveys which no one up there had and of which there were none in the box.  Not sure what that was for but it was worth a photo.

The other side of Donahue Pass opens up to a different kind of beauty.  Open spaces and incredible peaks.  It was a great place for lunch…. And a swim.

After about a 14 mile day and having completed both Donahue Pass and Island Pass I reached Thousand Island Lake.  It was the most picturesque place I had seen since leaving Colorado many years ago.  It must have been about 4:30 and finding a campsite was very difficult.  I managed to find a very small ledge which offered some privacy due to the large rock on the trail side. 

Unfortunately the lake itself was a bit of a tourist trap because it is accessible from other trails and not far enough from civilization.  Many groups were camped here and some had no clue as to how to behave in the backcountry. 

I was quickly advised by a mother of three kids who was camped above me on the other side of the trail about 100 yards (not feet but yards) that where I was camped was in front of “her” swimming spot and “her” water and that she and her kids would be there.  And… they were.  They spent the next couple of hours right in front of my tent in the water despite the lake being very large and the shoreline having many places for swimming.  It was the strangest thing I had ever encountered.  I have to say I truly had the feeling I was in LA on some crowded beach. 

On The Trail

I finally have time to update this blog on my great John Muir Trail adventure.  It began on August 17, 2011.  I hope to add posts every few days attempting to describe a journey that was physically, emotionally and at time spiritually challenging.  I ended up doing the trail solo.  I started out with 5 people wanting to go and ended up walking off alone.  In retrospect, It was probably the best way to go.  I had only myself to rely on and had an opportunity to go at my pace and on my schedule without worrying about someone else's wants and needs.  I met a lot of incredible people along the way and they will stay with me always.  To those on the trail forums who complain about seeing too many people out there, they missed out.  Part of what made this journey spectacular was the people who ventured to go that far, their heart and resiliance and in some cases their outwardly bizarre behavior. I loved them as much as the trail itself.

After a year of planning and 8 months of physically preparing I headed out from the Lyell Canyon trailhead. I had no idea how emotional it would be to walk away.  It was the thing I wasn’t expecting. I think I must have cried as I walked off for about 5 minutes.  It was a strange feeling leaving Jonathan, Dylan, Sean and the rest of my family behind for a month. 

The first day I had planned out to be very light only 5-6 miles and I found a great campsite on the left side of the trail near the creek.  My permit was checked twice, once by a ranger on a horse and a second time by a pair of trail volunteers. 

I met a really nice couple, Ken and Theo who were also doing the JMT and also planned to spend a month doing it.  They were going to camp at McClure Creek and head up Donahue in the early AM.

I set up a great camp about 2 miles before theirs, made a fire and went for a swim.  The evening was uneventful until much later and I had my share of entertainment watching people walk by who couldn’t see me due to my location behind a slight hill and a few well placed rocks. 

About 11 pm I was awakened by a bear trying to play hockey with my bearikade. I could hear grunts and some banging around as he/she pushed it around in the space I placed it.  I quickly discovered bears don’t like those cheap Mylar space-blankets as rattling it about sent the creature running.  It wouldn’t be my last encounter with the furry ones.