Day 14. Aug 12: Upper Palisades Lake to Bench Lake via Mather Pass. 12 Miles.

Today was a great day.
Great weather. A solitary climb to Mather Pass. Lunch with friends. A spooky walk to Bench Lake. And catching a Brown Trout.

Mather Pass, at 12,100' gives you an amazing view in every direction.  The fact that it takes a few days of sweat to get here, makes it even better.  From the top of Mather, looking south,  I could see the vast basin below.  Something red caught my eye.  Just a tiny speck of red.  It was Randy's retro red Kelty backpack and Sonoma Slim's sea-foam green shirt.  The Dynamic Duo.  They were down in the Upper Basin heading south well ahead of me.  We were like the tortoise and the hare.  I am faster but they are always ahead of me.  I broke decorum and let out a loud yell.  I saw them stop in their tracks.  Later at lunch Randy said he guessed it was me in my once-white shirt.

Daybreak

Climbing to Mather Pass

The Upper Basin.  Headwaters of the Kings River, Middle Fork

Randy and Sonoma Slim, the Dynamic Duo

I caught up to the Dynamic Duo at a stream crossing well down the Upper Basin.  They represent one unique aspect of long range hiking: camaraderie through a shared experience.  Though I was a solo hiker in this vast space, it was reassuring to meet the same good folks from time to time along the trail.   I first met them at the Muir Ranch resupply on Day 10. We crossed Evolution Creek at the same time, then I saw them arrive at Evolution lake at sundown, later atop Muir Pass, again at the Bishop Pass trail junction, and then again today.  Randy was a horse-shoe'r from NH and SS was on his 5th JMT trip as Randy's friend and guide.  Today, I was halfway through my lunch and they bid me farewell.  I would lap them again before crossing the Kings River.

After crossing the Kings river and a steep 800' climb I came to the Bench Lake trail junction.  Bench Lake was on my bucket list for various reasons:
1.  It was a change of pace from the JMT campsites.
2.  It was said to have good fishing.
3.  And it was a key location in the true account of a NP Ranger who goes missing in 1996.
This true story is told in a great book; The Last Season.  It is a must read for anyone who has hiked the eastern Sierras.

Looking back east from the Bench Lake trail

I eagerly set off down the two mile trail to Bench Lake.  Then it got kinda creepy.  The trees got thicker and the trail began to fade into a 2" rut.  Then it got weird.  A backpack hanging from the trees.  I was now keenly aware of how secure you feel on the JMT super highway compared to this off the grid path.  I started adding GPS way-points to the map on my iPhone App to ensure I found my way back.  Then I began to track one pair of fresh footprints. A men's size 10-ish boot. Vibram sole logo. Heavy lugs and a "+" shaped tread like a rounded 1/8" tile spacer.  I was also looking for signs of bear scat, none.  Although I was feeling out of my element, I was confident that at least I was paying attention to my surroundings.

I was now at the lake and the "fisherman's trail" was wide and open.  Then, sure enough, I spotted a lone male hiker coming towards me on the trail.  We chatted briefly about this and that.  The CSI in me wanted to ask to see his boot.  But the city boy in me told him...

"If you see my two friends on your way back to the JMT, tell them to meet me at the far end of the lake."

Obviously, I am hiking alone and I had no intention of going to the far end of the lake; not now that is.  Later, reflecting on the encounter, I felt a bit cheesy about my lack of trust and the misinformation I gave to my fellow hiker.  But I also feel that when you are solo in the wilderness you need to trust your instincts and you must always keep yourself in a defensible position, whether that be from mother nature or your fellow man.

Earlier I had mentioned the Dynamic Duo as a unique and positive aspect of hiking the JMT.  I guess my encounter at Bench Lake should have been the same.  But it just wasn't the same. The location. The remoteness.  The vibe.  The instinct.

The disappearing trail

Bench Lake

I set up a nice camp with trees to block the wind but open enough to watch the sunset.  Before it got dark I was able catch a few Brown Trout.  This completed my first Sierra Slam.  All four types of trout: Rainbow, Brook, Brown, and Golden.  A Sierra Slam is suppose to take place during a single calender day, which makes it so difficult.  But I was willing to count it during a single JMT trip.  Who will know?

Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta)

Daily SPOT Messages

Morning
Dave's right here"
Latitude:37.05212
Longitude:-118.47145
GPS location Date/Time:08/12/2013 08:09:59 PDT

Message:Happy Monday. On my way up to Mather Pass. :)

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Mather Pass
Dave's right here"
Latitude:37.03124
Longitude:-118.46010
GPS location Date/Time:08/12/2013 10:20:00 PDT

Message:Atop Mather Pass!EndlessBlueSky. Totally solo

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Evening
Dave's right here"
Latitude:36.95052
Longitude:-118.46573
GPS location Date/Time:08/12/2013 17:53:59 PDT

Message:Camped at Bench Lake. Rtn 2 JMT in AM. Cheers

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