Day 3: Lyell Canyon to Garnet Lake

Boy, Lyell Canyon gets cold at night! I woke up to frost on the ground and on my tent. I woke up around 6:30am and began to pack up camp. My knee was so tight! I had to do some serious stretching to get it to loosen up. I'll admit it did hurt but with me being stubborn, I decided to not worry too much about it.

Jeff was still in his tent but I figured I would get a head start. I was excited on this particular day because I would be going over my first legit mountain pass and would also be heading into the Ansel Adams Wilderness!

Climbing out of Lyell Canyon

I began the ascent up to Donahue Pass from Lyell Canyon. The views looking back at the canyon were absolutely breathtaking. I stopped for a little bit to eat a granola bar and watch the sunrise in the canyon. Here I met another hiker named Jeff, he was from Bend, Oregon and was doing the entire JMT in 7 days! He was on Day 2 and was planning to make it past Reds Meadow Resort that day. That was almost 30 miles away! We chatted for a bit and he continued on his way. I sat and thought to myself how one could enjoy a thru-hike when going so fast? How do they stop to enjoy the scenery? Well, to each their own I guess.

I continued up the trail and Jeff (the one I had camped with) caught up to me. I could already tell he was a better hiker than I was, especially going uphill. He continued on, maybe I would see him on top of Donahue Pass.

I reached a high alpine lake just below Donahue Pass and decide to refill on water and eat a few Pop Tarts. Pop Tarts were my savior on this hike, Brown Cinnamon Sugar flavor, of course.  I could look up the trail and see small specks of hikers heading up to the pass, it looked like they were miles away. But in reality I was less than a half mile from the pass.

High alpine lake looking West. 

Lunch spot below Donahue Pass looking North. Lyell Canyon in the distance.

I threw my pack back on and headed up the pass, and in no time I had reached the top to find Jeff and few other hikers hanging out. I sat down to admire the view, then all of the sudden, BZZ! BZZ!. My phone received about 4 texts from my dad asking if I was ok. I guess my SPOT Messenger emails didn't go through the night before. I texted him back letting him know I was okay and would make camp at Garnet Lake tonight. For it just being a text message I was really bothered to have to use my phone for communication. I guess that's what a few days in the wilderness will do!

On top of Donahue Pass looking South.

After eating a bit, I started to head back down the trail, hiking with a female solo hiker I met on Donahue Pass. Erica was an experienced hiker from Denver and was very nice to talk to. Shortly after we started heading down the pass I heard a small scream. I rushed back and all she was saying was "Please be okay, please be okay". I guess she tripped and hit her knee on a rock, she seemed fine and we continued on our way. I'll admit I was a bit panicked for a second, worrying that she could have been seriously hurt, luckily she wasn't though.

We descended into the Ansel Adams Wilderness and stopping for water and quick soaking of our feet in a small pond. Erica had this awesome umbrella that attached to her pack to keep the sun off of her while she hiked. Very cool, and I was very jealous of it. At the pond, Erica actually found a yellow-legged Frog, I believe that they are very rare.

Stopping for some water and a quick soak.

Erica on the trail with her Umbrella. I was very jealous of it!

We caught up the Jeff, who was taking a nap under a really pretty tree in the shade. The three of us continued up Island Pass and down to Thousand Island Lake, which was absolutely beautiful with Banner Peak towering over it. This is when I learned Jeff's trail name, Frizzle. He had gotten the name while hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

A few notes on Trail Names;

1. You cannot name yourself
2. Other hikers must give you the name
3. You are allowed to reject the name if it doesn't suit you or if you feel it is derogatory. 

I kept wondering what mine would eventually be.

We stopped on the shore and ate a quick meal before continuing onto Garnet Lake. Erica's scheduled roughly matched what Jeff and I had outlined so she decided to hike along with us! The more the merrier! We had our small group which was very comforting for me.

JMT heading through the Ansel Adams Wilderness

Crazy tree we found Jeff sleeping near.

View from Island Pass of Banner Peak and Mt. Ritter

Thousand Island Lake! (there are not actually a thousand islands)

This is where my knee really started to hurt, every step was an awful pain and it was slowing me down. I had planned to camp 5 miles past Garnet Lake at Rosalie Lake. It looked like that wasn't going to happen.

View heading down to Garnet Lake. These last miles were tough.

Erica, Jeff and myself strolled into camp along Garnet Lake in the early evening. I ran to the lake to soak my knee in the cold water. It felt so good to be off of my feet but my knee pain had reached an all time high. I sat with my feet in the water and wrapped and wet bandanna around my knee. The pain was so bad I wanted to break down and cry.

We fixed dinner and had a warm beverage. Here we discussed that I was probably not going to make it to Mt. Whitney. With my knee pain and my aggressive schedule, it wasn't looking good. This was a tough pill to swallow, my brain was racing as to how I would get off the trail and where I would end up. Do I get off at Reds Meadow? Vermillion Valley Resort? Muir Trail Ranch?

I kept telling myself that I could finish the trail, then I got the best advice I could have possibly received. Jeff looked over and said "You can make it to Whitney, you can do it. Your knee will hurt really bad and it won't be fun, but you can make it. Or, you can hike the next few days with us and enjoy your time on the trail at a slower pace." It was then I realized that this journey was about more than just hiking 220 miles, it was about enjoying my time on the trail. I felt a lot better about myself now and decide to continue on for a few days and see how the knee felt then decide where to exit the trail.

We and had a great night looking up at the stars over the lake, it was absolutely beautiful. I was going to sleep well tonight.

Day Summary:

Miles Hiked: 12.4  mi
Total Miles on JMT: 45 mi                                                Day 4: Garnet Lake to Reds Meadow Resort