7/28/13 – 70 miles
Today we walked 13 miles, the longest day yet. It was tiring but tolerable because most of the afternoon into Reds Meadows was a gentle downhill.
We were afraid that all the good campsites at Reds would be gone so we decided to send our fastest hikers on ahead to secure a site while the rest could take their time. Deadeye and N were chosen to go on ahead of the group and they took off like scalded dogs. On the last five miles into the resort they hit a blistering 4 mph, taking only 1 hour, 15 minutes to cover the distance.
N tells the story of part of their high-speed walk: “I was trying to keep up with Deadeye and starting to get awful thirsty. I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t stop for water. Then I realized he was drinking out of his damn water bladder – he didn’t need to stop. I finaly got close enough to stop him so I could get a drink.”
They secured one of the last remaining sites and we all enjoyed hamburgers and showers before turning in. As usual everything at a backcountry resort is expensive – it cost $9 to take a shower.
Deadeye’s foot must be feeling better to hike at such a pace. That’s as fast as I walk on level sidewalks without carrying a pack. Wow!