First 3 days: A Trial by Fire

Because of some neighbors being very “awake”, even after quiet hours, we couldn’t fall asleep. At our supposedly 1am wake up call, I decided to give us a bit more time and we finally woke up at 3am, after a miserable night. I could see that Damien was upset. He barely touched his breakfast, and it got me worried, especially knowing what would come on Day 1.  But I didn’t say anything and at 4am, we were out of the door, backpacks and headlamps on, ready to walk along the Happy Isle loop road to the official start of the John Muir Trail. The air was warm and with no soul in sight, it was an eerily moment for both of us. After 15min, we were standing in front of the High Sierra Loop Trail sign, with the distance of 211 miles listed at the bottom. After some obligatory pictures, we finally set foot on the JMT, with the goal of going all the way to Mt Whitney.
 
The first 2 miles to the top of Vernal Fall are pretty brutal, especially with a 30 pounds backpack. We took our first rest there and Damien tried to eat something but threw it up immediately. He was really anxious and I did my best to reassure him that it would be better later in the day. We had planned and were very excited to climb Half Dome at sunrise, which was included in our permit. However, with our late start and Damien not feeling well, I decided after a few more miles not to do it. It was an easy decision and he felt more relaxed afterwards. When we got to the HD trailhead at mile 5.6, I called my wife Anne-Cecile to give her an update and she too was happy about the new plan. That would be our last phone call for a while. Then we charged on with renewed energy, full daylight now and a chance to be ahead of our planned schedule. By the end of Day 1, instead of stopping at Sunrise High Sierra Camp at mile 12.6, we stopped at Cathedral Lake at mile 16.6. We immediately took a dip in the lake and really enjoyed the sunset surrounded by mountains. Then setting up camp for the first time and doing all the chores of unpacking everything, preparing dinner, and getting ready for the night while being tired was not so fun. We were not used to the outdoor life just yet and it showed! I knew that it would take time for us to feel comfortable on the trail and that the first 3-4 days would be critical to our success… or failure.
 
Day 2 was much better though. After our breakfast with a view, we broke camp and started hiking around 7am. We were already close to 10,000 feet in elevation, having gained 6,000 feet on Day 1. The plan for the day was to go over the first pass of JMT, Donohue at 11,000 feet, but it would mean a 20+ miles day. We were confident about it as we passed many hikers and we also didn’t have any issues. We took a nice break in the afternoon along the Lyell fork, at the bottom of Donohue, and chatted briefly with a couple who showed us their portable hot shower! Very cool but way too heavy for us. We then started the climb and went over it 1hr before sunset. We witnessed an amazing view from the top! On the way down, we met a girl who was going the opposite direction as us. As it turns out, she was 900 miles into the Pacific Crest Trail, all alone, and was hiking in crocs because her hiking shoes were destroyed. She saved money for years in order to do PCT and was obviously living the dream. And we thought we were badass. Now this is next level! Her trail name is Toad and we both hope that she was able to complete her journey. After leaving her, we were in complete awe and it gave us a new perspective of our “little” adventure. After a few more miles, we stopped near Rush Creek Trail, having done 21 miles for the day. Setting up camp was faster this time, mainly because of many bugs killing us.
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Day 3 was our lucky day. The plan was to hike 18 miles to Red’s meadows, the site of our first resupply. The terrain was mainly flat for the day and then downhill to Red’s. Days before our trip, I called Red’s meadows and tried to book a cabin for the night. Everything was fully booked but the lady told me to try everyday as there might be some cancellation. After several more failed attempts, I lost hope and thought we’d be sleeping in our tent. Then, after we passed Rosalie Lake, we saw several hikers talking on their phone. There was a strong signal right there. We stopped, called home and then Damien told me to try again to call Red’s. I called without much hope but there was one cabin available! I booked it on the spot. We both were so happy because we started to feel pain in the shoulders, back, and we needed a big burger and a hot shower so bad! On the way to Red’s, we couldn’t stop thinking about a huge burger and fries, being already tired of our dried food. We arrived a few hours later, checked in and I asked when the Mule House Café would close. She said it has closed 1 minute ago! It was 6:01pm. She immediately saw our distress, went over there and convinced the chef to reopen the grill for us. Those were the best burgers ever!
 
The day was saved not once but twice, and now after a real meal, a hot shower and the comfort of a cabin, we could finally relax. The first 3 days were very tough, emotionally and physically. We had hiked 56 miles and gained a lot more experience in the process. Damien was much more confident now and I felt strong. We knew intuitively that we had broken a mental barrier and now, unless some physical issue, we would finish the JMT.