Time to get back on the horse!

​It’s July 30th, 2020 and my son Damien and I are about to embark on a flight to Fresno, CA for the beginning of our JMT journey. It has been a long process for him, after finding out about JMT on a google search in 2016 during his French(!) class in 10th grade, and a frustrating wait for me after my bike accident in 2017. I had recovered pretty quickly at first, but each time I would start training, whether swimming, biking or running, I would develop nagging pain that would last weeks. My training was basically stop and go for almost 3 years. I even attempted (and finished!) the IronMan triathlon in Texas in April 2019, but I had to walk the entire marathon.
 
When my plan to do IM Texas again was scratched in 2020 due to Covid-related cancellation, and we decided to postpone our Kilimanjaro trip in the summer, I applied for a JMT permit in February and got a few weeks later the highly coveted reservation to hike the John Muir Trail from Happy Isle in Yosemite to Mt Whitney. Finally, he and I had a big goal in front of us, despite this weird Covid lockdown life. We immediately started training, buying all the hiking gears and gathering as much info as possible. When Yosemite NP reopened mid-June and I was able to rearrange our ever-changing travel plans, we knew that JMT was a go and that I would finally get back on that horse, chasing dreams on my bucket list.
 
Touching down in Fresno, CA was anticlimactic. The airport was basically empty, all restaurants and stores closed and we were only 3 people in the big YARTS bus going from Fresno airport to Yosemite Village. However, our mood changed dramatically when we saw El Capitan upon exiting the Wawona tunnel. What a magnificent view! Upon arrival to Yosemite village and after taking it all in for a few minutes, we walked to the Curry village and checked-in for the next 2 nights. It has been a long travel day, but at least it went flawless. We needed a good rest for our JMT warm up hike planned the next day.
 
The year before, my daughter Estelle, Damien and I were supposed to hike up El Capitan, but there was still lots of snow on the trail in early May, and we decided to turn back at Upper Yosemite Falls. Snow was obviously not an issue this year, but rather the heat. It was a very hot day and, when combined with travel fatigue, 17 miles of hiking and 5,500 feet of elevation, it made for a brutal warm up hike. However, when we stood on top of El Cap, gazed at Half Dome and then look down at Yosemite Valley, it was all worth it. Looking at an anchor at the edge, Damien and I could not believe that few people could climb it with just their hands and feet and a rope for safety, and one special human, Alex “no big deal” Honnold, doesn’t even need a rope! It would have been fun to rappel down El Capitan but we’re not Honnold or Caldwell, just day hikers at this point. We haven’t even spent one night in a tent prior to this trip. So, we safely hiked down Yosemite Falls trail in the afternoon heat, and we were absolutely cooked when we reached the village.
 
We immediately went to the Village Store, bought last minute gear/food we needed, and walked back to our little cabin. After dinner, we emptied our backpacks, reorganized our 2 Bear Vault (BV500) food canisters and prepared everything for our planned 2am start. We were both excited and nervous at the same time. In a few hours, we would launch into the unknown, and although we both were very fit, JMT is a long hike and many things can go wrong. The 1st day would be a pretty tough one and we needed as much sleep time as possible. We went to bed around 8pm, hoping for a good 5hr sleep.