RedDoug
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 15, 2015 22:30:16 GMT -8
The day before we got to Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR), Katz had lost his tiny (and only) photon light. We had a long wet, rainy afternoon and we were both tired. In setting up his tent, Katz lost his light. He carried it in a small pouch. He told me later he saw it fall out of the pouch, but thought he would put it back in later, after he ate something. He was tired and forgot about it. Now he had no light.
I felt sorry for him. At the end of each day Katz always seemed to be out of energy. In the morning he ate what anyone would describe as their main meal. "It charges me up, gives me lots of energy," Katz would say. But at the end of every day he was the first one into his sleeping bag and gone. To me at the end of each day he looked burned out. At the end of each day I was picking up energy. Evenings are my time of the day. A morning/night person make terrible trail mates. When talking about hiking with someone you don't know, this needs to be a high priority discussion. Believe me, these are opposites and they do not work well together at all. It can ruin your hike.
Hiking down a connecting trail into VVR we had rain. We were pushing it a bit and we were both tired. The trail came out by a dam on Thomas Edison Lake and there was a pickup with a husband/wife sitting inside enjoying the view. I started talking to them and pretty soon they made me an offer to drive Katz and me the 3- 4 miles left to VVR. It was an offer I couldn't refuse and I hurried Katz up and got him into the pickup as fast as I could. Funny, but when Katz really needs to hurry, he can't. Packs and trekking poles in the back. We arrived at VVR, got out of the pickup, pulled our packs out from the back and started to walk towards what I would call the commons- a large area backpackers use to camp in- for free! while they are at VVR. Suddenly I heard a sound of despair from Katz- "My poles!" he shouted and he went running off down the road as fast as he could, chasing the pickup. He had retrieved his pack ok, but forgot to get his poles out of the truck. I didn't know a man so tired, and so old, could run so fast. I was impressed. I carried my pack and poles over to an available space dropped them on the ground and then made my way over to the main lodge/store/office/dining room to pick up my resupply box. Glorious surprise!!!! Todd was sitting in the dining room waiting to be served.
He invited me to join him at his table. "I'll be right back," I told him and went and quickly set up my tent and placed my stuff inside. Katz was just getting back from his run down the road. I invited Katz to join us in the dining room to eat, but he declined. I then went back to join Todd for supper. Good meal. I am a vegetarian and VVR is known for its BBQ but it also serves up an excellent vegetarian meal if asked. And I had a big malt with it. And a free root beer. It could have been an ale, or beer, but I don't drink. It was an excellent root beer.
Todd told me about the battle of Muir Hut over supper. I could tell though he was still healing from some slight wound. I ate my black beans and hearty rice and washed them down with root beer and malt and bread and loved the telling of the tale. It was a good leisurely meal and I was in no hurry. I was a backpacker, eating food that didn't come out of a bear canister, and off my feet and in no hurry to get back on them. Todd and I both talked, shared together, and made plans for the rest of the trip. But no Katz. He was out in the commons eating something from his bear canister. Amazing, but he was able to catch the pickup about a mile or so down the road. That impressed me, too, but mostly that was because the driver decided to pull off and make a turn. Back 17 years ago Katz and I had hiked the South San Juan Wilderness together. The poles I was using on the JMT were the same poles I used back then. Katz told me he was on his 4th pair since then.
After supper I did run into Katz in the small VVR general store. Katz was picking up his resupply box and had a can of pop (1st one is free to all backpackers stopping at VVR) and a bag of popcorn. We walked out of the store together and back to where our tents were and started sorting resupply stuff and talking. I told him about the plans Todd and I had made. He was not happy. I guess his wounds were still hurting too. Must have been some battle back there at Muir Hut. He was especially not happy that I had made plans with Todd and not included him. "You weren't around," I said, "and it was supper and that is where backpackers socialize and talk and plan. It is part of long distance backpacking. You could have joined us," I told him. Katz was falling out of sorts, if you know what that means. By morning he was walking around in a fog like daze. He was slow, falling behind schedule. We had tickets to be ferried to the JMT side of Thomas Edison Lake, at 11 am. but it was 10 am and Katz was no where close to being put together. He couldn't get his gear together, he couldn't find his Sawyer water bottles and started walking around the commons by other packers' tents. He picked up two Sawyer bottles and brought them back. "Katz," I said, "those aren't yours." "Then where are mine?" he asked. I had not seen anything like this on the trail before. Katz was losing it. "Those aren't yours," I said. They are the wrong size. Katz dumped out all the contents of his pack, and there he found his water bottles. "Oh," he said. He picked up the other two bottles and carried them sort of over to the area where he found them and dropped them on the ground. He then came back and started fumbling with his pack, like he was having trouble putting stuff inside. I helped him get it organized, put together. We just made the pick up time for the 11 am ferry ride. Katz was coming unglued. I wondered which body part would fall off first; arm, leg, or maybe his head? He had my attention. We reached the far side of the lake and disembarked from the small boat and began our walk across what used to be lake bottom. All the time Katz was talking about being included in planning, not being ignored, all kinds of stuff. No doubt he was upset. I did keep a little distance between us. And I watched. I had not seen this kind of behavior on the trail before. Back on the trail again it gradually wore off and Katz moved on ahead of me by late afternoon. He was up and over Silver pass long before me.
I am not sure, but at this time I don't think I was aware that Katz had little money left with him and no credit card. Remember, he left his CC and DL behind because he didn't want to carry the extra weight. And I didn't feel it was my place to look after Katz as a parent does a child. How insulting that would be. I assumed he was prepared to hike the JMT in a responsible manner which would include some cash for special places like VVR and Red Meadows, and Mammoth. I was wrong.
Todd had stayed the night in one of the private tents that VVR has for rent. He had caught the 9 am ferry across to the trail and was ahead of us by at least 2 hrs. I knew where he would be that night and I told Katz, but somehow, Katz got ahead of me and picked a campsite before our meeting with Todd. We would meet up with Todd the next day or two. I suspected Katz was in no hurry to catch up to him though when we did both were cordial with each other.
The trip was more than half over now. Ahead of us: Silver Pass, Tully Hole and the switchbacks and Red Meadows and a trip into Mammoth. I was still enjoying every moment of the JMT. I could tell, Katz was not.
Supper at VVR: $23 Breakfast: $18 Shower and Laundry: $10 Misc stuff from the general store: $25 Ferry: $18 Resupply box holding fee: about $50
Total spent at VVR: about $144.
I think Katz would have liked to have stayed another night at VVR for reasons unknown, but VVR is expensive. Long distance hiking town stops use money. Restaurants, motel, laundry, resupply costs, misc. If you take a zero day in town which is common- that would be 2 motel nights. Cash and a CC are important on a long distance hike.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 15, 2015 22:39:53 GMT -8
Definitely turning into a cautionary tale about picking your hiking partner! I'm glad you were able to deal with Katz and go on enjoying every moment.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Dec 16, 2015 4:16:51 GMT -8
You are a better man than I, Gunga Din. This is indeed a cautionary tale. By now, I would be ready to split up, or at least not be bothered by any concern over such a bad hiking partner. There might even be a new skeleton along the trail. You sound like you were very patient.
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RedDoug
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 16, 2015 5:47:42 GMT -8
I added the costs of the stop at VVR at the end of the account there. I think I will add one more incident here.
Remember, there was another theme that I didn't name in this narrative that added to the tension between Katz and I.
And Katz, a people pleaser by self-definition, would engage in conversation by asking a relentless series of questions of anyone. Then politely smile and listen to their answers. Katz and I were separated when we entered into Tully Hole. I crossed a bridge over the river and then the trail follows the river heading for a grueling series of switchbacks. Sobo'ers definitely have the advantage on this section of trail. The river along the trail before the switchbacks is picture perfect. The stream has a gently flow, nice bottom, and runs a couple of feet deep on average. I met a family sitting off trail. Mother, father, 2 young teenage daughters, and a baby about 15 months old. They were hiking the entire JMT sobo. I chatted with them and then asked if I could take their picture- and moved on. That night I was sitting with Katz.
"Did you see the family with the baby?" in Tully Hole I asked. "Yes," said Katz. "I stopped and talked to them. I asked the father how can you carry enough formula? And the father told me they didn't use formula. So I asked the mother, then how do you feed the baby?"
"Katz, you didn't ask the mother that, did you?" I asked Katz. "Yes, I did," he responded. I wanted to know."
"Katz, you couldn't figure that out without asking? Don't you think that question was a bit intrusive on your part?" I asked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And Katz seemed to resent I was suggesting one of his questions was inappropriate.
I asked Mrs RD about this when I got home if Katz was out of line asking that question. As a woman, she gave me her answer. What do you think Mrs. RD said?
Just another insight into life on the JMT.
Katz and I will not do another backpack trip together.
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mk
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Post by mk on Dec 16, 2015 6:13:23 GMT -8
You sound like you were very patient. What I was thinking!
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RedDoug
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 16, 2015 6:15:06 GMT -8
Definitely turning into a cautionary tale about picking your hiking partner! I'm glad you were able to deal with Katz and go on enjoying every moment. I was completely into enjoying the JMT. Most days I was hiking solo, which is fine with me, and I always enjoy my evenings in camp.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 16, 2015 10:10:01 GMT -8
Okay, how the heck did Katz reach adulthood without knowing how you feed a baby??? Though 15 months is beyond when most of us breastfeed, if I were going to take a kid that age on a through-hike, I wouldn't wean first I'm impressed that they could do that long a trip with a kid who has to be carried. A 15-month-old is large and heavy enough that the person carrying her can't carry a whole lot more.
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RedDoug
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 16, 2015 15:44:53 GMT -8
I'm impressed that they could do that long a trip with a kid who has to be carried. A 15-month-old is large and heavy enough that the person carrying her can't carry a whole lot more.
The Dad and two daughters carried most of the backpacking stuff. Mom carried the baby in one of those baby backpacks that had enough room for baby supplies in it, too. When I met them I would say they were about 70 miles in heading sobo. The family was very well organized and everything was planned out very well and the trip was working for them. I didn't ask about their resupply points but I would guess they were using a lot of them. I have a picture of them but how to add it to this thread is just beyond me. If anyone is interested in seeing the family drop me a personal message with your email address and I"ll send the picture to you.
Rebecca, looking at your picture I can see you are not a large framed woman. I imagine you at 13 and I bet those two daughters/sisters were a lot like you at that age- not too tall, thin, small frame. But listening to them and watching them you could tell they loved being out there. Backpacking is as much mental- maybe a lot more- as it is physical.
I have backpacked in the Superstition Mtns with a lady named Dana. Since she was a tiny kid all she could remember was she wanted to be out in the woods camping. Dana told me about her first over nighter. She had snuck a sleeping bag out of the house, and told her mother she was going to spend the night at a neighbor's/girl friend's place. Instead, she picked up her pack from its hiding place and hiked about a mile into the woods and spend her first night. Dana was like 10 or 11 at the time. She has been off backpacking ever since. Size is not so important, it's the attitude and those 2 sisters, and mom and dad had the right attitude.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 16, 2015 17:20:10 GMT -8
Size isn't SO important, but it matters. I once read a BP Mag article by (I think) Jon Dorn, telling of a family trip down the Pariah River with their preschoolers. I emailed and asked how the heck he did it, and he replied he carried 80 lbs. I honestly don't think my husband could have done that at any time since we had kids, though he DID do it some in his 20s. Size and age took that option away from us Yeah, I was a pretty scrawny teen. I'm not so thin now, but the desire is all. Funny--I wasn't ever as bold as your friend Dana, but I, too, knew from a very young age (even before we did any backpacking as a family?) that I wanted to do a LOT. I was too timid to strike out on my own until my 20s, though, after I started hiking with some very generous and very experienced guys.
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RedDoug
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 16, 2015 18:05:21 GMT -8
Backpacking must be a gene. I knew I had it when I was 5 or 6 but never had the opportunity to use it until my first trip to the Adirondacks when I was 17 of 18. I just knew I belonged in the woods or somewhere wild all my life.
Now I am retired and I go as often as I can. I am enjoying it as much as ever.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Dec 16, 2015 18:31:29 GMT -8
Backpacking must be a gene. Yep. I was always more comfortable outdoors, as far back as I can recall. I did well in school, but was happiest when I was in the woods nearby. By the time I was 16, camping was all I wanted to do, except for that thing about girls. Best times were when I found women to go into the wilderness with, and it didn't even have to be a shared tent.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 16, 2015 20:23:22 GMT -8
Backpacking must be a gene. I think so. I read backpacking how-to books recreationally as a pre-teen.
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RedDoug
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 16, 2015 20:28:32 GMT -8
so did I. that early camping stuff, with a trench around your tent, and all kinds of interesting stuff.
Boy scout manuals were great reading.
So nice to know I am not genetically defective- I am just like others. We have our own tribe!!
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 16, 2015 20:31:55 GMT -8
So nice to know I am not genetically defective- I am just like others. We have our own tribe!! Yes! Oh, yeah. I SO wanted to be a Boy Scout. I bet I knew the Scout manual better than my brothers did.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Dec 18, 2015 13:50:28 GMT -8
One bit of wisdom to be gleaned on this trip is that the longer a group trip, the more members need to be familiar with others personalities and hiking styles. Anyone can manage to get along with others for a night or two but that becomes more difficult as the days add up. Having led numbers of week long group trips, I make very clear to others what things are set in stone and what is flexible and open for group discussion.
Am very careful about letting other members I know bring people I don't know. A group is no stronger than its weakest link. Thus if someone wishes to bring along a friend, I carefully relate what I expect the person I know to go over with the other person. With thru hikes, which I have never done, and never expect to, would expect all this to be more important. The easiest strategy if one doesn't know or trust other members of a group is to be fully independent including one's own permits and transportation. Let each person have a copy of the intended itinerary and try and fit it in as well as they may.
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