JMT | DAY 6 PURPLE LAKE TO NEAR MONO PASS JUNCTION
Miles Hiked: 13.7 miles (mm 72.5-86.1)
Elevation: 2,549 ft ascent | 3,820 ft descent
Today was going to be another harder day. There was no doubt about it. Most days likely will be from here on out. Pushing more miles to get to a place that sets us up well for a pass or making an early shuttle.
The climb out of Purple Lake wasn’t necessarily difficult, it was just tough without any miles to warm up to it. From there, the trail descended to Lake Virginia, which was somehow even more beautiful than Purple Lake. The trail ran along the left side of the lake, gradually gaining some elevation, before the descent to Fish Creek. While downhills are easier in some ways, they are harder for other. It takes a toll on your feet. Over 1,000 feet of elevation loss in about 2.5 miles. After dozens of switchbacks downs towards the McGee Pass junction, the trail follows the river to Fish Creek.
From there, the trail climbs and climbs as you make your way towards Silver Pass. Approximately 1300 feet of gain in 3 miles. The first section reminds me a lot of Washington, like the trail to Colchuck—rocks, stairs, and roots. Edwin passed near Fish Creek, while Tessa and Jeff were not far behind me the entire time. I slowly made my way up the 2.1 miles towards Squaw Lake. It took me two hours to reach the lake. Edwin was already there, as was a group of men on a backpacking bachelor party trip that was originally supposed to be the Caribbean.
The sky had been growing dark since around 1000, clouds filling the sky, just as the days prior (with no storms). Rain drops started to fall, which soon turned to hail. Tessa and Jeff made it right on time. Due to the possibility of lightning, we decided to wait it out at the lake, knowing that storms in the Sierra are generally short lived. The four of us hunkered down in our rain gear, while two other groups and two solo hikers decided to push on to their destinations. Hail started to dump, covering the ground around us. Thunder and lighting over the pass, 3 seconds apart at times. An hour passed and the lightning disappeared, thunder lessens, and hail stopped. The storm appeared to be moving away from the pass, although grey clouds lingered in the distance. We decided to push on with the hopes that the blue sky would keep moving toward us. We hiked as a group to Chief Lake, where a couple said that it had been storming on the other side of the pass as they made their ascent that day. Lightning, thunder, and hail started again, so we hunkered down, waiting once again for it to pass. It was only a short distance to the pass, and then downhill from there to VVR. After 20 minutes, there seemed to be a break, so we booked it towards Silver Pass. While there were still thunderclouds around, sun shined on us as we made the final ascent to the pass.
Edwin has pushed on towards VVR, so the three of us took a few minutes to enjoy the nice weather and take pictures before moving on the Silver Pass Lake. This was the biggest goal for the day, but due to the weather and it being only 3:00, we decided to push on to a campsite that was approximately 4 miles further (and downhill).
While we knew it was downhill, we hadn’t really looked at the details on Guthook. It was rocky, with lots of steps and slabs, with a section of steep switchbacks. We were tired, not just from ups and downs all day, but also the hour or more of hail and cold. This was our biggest day physically and mentally, and it was the second in a row of 13+ mile days.
...but we finally made it. It was after 5PM and the water source was further from camp than we would have liked, but we found a spot to fit all fours tents right next to each other. For a second night in a row, we gathered in a group and shared stories and learned more about each other.
It was a hard day for all of us, scary at times, but doing it together made it so much better. Had we done it separately, I don’t know where I would be. But here we are at the end of the day, smiling because we did it and now we are only 2.3 miles from the VVR shuttle boat.
