| Day 2 Profile |
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| I woke up early Tuesday morning, at 6:00am. I slept much better than I had expected! I was starting to really appreciate the Big Agnes Insulated Air core pad. The nighttime temps had gotten down to 48 degrees. I used my Montbell bag as a quilt until 3am, and then zipped it up. The Montbell SS #3 is a SWEET bag. It is lightweight, and a mummy, but stretches when you move around inside the bag so you can toss and turn without feeling constricted. No nightlife disturbed us during the night (2 or 4 legged!). The Tarptent Contrail was great. No condensation even though we were close to the river. We cooked our oatmeal (and coffee!) for breakfast and broke camp. For some reason it seems to take forever to get ready to go in the morning. We finally got started hiking at 9:08am. Just past the campsites is the crossing for the Kings River. We had to cross on logs 30 years ago, and it was dangerous if the river was full. There is a nice bridge at the crossing now! The first two miles of the trail today were fairly easy for me. It was all uphill, but I was feeling great. There are long stretches on the trail from Upper Paradise Valley to Woods Creek where water is not easily available. I carried 2 one liter bottles, but you can do just fine with 1 liter if you take advantage of the spots where water is available and drink your fill at each location. I took GPS readings at 2 water locations. |
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 Bridge over Kings River |
 The first two miles were eaiser today |
 Click on the picture for a full size image Water location 1 N36 52.096 W118 29.605 Water location 2 N36 52.326 W118 28.921 |
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Although the first two miles seemed fairly easy, miles 2-4 were brutal. I think the first two miles were like walking uphill on a treadmill, whereas the next 2 miles were like climbing stairs that are too far apart. I had done a lot of stair climbing to get ready for this hike, but this was more like taking two steps at a time for hours on end. I actually wondered if I was going to make it. My quads were shaking. I tried shortening my stride so that I was using my calves and shorter thigh muscles. It made a huge difference. It also meant I was at a really slow pace, but that was OK. Trail Bunny was already far ahead and Skeeter Bait seemed OK with the slower pace too. |
 Mosquito bites on top of mosquito bites |
 Looking back towards Paradise Valley Mile 2.7 (14.2) 11:49 am N36 52.335 W118 28.580 |
 Passing through livestock gates Mile 4.1 (15.6) 12:25 pm N36 52.438 W118 28.282 |
The scenery for the first four miles is pretty much the same since you are climbing through a canyon. There is a reward at the end of the four miles of tough uphill though. The trail levels out into a beautiful meadow. The view of Castle Dome Meadow and the surrounding mountains is spectatular. We were early in the season and were able to be there in time to see some of the wildflowers in bloom. |
 First glance at the meadow |
 Castle Dome Meadow Mile 4.5 (16.0) 12:41 pm N36 52.436 W118 27.957 |
 Sea of wildflowers |
| Miles 5 and 6 were a more gradual incline and were easier. I thought passing through the livestock gates was cool. It made me think of the history of the area and a time when this was not a National Park. Thanks to the determination and advocacy of a few individuals like John Muir and Harold Ickes (Secretary of the Interior during the Rosevelt administration), we preserved ths land for future generations. I especially liked meeting up with the John Muir Trail during this portion of the hike. The JMT is on my "wish list" of hikes I would like complete. Although I don't anticipate ever doing the JMT as a through hike, I would love to do sections of the trail at a time. |
 Second livestock gate |
 Heading to Woods Creek |
 John Muir Trail Junction |
| Just before hitting the Woods Creek campsites, you get to cross the Woods Creek bridge! It's a good thing this bridge is here, because the river was too full to cross safely this early in the season. The bridge is a suspension bridge, and is fun (and a littlle scary) to cross. It sways and moves as you cross it. There are steel cables on both sides to grab as you cross, so it is safe, but it still got my pulse up a bit! There is a sign (only on one side) that says "one person at a time on bridge". Seems like good advice. |
 Woods Creek Bridge |
 It's a long way across! |
 There is a good reason for this sign! |
 Look at the bridge flexing under Revan's feet |
| At
3:00 pm we arrived at
Woods Creek crossing where we made camp for the night. There is enough
room for an army of hikers around this site. First thing on my agenda
was to find a spot in Woods Creek and lie down in the water and let the
stream run over me. I didn't check the temps, but it had been hot and
dusty on the trail today. Nice to get refreshed and a little
cleaner. We relaxed, did some reading, and a little exploring
after setting up camp. I found a really nice spot about 200 yards
farther down the trail that was would have been a great place to setup.
It was away from the other more crowded sites (they filled up as the
evening wore on. I think there were JMT as well as Rae Lakes hikers
making camp). However, we didn't want to set up camp all over again so
we stayed put. As it got dark, Elena and I retired to our
tents, and Revan shared a campfire with some other hikers. |
 Woods Creek campsite |
 Nothing like a hot cup of coffee! |
 Setting up camp |
 Lizard Pushups 8 MB |
 Heading
to
Woods Creek
9 MB |
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 Revan
on the bridge
6 MB |
 Woods
Creek Camp
8 MB
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