After nearly a week of monsoon rain, the weather had mercy. Over the next few days, our socks stayed dry and I got my mojo back. This post covers the fourth leg of our John Muir Trail hike — actually off the trail in the Bishop area of the Sierras. Highlights in this section include: Bishop Pass, Long Lake, Parcher’s, Willow Creek Campground, Tyee Trail, and our first hitchhiking experience into Bishop.

Camp #15: Long Lake (9.4 miles) @ 10,800 feet

After our turn-around decision, we awoke the next day to a clear, blue, sunny sky. It was freezing, though, and I had only a flicker of regret. We broke camp at 7:30 and started the 3,000 foot climb up to Dusy Basin. It was a beautiful hike, with unobscured mountain peaks, overflowing waterfalls, wildflowers, and lots of company. Dusy Basin is a relatively flat area just below Bishop Pass, chock-full of small fishing ponds, creeks, and lakes.

Turnaround crossing Dusy Basin, headed to Bishop Pass

Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.

In addition to other JMT hikers making their exits, we encountered plenty of day hikers and fisher-folks enjoying the sunshine. We had lunch at the pass and laid everything out to fully dry. A single fluffy white cloud floated nearby. Crossing over Bishop Pass, we turned a bend and laid eyes on the valley below. Stunning deep blue and turquoise lakes stretched one after another into the distance.

Hiking through the valley felt like a stroll through a carefully-manicured Disney park — nothing but picture perfect beauty, not a stray branch out of place. We found an excellent camp spot on a ledge overlooking Long Lake and settled in early to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon. The spot was divine and the vibe perfect! We washed ourselves and lounged on the sunny cliff, soaking in the energy. No longer worried about food supply, we spoiled ourselves at dinner and went to sleep with full bellies and light hearts. I slept deeply. Climbing from Le Conte Canyon and crossing Bishop Pass required an elevation gain of 3,435 feet, with a descent into wonderland of 1,312 feet.

Note: For image slide-show, click on any photo.

Camp #16: Willow Creek Campground (5 miles) @ 9,800 feet

We woke up at 7:00 a.m., which is “sleeping in” on the trail. The night before in Le Conte canyon, we had innovated a new approach to pitching our tent, using a second set of poles to prop up the foot and head side of the tent. This gave us more usable space inside the tent and better ventilation. We could FINALLY stretch out fully when sleeping — #winning! I slept like a champ!

We enjoyed a lazy, leisurely morning, with stretching and second cups of coffee. It was a little chilly, but sunny. A fisherman stopped by for a chat. We took a nap at 11:00 before finally packing up and sauntering downhill in search of information, battery re-charge, and other comforts of civilized life (beer & toilets!). We walked about 3 miles to the trailhead, meeting several familiar faces from the JMT trail along the way. From the trailhead, we opted to walk along the paved road to Parcher’s Resort. We bought a couple of beers at their store and sat at the cafe, charging all of our dead devices. Parcher’s staff were super cool, letting us lounge around for several hours.

We walked another half mile down the road to Willow Creek Campground and found a spot with a bear box, table, fire ring and pit toilets with toilet paper - livin’ large! Carefree went for more beer and I made a fire to ward off the swarming mosquitos. It was paradise and I was having fun again. We had no real plan between this moment and our planned meet-up with Dan in Independence in a couple of days. Just how we like - foot loose and fancy free!

“Camp” #17: Elms Motel in Bishop @ 4,000 feet

As much as I had dreamt about soft beds and hot showers, we were not quite ready to head into town. We were also uncertain about the Sierra wilderness permit “rules” with regard to leaving the backcountry. Instead of heading into Bishop in the morning, we chose to linger in the woods a little longer. Leaving our big packs in the campsite, we day-hiked 6 miles on the Tyee Trail to 11,000 feet, passing several alpine lakes fringed with purple, crimson, yellow and white wildflowers.

Walking back to Parcher’s Resort after our hike, Caffrey stuck out his thumb and we scored a ride from an elderly local lady who entertained us with a constant flow of conversation during the beautiful drive into Bishop. She dropped us off at a gear exchange shop where we purchased fuel and a new filter for our water system. While eating hot sammies at a cafe, we checked in with family who had been following our tracks on Garmin. As expected, they were curious about our turnaround, so we filled in the details. Then we checked into the Elms Motel, showered (glorious feeling!), and napped. That evening, we slurped down salty margaritas and stuffed ourselves full of salsa, chips and burritos at El Ranchito. Delicious!

“Camp” #18: Mt. Williamson Motel in Independence @ 4,000 feet

The Eastern Sierra bus shuttle is fantastic! It runs north-south along the eastern Sierras, from Mammoth Lakes south past Independence, connecting all the small dusty towns at the base of the mountains. We used the service to drop our van at Whitney portal a few weeks back and we utilized it again to meet up with Dan in Independence. Day 19 of our JMT adventure was pretty lazy! After scarfing down a giant portion of fries to counter-balance the delightful fresh-grilled trout salads we ordered at the Looney Bean in downtown Bishop, we caught the bus. An hour later, we were sifting through our re-supply bucket and first in line for laundry and beer at Mt. Williamson motel. Dan arrived about 30 minutes after we did, “fresh” off the trail and full of stories about the three mountain passes we had missed (Mather, Pinchot and Glen), the scenery at Rae Lakes, sporadic rain and fog at elevation, a possible bear encounter, odd people stories and a witnessed rockslide. We caught up, enjoyed hot food and libations, and hit the hay early, eagerly anticipating a return to “trail life”.