John Muir Trail 2011

The End of the Journey

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:18:14 +0000

Hello Everybody,
I’m back at home, prematurely but happy to be here. I was on the JMT for 21 days altogether and the journey was a combination of divine rapture, a death march, and the best therapy I’ve had since being held hostage in 1993.
In a nutshell, on day one I fell, with a full 50 pound pack, and dislocated my right thumb. I had already done the same thing to my left thumb two months prior when my shoelaces caught on my opposite shoe. I wrapped my hand and kept going, learning how to light a lighter, zip a zipper, and anything else that required a pinch with my two paws. That night my gas stove malfunctioned and melted the pump. I improvised by making a stove from an aluminum can. It makes everything black, but it works. I bought a new stove at the first resupply. On day four, on the first descent after 21 miles of uphill, I twisted my left ankle. I guess I tore something because that moment stayed with me for the entire trip, as pain. It slowed my progress significantly, especially when I added new weight to the pack at resupplies. My limit for walking each day was between six to eight hours. Still, I resolved to ENJOY the journey and figured that rest stops were meant to appreciate the view. Those moments gave the swarms of mosquitos something to munch on. And, oh yes, a recurring bout of dysentery also made things interesting. When I tell you that there was nothing left of me by the time I reached a campsite each evening, I’m not kidding. When I emerged from the journey I weighed 93 pounds. I think I’ve gained it all back now, thanks to massive amounts of water and food.
I decided it was time to leave I couldn’t make it to water one afternoon. With no dinner or breakfast the next morning, I walked another four miles (for water) and made the decision to walk out… which consisted of three more days, crossing an 11,400 ft. pass and 17 miles. In all, I covered 100 miles, slept without a tent under a full moon and then starry skies for most nights, and thanked every stream crossing, campsite, and breathtaking view at each departure. I never saw any animals but chipmunks and squirrels. The only two items I didn’t need were pepper spray and a compass. There are so many people hiking the JMT, including mule trains that leave constant droppings, that a friend of mine calls it the John Manure Trail.
Still, with the constant solitude of walking and sleeping alone, I faced some essential inner truths that make it a perfect experience. I realized that it is neither my accomplishments, nor lack thereof, that define me. I am not afraid to attempt something big, and choosing to end it does not make me a quitter. My memories of being a climber and working for Outward Bound do not mean that I have lost something now that I am older and in Florida. What I have now is different and just as meaningful, if not more. Each stage of life has its own significance and can not be measured. I was thrilled to arrive home the day before Jessi’s 11th birthday and to surprise her at school. Zach turned 21 today and I’m happy to be here for that too. I missed my family and friends. I’ve been home now for four days, hobbling around on crutches, taking a few more days of solitude to rest and to process the trip. I am at peace with it all.
So that’s it in a nutshell. Thanks to your support and encouragement, I went out to seek adventure… and I found it. It was not what I expected and everything I needed.

The week before departure…

admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 03:27:57 +0000

With only eight days before departure I am excited and nervous. I wonder how Lewis & Clark felt the night before leaving to explore their way to the Pacific. In comparison, my journey is just a bump in the road, but full of mountains to climb, streams to cross, bears to avoid and a heavy pack. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything, like a headlamp. At any rate, the resupply buckets have been sent to four points of destination along the trail, about 8 days apart, full of food and a few extra things. Not everything will fit inside the bear canister so I guess I’ll have to eat all the extras on the first day… certainly the heavy stuff first.

I don’t feel I have prepared myself to the standard I wished for, but it will have to do and I am familiar with physical challenge. As for all the potential pitfalls, I believe my brain is better than a gun, that a map & compass trumps a GPS with dead batteries, and that I have sufficient knowledge to keep myself safe, warm, and dry… and steadily moving south.

My soul will be nourished by sleeping under a starlit sky, like a long awaited drink of water in a desert. I will write, take photos, and smile a lot. And I will be sending out waves and waves of joy, over the clouds and directly into the minds and hearts of my family and friends. The treasure is shared every time you look into the clouds, stop to smell a flower, listen to the sound of your own breathing. Although I doubt I will be able to connect with more than my family at resupplies, I will assure you now that I will be ok. I will be home by September 10. Until then, I will be doing as John Muir himself said…

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”

Anticipation

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:56:47 +0000

With less than one month before departure, I am well aware of two things… what I am about to experience and the measure of challenge that I have been shielded from by living in Florida for the past eleven years. The greater of the two is the former… the experience of immersion in the mountains for five weeks, sleeping under the stars, sweating and panting uphill with a heavy pack, and the delicious vistas before me. None of it is unfamiliar in my memory, but the weight of a full pack now seems heavier than 20 years ago. I just received a photo of a frozen, snow covered lake in the Sierras, taken last week by my friend in California… it looks like I will have plenty of water, bugs, and exciting stream crossings. The elixer of adventure is not without its trepidation, but the richness of moving forward has as its reward, an interesting life.

I have always been inspired by one of my favorite quotes, by Goethe… “Whatever you can do, or dream you can – begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” I will send back that energy, like a prayer flag, to fan your own dreams and passions.
Virginia

One Day At A Time…

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:06:36 +0000

If you ever want to add an exponential amount of busyness to your day, tack on the tasks of food planning/preparation/dehydrating/packaging/mailing 40 days of food that will sustain (or not) you through long days of hiking and fit inside a small space (bear canister) within your pack and weigh next to nothing. Tack it on to a job, caretaking a very active 11-year old granddaughter, and trying to train. I’m not whining, just stating a fact. It would be overwhelming, if I had time to be overwhelmed. Like everything else, I can only focus on one day at a time. It will all get done. It is essential to stay focused, happy, and light. I try to surf whenever there IS surf. I stop everything else when my granddaughter comes home from school and we are light together. I am totally organized and present with my work and my clients. I am waiting for a break to tackle the food more centrally (soon). And I am walking everywhere. Other than that, I joke, I guess I will be really fit enough to start this trek by the time I finish it. You might enjoy this one tidbit about training in Florida for a long hike in the mountains. Almost every time I fill my backpack and put on my hiking shoes for a several mile hike over the bridge, someone inevitably asks if I am homeless. A few weeks ago, I was offered a dollar… and that was from someone who IS homeless. Priceless. The world is a storybook and we are in it.
Thanks for listening. It’s late.
V.

A Polio Survivor’s Story: Adventure on the John Muir Trail

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 12:59:55 +0000

Check out my story on the Gates Foundation Blog!

A Polio Survivor’s Story: Adventure on the John Muir Trail

This summer, 64 years after recovering from polio, I will be solo hiking the 220-mile John Muir Trail, the culmination of a life of adventure. What follows is a brief look at my story.

In 1947, hospital conditions and technology were nothing like today. When I was admitted, at two years old, to the Harry Anna Home for Crippled Children in Florida, quarantine was in place because of a recent outbreak of chicken pox. I didn’t see my family for three months. I have little memory of that experience but I know that my life was deeply impacted and in some strange way, it was a gift.
Click Here to Continue Reading…

Beginning the Journey

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:29:52 +0000

A big journey always begins long before departure. The idea of hiking the John Muir Trail was a seed planted in my brain about 20 years ago, when I was in my 40s, working for Outward Bound and exploring the mountains and deserts of the American West. When I first read about John Muir himself, I marveled at his long sojourns into wilderness and his passion to preserve it. As an Outward Bound instructor, I enjoyed the advantages of having resupplies brought into the field so that it was possible to stay out for a month or more. But this time I will be walking alone, picking up resupply boxes of food that I have mailed to myself prior to the trip. I will be completely independent, following my own map, setting up my own camp, listening to the silence and gazing at the view. I will also be 66.

My journey, at this point, is about organization, planning, preparation, and details. I have gathered most of my necessary lightweight equipment and clothing, and now at the food gathering stage, dehydrating and packaging meals, planning menus, snacks… the works. It is essential to be prepared well in advance of a long trip in order to have the greatest potential for comfort, safety, and success later on. The itinerary is set and I will be ready. If only I didn’t have to bother with other details, like work, there would be more time. Oh well, such is life… challenges will always exist. The important thing is to pick a direction and begin.

More later. I hope you enjoy reading and will leave encouraging, informative, and interesting comments.

Trip Itinerary

admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:12:34 +0000

JOHN MUIR TRAIL ITINERARY

Phase I (8 days of food) (Start: July 31) Mileage

Happy Isle trailhead to NE Little Yosemite Valley Jct. 4.3
to Echo Valley trail jct. 6.7 )
to Merced Lake 2.6
to Emeric Lake jct 5.6
to Vogelsang camp 2.2
to main JMT/Evelyn Lake Jct. 6.3
to Donohue Pass 6.9
to Thousand Island Lake (over Island Pass) 6.7
(camp, possible rest day) 1 day
to Gladys Lake 7.6
to Reds Meadows 8.0
Total Miles: 56.9 (Arrive Resupply: August 7)

Phase II (6 days of food)

to Deer Creek Jct 6.0
to Purple Lake 7.9
to Goodall Pass Jct 7.5
to Edison / Vermillion Resort Resupply 7.5
Total Miles: 28.9 (Arrive Resupply: August 13)

Phase III (8 days of food)

Vermillion Resort Resupply Layover 1 day
to Bear Creek Trail Jct 6.7
to Marie Lake / Marshall Lake outlets 6.2
to Piute Creek Jct 10.1
to McClure Meadow ranger station 7.4
to Muir Pass 9.9
to LaConte Canyon campground 7.8
possible exit/re-entry thru Dusy Basin to resupply 6.6 mi.x2
Total Miles: 48.1 + 13.2) = 61.3 (Arrive Resupply: August 21)

Phase IV (7-8 days of food)

Resupply layover & return to JMT 2 days
to Deer Meadow Creek Crossing (camp below Mather Pass) 6.8
to Mather Pass 7.1
to Bench Lake / Taboose Jct 6.7
to Pinchot Pass 3.1
Woods Creek Jct 7.2
to Rae Lakes Ranger Station 5.8
to Charlotte Lake (exit to Onion Valley) 4.9
Resupply exit to Kearsage Pass & Onion Valley (road to Independence) 7.5
(exit/re-entry to resupply) 7.3mi. x2
Total Miles: 49.1 + 14.6 = 63.7 (Arrive Resupply: August 28)

Phase V (8-9 days)

Resupply Layover & Re-entry to JMT below Charlotte Lake (2 days) 7.1
to campsite before Forester Pass (Lake@12,250 ft) 8.2
to Shepherd Pass Trail jct / Tyndall Creek 6 .0
to Crabtree Meadow Ranger station 8.9
to Guitar Lake 2.8
to Mt. Muir/ Mt. Whitney Jct 2.8
to Mt. Whitney (RT) 3.8
Climb Whitney / Muir (September 5)
to Whitney Portal (Sept 6-camp) 8.5
(Arrive Lone Pine/Motel: September 7)
Total Miles: 49.1

Equipment Planning

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:12:18 +0000

Planning for an extended and remote wilderness hike is complex. One can not buy plane tics until the wilderness permit seals the dates and, with the current Yosemite lottery system, permitting only available 168 days in advance, each day’s fax and rejected application made the initial process a little nerve-wracking. Persistence pays off and, after six days, my application was accepted for departing from the Happy Isles-Merced trailhead on July 31, and ending at Whitney Portal on Sept 7. Plane tics have been purchased. Equipment is being pulled together, lists have been made. Next up are the reservations for campsites and/or tenting at resupply points. This actually means pinpointing resupply DATES for each stop, of which I plan for four… Reds Meadow, Vermillion Lakes, Bishop Pass, and Kearsage Pass. The last two require hiking out to a post office and returning to the JMT.

I can supply lists for equipment, clothing, and food if anyone is interested. Just shoot me an email and if anyone wants, I can share much more.

Virginia

PS… this is really one of the highlights of travel… anticipating and planning.

Food Prep

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:39:47 +0000

SO MUCH to share here. So far, it’s all about deciding how to make meal planning the most nutritious, lightweight, and tasty (in that order) possible. I have a food dehydrator and now I have to learn how to use it well. Suggestions anyone???

Making Headlines

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:00:29 +0000

Check out the article written by Betty Porter, about my trip and published in the Florida Today Beach Breeze!

Climbing mountains led to self-discovery for Indialantic woman

BY BETTY PORTER • FOR FLORIDA TODAY • December 1, 2010

Virginia Savage’s life has had its ups and downs. But through it all she has found the strength to move mountains by climbing them.

Savage, who grew up in Orlando, had polio when she was a child. In 1962, she dropped out of high school. Thirty-one years later she earned a doctorate in sport psychology.

Now, at age 65, the accomplished climber, surfer, caregiver, teacher and motivational speaker reflects on her life. She says the ability to turn her life around came from an inner strength she found when, as a single parent of two daughters, she moved to Colorado in 1976 and began mountain climbing.

A year after that move, while 200 feet off the ground and roped to a partner, Savage fell 60 feet and landed on her knees on a ledge. She broke her femur and shattered her knee. She was hospitalized for two months.

It took two years to recover, during which time she earned a master’s degree. As soon as she was able, she was climbing again and spent 30 years devoted to her passion for the outdoors.

She moved back to Florida to Indialantic 10 years ago to be near her two daughters and grandchildren.

As her granddaughter Jessi, who is now 10, would climb onto her knee (which was replaced in 2002 after it gave out while she was climbing in the Himalayas), she began dreaming of restoring her love of climbing, reconnecting to the mountains where she feels most alive.

“I miss the mountains and sleeping under the stars,” she said. With devotion to her motto: “You can accomplish whatever you dream if you just begin moving in that direction,” Savage is now planning her dream.

“Between mid-July and mid-September 2011, I will be hiking the length of the John Muir Trail, a 215-mile journey along the spine of the high Sierra Mountains in California. I will begin in Yosemite Valley and travel south to Mt. Whitney, crossing passes that range from 11,000 to 13,000 feet in elevation.

“The entire trail is remote and supplies of food and fuel can only be accessed at ranger stations and other outposts that receive my pre-mailed boxes. I expect the journey to take between four to five weeks, then hopefully climbing Mt. Whitney with friends who will meet me in the end. As an ex-Outbound instructor, longtime athlete and climber, and a lifetime adventurer, I am confident that the journey will serve as a great renewal of spirit and a challenge to keep me young. I will be 66.”

Savage is currently soliciting sponsorships from mountain gear companies. You can learn more about her and follow her dream adventure on her website — www.SavagePerformance.net.