There are those that chose to walk solo and those who have no choice. I prefer walking solo. You have your thoughts and all that sky and air and rock. Nothing wrong with solo: unless it gets in the way. I'm not letting that happen.
I get out the maps. I need to acclimatize. That means an ascent from the West. The east slope is too steep. One day you're at 4k, the next at ninety-five hundred. A couple days should do. My old friend Ann from Space System labs said she would let me crash at her place in Bear Valley Springs. That's about 4K. If camped at Kings Canyon that would put me at fifty-five. That should do it. From Kings Canyon, I could hike up Paradise Valley to the JMT and do the Rae Lakes loop. My heart quickens. I've dreamed of that hike.
I check the Sequoia National Park website for available permits. No cigar. The Paradise Valley hike is booked till Christmas. However, the reverse route up Bubbs Creek is happening — openings out the wazoo.
Back to the maps. The trail parallels Bubbs Creek up to Vidette Meadow. It' a big climb out of the Kennedy Meadow, then a long gradual uphill. I could camp at Junction Meadow. Better yet, I could spend the first night up at East Lake. From there I could hop on the JMT, cross Glenn Pass to the Rae Lakes and crash at Arrowhead Lake. Next night at Woods Creek. 4 glorious days 3 nights. That'll mean fifteen-mile days. Strenuous, but I can manage it. I could even do an extra night if needed.
I made spaghetti and salad for dinner. Lilalee loves my spaghetti. I put on some baroque tunes and pour wine for dinner. I can't bring myself to light any candles.
"I've got the plan for my next hike."
Lilalee's fork traces an arc back down to the plate. "When?"
"Couple weeks. Summer's getting away. I've got to be ready for the JMT in less than 10 weeks."
"I see," she says. "Who are you going with?"
"I'm gonna solo."
She sits up and crosses her arms. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean it was a good thing you were with Duane last time. What about Duane?"
"What about him?"
"Can he go? Did you ask him?"
The first thing that comes to mind is that I would never ask. I can't bear to think of putting him through that again. Of course that explanation would only start an argument. Instead, I take the path of least resistance. "Look, he's got a job. He's got a family. There's no need to worry. There's lots of people up there."
"But you'll be camping alone?"
"Probably."
"And if something happens?"
Without thinking I answer, "I can get one of those SOS satellite trackers. If something happens, I can just push a button. Everything will be fine."
In the sternest possible tones she says, "You wouldn't shit me about this because if you're shitting me I will kill you."
"If I didn't have one, you might not have to."
The rest of dinner is pretty quiet. But I just keep thinking that I've just promised to plunk down a lot of money for something I don't really need. Things like that take away my appetite.
* ORT is the acronym for Operational Readiness Test. A term I've opted from my old colleagues at Space Systems Lab to describe the final days of testing prior to launch.
Reports from the real and not-so-real trail