Goal for the day: To get to or past Fish Creek

There was some color at sunrise as I packed up and climbed back to the JMT to continue heading southward. Of course, a half mile further down the trail I saw a very nice flat area against some boulders with a great view a little ways down the slope. Would have been a bit nicer than where I did stop the night before. Ah well…

Duck Pass was nice, had water, and was a nice place for a short morning break. I had to resist any idea of aborting. Like TM and Reds Meadows, Duck Pass is an exit route to civilization that may be tempting after 9 days and 72 miles on the JMT (which is now the longest time I’ve been on any trek).

Duck Pass would have been a good place to camp, but hiking the extra 2 hours the day before may have pushed me beyond my limit.

Until Purple Lake, the trail mostly ran along the side of steep mountainsides (which is why I had such fun finding a campsite the night before).

After Purple Lake, the trail climbed 600 feet to Lake Virginia through some meadows and small forests. A beautiful lake and would have been a great place to camp, but it was just too early to stop for the day at that point. So I descended down to Tully Hole and then towards Fish Creek.

The only downside of continuing was the switchbacks I had to use to get down to Tully Hole. They weren’t bad as switchbacks go, but switchbacks in the afternoon are always irritating. 🙂

I could have gone a half mile more to get to my original goal for the day (Fish Creek), but found a nice campsite along the creek near Tully Hole and decided to stay for the night. Fish creek would be a similar forested area and it was miles and at least 1,000 feet to climb until a view might be likely, so once I found a nice spot I might as well stop for the night.

I even took a refreshing (if cold) swim in the pools in the nearby creek to cool off. Then I did a quick wash of my hiking shirts and underwear to keep the smell under control. Even only two days from my change to wash them in a real washing machine, they were quite… pungent. As was I. 🙂

Lots of ups and down this day.

10.5 miles hiked, 8:30 hours, 1,950 feet climbed
78 total miles hiked on the JMT

Highlights:
• Duck Pass
• Purple Lake
• Lake Virginia
• Tully Hole
• Daily goal achieved! (or close enough)