Ray went backpacking!!

My trail partners, LaZorra and TrailDad, are now doing the John Muir Trail. Their initial starting trailhead was Red's Meadow. However once they heard Ray and I were going to be in Mammoth and would like to backpack in with them their first day, they decided to change their starting place to 1 mile from our cabin where we'd join them for the first day and night.

On August 20th TrailDad and LaZorra arrived in Mammoth, spent the night with Ray and me, and all four of us headed out with our backpacks the next morning. At Coldwater Trailhead we (Yes, Ray too.) backpacked 4.7 miles up to Duk Pass (elevation 10,750'), then 1.7 miles down to meet the JMT. At the John Muir Trail junction, we hiked another 2.3 miles back up to Purple Lake where we camped for the night. If you add up this mileage, you get 9.1 miles. Ray backpacked 9.1 miles with a pack, in elevation!!! He did great, so great he now has a trailname - "Outtasight" - because he was so far out in front of us all for lots of the hike. (Today when Ray and I were hiking, he said, "You know my new trailname works whether I'm in the lead or trailing behind!")

We all had fun. as we awakened often, Ray and I giggled most of the night in the tent. Aside from being tired (Ray retired to the tent at 5:19pm), and having sore feet, Ray was a trooper, performed well and seemed to be enjoying this one night backpack. I won't mention how much I spent buying Ray a new sleeping bag and Osprey backpack, buying us a 2 man Sierra Design tent (I forgot my tent), and getting Ray a Prolite 3 thermarest, just so I could spend one night in the wilderness with my husband. Of course my mind says maybe he'll go out with me again now that he has all this new equipment. We'll see, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ray is his new Western Mountaineering 10 degree bag. I can't seem to upload all the other photos with this Mammoth coffee shop internet connection I have. I'll add the rest of the backpack photos when I get home next Sunday.