Bubble in the desert

A blog I started whilst on a GE "Bubble" assignment in Nevada. I'm back in Cambridge (UK) now but still miss the desert and my friends out there.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Leaving Mammoth (7.5 miles) and Devil's Postpile

Bull kindly gave me a lift up to Mammoth so I could get the Bus back to Red's Meadow. As he dropped me off I spotted Bastian (aka Free Refill) and introduced him to Bull and Basil. B&B were planning another zero day in Mammoth due to the looming rain clouds.

I just had time to tell Bastian about the top secret unmarked BMWs we saw at our hotel car park which were being test driven around Death Valley. Being German he was of course extremely interested.

Amtrak got going at 14:30 today and I was a bit late by the time I had posted off my job application to Cooper. I guess I was at least an hour behind him but figured I would catch him up though I wasn't sure which route he would take. The PCT and JMT diverge ahead and the JMT is nicer apparently, though I figured Amtrak for more of a purist and headed out on the PCT (I was to find out I was wrong about that as I soon learned from the lack of his footprints ahead).

When I got back to Red's Meadow I was pleased to see The Champ (Carter) again and his new buddy Lotto. I chatted a bit and then headed out. They had planned to only do 6 more miles tonight and I wanted to do a few more. The Champ was extremely dirty and yet turned down the free showers, fed by hot springs, only a half mile away. We saw him again in Tuolumne Meadows looking even more dirty, some days later.

When I saw the Devil's Post Pile I was staggered and took loads of photos and walked over the top and around it taking lots of photos. The rock structure is one of the oddest I have ever seen. I could have spent longer there just looking at it. It was raining, just a little though, and I struggled to find the trail but was eventually on my way. This is the first time it has rained the whole trip - the local fire fighters must be a bit relieved.

After an easy 7 mile hike I arrived at a proper campsite, Agnew Meadows, with bear lockers and paid the $18 for my pitch. Quite expensive but nobody about to share it with.

By now I had figured that Amtrak must've gone on the JMT so I would perhaps catch him as the two trails converged 10 miles ahead.

All in all I was pleased to have escaped the town vortex with my chores done and having had a good go at applying for a job at Cooper. My work was all pencil and paper and looked a bit scrappy so I don't hold out a lot of hope.

Very nice to now have long trousers and shirt all soaked in Permetherin. I haven't needed any DEET at all today so perhaps it is working or perhaps this is a low mosquito area. It's hard to say which.

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