Following the Triple Peak Fork

July 5th, 2016

Happily, we wake to brewed coffee and Sierra's kind voice "Coffee's ready girls", outside of our tent. Sierra and Wilson followed coffee with a mediterranean egg dish that included feta cheese, olives, basil, spinach and more. It was delicious and full of sustenance to get us through today's hike. We are allowed a later start and a more relaxed pace as we plan to cover 9 miles (14.5 km), mainly downhill.

The grand downhill takes us through the creek drainages that eventually form the mighty Merced River. The Triple Peak Fork is one of three forks that feed into the Merced from higher elevations. Lyell Peak Fork and Merced Peak Fork meet with Triple Peak creating a wild and beautiful Merced. The Red Peak Fork joins the Merced further west before Washburn Lake along the trail. The downhill was hard on the knees and legs at times, and one of our women struggled with knee pain which originally flared up on the ascent of Isberg the following day. 

Along the route today we see, in the distance, Mount Ansel Adams, Forester Peak, Electra, Mount Clark, Merced Peak, Tuolumne, Matthes Crest, Mount Hoffman, Columbia Finger, Moraine Dome, and Red Peak. The views continue to be outstanding and it seems that one surpasses the next. Additionally, in light of our decent, we are blessed with beautiful meadows, waterfalls and swimming holes. We drop 2,500 feet over roughly 9 miles (14.5 km). 

Water Pumping & Snack break along the Triple Peak Fork

While we rested we talked about what we had seen so far. The various mountain ranges, the forks, the rock and geology. The alpine manzanita was everywhere on our decent. After our snack of trail mix, we carried on with our day. Shortly we stopped to observe chatter marks in the rock along the river. Wilson spoke about the geology of the area, marks such as these reminiscent of the glaciers having pushed rock against rock, downhill,  as it worked to shape what we now see as valleys. 

Lunch was at a beautiful falls along our path. The falls itself was breathtaking. Again part of the Triple Peak pounding off of rock cliffs into a valley far below, surrounded by mountain faces. Feasting on teriyaki tofu, hummus, pepper, and cucumber, trail mix, tasty cashews in coconut powder, we wondered at the beauty of this place.

The Merced!

View from the falls

Falls drop off

Making it's way to the Merced

After lunch we carried on, moving casually along the trail, sometimes in silence and other times with chatter. Before long we reached our camp, along the Merced River, west of the Merced Peak and Lyell Peak Forks. The beauty of this camp is astounding leaving one speechless. The smooth, flat rock face, that stretches for hundreds of metres is bordered by trail and a small forested area on one side, and the rushing Merced on the other. 

As Wilson and Sierra set up our kitchen and began to prep a snack, we actively set up tents and unpacked gear. Before long we were all yearning to get in the water, so Wilson set out to direct us to the best swimming holes. At this location, there is a fun natural water slide that is often enjoyed by YGT'ers on trip here. Wilson headed for the slide to test it out for our safety and to demonstrate sliding technique. With the water being so high this year, after a heavy winter's snowfall, the river made quick work of sending Wilson sailing down the rock slide! In a matter of seconds, Wilson was pulling himself out of the river. For a moment we thought we might lose him over a small falls, but Wilson remained composed and unruffled. In a calm, rational tone Wilson stated that this slide "isn't safe this year" and he quickly redirected us to the higher and lower swimming holes. 

After refreshing swims in the lower river, we all enjoyed some rest. Wilson and Sierra were able to relax along with us, napping, reading, and chatting. We quickly referred to this day as "laundry day" as we had sufficient water and time to soak, scrub and hang dry our clothing. 

While we lounged, several lizards were visible. Sierra's field guide book came in handy to look up which species were sharing our camp with. These little guys were called Wastern Sagebrush Lizards, common to mid-elevation. One fellow made quite a scene with his 'push up' display behaviour. Along the trail at higher elevations, we saw many larger crocodile lizards, but they were quick to move along without taking the time to display themselves.

The Mighty Merced, camp on left side

Can you tell where this is heading?

Testing the safety of the water slide

Brave guide Wilson heading down the river

Laundry racks

Quiet Time

Western Sagebrush Lizard

Foot care, by SUPER guides, on the long trek

We wrapped up our day with a delicious supper of penne pasta with pesto and chocolates for dessert, while sitting around a warm spirited fire. 

A laughable, and memorable moment, occurred this evening when one of our women headed into the woods for a toilet pit stop. So, for those of you who aren't familiar, toileting in the backcountry follows a "leave no trace" philosophy. What this amounts to is digging a hole for excrement and burying what you leave behind. However all toilet paper is packed out in a personal trash bag. Digging holes and burying waste is a big deal in the wild. The last thing anyone wants is to head out to a private spot in the woods and come upon someone else's already soiled spot. One of our women was unlucky enough to choose another's special toilet hole for her own, unbeknownst to her! Yikes,....and a shovel from the toileting kit is "compromised"!! Yuck. If we were any where near civilization at that moment, we might have encouraged her to buy a few lottery tickets.

Prior to bed tonight we reviewed tomorrow's route with Wilson. We would travel another 9 miles along the Merced to meet up with the John Muir Trail (JMT). An early-ish morning would be in order.