Day 2 (Monday September 12, 2016):  Sunrise camp at the Clouds Rest / John Muir trail junction is a well used camping area for backpackers heading out on the John Muir trail. Our camp was located here, adjacent to the JMT. Sunrise Creek nearby provides a good source for water for filtering.

(Evening day 1): In camp at the end of day one, it was clear that John’s trip was done. John’s ankle was swollen, black and blue. He had courageously struggled over Clouds Rest to get to camp. To attempt five more days of backpacking in the Yosemite back country that included uphill miles, a rough, rocky trail and a high mountain pass wasn’t destined to happen. Not that John wasn’t willing, but even he acknowledged that he could do more damage to his ankle.

That night at camp, our group talked over our circumstances. At present, the completion of the whole trip rested on our ability to somehow extricate John. John was adamant that he did not want the rest of us to quit the trip on account of his injury. He insisted that he would exit alone so we could continue on. None of us were comfortable with him walking out by himself. John is my cousin and was my guest. I felt it my obligation to escort John out safely so I volunteered. I would need to carrying his backpack to keep pressure & weight off his ankle. This led to discussions of ways to safely get John out AND salvage the trip for the rest of us.

I want to also mention at this point that in our original permitting process, we had received permits to do the Half-Dome cables. That part of the trip was slated for tomorrow. The original plan was to day-hike from Sunrise camp to the HD junction and up to the cables onto the top of Half-Dome. Once completed, we would hike back to Sunrise camp, lunch, break camp, hike on to Little Yosemite Valley and head out east along the Merced River to Merced Falls.

Sunrise Creek Camp is situated about 7.5 miles away from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. Having agreed to walking John out, the discussion turned to what that involved. Working in our favor was the hike out was mostly downhill from Sunrise into little Yosemite Valley. The subsequent two miles to Nevada Falls would be flat, and the final 3.6 miles downhill to Happy Isles. Total mileage from Sunrise camp to Happy isle was about 7.5 miles one way. To be able to keep our trip alive would require me to hike a total of 16 miles. The thought of a 16 mile round-trip to HI and back to Sunrise camp and then another 4 miles to Merced Falls would be daunting. Simply put, my backpacking trek would be over as well.

However, another option began to take shape that offered a trip-saving solution. We surmised that I could walk John the 3.5 miles to to Nevada Falls and have someone meet us there to aid John the rest of the way out. In turn, I could reverse and hike back to Sunrise, thus doing only 7 miles instead of the 16 miles. Just when it seemed that the trip would have to be called, a viable option saved the day.

As I mentioned earlier, I discovered we had cell phone service from Sunrise camp. A series of calls to my wife allowed us to come up with an exit plan for John. It went like this. My wife made contact with my sister and brother-in-Law who, as fortune would have it, live in Copperopolis CA, 1.5 hours from Yosemite. My brother-in-law Gary, volunteered to drive up to Yosemite Valley to pick up John at Happy Isles. From there, they would get John to a doctor for treatment & recuperate at their home.

Since I had previously done Half-dome I would forgo tomorrows hike to Half Dome. Instead, I would carry John’s backpack and escort him down the JMT, through little Yosemite Valley to Nevada Falls. He would carry my day-pack, filled with minimal water and some food for my return trip to Sunrise Camp. From Nevada Falls, John would continue the rest of the 3.5 miles down the John Muir trail to Happy Isles. In the meantime, Jeff  & Kevin would go ahead and hike up Half-dome as planned. It would be Kevin’s first time. We agreed we would all meet back at Sunrise later that afternoon. We all agreed to this plan and set about coordinating the details. 

On Monday morning we executed the plan flawlessly. John and I hiked out to Nevada Falls where we switch packs and said our regretful goodbye’s. I was sad that John’s trip was ending this way and I know he was disappointed. John is a fighter and not one to walk away from a challenge. Nevertheless, It was the right decision. Not long after heading down the John Muir trail from Nevada Falls, John was met by my brother-in-law Gary who had walked up the trail from Happy Isles. Gary carried John’s pack the remaining miles to the car. John was safely returned to civilization and medical care. Meanwhile, I put on my day pack and reversed course, hiking back up to sunrise camp. It was a relief knowing John was in good hands. I arrived back at Sunrise camp and took a snooze. Several hours later, Jeff and Kevin returned from half-dome and we shared stories of our respective days events. Kevin’s was excited at his first experience on top of Half Dome. Kevin was not exactly comfortable with heights and the pull up the cables of half dome was daunting. But once on top, the sense of accomplishment and awe overrode the fear. He and Jeff exulted in the thrill of being on top of this impressive wonder of nature. Back at camp, we were all exhausted from the days events and the amount of morning hiking already done. Tired and famished from the days trek, Jeff suggested we stay one more night at Sunrise camp get some needed rest. We agreed and would head out early the next morning for the next leg of our trek. This decision would also mean altering our route somewhere along the way to make up for the lost day. That story comes later, but in the meantime that night proved to be one of the better nights of sleep I have ever had on trail.

(Footnote: After meeting my Brother-In-Law Gary at Happy Isle’s, John and Gary headed out of Yosemite and back to Copperopolis, CA and to a doctor office. The doctor confirmed John’s ankle was badly sprained (no break). By this time, John’s ankle was swollen, black and blue. Our post hike recap confirmed we made the right decision to get John to medical help instead of pressing on. A few days later, John drove back to the coast (of California) to my home and flew back home to Texas. The following year, John came back to hike the High Sierra Trail with us – this trip went without incident and we had a great time.)

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