JMT++ Day 20: Mather Pass, Lake Marjorie

[@onecooljewel6781]

Spectacular footage and commentary today. Thanks! 👍🏻👍🏻

[@mjirving29]

All bear cans in this area so no need to hang. There is a tiny benefit of carrying that extra 2 1/2 pounds of plastic. 😉

[@travelinbeat]

Hey thanks, OneCool, great to hear from you!

[@pauliedavis49]

May I say I appreciate your vocabulary. One almost never hears precise words anymore and I miss that. Beautiful vid and lake. Many thanks!

[@travelinbeat]

Thanks, Paulie!! Glad to hear it!!

[@HuangXingQing]

I noticed that was well. jejeje

[@jeffreyrule8143]

Another great day in the “Office” for you. Love your office set up and co-worker (Marmot). Hike on.

[@travelinbeat]

Good old Mr Marmot!! Those guys are awesome!

[@HuangXingQing]

Huzzah!!! That L Marjorie reminds me of a lake my daughter and I camped at in the backcountry (Upper Two Medicine) at Glacier in 2016. Memories in the making! Heard that's the first August snow there in 20 years. You're historic.

[@travelinbeat]

Very good call!! I camped very near 2 Medicine in 2022, near the end of my CDT hike-- kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX69aqCMjM98iac&pp=gAQBiAQB

[@colleenyork7354]

It occurs to me (seeing your marmot buddy!) that you keep food far from your tent, so critters aren’t motivated to chew their way in. Are you tying your food up in a tree? - haven’t heard mention of it this hike. Beautiful scenery today - some sections are so stark and barren, but those lakes!

[@travelinbeat]

This section of the PCT (Yosemite NP, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, and Inyo National Forest) all require that all food is carrying / stored in an approved bear safe food canister. My food lives either 1) in my bear canister, or 2) in my fanny pack (which is stored in my bear canister every night). I also used a Nylofume, thin, light, odorproof bag as a liner inside of my bear canister, to help minimize smell leakage

[@mjirving29]

I thought Mather was the most challenging pass sobo. It was long and a high climb on a lot of rocks. Most challenging descent was Pinchot to Woods Creek. I’m curious your thought. I camped at those first ponds on the south side of Mather on a new moon night no. Cowboy camped. Probably my fav night of the hike. Just amazing. My grandmother was named Marjorie, so my break at that lake was pretty special.

[@travelinbeat]

Hmmm most challenging.... I've found that for me, the most significant factor determining the perceived difficulty is my condition. For me, I think Glen Pass may have been harder, but I hit Glen at the end of what had already been a 16.5mi effort, which already included Pinchot Pass. Mather, I hit with fresh morning legs, after a good, low elevation (8,700ft) sleep. I certainly don't think it would be fair or accurate to say that I felt any of this hike was easy, but I would be remiss in not highlighting once again what my experience was like last year-- given my experiences in 2023, I did not find too much difficulty in any part of this return visit.

[@mjirving29]

Yeah, nothing compared to last year! Mather was also end of day for me so good point. I also should have probably said “most tiring” rather than challenging.

[@MrRhiannon1]

Like the video's but do you have something against just saying "rain" !!! 😂

[@travelinbeat]

In what experience I have in mountains, particularly mountains in the great American west, I have observed it to be a minority of moisture which falls from the sky that can best / most accurately be described as "rain." Beyond that, I have a particular and deeply rooted desire to find the best word to describe whatever it is I am attempting to describe, and rain tends to feel just a little too flat or broad when there exist alternatives such as "mist," "thin pins of rain," "sprinkle," "drizzle," "medium mountain rain," "downpour," "deluge," "torrent," etc. What's more is that this far-from-exhaustive list describes only liquid precipitation and does not account for the multitude of frozen forms which also occur frequently in these mountains! When I say something like "I perceived no precipitation," it is a reflection of not only my desire to accurately represent my observation, but also of the fact that discerning the exact nature of precipitation from inside of a tent can be incredibly difficult (ie: light rain, sleet, graupel, and freezing rain all sound very similar on tightly pitched dyneema). I hope you can forgive my impulse to strive for accuracy in reporting, even if it periodically presents as pedantic!

[@richardinjapan4578]

I venture to say that we should not confuse attempting to be accurate with the ramblings of a pedant. A pedant adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense. Your videos illustrate, if nothing else, that your adventures are steeped in the common sense of the outdoors, and it is within this framework that you strive to accurately articulate your observations. So hey, dude, you may be picky about your vocabulary, but a pedant you are not. As always, enjoying the various aspects of your trek and the stunning videography and your thoughtful presentations.