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Hetch Hetchy, July 2004

Hannah's Story

I am always trying to get guest writers for the site, and Hannah has agreed.  Actually, the story was a requirement for giving her a soda can stove but what the heck, let's see what she has to say.

Here is Hannah's story - to augment Casey's story

Day 1: I had to wake up at four o'clock in the morning in order to get ready and make it to Berkeley by 5:00. I guess this was good because it prepared me for waking up early for the next few days. This also gave me the excuse to sit in the backseat and sleep while Casey and Henrik drove. On our way to Yosemite we stopped and had a very beefy breakfast at Carl's Jr. It is a good way to start a backpacking trip. Anyway, the first day was a lot of uphill, but it wasn't that bad. The first few miles were hot, but then it got better and our first night was next to the lovely Lake Vernon. I think this was probably my favorite place on the entire trail. The lake was big, the water was clear and I love to swim. It was the perfect temperature and there were no mosquitoes. The lake was surrounded by granite walls and hills. We saw a huge rattlesnake - the size of a muscle-man's forearm. This was also the first night that I was introduced to Casey's homemade camp stove. He had two and I received one as a gift. This stove is very light and simple and works very well. I was impressed.

Day 2: We woke up early, but not that early - probably around 6 or so - and started the hike onwards. By this point we were up in the altitude so it wasn't extremely hot. The trees were big. After a bit of walking we began to descend into the valley that housed all the lakes, connected by a river, that we would swim in throughout the day. The water was cold, but this was a very good thing after hiking so much and it felt especially nice on my feet. I had packed avocadoes for the backpacking trip and for lunch I enjoyed one and some pita bread and salt next to our first swimming hole. I think this was the point where we first began discussing the lack of a water purification system, specifically the diminishing supply of chlorine and iodine. I think this is where Casey began to drink the water, which was clear and running. After swimming at almost every lake we came across we finally reached a lovely little swimming hole with a small beach that became out campground. We swam a lot, even after dinner. I am glad we finally decided to camp alongside the swimming hole, which I wanted to do all along - but of course we had to discuss (and walk around and inspect every possible site in the area) for about an hour where we would sleep. After eating and swimming and all that discussion in the nice sand next to the swimming hole, it became obvious - let's just camp where we are.

Day 3: We woke up early to beat the mosquitoes, which still eventually surrounded us after about 10 minutes of hiking. We had to walk about 2 miles uphill, but because of the mosquitoes, I was extremely motivated and I practically ran up the steep first two miles to a nice overlook where we had breakfast. Then we started walking again and were attacked by mosquitoes. As long as you kept moving really fast they weren't so bad, but if you stopped you were attacked. We then walked and walked and walked, through beautiful meadows where the flowering plants were nearly chest height, and we also walked through nice forests. Then things got a little drier and the mosquitoes disappeared. By this point I had run out of water and ended up drinking some stale, slightly smelly water, that had a film on it and seemed a little discolored. I was a bit worried because I drank it untreated. That night I had a slight squishy gut feeling, and was also a bit nauseous. The next morning I needed to make an early, immediate toilet rush, but after that I felt fine. I can't definitely say that my slight ill feelings were even due to the water. So I think it would be safe to say that the water in the Sierras appears to be clean and fine to drink - although try to avoid drinking stagnant water if you can. Anyway, we ended up hiking a long way, but it was very much worth it because of the beautiful place we camped which can be accurately described as: waterfall - swimming hole - waterfall - swimming hole - waterfall - swimming hole, etc. There were no mosquitoes here.

Day 4: This was our hike out day. We had an early morning swim at a waterfall along the way, and then again at another waterfall. This time though we were right along the rocks on the banks of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, so we just walked down and swam in the reservoir. This felt slightly naughty, due to its illegal-ness, but the water was warmer than the previous rivers and lakes, and was in fact deemed the "perfect temperature." We continued our hike out, hopped in the car, and drove back, stopping on the way at a nice Mexican restaurant. This was my first backpacking trip in the Hetch Hetchy area and I am glad I went. I saw my first bear in the backcountry. Okay, that's all, I'll see you on another trip.

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