Day 25 - Deer Meadow to Upper Basin...

The ladies left Deer Meadow and headed uphill to the famed, "Golden Staircase", a marvel of mountain engineering - a series of switchbacks that were the last section of the JMT to be completed. These lead upward with almost 2000 feet of elevation gain in only 2.8 miles to the Palisade Valley.


The "Golden Staircase"...

After a quick rest, the ladies continued the ascent towards Mather Pass, el 12,100', the first time the JMT has crossed the el 12,000' contour.


Janet and Vicki at the top of Mather Pass...

A mountain desert landscape greets the hiker on the southern side of the pass.


South of Mather Pass...

A descent through the upper basin leads back down to the treeline and the south fork of the Kings River.


Upper Basin...

Somehow in the late afternoon, the ladies got separated. Carrie and Nana were scouting a spot to camp when Vicki apparently went right by, not seeing them. Janet arrived and asked where Vicki was. No one knew that she had sailed on down the trail. Janet took off down the trail but had no luck finding her. She came back to camp. Next, Nana saddled up her pack and headed down the trail to try and find her. Nana ended up passing Vicki without knowing it and continued until almost nightfall. She covered most of the next day's route without really knowing it. She ended up camping just a mile short of Marjorie Lake, a 15 mile day! Vicki ended up camping by herself as did Nana. All was well though as each was equipped with all the needed gear. Lisa ended up camped nearby with another group.