Four Boots - One Journey by Jeff Alt

Author:Jeff Alt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beaufort Books
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

The Cheeseburger Cache

Vermilion Valley Resort, 90 miles from Happy Isles

August 4, 2003

Beth and I were strategically camped a short distance from our planned re-supply point, Vermilion Valley Resort. The farther we traveled from Yosemite—the beginning of our expedition—the more we distanced ourselves from civilization. We also were climbing in elevation, which meant less oxygen to breathe and more rugged terrain with each mountain pass. During the first half of our trip, we seemed to encounter some sort of domesticated amenity every few days. But Vermilion Valley Resort marked our last opportunity to buy a Coke, take a shower, and spend money.

That morning, we broke camp and walked along a relatively flat trail shaded by forest to the shoreline of Lake Edison, named after the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison. Appropriately, Lake Edison is part of a hydroelectric dam system. The shoreline we stood along had once been the side of a mountain, which likely offered a commanding view of the now-flooded valley that Lake Edison filled. The area once was also inhabited by Mono Indians, some of whom still live throughout the area.

Vermilion Valley Resort was five miles off the John Muir Trail by a side trail: Mono Creek Trail, which ran along the lake edge. For a fee, Vermilion Valley Resort offered a ferryboat shuttle across the lake to the resort. We had planned our arrival at the shore in time to catch the morning ferry, but at the last minute we decided to walk the lakeshore and save the $16 it would cost us for the one-way boat ride. Besides, it was a beautiful day, and we were planning to take a few days off at the resort.

The ferry reminded Beth of a family vacation to Washington state during her childhood. To save a few bucks, her dad and uncle told the kids to huddle underneath blankets in the back of her uncle’s pick-up truck so they wouldn’t have to pay the ferry cost for each child. Mike told their Aunt Pat what was going on, and she’d made the men apologize and pay the full price to the ferry service.

The trail around the lake was more than we bargained for. Looking at the map, we assumed the trail would be a relatively flat, serene beachside stroll. We were wrong. The trail wound up and down hills as if we were on a never-ending roller coaster erected in the forest. It dawned on me as we toiled along that because this wasn’t a natural lake, we weren’t walking along a natural path. Instead, we were traversing ripples of mountaintops. A manmade trail had been carved out to allow for foot travel. We arrived at Vermilion Valley Resort—exhausted—several hours after regretfully declining the ferry ride. We definitely got more than $16 worth of hiking.

While planning our trip, I had read numerous journals of hikers who raved about their stays at this resort. I had reserved a private room, but we were a day ahead of our planned arrival and hoped to bump up our room reservation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.