Reconnecting with Team Zero, featuring a guest appearance by Happy JO. June 20.

I'm sitting in Bishop, CA in Motel 6. We hitched here yesterday from
the Subway in Independence. (incidentally the new five-dollar foot
long Orchard Chicken Salad sub is yummy. Of course I say this without
knowing the detailed list of ingredients and I'd like to keep it that
way.)

We arrived at the trail head, charging out nine non-PCT miles over
Kearsarge Pass at 11,200 ft and dropping into a campground area where
we knew there was trail magic. Bingo! We both had a beer at 9:30am,
followed by a handful of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Thank you,
Peanuteater!

After playing the telephone game with about 12 hikers heading back out
to the PCT, Peanuteater finally filled us in on the latest trail
gossip....about Team Zero?! Despite a successful summit of Mt Whitney,
Half Ounce contracted high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) that
evening. After a slow, laborious hike the next day and a completely
restless night, Boston and Cubby climbed to Forester Pass to get a
cell signal, while Tenspot and Turbo hiked, bushwacked, and carried
Half Ounce to a safer elevation. Following several unsuccessful
sweeps, a rescue helicopter finally located them and evacuated Half
Ounce to a local hospital.

Yet unfortunately the drama doesn't end there. While ascending post-
rescue, Ten Spot was faced with crossing the deep, raging confluence
of the Kern and Tyndall rivers. He tried to cross over a log but
couldn't make it without removing his pack--midstream. The pack
bounced off the bank, into the river and Ten Spot was left with
nothing but the clothes on his back in the middle of the Sierra
wilderness. He and Turbo hiked 28 miles over Forester and Kearsarge
Passes to get to the road that night, and Team Zero retreated to
Bishop so that Ten Spot could determine the next steps in his adventure.

Happy JO and I hitched into Bishop and we heard the whole story over
again in first person. Half Ounce was released from the hospital and
is recovering in Berkeley at Nobody's house. Ten Spot, now renamed
"The Kern", has bought new gear and is ready to return to the trail.
Boston made "Team Zero" ultralight cuban fiber wallets for Happy JO
and me, and a replacement for The Kern. Hopefully the bad luck has
subsided.

Tomorrow Team Zero, including Happy JO and me, will depart for the
next segment of our hike. Six days to Reds Meadows, seven passes
between us and our next zero day in Mammoth, and hopefully a reunion
with a healthy Half Ounce. Forget everything I said about tough days
in the desert, the next six days will be the final test for me this
summer.

Song for this section: Heaven Can Wait by Charlotte Gainsbourg:
"Heaven can wait and hell's to far to go, Somewhere between what you
need and what you know" I need the challenge of the next 120 miles,
yet I know it will push me to the limits. I'm lucky to share it with
the team and can't wait to report back safe and sound.

(Photo above approaching Forester Pass--the deep notch in the center
of the ridge)