It started as a challenge in the summer
of 1996. The challenge became a puppy
love; the puppy love turned into true
love and every summer since she has been
calling me.
.jpg)
So here it is, 12:15 AM on top of
Mt.Whitney........she is calling me.
I try to sleep, but I can't. My mind is
on the John Muir Trail instead.
I see Forester Pass, I see Muir Pass, I
see the Palisades, I see Rae Lake, Gamet
Lake, Thousand Island Lake, Banner,
Ritter, and the Minarets.
I try to resist but the lure is too
strong...I MUST GO...I MUST GO...I MUST
GO.
And go I did, faster than I ever did. At
12:45 AM, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006, I
step out of the Whitney Hut on to the
John Muir Trail heading-north to
Yosemite in quest of a sub-five-day
unsupported trek of the JMT and break
the current unsupported record of 5
days, 7 hours, 45 minutes.
At 9 PM, two mountain passes and 45
miles later, I arrive at Wood Creek.
On my prior JMT marathons I always
stopped at Wood Creek the first night.
Not this time kido. You have to make it
over Pinchot Pass and keep on gomg.
11:30 PM - disaster, almost at the top
of Pinchot, I step on a loose rock, take
a nasty fall and sprain my ankle, bruise
my thigh, and bloody my knee.
I decide to stop for for the night and
access my condition in the morning..jpg)
6 AM - I can walk but not very fast and
jogging is out of the question. My
sub-five JMT is over. I decide to bail
out via Sawmill Pass, the closest exit
route.
I promised my wife this would be my last
JMT marathon......"You said that the
last time....and the time before
that....and the two times before
that,"... my wife counters.
"We'll see"......but I tend to agree
with her that at one month shy of 66
years, I'm getting too old for those JMT
marathons and it's best to leave it to
the younger generation to improve upon
my time.
Oh, I will still hike the JMT, after
all....IT'S MY BABY....but at a slower
pace..jpg)
Even though I failed in my attempt of an
unsupported sub-five JMT, my records of
5 days 10 hours set in 2003 and 5 days 7
hours 45 minutes set in 2004 still
stand.
THE CHALLENGE HAS BEEN
MET...............THE LOVE WILL LAST
FOREVER................HER CALL WILL
NEVER END.
JMT Reinhold
Your hopelessly in love with the JMT
trail companion.
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