Day 2
Sunrise to Ireland Creek
16.9 miles

I woke without an alarm early in the morning and had oatmeal with granola and raisins for breakfast and watched the sun rise over the ridge. I ate oatmeal for breakfast the entire trip. While not providing much variety, it was easy to make and I felt it was worth the time to cook a warm breakfast, since it was always chilly in the morning.

The hike from Sunrise to the Tuolumne visitor center was spectacular and packed with perfect meadows and streams. I took a break at an unnamed lake near the trailhead to Cathedral Lake and stopped to filter water at a natural spring beside the trail. This portion of the trail was packed with hikers on day trips. The trail wanders across and on paved roads near the Tuolumne visitors center and while you can't really get lost, it's a bit tricky to stay "pure" and stay on the JMT. There is a cafe and store just off the trail. There is also a pay phone, one of only two I encountered along the entire trail (the other at Red's Meadow near Devil's Postpile. Plus a satellite phone at Vermilion Valley Resort.)

I stopped for lunch and to soak my feet in a cold creek just across the paved road. I was beginning to fear the worst for my hiking boots. I cheaped out when it came to footwear and I was beginning to pay for it. My ankles were sore from constant rubbing and the lack of ventilation was causing major aches and pains. I found the only way to relieve the soreness was to constantly soak my feet in the cold streams and change into dry socks every couple of hours. This continued for the first half of the trip until I realized that I would never wear these boots again and therefore felt justified to take my pocket knife to them, cutting large ventilation holes along the side and gouging out the area that was rubbing my ankle bone. My boot problems then ceased to be a factor. Also, since I had a small internal-frame pack my bear canister was strapped to the outside (along with my tent, poles, and sleeping pad.) It had been hanging off the bottom of the pack but at this point I moved it to the top of the pack near my shoulders and felt an immediate decrease in pack weight.

Leaving the visitors center area and civilization behind once again I was back on the trail down Lyell Canyon. Here I met a fellow hiker, Brian, who was doing 500 miles of the PCT. Brian and I hiked together for about 3-4 miles and it was great to have company. He was putting in major miles, I think something like 25 miles a day, and it was all I could do to stay up with him. The conversation and the pace were a welcome distraction from my aches and pains. Keeping pace caused me to pull something behind my right knee and after a long break Brian continued on and I stopped to make camp here, somewhere near Ireland Creek. The mosquitos and flies were terrible, as they were for almost all of the trip. I was able to cook dinner and get settled before dark, and it was magical to lay in the tent exhausted but feeling good, with nothing to do but listen to the silence and watch the sky get dark. I didn't remember falling asleep.