Day 76

Safety first. The Sierra Nevada in a record snow year is not an easy feat. Sacrificing miles is a necessity for the benefit of safety. I like that our Tramily puts safety as the number one priority. The miles can be done later on. As one friend told me, "It doesn't count unless you make it out alive."

We were up early in the morning. The goal is to cross Falls Creek (also known as Wide Creek). Compared to yesterday afternoon, the water level was noticeably much lower, I would say a foot, and it is not flowing as fast. It really made a difference with the snowmelt. With a total of 10 hikers, we split into two groups. Isko's group went first and it went smoothly. It was great to get to watch them go first as they were also able to guide us where to cross. I was glad we had a good group of people to go with as this creek crossing really put our i-formation into test. See the video courtesy of Isko Salminen.

I took my shirt off and just put on my rain jacket prior to crossing so that it will be completely dry to put on after. After successfully crossing Wide Creek, we quickly got moving as the water was freezing cold. Needing to warm our body quick, we hiked quite fast and we didn't stop until we got to a higher level where the sun could help us warm up.

It was a nice, wet meadow for a few miles after crossing Wide Creek. The worry is now over because there is no more big water crossing left to cross. We can ease up a bit.

We went thru miles of snow, countless streams, creeks, and river crossings resulting in wet feet and shoes everyday, rock scrambling, and many obstacles. We worked collectively as a team, as a family. Our bodies are tired and beat up, our brains drained... but we had an awesome time!