JMT Hiking Day #8 (Trip Day #13). Sallie Keyes Lakes to Muir Trail Ranch. Aug. 17, 2014

EDIT 12/23/2014 - In an earlier post, I stated that our room at VVR was cleaner and more spacious than what we had at Muir Trail Ranch.  THIS WAS A MISTAKE.  I meant to write that our room at VVF cost about the same, yet was more spacious and cleaner, than our room at Reds Meadow Resort.  I just now -- more than a month later -- caught that mistake.  I am so sorry -- we LOVED our time at MMR, as this post, and the one that follows, should abundantly show. --Trish


As usual, I awoke before the kids.

After they roused themselves, we broke camp and walked the six miles of easy downhill trail toward Muir Trail Ranch.

We arrived around 10am and let ourselves in at the gate.

Horses!

Muir Trail Ranch feels like two separate businesses.  First, it's an excellent resupply stop.  You mail your resupply bucket from home, pay them $65 for each bucket they hold for you, then, when you arrive, your bucket is there on the date you specify, and there's a shaded area for you to go through it and ditch what you don't need.  All those buckets in a row below, plus more you can't see, are filled with food and supplies other hikers have left behind.  You can take whatever you like from those buckets and leave whatever you don't want from your own.  Everything is neatly organized.  There's also a long power strip for folks to charge their gadgets, and there's a faucet with fresh drinking water.  It's a nice operation.  The only thing you can't do, unless you're staying the night as a paid guest, is use their toilets.  That shouldn't be a big deal for anyone who's been backpacking in the woods for days/weeks.

The second business is the resort itself.  There are beautiful cabins, private hot springs, and a to-die-for dining service.  It's a lovely place to stay; the usual clientele hike or ride horses into the ranch from the Florence Lake area.

We were too early to check in, so I took my time going through the two buckets I had mailed.  Alex and Sage looked through what other hikers had left behind and scored some Rice Krispie squares, beef jerky, and a few other enticing tidbits.  They ate their finds while I stuffed everything back in my pack and weighed my Gossamer Gear Gorilla.  42 pounds, plus another eight lbs I was carrying by hand in my Ursack (I'll review that excellent piece of gear this weekend).

Not long after we arrived, a couple we recognized from Vermilion Valley Resort walked into the resupply area.  The man's name was Don and the woman's name was Debbie; they were from Washington DC.  We introduced ourselves (we hadn't spoken at VVR, I just remember seeing their faces) and chatted until the MMR folks told us we could check in.  Don and Debbie were staying two nights, as we were, so we took the tour together and then went into our respective cabins.

The cabins are rustic, individual buildings that dot the banks of a lovely stream.

The interior of our cabin was spacious and charming.

After we settled in, we tackled our laundry.  The girls and I had fun using the old-fashioned washing machine.

Sage using the old-fashioned wringer.

Once the chores were complete, we headed for the private hot springs.  There's an outdoor area in which you must bathe and wash hair before entering the clean water.  We were more than happy to wash the trail dust and body grime off ourselves.

Private hot spring!

Cleaning ourselves before entering the water.

Good times.

Clothes cleaned and bodies rejuvenated, we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging about and waiting for dinner.  We saw the Dartmouth guys come through and pick up their resupply buckets -- we hadn't seen them since that first night at Little Yosemite Valley.  They now numbered four instead of six -- two of the fellas had left the trail.  We exchanged pleasantries with the four that remained, and then they left...they said they planned on ascending Whitney on the 26th.  We didn't see them again, so they were probably a day or two ahead of us from that point forward.

I'll describe more features of Muir Trail Ranch in my next entry, which will be posted late Saturday evening, Aug. 25.