JMT Rest Days #4 and #5 (Trail Days #10 and #11 ). Vermilion Valley Resort. August 14 and 15, 2014

Had we stuck with our original schedule, we would have arrived at the lake's ferry landing this evening instead of the previous night.  We now found ourselves in the wonderful position of having two days of rest ahead of us instead of one.  This was fortuitous, since it gave Sage even more time to get over her cold/virus.  She now looked and acted 100% normal, but every once in a while she'd let loose with a 200 decibel cough.  Extra rest time couldn't hurt, given her situation.

We woke early and took our things to the ferry landing which, due to the drought, was in the middle of the lake bed.

In past years, Vermilion Valley Resort used an actual ferryboat to transport JMT/PCT hikers across the lake.  Now, unfortunately, there isn't enough water in the lake to support a large boat, so the good people at VVR use a small motorboat instead.

There's room for four or five people in the boat.  We shared our ride with two gentlemen who had camped at the intersection with the JMT (instead of on the lake bed).  They'd had an interesting evening...two bears roam the campground by that intersection, and one had tried to intimidate the fellows out of their dinner.  One of the fellows threw a rock at the bruin. The rock missed its mark, but Yogi got the message and left.

The boat ride was fun -- Alex and Sage took a million pictures and enjoyed themselves immensely.

An eagle flew overhead (my photo's terrible, sorry) --

A helicopter kept flying to the lake, dipping its giant bucket into the water, and flying off again.  Apparently, there was a fire nearby...

The water no longer reaches the resort.  The boat therefore takes you as far as it can, then the driver puts you into a white van.  You sit on milk crates and hold onto whatever you're able as the van bumps and rocks over the lake bed toward VVR.  The girls thought this was even more fun than the boat ride.

We arrived at the resort in fine spirits.

Front of VVR

VVR's hang-out space, close to the hiker buckets

Outside eating area

Display by the front door

The girls and I looked through the hiker buckets.  We took toilet paper and various hard candies, and I donated a bottle of sunblock.

I went inside and met the owner, Jim, while the girls hung about outside and indulged in the sweets.  Though we were about five hours early, Jim had our reserved room ready.

Our room, which cost about the same as the room we'd had at Reds Meadow Resort, was lovely.  It was much cleaner and cozier than what we'd had at Reds.

Outside, we had our own patio, grill, and fire ring.  We were extremely happy with these accommodations!

The lake used to extend all the way to the resort -- check out the dry lake bed in the photos below.

The normal ferry boat rests where the water used to be.

The girls and I spent our two days at VVR resting, eating the DELICIOUS homemade, home-grown food (the meals are seriously wonderful!!), and playing various board games.  Sage's cough diminished, but never fully went away.  We'd be hanging out, having fun, when she'd suddenly erupt into a cough and frighten everyone around her.  Other that that, she seemed happy and healthy.

Sage builds structures out of dominoes.

Alex writes in her journal.

The highlight of Sage's time at VVR was her discovery of that old game, Risk.  We spent four hours playing one afternoon.  Sage absolutely relished her attempts at world domination.

Sage discovers her inner Napoleon.

Blood ties be damned, Sage is taking over the world.

Fortunately for Alex and me, Sage's strategy of attacking everyone no matter what, even with a tiny army, didn't pay off.  She kept trying to take over well-armed territories with minimal troops, so she quickly lost most of her battles.  She loved fighting everyone anyway, and she asked for this game for Christmas.

By the time we left, Sage was 99% better (she still had that occasional cough), and we'd met some new-to-us thru-hikers and touched base with a few folks we'd already met.  By the time the morning of the 16th rolled around, we felt completely rejuvenated and ready to get back on the trail.

Next entry -- JMT Hiking Day #7, VVR to Sallie Keyes Lakes, -- will be posted within five or six days.  Wish I could crank out all these entries at once, but the girls and I are swamped with homeschooling responsibilities and obligations.  Also, Alex and I will hopefully finish the Trailwrights hiking list soon (weather permitting).

I'll post another gear review entry late tomorrow evening.