Day 8. Backpacking Day 7.
Bubbs Creek to Kearsarge Lakes

I was up early with my camp guests, but as they headed south early, I hobbled around camp trying to loosen up my shin. I decided to do a short 3-mile day to let my leg rest and hopefully begin to recover. Hikers who had experienced shin splints before said there was nothing to do except rest.

I slowly hiked down Bubbs Creek about 2 miles and stopped at Vidette Meadow, a good place to spend the night. I soaked my leg in the creek, but by lunchtime however, I decided that I needed to get out and sent Liz a satellite message to please come and pick me up in two days. With the aid of cold water, trekking poles, and drugs, I could move, so I decided that I needed to move while I could.

I continued down along Bubbs Creek to a trail junction in Lower Vidette Meadow. Turning uphill, I continued on the JMT climbing steeply out of Bubbs Creek Valley. The trail was steep, but there was a stream crossing about halfway up that provided more leg-soaking time. Fortunately, hiking uphill was more comfortable than hiking downhill.

Continuing, I hobbled up steep trail to a junction that would lead east and out over Kearsarge Pass. I rested up for more than an hour (soaking in the creek), then decided to press on figuring that I could find a nice campsite away from the crowed JMT.

To my surprise, it was another 2 miles before I found a suitable campsite at Kearsarge Lakes. There, I met some nice people, one of whom let me use his Delorme Satellite Communicator to send Liz a text message that I'd be out the next afternoon.