Cole and I set out on a Friday evening after I got off work at 4 and drove down to the Eastern Sierras. We arrived at the Red Meadows Campground around 12:30 AM, set up camp and snuggled up in our CVT tent until the sun rose the next morning.
Being it was just a weekend trip, we wanted to do probably the biggest and most touristy thing in the area. From the campground, there were several access points to trails where you could run for miles. This intersection was a big thru-hikers pit-stop from the PCT and JMT. We set out on Saturday morning around 10 AM after we enjoyed our morning coffee and headed out on the Old JMT trail. 
Robie and I stuck together for the ascent. Starting at nearly 8,000ft from the get-go, I was already breathing heavy and had planned ahead of time to hike with purpose up to the summit and run when I felt necessary. We remained a consistent 17ish average pace on the climbs which included over 500+ feet of elevation gain per mile.
The first couple miles meandered through the Ansel Adams Wilderness until I needed to make a sharp turn towards Mammoth Mountain on the Dragon’s Back Trail. The terrain was filed with hot pumice stones, we Robie and I took frequent breaks in the shade and creek crossings.
Every turn I made, there was another spectacular view; especially the one where I saw Cole blazing down the descent on the final climb up to the summit. He stopped and offered to take on the final mile towards the summit with me. Unfortunately, due to nearby fire, the air was pretty smokey which really started to bother us later in the last couple miles of the run.
We summitted Mammoth Mountain together (Cole for the second time now), snapped some photos and headed down on our merry way. Mammoth Mountain was a new high for me sitting at 11,083 ft. My previous peak was 10,881 ft on Freel Peak in the Tahoe Basic. I was pretty excited with my physical capabilities to run/hike that summit in a decent amount of time.
On our way back down, the Dragon’s Trail made for technical run/hiking downhill. Cole bounced through the rocks, but I managed to tip-toe my way down slowly but surely. The pumice rocks made it tricky to get decent grip and it almost felt like I was skiing downhill through tiny rocks.
The last couple miles were hot and incredibly exposed. The blue skies started to fade and turn into a smokey hot mess. I eventually made it back to where Cole and Robie were waiting for me at the little market near our campground. We refueled with a soda and ice cream cookie sandwich which was the best thing on the planet.
Mammoth Mountain was an incredible adventure. It was such a tease being there for just one full day. We are already planning our next adventure, scoping out the high Sierras to take on our next challenge.
jocelyn schmidt 