My body is not moving this morning. No matter that my mind says: "get up" "you have to move there is another pass ahead", my body demands its rest. And so I surrender to its wisdom, turn over and rest for another hour or so. Getting up at 7:30 and taking off at 8:30 is not too bad. Yesterday I came from 12100 feet down to about 8000 and today I have to go back up to 121300. Then again down to 8500 and up again to 12000 and so it will continue all the way to Mount Whitney. I am getting the hang of it and I often joke with other hikers that it would have been considerate to build bridges between the passes:)
I hike up to Lake Majorie and love being off schedule to everbody else who has headed up over the pass way ahead of me. The lake is lovely and after a pause I continue up to the pass.
The landscape is very different, for the first time strong reds and oranges are appearing in the mountains around me. A friend later calls the mountains Neopolitan icecream with their stripes of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.
As I head down, I feel the sun on me and end up burning my legs - in the future I will not wear shorts on the way down' the mountain. I pass a whole series of lovely lakes, everywhere a pair or trio of hikers has come to rest - either to catch their breath, stay for the night or put their feet in the water. I am starting to feel the heat and fatigue come on. Finding shade for a few moments becomes paramount. And so I rest a few times under whatever tree cover or shrub cover I can find. When my stomach rumbles, I stop to make a comfort meal of granola and milk which revives me. I had heard the wood Creek which I am entering now is beautiful and lovely. It is grand and impressive, however strikes me as a bit desolate. There are almost no flat areas and lots of landslides, gravel and patches of trees here and there. I had hoped to find a place for the night within a few miles of the pass but can't find a suitable site. I explore a site that turns out to be full of marshy mosquito filled areas and little water and am forced to continue. I wonder if I have to go all the way to the next creek crossing, another 3- 4 miles down the trail.
And then I spot my perfect site for the night! A small wooden patch of wonderfulness on a ledge between two steep sections of the trail. I can see the valley open ahead of me, the stream is accessible beside me and I am protected from wind and weather. Just as I drop my pack, a herd of deer comes down the mountain and passes right next to me on the way to the stream. That settles it. I put up the tent, lay on a rock to relax my back and shoulders and eventually cook dinner and settle in for the night. I feel like the queen of the mountain, on my throne in Woodside Creek. It is a good night with the stars very visible as the moon is now coming up later in the night. The milky way looks like a highway of light and I can imagine galaxies spinning away out there.
I hike up to Lake Majorie and love being off schedule to everbody else who has headed up over the pass way ahead of me. The lake is lovely and after a pause I continue up to the pass.
The landscape is very different, for the first time strong reds and oranges are appearing in the mountains around me. A friend later calls the mountains Neopolitan icecream with their stripes of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.
As I head down, I feel the sun on me and end up burning my legs - in the future I will not wear shorts on the way down' the mountain. I pass a whole series of lovely lakes, everywhere a pair or trio of hikers has come to rest - either to catch their breath, stay for the night or put their feet in the water. I am starting to feel the heat and fatigue come on. Finding shade for a few moments becomes paramount. And so I rest a few times under whatever tree cover or shrub cover I can find. When my stomach rumbles, I stop to make a comfort meal of granola and milk which revives me. I had heard the wood Creek which I am entering now is beautiful and lovely. It is grand and impressive, however strikes me as a bit desolate. There are almost no flat areas and lots of landslides, gravel and patches of trees here and there. I had hoped to find a place for the night within a few miles of the pass but can't find a suitable site. I explore a site that turns out to be full of marshy mosquito filled areas and little water and am forced to continue. I wonder if I have to go all the way to the next creek crossing, another 3- 4 miles down the trail.
And then I spot my perfect site for the night! A small wooden patch of wonderfulness on a ledge between two steep sections of the trail. I can see the valley open ahead of me, the stream is accessible beside me and I am protected from wind and weather. Just as I drop my pack, a herd of deer comes down the mountain and passes right next to me on the way to the stream. That settles it. I put up the tent, lay on a rock to relax my back and shoulders and eventually cook dinner and settle in for the night. I feel like the queen of the mountain, on my throne in Woodside Creek. It is a good night with the stars very visible as the moon is now coming up later in the night. The milky way looks like a highway of light and I can imagine galaxies spinning away out there.
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