Last nights cowboy camping didn't work out for me. I was too hot and didn't get much sleep. The one wee negative about the High Sierras and the plentiful water supply is the existence of mosquitos. We had been attacked earlier in the day, so I didn't want to stick my leg out of my sleeping bag to wake up in the morning and find my leg looking like a pepperoni pizza. Neither did I fancy taking my leggings off in case I had to run away from something in the middle of the night. As a result my beauty sleep was less than adequate.
From our camp at the bridge it was 7 miles uphill to Pinchot Pass at over 12,000 feet. Like yesterday we were amazed at some of the beauty that we came across.
The Sierras make for very slow hiking. Each of us continuously stopped to take photos or wander off the path a little to get a better view of some amazing sight. Right at the start of our climb we came across a river cascading down a wide bed of flat rock. Then we had the first of many river crossings. This also takes more time, figuring out where to cross. Fortunately the air is dry and warm, so after changing socks our shoes were dry in about 15
minutes. Another factor slowing us down a little, compared with the desert, is the trail itself. This trail is very rocky, and often has steep steps which are hard on the feet and knees, especially when going down.
So many lakes today, and each of them a very different color of blue or green. The mountains were equally spectacular in greys, browns, rusts and charcoal. Saw marmots, chipmunks and caught a deer grazing in a beautiful meadow of purple flowers.
Now camped in cozy tent next to a stream in the upper basin under Mather Pass. It has been nice being able to wash everyday and go to bed clean.
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