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| Devil's Postpile |
Got out of Mammoth at 2:00pm-ish and had about 14 miles to do.
And, man, was it hot. This heat wave thing, how would we handle it!? Apparently, it is only going to get hotter over the next few days...
Maybe mosquitos don't like heat? This could be a very good thing....
My concern leaving Mammoth Lakes was thunderstorms. The heat wave meant higher chances of thunderstorms in the afternoons. I will be watching for the signs.
Getting back out on the trail is always a bittersweet thing for me. It is both a relief and a slightly anxiety-inducing thing for me. Town doesn't stress me out like it does other hikers (some people can only stand to stay in town 1 night before they are itching to be back on trail) but it does feel good to get back out - making progress again. I love towns. I consider our zero days and town stops to be as much a part of the journey as the hiking! I enjoy touring towns and exploring the many places to eat. I love feeling comfortable, relishing a bed, and indulging in showers. I'm a sucker for these things, these luxuries and some people really couldn't care less about them.
Today it felt refreshing to get back out - we had a spring in our step and were looking forward to dusk hiking. It was sure to be a vibrant sunset.
There were a few of us leaving at the same time and we all gathered back up at Red's Meadow, where I ordered one of the best chocolate milkshakes I have ever tasted. I enjoyed it inside the diner by myself at a table, people watching and organizing my maps one last time before it was time to hit the trail.
Mr. Green, Pepperflake, Wagon Wheel, Shotput, and co. were hiking out at the same time as us... so we were leap frogging them for a a while.
Ben and I eventually split off on our own and powered upward toward our final camp spot for the night, just as the sun was setting, and yes, it was one of the best sunsets I've seen. This was some of the most stunning sections of trail we've done, actually.
Since Mt. Whitney, the PCT and JMT have been one trail, but at Red's Meadow they split into two trails, the JMT going into Yosemite Valley and ending near Half Dome, and the PCT staying high and skirting Yosemite to the East. A lot of us thru-hikers have chosen to finish the JMT as an alternate to the PCT so that they can finish in the Valley and sight-see/climb Half Dome/etc.... Most of our friends, including Starfox and Chik-Chak have opted for this more scenic route. Rocky and I are sticking to the PCT. We're trying to stay on schedule to meet Ben's family soon. WE ARE EXCITED!
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| Everyone hiking out of Red's Meadow. |
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| String Cheese Dinner with our mosquitos. |
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| Our campsite view. |
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| Yosemite is over those mountains. |
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| The beginning of a spectacular sunset. |
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| Sunset. No filters, no alteration, real colors here. |
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| The glow, as seen from our tent. |
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