6/24/12

Got the much needed sleep last night. I always try to find a site that has many pine needles, nice and soft, even for my well used z-rest. Everytime I look at Lauren's, two inch thick thermarest I am slightly jelous. I am considering buying one in South Lake Tahoe. But for now I make sure we have a soft spot to sleep!
   We woke up early and were hiking by 7 am. It was so cold! Lauren has a gadget that told us it was 33 when we started hiking. But the uphill climb to Mather Pass had us sweating in no time.
   I decided to hike at my own pace and meet Lauren at the top of Mather. It felt so good to be outside early in the day, headed up a pass that I am fond of. It looks like it did in August a couple years ago. Nothing like the June of 2006. I still love the pass, so beautiful all the way up.
    The descent down to Palisades Lakes felt so good. When at the lakes we took a long break. I played in the creek trying to catch fish with my bare hands. I had my hands on more than one good sized fish, but they slipped away. Hopefully one of these days I will snag some trout for lunch.
   This is really livin though. Sitting on a shore of a crystal clear lake. The outlet cascades over a cliff, over a thousand feet before it begins to level off. The trail does the same in a series of short steep switchbacks, eventually leading us to the Middle Fork of Kings River. I cooked a quick dinner of a mountainhouse I bought on clerance a few months ago. It was  cheap and tastes great, but contains 37 grams of fiber, 142% of your daily value. Needless to say, it offers gas that is almost painful sometimes.
   Luckily we walked another three and a half miles to a beautiful campsite along the river. Some of the gas escaped, some will escape throughout the night. I suppose the smells may really be a test for our relationship. But hey, she farts too!
   We made 18 miles today, and it felt great. Happy to be here. We will head up Muir Pass tomorrow. I cant wait!