Miles hiked: 27.8.
Today would be another with a lot of fairly easy relatively low elevation miles, and I was planning on a pretty big day to get as close as I could to Vermilion Valley Resort, so I could shower and do laundry before Libby arrives.
The mosquitoes in Evolution Valley weren't as bad as I thought they might be, and my sunrise walk through this spectacular place was perfect. More early light on high peaks, easing down steep granite slopes to the valley floor right about the time I had to take of my shoes and cross Evolution Creek. Even though the water was low, I chose the "high water" crossing farther up the valley than where the trail crossed, since I hadn't seen it on my previous trip through here. The water was only about knee deep but was cold and painful with little cobbles along the bottom.
After lacing back up and munching some trail mix I followed the trail steeply down into the valley of the a South Fork of the San Joaquin River. The trail through the Sierra traverses the headwaters and tributaries of the great rivers of California, and I would be traveling through the San Joaquin watershed, one of he greatest, for the next several days.
This powerful river tumbles down a narrow gorge within the deep canyon, and today's walk was marked by the loud rumble of so much water. At the bridge where Piute Creek joins the party, I had a quick dip in a back eddy to cool down in prep for the long, exposed and sunny climb up toward Seldon Pass. There was a note on the trail sign saying there might not be water for 7 miles, something that wouldn't warrant mention just a couple hundred miles ago. The climb took a couple hours, and when I finally reached Sanger Creek where a half dozen shaggy beards calling themselves "The Fellowship" we're lounging in the shade, I was well-ready to flop down in a shallow pool of the creek. I stayed there an hour or so, chatting with the Fellows and then "talking shop" with Dragonfly, another biologist (entomologist). She said she'd heard the mosquitoes were bad on he other side of Seldon Pass, so I made the plan to have a relaxing dinner at the pass then hike down into the Bear Creek drainage until dark. This almost worked.
The last few miles to the pass, along the shores of Sallie Keyes and Heart Lakes, was great: cooler, easy walking, great views back south, and good company of Thunder Bunny and a few others. But when I reached the pass there wasn't even a puff of wind and the mosquitoes were already having a field day with the couple other hikers taking a break there. I had no choice; I needed to eat now or wait 4 more hours until after dark, so I donned my long pants and rain jacket and head net and had a quick, unrelaxing diner.
Refueled but a bit frantic, I packed up and headed down past the beautiful but to my eyes uninhabitable Marie Lakes, with the big and familiar country around Mts. Gabb and Abbot just to the east. The bugs worsened as I dropped lower and the dusk deepened. I couldn't stop without being prepared for much swatting. And so the night sort of dragged on and I ended up doing even more miles than I was anticipating. At the Bear Creek ford I didn't want to stop long enough to take shoes off, just quickly rolled up my pants and went right through, rolling the legs back down on the other side as I walked.
Finally at dark I was done, even though the mosquitoes weren't. I found a camp spot, laid out my bed, and got halfway in the bag with my rain jacket and head net still protecting my upper body. It was too hot really to be in the sleeping bag, but with no bug shelter this was my only protection. I fell asleep for a little bit, then woke around 10 when the bugs had quieted down to do my evening chores and get the rest of the way in bed. I still had to sleep with the head net on, against the few lingering buzzers. I was tired and a little stiff, but happy to find that I've gotten to the point where I can just sort of keep walking as long as it takes; my body seems to have turned a corner and gotten more used to this, and I'm finishing this hard push through the Sierra feeling stronger and more healthy than I started it.
Birds:
Hammond's Flycatcher
White-crowned Sparrow
Mountain Chickadee
Clark's Nutcracker
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Wood-pewee
American Robin
Oregon Junco
Brown Creeper
Warbling Vireo
Spotted Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Cassin's Finch
Chipping Sparrow
Williamson's Sapsucker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Cassin's Vireo
Rock Wren
Fox Sparrow
Wilson's Warbler
Green-tailed Towhee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Hermit Thrush
Hairy Woodpecker
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