June 28th
Another late start, as it seems we are slipping into a cycle of hiking late (until dark) and getting up late because we were cooking and eating until late…..sighhhhh…….
As we are breaking camp, Do it yourself, No Way Ray and Steady all pass by, stopping only long enough to swat at a few mossies.
After a short climb we cross Seavey gap and descend the roller coaster trail through Kendrick Canyon. Clouds build up early and a few sprinkles bring an abrupt end to our late breakfast around 10:30.
Doing the “canyon creep” we cross the ridge into the next canyon and start up the other side. The clouds have gotten serious and formed into thunderheads threatening more serious stuff. We take an abbreviated lunch by a stream on the way up, hoping to eat in peace before it rains. Lunch is cut short as the clouds move in and we try to hustle over the pass before the storm. We don’t make it
Our walk up the ridge to the pass is halted for the second day in a row. We need to seek the relative shelter and safety of a low spot from the lightening. Rain and hail keep us pinned down for a half an hour. As one storm cell clears off wee see another forming across and down canyon, we make a break for the trail hoping to get across the gap or at least some more distance in before it hits us. But we are playing a game of “Simone says” which has been rigged and sooner rather than later the second storm moves in and we are halted again. We wrap in Tyvek against the hail and rain, not hard but steady for almost an hour.
As the thunder and lightening move on and the rain tapers off we leave, soon coming across Steady who is still sheltered against a tree. We wait a bit with him and then move on. Safely over the pass the lightening and hail have stopped, but the rains continue lightly to moderately and the Frogg Toggs (my raingear) get their first water test. Both top and bottom do well. On the down-hill side we pass “Do it Yourself” huddled under tree. The rest of the afternoon and evening is a walk through wet brush with intermittent rain. The drizzle and mud make us feel like we are back on the Appalachian trail.
The rain delay has meant we will need too push hard in order to get enough miles in before dark to set ourselves up to make Sonora Pass in time to meet friends. Fortunately the walk up to Dorothy Lake Pass is gradual and well graded and the miles slip by, literally, very easily.
Occasionally I think I sense the smell of wild onions. We hike right up till 9pm, daylight fading into dark with dramatic light on the mountains at Dorothy Lake Pass. With just enough light left to see which areas are suitable for camping, we stop at Harriet lake. We have made 24 miles for the day, the “hard” way – 14 of them coming after 3:30 pm. I remove my shoes to settle in for the night and again seem to smell wild onions, perhaps rotting a bit…..it does not seem to deter the cloud of mossies which swarm around us. A thick layer of “deet” confuses them and keeps them from biting but does not repel them away.
During our moonlight dinner we watch the clouds thin out but hang in around the pass until very late. We know we must get up early, so hit the sack for a few hours sleep.
