Light traffic, no lines, plenty of parking, the Pacific Dogwoods still had some blossoms, the falls going great guns and the light----memorable!
As I left the 41 gate, the Memorial Day visitors were already grid locking up at the ranger station.
It was pleasant to have a few hours to stroll around and breathe the fresh air.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Sounds like a great day!
pics or you're making it up, John
It's dark here but the light coming from the lamp is magical, I swear it.
I was hoping to beat the traffic by heading up a day early, and had in mind spending a nite atop Madera Pk. The wind and weather would have made that unrealistic,
and my hiking buddy came down with a horrible cold anyway, so I decided to raincheck that project for another weekend. Out to Pt Reyes instead. A cold windy
day there. Beautiful with the yellow and blue lupines blooming this time of year, but the poppies are considerably less than in the last two years due to drier conditions. Did my one rationed 8x10 shot. Still can't make up my mind where to take my longer backpack in Sept. There are just so many options up in the high
country. And I've only managed to print a few shots from last summer!
There are still a few openings at some of the High Sierra Camps----it's tempting since all I'd need to carry is the camera kit, canteen, and a toothbrush.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
.... and raincoat and sweater and bulldozer to push all the other hikers off the crowded trail. But I've heard the environs around Glen Aulin is particularly inviting
to casual exploration with a camera. And there's always the option of just having a horse packer drop you off at some base camp location. But that's a bit pricey
and I don't own a pasture any more to hold stock of my own, so looks like I'll be serving as my own beast of burden for some time to come. The biggest problem I'm
having is with the heat at lower elevations, which affects realistically carrying those huge loads up some of the "fearsome foursome" passes above the desert on
the east side, or up the walls of the lower Kings in summer. I've lived here on the coast for so long, where a heat wave is seventy degrees! Quite a change from
my youth when I could backpack all day long in steep terrain in 110 deg temps. I feel my best up around timberline. But if I want to put up with a sore butt I might
try 4WD-ing up Shuteye one of these weekends for some of those exfoliation hoodoos up there with the 8x10. And if you run over a few trail bikers it might make
for some interesting abstractions with bicycle spokes tangled amidst the pine needles etc.
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