Mile 832.6 to Mile 854.5 - 21.9 miles
It was the turn if Muir Pass today. At 11973 feet it was the last time we touch 12000 feet until Washington...I think!! The pass was not overly difficult - we just had to deal with a lot of snow either side of the high point. There was probably 6 miles of snow in total. The pass is up to the right of this photo
The final push with Double Double leading the way
And out reward...this cool little hut with Double Double the human interest
The 6.00 am start was rewarded with the snow hard packed, making the climb easier but it was pretty slushy by the time I took off my snow spikes at about 11.30 am.
At my lunch spot at Evolution Lake there was a change in topography with the typical hemmed in shot
replaced by the wide open Evolution Valley ahead of me
It was like you could see the sky without it competing for space with the mountains (although I am hemmed in again late in the day next to the San Joaquin River).
A feature of today was water - starting with the Kings River hurtling down this bluff
Later in the day I had to ford the Evolution Creek - no biggie except it was about 50 metres wide and going like a fast moving train. A sign said that during high water there was an alternative begging the question though - how do I know if it is high water?? So in I went. The middle section took some strength and the water was up to my crotch but I got across safely. Which was a good thing as a few hundred yards down the creek, the water plunges 100s of feet down a chasm. Later and luckily this bridge saved me the ignominy of wading across the San Joaquin River
The other success of the day was getting a marmot to stand still :-)
Talking of animals, the deer here are astonishingly timid. They have no fear of humans as you can't pick them off with a rifle up here. As for the coyote I saw yesterday, he wasn't hanging around. Neither was the snake on tbe trail that scared the bejesus out of me today. Selden Pass tomorrow with a 3000 foot climb...Weta
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