Granite

• Day:  93
• Start:  1488
• End:  1510
• Miles:  22
• Hours:  11
• High temp:  84
• Low temp:  32
• People met:  6

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This mornings trail in the Mt. Zirkle Wilderness

Blue sky this morning without a whisper of a breeze. In the far distance I can see a bit of a haze from the fires. Just the sound of the crunch of my boots on the decomposed granite is all that I hear.  I enjoy the serene quiet as I hike. 

Familiar feeling granite

I gather water from a nice running stream

 I climb comfortably until I'm above the timberline, then the winds come. The morning chill requires me to wear my rain jacket and gloves. The midmorning wind requires that I keep my gear on. The open granite reminds me of the Sierras, I feel at home in this familiar feeling landscape.

Near the top of my climb 

Just before I start to descend 

You can see the distant haze

I see in the distance the haze has increased, but I still seem to be smoke free. With so many fires in the western states I am impressed that the sky is as clear as it is today.  The entire afternoon is a descent, once I'm in the forest the chilly winds become a nice breeze. I gather some more water and continue deeper into the forest. Today with my pepperoni I try something new, mayonnaise. The results are delicious as the mayonnaise adds flavor and additional fat. I can feel the extra power from the fat as I start my afternoon hike. I'm delighted to discover that the thimbleberries are getting ripe, I sample a few as I walk by, sweet and delicious. Suddenly I'm in the ghost forest, ravaged by an ancient fire. The trail is nice through here so I'm traveling fast. 

Ghost forest

 I start a little climb to the next valley and come upon a lama train. 

They are a bit concerned about the camera

Once I reach to bottom the temperature climbs into the 80's. Thankfully I'm at the end of my 20 miles so I think I'll just take it easy and find a good camp site.  Another good day. I have to say that once my food is gone I don't seem to have a lot of power to continue. I have depleted most of my fat reserves. Thankfully,I do have plenty of food to carry me through so that's all right.