MapSource
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Google Maps Terrain
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Up at 6:00am, just before dawn.
It got COLDER last night. Down to 26 degrees last night. It was 29 at
6:00am. I tried to fill my water bottle and the water froze and plugged
the bottle opening with ice as it poured. The sleeping bag liner
helped, or maybe the cheeseburger from last night gave me fuel, because
I was not cold during the night. Except for the hikers at 1:00am, I
slept good. I hit the trail at 7:30. Still taking me 90 minutes to
break camp!
Click to enlarge and you will see the deer
crossing Lyell Fork river |
Lyell Fork Canyon |
The hike along Lyell Fork canyon was easy and beautiful. The trail
meanders along the Lyell Fork river, and is almost flat, with just a
slight elevation gain as you hike along the canyon. It was also hot and
dusty in the sun
(quite a difference from this morning!). I found a great spot with a
natural small waterfall near the end of Lyell Canyon, and I took a
break and rinsed the trail dust off in the river. This stretch of trail
is very tranquil and peaceful. I saw several deer along the river, and
one family with fawns crossing the river. There were a handfull of
folks on the trail, but not nearly as many as I was expecting since it
is so close to Toulumne.
Trail carved out by hikers
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Lyell Fork River
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Lunch stop and time to play in the river
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It was a stiff climb at the end of the canyon to Lyell Fork Bridge,
where I made camp. There are sweet camping spots just a short hop up
the hill from the bridge. So far, I have not had to get my boots wet.
This late in the season the streams are low. I arrived the bridge
at 3:00pm. I was early enough and warm enough so I did laundry and took
a "bear can bath". In case you were wondering, I DON'T put soap in the
rivers or lakes. I bring two 1 gallon zip locks to do laundry. One
marked 'wash' and the other 'rinse'. Add water, biodegradable soap, and
carry away from water source. Excellent washing machine! And a bear can
full of fresh water is perfect for rinsing off after a sponge bath. I
hung my clothes between two trees, but they didn't want to dry. The
camp site has a meadow on one side and the river on the other (although
down the hill) so maybe there was moisture from the meadow in the air.
My headache was better today but I'm eating less and less. I force
myself to eat, but I only managed a few bites of dinner. My finger tips
are starting to crack with the dry air, even with lotion on constantly.
A little Neosporin and Leukotape and they are good to go! This spot had
the only mosquitoes on the trail for this trip, and they were not bad.
If you have read my journal from my 2009 SEKI trip, you know how they
tormented us relentlessly. Maybe some folks can overlook massive swarms
of biting mosquitoes, but I will never plan another trip during high
moskie season.
As I was sitting by my campsite, a mouse ran across my toes, and
started poking around my pack. Looking for dinner I suppose. Brave
little thing.
Tranquil easy hiking
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I'll be climbing that pass tomorrow!
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Camp above Lyell Fork Bridge
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I
am the only one here tonight. So quiet and peaceful. I laid on a big
flat rock and watched the stars for an hour or so. The Milky Way is SO
prominent when the sky is this clear. I took Mr. Muir's advice and did
a little soul healing and spent some time with my Creator as well.
Tomorrow I climb Donohue Pass.
I'm a little worried since I also plan to cross Island Pass tomorow. 2
passes in one day... Will my training pay off?
Lyell Fork River
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Looking back at Lyell Canyon
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Day 5
Videos
from Day 4
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Morning of day 4
7
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Additional pictures from Day 4
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