August 4:A Bugnet

Aaron took us out to the trail and we started hiking around 9am. We had heard all these rumors that there was tons of snow around the Three Sisters (a set of 3 volcanoes), and that the trail was obscured, possibly for miles. "Impassable!" was the report, which always warrants a raised eyebrow and a bit of questioning. Usually they say that so that most people won't head up into the mountains and cause problems (like needing to be rescued, or more likely, getting lost). But thru-hikers have been through the Sierras already, and we've already spent weeks navigating on snow and buried trail. Plus, we knew hikers had gone through before us and, by now, there were most likely footsteps leading the way through the snow.

For most of the day there was very little to no snow. We scoffed a bit, wondering if we'd see any to speak of. It wasn't until later in the afternoon as we went around the North Sister that we hit some snow fields. There was definitely snow, but not for miles. Only a few spots required us to search for the trail. Definitely passable.

The end of the day wound us through some lava fields that were spectacular. What's cool about being up on the shoulder of these volcanoes is that you get some awesome, up close views as you walk on by. And the colors are stellar as well. Black lava rock with splashes or stripes of red mixed in. Very cool.

We made camp just after Minnie Scott Spring, surrounded by snow, and busted out what may turn out to be my favorite piece of gear yet (and a recent purchase at REI): our bugnet. For $15 at REI you can get this massive bugnet. It sets up as a big cube, so even if you sleep out ("cowboy camp"), you can set it up and find relief from the mosquitos. We also figured out how to set it up inside our tarp, so now we are bug free! I am so happy! It is just an incredible feeling to be able to get away from them. Even though they aren't as bad as they were earlier, it's still nice. We had considered trying to sew mosquito netting to our tarp, which would have been lighter, but it is probably a project for another day. Either way, I love the bugnet, and it is worth every ounce (all 15 of them...but we're still lighter than most people's tents!).

Total Miles:1982.3
Miles Today:24.0
Camp 99:Bugnet Trial Run

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