July 1:Irony- Elevations and Food

We got a ride out to the trail from Gordon, a guy who is supporting a few other hikers, but is more than generous to give other hikers rides as well. We had gone out at Hwy 50, and the other few hikers had gotten a ride into town from Echo Lake, 1.4 miles downtrail. So we got dropped off first, and busted out the 1.4 miles just in time to head on down the trail with everyone else. It was fun!

We had been hearing about how beautiful the Desolation Wilderness was (despite the name), and we were not disappointed. There was a lot of rock, fewer trees, and great views.

Because it is 4th of July week, there are a TON of day/short-trip hikers out. We passed a lot of people, even a dad with his three kids, each one with a big backpack strapped to their back. The youngest was probably around 7! We laughed because that little kid had a pack on that looked similar to ours in size!

We meandered on, passing a string of lakes, the most beautiful being Aloha Lake. We climbed over Dick's Pass (9300 ft), and then walked down to Mosquitoville before camping at our "high point" around 8,200 ft. It's funny how our high points used to be our low points. We used to say, "Man! We have to go all the way DOWN to 8200 ft!" And now we are pumped to get up that high! Our mountains are getting smaller. In a couple days we will be down in the 4000's again.
One last perk for the day: we busted out a rehydrated meal today. I, Jess, ate a Lipton meal and Mark a Ramen. They were fantastic. A whole new world has opened up for us, and it's great to feel like we have "real food" for a change (although I normally would never call Ramen real food, it sure feels like it out here when you've been eating trail mix everyday). Kind of an ironic day.

Total Miles:1114.5
Miles Today:22.5
Camp 65:High Point with a View

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