Mile 809 to mile 827 : Lake Marjorie to Simpson Meadow Campground
Mileage 18
Today was another tough day, not quite as tough as the previous one, but still tough. Today though, the toughness was compensated for thanks to some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen. The started easily enough with a short descent down to the bottom of the north face of the Pinchot Pass before starting to climb back up again to Mather Pass. The climb up Mather Pass was thankfully a lot easier than the previous days climb up Pinchot, i would guess mostly due to the fact that we did it much earlier in the day, and also probably the final remnants of town had finally left me. The south side of Mather pass was an expansive barren basin, impressive, but not especially beautiful. The north side, in contrast, was simply stunning. The jagged teeth of the Palisade Pinnnacles stretched up into the sky towering us as we descended the Palisade Lakes. After a late lunch and the lower end of the lakes there was a another surprise. It turned out that we'd been descending through a hanging alpine valley above the true Palisade valley. The late afternoon sun unfortunately did not make for good photos as we descended west into the valley, but the sun did not detract from the beauty of the place. The day ended at the Simpson Meadow Campground, at the base of our next climb up to Muir Pass. We spent the evening doing our chores being watched by several inquisitive deer, and being harassed by mosquitos. I already think they are bad, but apparently 'i ain't seen nothin yet'. I am not looking forward to Oregon where they are supposed to be really bad, but I'll cross that bridge when i come to it.
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| One of my better pictures |
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| Hoop Dreams and Dishcloth navigate a snow field |
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| Palisade Valley |
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