Another beautiful day in paradise. It's my kind of paradise, at least. Last night, the moonlight was so bright I found it almost difficult to fall asleep in our exposed, but gorgeous campsite. Headlamps were rendered redundant for the evening.
Maddie gently nudged me awake, just as the sun crested over the ridge. Its rays hit me square in the face, and in mere moments, I metamorphosed from my down cacoon to greet the day. I was revved up for this section, as I had yet to visit Vogelsang high Sierra camp. If Sunrise were any indication as to its beauty, then we were in for a lovely climb.
We were on the trail by 8:30, and soon thereafter hit our first bit of snow. The snow hung about the trail in sporadic patches, making progress only moderately slower as we tested each step before placing our full weight. We had heard of treacherous accounts of 'post-holing' as recently as yesterday from our hitching hikers. A broken leg would put a damper on things...
We didn't spend much time in Vogelsang, just enough to eat, hydrate, and admire the views of the surrounding peaks. It was in these blissful moments I noted how fun the high Sierra camp loop would be.
Trundling beyond the inviting scene at Vogelsang, we encountered the reported 95-100% snow coverage advertised at the ranger station. From here on out, it was almost entirely a snowy ascent over precarious sun cups that were only becoming slushier as the afternoon heat wore on. Having met a ranger last week with horrific sunburns resulting from the reflective snow, we were careful to cover up with sunscreen. Maintaining purchase on the slippery snow field required a great deal of concentration, but our efforts were soon rewarded as we climbed above tree line to where we could fully absorb the immensity of the terrain. We skirted the edge of Vogelsang lake, frozen over but for a small outlet that bore its way unrelentingly below the snow's surface.
Maddie was beginning to feel the effects of the altitude as we approached 10,300 feet, but after deeming it manageable, she soldiered on up toward the pass. I wondered how fun a glissade this snowy basin would make. At 10,600 feet, the pass provided some breathtaking views of both sides, and we treated ourselves to a bountiful snack break.
Once over the other side, progress hastened as the snow here had melted. Numerous stream crossings and 4-5 miles later, we found ourselves at an impasse. Maddie and I both felt fatigued, likely a combination of exertion up to that point and a lack of fitness. We sat down and discussed our options. The great thing about a trip like this, with someone you really know, is that itineraries can change without much fuss. We had planned for another 3 major passes, but weren't sure we could sustain a 12-mile per day pace and come out the other side anything but miserably tired. There's a time and place for pushing those physical limits, but coming off an intense three weeks for both of us, we discussed changing our route to reduce that workload. The more we talked it over, the more appealing the idea of making time to lounge by lakes and read became.
We headed up in the direction of our original itinerary, as this would give us more time to mull it over. At around 3:30, we happened upon yet another stream crossing. This time, instead of following maddie's method of removing shoes and socks, I tried to game the system and use a precarious log crossing. The water was gentle and the log close to the water, so the stakes weren't very high, but on my last step, I tripped and dunked both feet in. Clambering up the bank, embarrassed, I met Maddie's knowing grin. When am I going to learn she's always right?
It's not a big deal, wet feet. I just kept hiking and two hours later it felt very close to normal walking. At around 6:15 we found ourselves atop a plateau with breathtaking views of the Clark range, and we decided to stop for dinner. This stop for dinner, not surprisingly, turned into our stop to camp. With an 800-foot climb ahead of us, we couldn't resist the views.
Stuffed to the brim with Pad Thai and other goodies, we have now scurried into our sleeping bags to enjoy the sunset. Purple mountains, pines lit up with a golden haze, and pinks highlighting the ridges far in the distance. We both agreed it's a top-5 campsite for us.
And that's that! As of now, our plans are to finish our climb toward Isberg pass, but reverse course and head down the canyon to Merced Lake. From there our itinerary is TBD, but it will likely result in our exit from the wilderness on Saturday instead of Sunday. But now, SLEEP!
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