7/16/14 Wednesday Cloudy Skies. 7/17/14 Thursday Make Way For...Donkeys?

7/16/14. 14 miles

Yogurt, fresh fruit & pastries were purchased yesterday, 7/15/14, our zero day, so we had a great breakfast in our Motel room this morning!  Quietly we left our room and hiked up the main road of Etna to Alderbrook Manor where Peggy's Stepmom had mailed us cookies. Not only did Peggy have cookies, but 2 other packages of goodies and a note from her niece.  She was glad to get all the love from family and friends.  Cookies & goodies stashed in our packs we crossed the road to begin hitching our ride to the summit and our trail, 10 miles up a two lane winding, paved road. 

The one vehicle that we didn't think would pick us up stopped.  The small Toyota pickup was full of tools and lumber for a job over the summit and down into Sawyers Bar. We clambered aboard and hung on but we made it. 

Thanks, Todd,  for the ride to Etna Summit!

Climbing up from the summit around 8:30 am, we were glad for overcast skies even though it felt muggy, the temperature in Etna had been quite hot.  After 4 miles we rested in the shade and met Red, who we'd seen multiple times in Etna, and another hiker as they passed us going north.  Our next destination was water at a lake outlet where we met 2 guys, then Blue Skies hiked up as well. We'd met him far south in the desert early in our hike and we saw him in Etna too.  None of us liked the yellowish hue of the water...then we heard cow bells back in the brush.  We decided to move on, hoping for better water later. 

We moved over saddles, contoured across rock strewn hillsides, around mountains and into new valleys.

We started in the middle of the far mountains and hiked left around the bowl, over the nearest forested hill to where we could look back on the whole morning's travels.  

Across more rocky slopes with increased elevation, we were getting tired of having no cooling breezes.  Smoke from fires in the area, one near Redding, multiple fires in Oregon, all made the skies hazy.  

More exposed, rocky trail, some was red  stone, some black & white granite. 

Small succulents have turned from green to red as the growing season winds down.

Peggy's making her way across this long beautiful stretch. 

Fisher Lake was up near the peak of the mountain hidden in a rocky pocket that couldn't be seen from the trail.  We found the access trail and checked it out. It was warm and full of salamanders!  I'd had hopes of a cool swim but neither of us really even wanted to filter the water.  We chose to hike back 1/4 mile to a small creek to get water there. 

 After that we set up camp near the lake, made dinner, ate some yummy cookies and crawled into our tents.  The clouds looked dark and full of rain & we prepared for that possibility.  Later a gentleman named Mark hiked in looking for a campsite.  He ended up hanging his hammock nearby as the first drops of rain fell.  Rain necessitated putting up the tent fly which made the air in the tent even more still and hot.  We both worked at getting the pitch just right for the best air flow and went to sleep.  

7/17/14  15 miles

It was pretty warm most of the night and I didn't use the sleeping bag very much. At 5am it was misting lightly but stopped as we started to hike at 6. 

The rose colored sunrise hit the mountain behind the lake and colored everything. 

Beautiful clouds as the sun struggles to break through early in the morning.

We had a big climb from the lake this morning, across the rock face and straight up!  We got cold water from a small spring as we began to ascend.

We hiked up and over the top.

 

Then we looked down on this beautiful lake on the other side. You can tell the skies are hazy from smoke.

Finally we completed the really steep climb.  It was stunning to look at all the ranges of mountains we were going to be hiking into.

The white colored mountains far away are the Marble Mountains.

After a short break we followed the trail as it descended past small lakes far below and at one point we heard loud cow bells.  It sounded like they were coming up the hill toward us as we were moving down some switch backs.  We stepped just off the trail as a dozen horses and donkeys trailed past us up the switch backs!  One had a cow bell around its neck but none had a halter on.  They were loose and grazing in the high meadows and used the PCT to move from place to place!  They all looked us in the eye as they moseyed by one after the other. The rest of the day other hikers we passed talked about those horses and donkeys on the trail!  The trail dipped down into the Little Marble Valley where there was an old cabin by a stream.  We paused for water and lunch, resting in the shade.  There were other hikers doing the same but one young lady recognized us from Agua Dulce 2 months ago!  It was Ridge Runner!  We'd seen her months ago (she hiked through the Sierras while we went around them) and now she was passing us again! She looked great, it was so good to see her again!

These white granite mountains overlook the Little Marble Valley.  Fallen boulders litter the valley floor where we walked.

After resting and saying goodbye to Ridge Runner we got back on the trail too. Our destination was Paradise Lake a few miles further on the trail.  When I saw the lake it was so low I wondered how we would get water from it.  Certainly I weren't going to be getting in the water for a cooling float.   We found a camp spot and walked around trying to find an incoming water source for a cleaner flow but ended up using the outflow.  I am really weary today, we both are going to get dinner fixed and turn in.