2015/07 Sierras

In honor of Ryan's birthday, Jack went up to the Sierras for a 3-day backpacking trip. I left at 4:00AM on July 19, and was at the trailhead in Agnew Meadows by 11:00. Due to tropical storm Dolores, the weather was quite iffy, and so I hauled up to Thousand Island Lake. After spending some time to find a spot that wouldn't flood and was reasonably sheltered from lightning, I was able to get my tent set up just before the skies opened up. Sadly, it rained all evening, and so other than a soggy dinner I was stuck in the tent. I woke up to mostly sunny skies the next morning, with some excellent light for photos. I was able to take my time a bit more the next day heading over to Ediza Lake, although it again started raining soon after I set up my tent. Although it had stopped raining by the next morning, it was still quite cloudy. On the good side, while I was standing next to my camera waiting to see if the sky would clear, I heard some rocks shift and saw a mother bear with two cubs about 25 yards away. I waved my hands a bit to make sure she saw me, and then she and the cubs slowly walked off over a nearby ridge. The hike back out to Agnew Meadow was uneventful, and for the third day in a row I made it just before the skies opened up!