Today Epitomizes What This Trip is About

We woke up this morning at our solo spot by Grouse Meadow at mile 828.5. It wasn't too cold so I got out and retrieved our Bear Vaults sober could have breakfast. Neon and OnAMove came by pretty early and we were packed up and on our way by around 7:45 or so, but not before seeing a deer in the meadow. The scene was amazing. A meadow with massive mountains on either side, a deer grazing amongst an early morning for from the small ponds. Another 'wow' moment.

From the moment we broke camp we were climbing, and it continued until we reached the summit of Muir pass in mid-afternoon. I must say though, that despite the fact that it was one of our longest climbs yet (just over 8000 feet to just under 12000 feet) it was the most beautiful and most pleasant. We were amongst water for most of it. Whether it was a stream, creek, river, waterfall or lake, there was always water nearby. Beautiful sights and sounds. We played leapfrog with Neon and OnAMove for most of the climb up. Neon is awesome. He's 50 years old, recently retired from NASA and gas the best outfits on trail. OnAMove is his wife. They both definitely have unique looks and are great people all-round.!

I really can't put into words how beautiful the scenery was on the climb up, especially the last few miles. Lakes, streams, waterfalls, some snow. Just beauty all around. At the top we went in the little round hit they have there and found Scallywag and two other hikers just hanging out. The shelter offers protection from the elements should they be undesirable. It can get windy, cold and even rainy (hard to believe based on our experiences) and so hikers can take refuge. Neon and OnAMove came in shortly after and e all stayed there for about a half hour. Neon mentioned they were planning to stay at Sapphire Lake and so we decided it would be a good target too. The decent, as beautiful as it was, was long. We were so hungry for dinner. Scallywag and the two of us arrived first and started making dinner straight away. At first it was breezy, which was perfect for keeping the mosquitos away, but as soon as it died down they were horrendous. All over us. Bug nets and full length clothing were a necessity. We ate quick, threw up the tent and jumped in. We chatted for a long while with Neon. He told us about his work at NASA and about life in Tucson. A couple others showed up and we all fell asleep easily. Utter silence by 9PM, hiker midnight.