Pct day 65 and Muir Pass if I’m lucky

July 29

827-843

Middle Fork Kings River – Evolution Lakes

I slept next to a very loud river. I hope I don’t have to cross it. 

Just after I started walking, I saw a doe and a fawn in a meadow! The fawn was spotty and super cute. Hiding a little behind the mom. That was the only shy deer of the day. These deer are generally fearless of humans. They hang out and pose for pictures. I wonder if people feed them (hey, I think that’s illegal) or if the lack of cars and hunters makes them completely unafraid of people.. 

After being next to the river for the last day, it seemed so quiet when the path finally left the riverside.

Sometimes the view is so ridiculously majestic it doesn’t seem real. Then everything got hazy. Smoke was coming in from fires, somewhere. People talked about the fires, said they were someplace and someplace but still far away. The smoke was just blowing around. It was eerie, seeing the view disappear.

Getting up to Muir is a long-ass climb up. There are plateaus with lakes and then another scrambling connector. It was nearly bouldering. I kept my eyes alert for signs of the trail team. They’d helpfully left a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of horse shoe prints and  poops. And how the hell had those horses and mules climbed over all this? I’d like to see that.

In one lake, for no reason, a little lonely duckling, swimming and peeping. Hope your mama comes back, little cold duckie. 

This pass is considered one of the tougher ones because the snow tends to  linger.   I had to walk across one patch of snow. Probably ten whole steps!

Muir Hut is really cute! Inside and out. I would have hung out longer but it was late. And so smoky up there.

Coming off the pass was a little faster than going up, but I was knackered. The Oregon coffee boys passed me. They said they were headed towards Evolution Lakes. Then they zoomed away. How do people walk so fast?

There were tents pitched in the meadows. I didn’t want to camp that high up. I was sure it would be cold. The last mile and a half were rough but I made it before it got too dark. There was a wide stream crossing but plenty of good stepping rocks. Only a few wobblers. I set up on a ridge over the lake. The valley was full of smoke. And some genius also had a campfire burning.