Snow Creek to Mt. Wakins
The trail turned me into a glowering salt stained zombie. I put off getting water until the last possible minute before the Mt. Wakins saddle and then could not find the water near the saddle I had noted after it got dark. After contemplating the water content of my shot blocks, I stumbled around in the dark for an hour until I found the puddle.
Day 2:
Snow Creek to Clouds Rest
Some snow patches still, nothing much. At first I thought the bug clouds by Tenaya were gnats. I realized they were mosquitos, and that there were millions of them, and that my bug spray was in my bear can, at the bottom of my pack, all about the same time. You locals may think this is amusing but it's not. The outside world has no idea that you're quietly letting these mosquitos employ zerg tactics to evolve or mutate or whatever into these spray immune beasts. There should be a sticky on the main page.
The crossing at Tenaya is just above the knees and was not an issue. The snow on the switchbacks up to Sunrise was annoying though. It's just melted enough to be dangerous in spots, but mostly you can go around it. I kick tested a hole a couple times only look inside and see a boulder strewn chasm below. It's almost gone though.
I avoided getting water again until the last possible second and met a couple on the shoulder before Clouds that seemed concerned about my query for a puddle to drink out of. They offered me coke and pineapple juice. I politely refused, but if I have one regret about the entire trip it's not drinking that pineapple juice. Even now I crave it. I said goodbye and kicked a muddy hole in a low spot and then promptly broke my filter attempting to suck half a liter of filthy water out of the ground. Nothing old snow can't cure right? I filled my nalgene and pressed on. As it turns out, the nice couple did turn out to be liars though, as they said there was both no more puddles higher up (there were) and no more real snow (the snow began in earnest just past the shoulder). The pineapple juice was probably a trap. Who carries pineapple juice on a hike? If that's what they neglected to drink what had they eaten earlier?
I would imagine all of this snow would be gone by this weekend too, it was patchy and not an issue.
Day 3:
Clouds Rest to HI.
Nothing to note about this section of the trail, except this strange bird who at first looked to attack me, but then just keep it's distance while showing me it's rear.
I jogged down the Mist trail and I dunno how many more time's I'll want to go down it in summer. It's a freaking zoo. I saw a guy at Vernal wearing a tucked in collared shirt, nice slacks and dress shoes, soaking wet. I saw two kids wearing flat soled shoes slip at the begging section of the granite where you can go right into the Merced.
