Friday 27 July 2018

We are on the trail at 9:10 this morning. It is already a bit hazy from the forest fire. As we climb the path towards Cathedral Lakes we play leap frog with a group of backpackers on a three day REI tour. The hike is another beautiful walk through the lodgepole pine forest, with occasional fir trees and maybe a sequoia or two. As we climb we see giant granitic domes, plutons that were formed 60-90 million years ago as the Sierra Nevada rose.

We stop to admire a distant view and note a small spring by the trail sending up plumes of sand as it bubbles up from below. We eventually arrive at Lower Cathedral Lake after walking through meadows teeming with birds. We pause for lunch on the rocky shore. The surrounding peaks are awesome, even though they are partially obscured by smoky haze.

We retrace our steps from lower Cathedral Lake and find the trail to the upper lake. Here we soak our tired feet in the cool water and then begin our descent. Our hike today was about 8 miles. I’ve decided that my leg feels about the same whether I hike or not. My choice is obvious!

This evening we go to the Tuolumne Meadows Campfire with two rangers doing a history of the music that has “echoed off these lodgepole pines over the years.”