26 September 2017, Tuesday Green River, day 1 O and I wake at 5 am to allow time for final showers at the campground, packing Wglwof and getting our dry bags packed for the canoe trip. The stars are shining brightly. The campground showers are quite nice and pleasantly hot. We arrive at the Aarchway Inn, which is the hotel just down the road from our campground, at a couple
25 September 2017, Monday We wake after a cold night. I did not sleep much due to traffic noise along the road and also because of our snoring neighbor. Poor O almost took an elbow in the ribs for the snoring, but I realized he was not the culprit just in time. Today we meet our Sierra Club canoeing group for a little pre-trip explore of Moab’s environs. There are
24 September 2017, Sunday Last night we learned some Shoshone tales of stars and the sun. It was cloudy and there were still flurries – no stars visible. By 3 am the stars were shining. We spent the night in Vincent and managed to stay warm with the addition of a fleece blanket to our sleeping system. This morning the thermometer barely reads 0 degrees Celsius. We drive down to
23 September 2017, Saturday We breakfast again at Looney Bean and are soon on the road heading north out of Bishop on US 6 and then east. I drive first. The Sierra Nevada is on our left and the White Mountains are to the east. Both ranges are adorned with fresh snow from the recent storm. I feel as if I am driving into a postcard. As we progress further
22 September 2017, Friday Today is the first day of autumn. As I check the news on NPR from our motel in Bishop, I see that the Sierra snowfall on the last full day of summer has made the national news. O and I are happy to be warm and sleeping indoors for a day or two. We breakfast at Looney Bean which has excellent coffee. Next we have haircuts
21 September 2017, Thursday At 2 am we realize it has begun to snow. I am not too worried as the forecast before leaving on this trip was for “a dusting of snow” this night. O wakes at 6 am and peers outside. The wind gusts have rattled us through the night. Now there are about two inches of snow on the ground and it continues to fall fast. We
20 September 2017, Wednesday It was not quite as cold last night as the wind had finally died down, but this morning is once again quite chilly and we eagerly wait for the sun to crest the ridge. Meanwhile we sip hot coffee and cook up our potato cake. As our hike today is shorter than yesterday’s, O gives me a lesson in taking bearings with his compass. By 11
19 September 2017, Tuesday The wind last night was fierce and the stars seemed to be fanned even brighter by it. At 8:40 pm the Big Dipper, looking even larger than usual, was on the ridge top directly across from us. Polaris was shining brightly to the north. At times, as we tried to sleep in the roaring of the wind, it seemed that we and our little orange tent
18 September 2017, Monday Before retiring last night we watched the mountains behind our campsite turn rose-colored with alpenglow. It was cold overnight, but we actually woke up sweating around midnight from an excess of warm blankets. We emerged from the tent to view the incredible stars. The Milky Way seemed near enough to touch. This morning is chilly, and we each are wearing all of our layers, with the
17 September 2017, Sunday We are up early. A breakfast of blueberry pancakes for me and pecan waffles for O will power us up the first part of our hike. We drive out of Bishop and climb quickly. The trailhead at Sabrina Lake is over 9000 feet. The air is cool (8 degrees C lower than in Bishop) and refreshing. We park Vincent along the road where many other hikers