Thursday 26 July 2018

We had every intention of getting an early start today, but somehow our cardamom coffee cake took longer than usual to bake, although it was well worth the wait. In any case we are on the trail to Gaylor Lake a bit after 9 am. There is still plenty of parking at the trailhead. The hike begins steeply through pine scented forest with scattered wildflowers and fritillary butterflies fluttering about. As we climb higher we have excellent views of Dana Meadows below with the peaks of the Eastern Sierra in the background. As we finally crest the ridge, Gaylor Lake is below with the Cathedral Range in the distance. We see what appears to be a whole tribe of marmots gathering grasses and seeds. As we walk along the lakeshore we see what at first appears to be a pica, but is actually a squirrel, possibly a Belding ground squirrel. It watches us carefully as it chirps.

O and I note dark clouds gathering. We can hear rumbles of thunder and see distant showers. There is not much protection in this high alpine area so we turn around with thoughts of exploring further on a future hike. On our way back along the lakeshore we note pica among the rocks. It begins to rain in earnest as we climb up the ridge again. We pause to don rain suits and then continue back through the lodgepole pine forest where we spy a mule deer buck with velvety antlers.

We return to camp. Today we will have a large mid-day meal since we will be going down to Lee Vining for our Tuffa Tour this evening. A bit after 4 we leave camp. We stop at the Mono Lake Committee office to check for directions to Saturday morning’s bird walk. Then we drive to the South Tufa area of Mono Lake. There are ominous clouds over the volcanic craters surrounding the lake. O and I note a few lightning flashes. In the parking lot at the lake is the tour leader and many eager tour participants. The leader notes that the lake is a dangerous place to be in a thunderstorm due to the high density and therefore high conductivity of the water. If lightning is too close, the tour must be cancelled for safety reasons. The guide seems reluctant to disappoint everyone, but I point out that the storm is getting nearer and the last bolt of lightning was pretty close. She reluctantly cancels. O reassures her that she made a good decision. I did learn one thing this evening, even without the tour. I’ve been spelling Tufa wrong. There’s only one ‘F.’