Wednesday 1 August 2018
Today we will try to complete last Thursday’s hike, which was interrupted by a thunderstorm. We drive up to approximately 10,000 feet elevation to return to the trailhead and once again huff and puff our way to the top of the ridge overlooking Dana Meadows on one side and Gaylor Lake on the other. Yesterday afternoon had gotten pretty smoky, but this morning the air is fairly clear.
We catch up to the large group of hikers ahead of us. Like us, they are looking at wildflowers and pausing to look for marmots and pica. We pause also and let them go on ahead. I search the rocks by the lake and capture another pica photo. O and I are in no hurry today. This is not a long hike so, in addition to lunch, we are carrying our little camp chairs and some books. We are hoping to find a scenic place to stop and read.
We make it up to second Gaylor Lake where we eat lunch while listening to the chirps of ground squirrels along the opposite shore. After lunch we return through the meadow and set up our chairs near some pine trees. Too soon, O notes that the sky is darkening and we again hear distant rumbles of thunder. We pack up and make our way back to Vincent.
Back at camp we eat dinner and then go on an explore of the trails around the campground. We find the trailhead to Elizabeth Lake to which we may hike before we leave Yosemite.
