Clarence reported that 9 hikers went to Summit Lake. They enjoyed weather that was autumn brisk, with gusty winds. They, at least, at had forest shelter. They, too report great vistas and a multitude of wildflowers. They decided to go to Mt. Judah next week. The extended hiking group will go all the way to Mt. Lola, another long hike with possible wind on the top. Since it is a fairly long drive to get there, we will leave at 7:30. It might be a good idea to email me if you plan to be on that hike.
Clarence's photos above.
Akiko, Paula, Becky, John, and Elly went up Castle Peak, over to Basin Peak, and sailed down cross-country to the incredible meadows above the PCT. Reports of high winds preceded our ascent both by word of mouth and the windblown hairdoos of returnees. We doggedly climbed our way up with our heads down, being careful to stay on the trail as the winds tried to blow us away. We ate our first lunch on the trail and the second up in the lee of the peak at the usual place. A chipmunk didn't seem to care about the winds as much as we did. Plants hugged the ground as they bloomed and reproduced in their flattened and hastened manner. Then we balanced ourselves along the ridge between the peaks getting a little help in the next ascent from the blow. On top of Basin Peak we ate again before we leaped cross-country down, down, down. Along the trail that leads to the calm PCT, the meadows were as lush as last year, even a grand display of white bog orchids among the paintbrush, lupine, pennyroyal, asters, cinquefoils, mule's ears, corn lillies, arrowhead butterweed (senecio), etc. The scent was divine and the scene, captivating. After enjoying some smooth granite, we headed over to the Peter Grubb hut and then, out.
John's GPS read 10.3, a little more than last year - maybe the wind had something to do with it. Our feet read about the same amount. We met a thru-hiker on the PCT:Tuolomne Meadows to Shasta. Guess he does about 500 miles of the trail (25 miles/day) each summer.
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