satisfiedIt was pretty hot, but, well, I got enough altitude early enough (started at about 7:30AM) that I didn't notice it too much. Well, except for being a stinky ball of sweat (it wasn't very hot, it wasn't at all humid, but there was virtually no wind until I got to Andrews Tarn -- that's the main problem with hiking in the morning. The main problem with hiking in the evening is the thunderstorms, so I guess you do what you have to do -- but I guess I just don't like summer all that much. Fall and Spring are better. And so is Winter).
I decided to call it a day when I hit the glacier -- my knees were starting to bother me, and I didn't want to wear myself out too much, since I'll be climbing two fourteeners tomorrow.
Anyway, a good day. Saw a fox, deer, chipmunks, a black squirrel, marmots, trout, Clarks nuthatches (no Stellars or gray jays, alas), and some elk near the Loch (unfortunately, I only got one picture of the Elk that even would have been decent -- if it hadn't been completely out of focus since the camera focused on the pine needles in front of me). But anyway, a good day for wildlife, even as the wildflowers have started to fade. And, of course, there are pictures of some of them (full set past the link, as usual):
At the End of the World:
