June 13th Mile 731 Death Creek

If you drank the water in Death Creek you could die, or at least get really sick. That water is nasty looking. Fortunately I went in search of a spring indicated on the map and what do you know? Great clear spring water coming out of some rocks. A little extra effort paid off nicely.

I was in a quandary this afternoon. I originally planned on going three miles further than this place but after the climb this morning I began to feel a bit queasy, I think from the altitude. I'm camped at 8,940 feet and I feel fine here but had I continued on I would have climbed, and camped, at 10,700 feet tonight and I just don't think I'm ready for overnighting at that altitude. This made for an easy-peasy day of 12 miles but what the heck. I got no plane to catch. On the other hand, I had planned to hike out over Trail Pass tomorrow and in order to do this I'll have to hike 16.6 miles, the last two downhill. Ah, that's not so bad. I'll just get an early start.

One of the images here is of a carving believed to have been made by a Basque sheep herder sometime in the late 1800's. It's a bit faint now but the tree it was carved into is still standing. It's located in Gomez meadow.

Travel tidbits aside I am now firmly in country that I recognize as "The Sierras". Technically I've been in them for a while but now the land looks like it. Big trees, some gnarled and dead but still standing tall. Boulders of granite, piled here and there in grand fashion. Wind high up in the tree tops. In the distance I can hear what I think is a grouse, making it's guttural harrumphing sounds, looking for company I guess. And then there are those little blood sucking mosquitos. The devils. Well, it can't all be great.

Oh yea, I had an argument with a chinquapin today and clearly, I lost.