Solstice - Saturday, June 21

A point of view (POV) can make all the difference in how we perceive the world. Warning! Nerdy Science Talk Approaching! Proceed with caution.

The ancients perceived the earth as standing still (A valid observation. Anytime I am in motion, no matter the vehicle I ride in, I can detect a vibration or movement, yet I detect no such sensations riding on the earth) and the sun and stars rotating around us. From this POV, that the earth is stationary, we would say that today the sun reached it's highest point of the year as it moved across the sky, causing the longest day of the year.

Galileo pointed the new technology of his age, the telescope, at Jupiter and noticed moons orbiting it. This simple observation destroyed the accepted hypothesis that all celestial bodies, sun, moon and stars, orbit the earth. It lent credence to the upstart hypothesis that the earth actually moves around the sun once every year and rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. From the sun as the center of the solar system POV this means the earth, tilted on its axis at 23.5°, has moved around the sun to a position such that the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun at its maximum angle, causing the sun to appear at its highest in the sky. But, no matter the POV taken, and both have validity when observing the universe, it means it is the longest day of the year.

I slept last night on a huge rock outcrop positioned right between upper and middle Rae Lakes. I picked that position so the light breeze blowing would maximize mosquito removal. It must have worked because all the kids I talked to that camped down near the lakes complained of clouds of mosquitos where I experienced none.

I was hoping to make 20 miles today, although I was not sure I could accomplish that distance through the Sierra. My day started with 7 miles of downhill from the magnificent Rae Lakes basin to Woods Creek 2500' below. Then a 3500' climb over 7.5 miles to Pinchot Pass followed by 4 miles and 2200' down to the Kerns River and then 2 miles of gradual uphill and 700' of gain to a campsite of my choosing in the meadows.

I woke at 5:30 and was moving by 6:10 after a granola breakfast. I reached Woods Creek by 9:30 and stopped to ice my foot in the river as prescribed by the foot doctor.

There are not many bridges in the Sierra, but Woods Creek merited a suspension bridge, the deck of which oscillated wildly as I walked across it.

The climb up to Pinchot Pass took 4 1/2 hours. Along the way Tie Dye and I leap frogged each other multiple times before he left me behind. I did not see him again until later in the day at the Kern River crossing where he had stopped to eat dinner.

Hop caught up with me just before the pass and we sat and talked on top with a couple doing the JMT southbound. I favored my foot on the downhill so Hop left me in the dust.

At the Kern River crossing I met Amy, her brother and her boy friend (can't recall their names). We had met them way back at the end of April when Sally and I were backtracking out the Whitewater with her hurt foot. All three are really nice kids with bright eyes full of the fun of life. Like most kids we have met they pulled out their pipes to smoke some grass for desert but Amy impressed me by asking if I minded if they did. I responded of course not, and meant it.

I found a lovely patch of ground in the meadow by the river to camp. It was now 6:30, so I had been walking for over 12 hours and had done my 20 miles. I laid out my Tyvek and set up my camp. I am not carrying a tent, so there isn't a lot to set up. I soaked my feet until they were quite blue, cooked dinner and crawled beneath my giant quilt for the night.

The earth had spun sufficiently to cause the sun to disappear below the horizon and the constellations were soon shining brightly as they too made their east to west migration as the earth turned. It was fun to see how low on the northern horizon the North Star, Polaris lay
compared to back home in Washington. A wonderful end to the longest day of the year.

Mile 793.2 to Mile 812.6