The Bloom - Sunday, June 29

It rained in the Sierra last Wednesday while I was at Vermillion Valley Resort. It has been my good fortune so far this past three months to be in a hotel or house of some type each time it has rained. Being at VVR meant I was well west of the Sierra crest where it poured; I got just a sprinkle, enough to barely wet the gravel on the roads.

This rain brought to the Sierra "the bloom". Now before you start rhyming " April showers bring May flowers" let me clarify my meaning of the bloom. Yes, the flowers were well watered and are fantastically beautiful, lining the trail and dotting the meadows. Lupines, Arnica, Paintbrush, Mule Ears, Golden Brodiaea, Wallflower, Alpine Laurel, Pussy Toes and more. But those rains also brought the other bloom of the Sierra I was hoping to miss, the mosquitoes.

Sometimes the bloom is later, as I had hoped for. I leave the trail for good on Sunday, just 7 days away. Couldn't they have waited just one more week?

They are bad. So thick that full clothing and head net are needed when sitting, even momentarily. Depending on your proximity to a water source, you can sometimes walk without the head net, but the little buggers try to bite you right at the hat line where they sneak up under the brim out of sight.

I have no tent, just a tarp without mosquito netting so evenings are a challenge. I am carrying 100% deet insect repellant which works well to keep them off but they still buzz in clouds around your head creating that annoying sound we all know.

Dinner is cooked with head net on while seated on my bear can. The head net must be raised for each bite then lowered again for chewing. I have camped on rock out crops away from water, and it might lessen their density a little, but they are still very thick.

I left Glen Aulen at 5:30, a little trepidatious about my proposed nine - 20 mile days in a row since leaving VVR. This would be my third 20 mile day in a row with six more to follow. 180 miles in 9 days through the Sierra is something I have never attempted, nor contemplated before, so I am a little concerned at my prospects. I have a couple outs if need be. From my position at Glen Aulen, Sonora Pass is only 75 miles away which drops my daily milage significantly if I choose to go out there. But, I would really like to push it and see what my 60 year old chassis can do.

The first 7 miles were relatively flat with a very slight upward incline. These I hiked in three hours. Next, the trail dropped precipitously 700' into Virginia Canyon then climbed 1000' to Miller Lake. In Virginia Canyon I met Bill and Harry, two retired physicians who are doing the PCT in sections. Bill is 71 and worked for Group Health in Seattle. Harry was 65 and also a Group Health doctor. I walked with them for a couple miles discussing Obamacare and hiking. At Miller Lake I skinny dipped, washing the past two days of sweat and dirt off. I also washed my socks and underwear!

The trail climbed out of Miller Lake a few hundred feet, then plunged 1000' into Matterhorn Canyon, then followed the stream three miles downstream before starting the 1200' climb up to Benson Pass.

Along the way I met Dave and Bridget, a professional couple from Detroit, Captain from San Diego, Shutter from Washington DC and Uber Dude from Berkeley, CA.

From the pass it was 2 miles and 700' down to Smedberg Lake for the night.

The mosquitoes were particularly thick at Smedberg. I camped on the bare rock slabs a couple hundred feet above the lake hoping the wind would help me avoid the little biters, but to no avail. I lay under my down quilt to protect me from the mosquitoes with my head sticking out, protected by my head net. It was uncomfortably hot until the sun mercifully went down an hour later. The mosquitoes finally left at dark.

Southbound hikers say they are thick all the way to South Lake Tahoe. I hope they are wrong. The scenery is wonderful, but hard to enjoy when viewed through mosquito netting.