Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - June 22nd
Day 67: Saturday 22nd June
Stubbleford Canyon – W. Walker Trail Junction
I overslept in the morning and didn’t get away until 7.10am. There were fresh bear
tracks and droppings as I climbed the Macomb Ridge before dropping down to Wilma
Lake, where I stopped for my second breakfast. It was again sunny and, after burning
trash and books, I had my first swim in the High Sierra. It wasn’t such a good idea
since the water was still rather chilly and I was attacked by the mosquitoes, as I got
dressed again afterwards.
There followed an easy climb up Falls Creek Canyon. At lunch I found a nice
sunbathing spot on slabs beside the creek, with enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes
at bay. The route continued up the canyon through a series of meadows to Dorothy
Lake. The meadows occupied the ground that was too damp for trees to grow and made
ideal breeding grounds for the mosquitoes, which were again out in force.
As I climbed up the canyon the geology was beginning to change. Volcanic
sediments were becoming much more common, replacing the granite, which had
predominated for the last 1,000 miles. The main difference being that granite was
formed when magma (molten lava) cooled down below the surface of the earth; the
slow cooling leading to big crystals forming, whereas volcanic rocks formed when the
lava reached the surface and there is not time for big crystals to grow. There were
thick lava flows in the Northern Sierra and granite only outcropped where erosion had
removed these volcanic sediments.
I stopped for dinner by Dorothy Lake before completing the climb at Dorothy Lake
Pass. I descended the other side and stopped at 8pm. As I started putting up the tent,
swarms of mosquitoes arrived, even biting through my clothing. Once I got the tent up
I bundled everything inside, got in and then started sorting out. I’m certainly glad I
was using a tent rather than a “tarp”.
I hadn’t seen anyone all day.
Day 67: 18.1 miles 8.51 hours Camp: W.Walker Trail Junction
Stubbleford Canyon – W. Walker Trail Junction
I overslept in the morning and didn’t get away until 7.10am. There were fresh bear
tracks and droppings as I climbed the Macomb Ridge before dropping down to Wilma
Lake, where I stopped for my second breakfast. It was again sunny and, after burning
trash and books, I had my first swim in the High Sierra. It wasn’t such a good idea
since the water was still rather chilly and I was attacked by the mosquitoes, as I got
dressed again afterwards.
There followed an easy climb up Falls Creek Canyon. At lunch I found a nice
sunbathing spot on slabs beside the creek, with enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes
at bay. The route continued up the canyon through a series of meadows to Dorothy
Lake. The meadows occupied the ground that was too damp for trees to grow and made
ideal breeding grounds for the mosquitoes, which were again out in force.
As I climbed up the canyon the geology was beginning to change. Volcanic
sediments were becoming much more common, replacing the granite, which had
predominated for the last 1,000 miles. The main difference being that granite was
formed when magma (molten lava) cooled down below the surface of the earth; the
slow cooling leading to big crystals forming, whereas volcanic rocks formed when the
lava reached the surface and there is not time for big crystals to grow. There were
thick lava flows in the Northern Sierra and granite only outcropped where erosion had
removed these volcanic sediments.
I stopped for dinner by Dorothy Lake before completing the climb at Dorothy Lake
Pass. I descended the other side and stopped at 8pm. As I started putting up the tent,
swarms of mosquitoes arrived, even biting through my clothing. Once I got the tent up
I bundled everything inside, got in and then started sorting out. I’m certainly glad I
was using a tent rather than a “tarp”.
I hadn’t seen anyone all day.
Day 67: 18.1 miles 8.51 hours Camp: W.Walker Trail Junction
Falls Creek
Grace Meadow
Forsyth Peak and
Dorothy Lake
Dorothy Lake
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