July 07, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Carson River
Miles: 25

Adrian:
We woke up at 5:30 a.m. thinking we could avoid the mosquitoes early, you know, before they woke up. The swarm outside the screen told us they do not sleep in. So we packed up all we could inside the tent and then made a run for it, skipping breakfast because it just wasn't worth it.

We made the transition from granitic rock to volcanic. Gone is the granite and with it a large part of the mosquito problem. You see, granite is not porous and therefore water sits on top of it, while volcanic rock is porous and is virtually pond free. Mosquitoes need water to breed, so no water, no skeeters.

Today we climbed up to a wonderful ridge, above treeline, that afforded us great views of the high Sierra and areas north. The weather was perfect!
We also made it past Sonora Pass, highway 108, the symbolic end of the "high Sierra". It's all about that granite versus volcanic thing I wrote of earlier. We ran into a llama train of 4 animals with two hikers. I was amazed how docile and patient these guys are. Each can carry up to 75 pounds, so camping can be done in style with these creatures. In fact, this guy rents his out to hikers for just that use. Sounds like fun.

We made good timing today and rounded it out hiking with Moonpie and just a bit with Cuddles. We are not sure exactly where we are camped, but as long as we on the PCT, it doesn't really matter.

Good miles today, good scenery, and good new friends. Good day...