Wednesday, 03 Aug 4.7* miles, 2:15
Florence Lake from just above the ferry landing
Vicki and Roberta thought we’d head out at 11:00 or noon today but they let us know at about 9:00 that they were nearly ready. We finished packing quickly and piled into cars. Chelsea and Anne Marie went with Vicki and Roberta and Anita, Robert, and I went with Tammy. Somehow all of us and all of our gear fit. The few miles from VVR to Lake Florence were slow over rough, narrow, winding road. We arrived safely and just in time to catch the ferry. We were across and hiking by about noon. The trail was dry and hot but we passed by some attractive meadows and a tiny marsh bearing swamp onion. We also passed by some sweet pink roses which seemed near the end of their season. On the drier sections we saw many lizards and heard many more skittering about under the manzanita bushes. Some of them leapt from rock to rock. They are quite funny. Manzanita is not really like any plant that grows in my home mountains. It most closely resembles krummholz, growing in wide thickets with its gnarled, shin-scratching branches. But this knee- or waist-high shrub is not a conifer. It bears shiny broad leaves on distinctive red-barked branches. It looks a little like holly but, then, not really.
We're headed in the right direction!
We picked up and sorted our resupply at Muir Trail Ranch. A small bit of my stash wouldn’t fit in my bear can so I donated it. They also had a scale. I never weigh my pack during a trip, it only makes it feel heavier. So I don’t know what possessed me to weigh it today but I hoisted it up onto the hook and it tipped in at 17 kilos. Why did I do that? Now we are tented near MTR and Anita and Robert have joined us as well as Gail and Lynn, a couple from southern California. They are making a 14-day trip and are planning to go out at Kearsarge Pass.
*Today’s miles were on the Florence Lake Trail, not the JMT
*Today’s miles were on the Florence Lake Trail, not the JMT
