97.9 to 117.3 for 19.4 trail miles. Plus a few geocaches.
I slept pretty good last night but still felt really tired this morning; it was hard to get up. I was on the trail at half past seven.
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| Last Night's Camp |
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| Sunrise |
Not long after I started, I went to find a geocache up on a rocky peak. I dropped my pack and went around a rock and there was a set of trekking poles. A bit farther around and there was a woman who had camped on the rock. I should have announced myself when I first saw the poles but didn't think of that. We talked for a minute and then I continued to the top and found the geocache.
I found another geocache near the Barker Pass trailhead. There was a whole bunch in the area but I skipped them.
When I reached Richardson Lake, I stopped for lunch and got some water. I also took my shoes off and washed my feet. That felt great. It was nice to relax for a bit. I noticed two other backpackers a bit farther down the lake but never talked to them. They left just before I did and were heading where I had come from.
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| Richardson Lake |
Shortly after lunch, I found another geocache that wasn't far off the trail. There was a metal pole about 8' high near it with what looked like an antenna at the top. There was another similar pole near the trail too. I'm curious what they are for; I should have taken a picture of one.
I was pretty excited to enter the Desolation Wilderness. It's supposed to contain some of the best scenery along the trail and is a very popular area. I imagine I'll see more people out today and tomorrow because of it.
I talked to couple going other way. I told them I am doing the TRT and that I was heading to Dicks Lake. As they were leaving, the gal suggested Lake Fontanillis. She said it was near Dicks Lake and was very nice.
I was about to catch up to another couple but needed a drink so I stopped to do filter some water from one bottle to the one I drink out of before I passed them. It didn't take very long to catch back up to them after that. I talked to the man for a minute then continued on.
It seemed to take forever to get to Middle Velma Lake. It was hot and the climb was tiring. Finally I made it. There were lots of people camped around it. I stopped and took a short break before continuing up to Lake Fontanillis. On the way some people that had been doing trail work were heading out. The first one asked where I was sleeping tonight. I said I planned to stop at Dicks Lake. It's nice to know that people like to help maintain the trails.
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| Middle Velma |
I really enjoyed walking past Lake Fontanillis. It was very nice, like the one gal said, but the trail was rocky and slow going. I was about out of water so I filled a liter up when the trail crossed the lake's outflow. There were lots of people camped along Fontanillis too. I passed one camp where a very big dog barked at me. I'm glad it was tied up.
Between Lake Fontanillis and Dicks Lake, I ran into another couple with a dog. We talked for a few minutes and the dog promptly lied down. I commented how it was ready to call it a day. They had been out for several days but hadn't gone real far. They do short days with a lot of relaxing.
I made it to Dicks Lake and wandered around a bit looking for a campsite. There's a nice campsite right off the trail but there were a couple men already camped there. They said rumor had it that the best sites were to my left so I went there and didn't find anything so I went back and went to the right and found a nice one. I guess the rumor was wrong.
I went to the lake and got water then went back to my camp and noticed an even nicer spot a short distance away, so I moved there. Then I went back to the lake and washed up a bit before going back and setting up camp and getting dinner. I was able to get all that done before dark. It's nice to not dry camp for once this trip. It's also different to have so many people around.
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