(Click any photo to enlarge) After the long day yesterday we welcomed a short mileage day as we were all pretty tired. We gave ourselves two extra hours of morning time (We left at 9:15am) and only had 8 miles to get to Squaw Lake. Silver Pass is on the docket today, but with only a half day of hiking , I think we can be at Squaw Lake by 2:00pm. As we started hiking I noticed the thunder clouds gathering. I was anticipating afternoon rain and looking forward to a little inclement weather. I tried to capture the dark clouds over Vermillion Cliffs in the shot below.
The hiking was easy today and even though we were tired, none of us had any specific spots that were troublesome. A good sign on a longer hike. The trail was well graded and very well maintained. The scenery was magnificent as usual. I'm glad we're taking a little more time to enjoy things this year. I really feel like we're on a different trail because everyday I'm saying "I don't remember any of this!"
Silver Pass came quickly and without much effort. It is one of the lower passes on the JMT (10,895ft) and since we've been over some of the bigger ones already, this one seems pretty tame. A couple of quick photos with the pass sign and down the other side we went.
Our stop for the day was Squaw Lake. Last year this was our favorite spot of the trip. It came at the end of a long mileage day and we were all tired and grouchy. The lake sits up high on a shelf and as you approach from the North, you don't see the lake until you are up on it. Last year Christi and Dave were convinced that we had already passed it without paying attention. I was pretty sure we still had a little way to go. Those two were pissin' and moanin' until we stepped up over the granite shelf to see this. (Photo from 2007 JMT trip below)
Needless to say , we were all very happy to see the lake in all its splendor. We secured the prime spot on the South Eastern shore, tucked behind a small granite boulder. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, swimming and taking photos. This year when I was planning the trip I knew we all wanted to go back to Squaw Lake. As we approached from the opposite direction (South) you see the lake well before you get to it. It kinda took the surprise out of it.
As we got closer, I could see that someone had arrived before us to secure the spot we had last year. Once we got to the lake we put our packs down and started searching for a new spot. Just past the lake on the edge of the granite shelf was a spot with a great view and enough room for two Shire's Tarptent Squall 2. It was a good thing we found a spot as the clouds from earlier started to spit at us. We put the tents up just in time as the sky opened up and let us have it for about an hour. It was very cool. I love afternoon thunderstorms
Looking North from our perched campsite Ritter and Banner are visible in the photo below.
After the storm passed, we were treated a magnificent show with a little smoke from the Yosemite fire in the air the sunset had great red and orange colors.
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