Ebbett's Pass 6/20

Here we are at lower elevations enjoying the fresh green colors of spring and the rolling hills. The flowers are beginning to bloom but they've got a ways to go before they are in glorious bloom. The rock is still rust colored volcanic and appears in clusters of craggy roughness. The music to this landscape would definitely be from the "Sound of Music" score. I expect to see Julie Andrews running by us with her arms outstretched singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music ". The music of the Sierra was more from a James Bond movie score. Picture Bond on a leisurely ice climbing expedition, on his day off. just about to hammer a piton in the ice and suddenly he is surrounded by 3 helicopters that are shooting bullets at him. The music is dramatic and exciting. How will James escape this predicament? That's the music of those mountains we just crossed. Now we are in cow grazing pastoral land. There are also outcroppings of fat granite boulders. FC is really wanting to do something other than hike, like climb, but she's afraid her feet will spasm if she points her toes. She stretches her feet slowly and conscientiously because they have a tendancy to Charley Horse but she would love to climb with her hands only. These boulders are perfect for free climbing.

       Here a statistic that appears to be true: of all the hikers who attempt the PCT 50 percent quit during the desert, before the Sierra and then another 10 percent don't make it through the high Sierra to Canada. We remember sitting in Mt. Laguna 5 days into the hike,at a dinner table with 8 other women. Of that 8 TC  and FC are the only ones still hiking.