Day 57 - 6/21/12 - What's the Mather?

Contents:  Lake Marjorie - Pine Cone Ditch (approximately 16.4 miles)

I am super tired today and feeling a bit ill after pounding most of a large box of instant chocolate pudding for dessert.  Wash Out and I were hoping to put in an extra four miles or so after dinner but only did a mile and a half or two before collapsing next to the trail in a ditch full of pine cones.  We're both beat.  Tourist and Smiles left camp before us this morning and we never caught up with them, but I'm sure they aren't far ahead.

We had another gorgeous day in the High Sierras, perhaps our best yet.  From camp this morning, we had an easy 2.5 mile descent down to about 10,800 feet before we began the 5.2 mile climb up to Mather Pass at 12,100 feet.  We're definitely on the pass a day plan.  I love the passes.  They are usually good slogs (my area of expertise!) and it's a thrill to get to the top and peer over the other side.  It's always exciting to see what new is in store.

After an awesome break at Mather Pass where we ran into Liberty, a southbound JMT hiker, who did some sweet headstand poses for us, Wash Out and I started a long and sometimes steep and rocky descent.  We're quite low now, probably somewhere around 8,500 feet and we're below tree line for the first time in a while.  Tomorrow, we'll have a couple more miles of down before we start the climb up to Muir Pass.  I am falling asleep, so off to bed.  Happy Solstice!