JMT Day 3: Half Mile Turtles

Ugh, another early early wake up. I can't help it, it seems. So I started rattling around my tent, packing up and lo & behold Misty appears at 6! Jo follows, and by 6:30 we're drinking coffee, 7am on the trail. This will make the day's planned mileage so much easier to obtain.

We had camped just below Island Pass but it was an easy climb to a magical place. Unlike the forbidding Donahue, Island was long, flat, and lush with lots of little lakes, trees and grass. It was like finding Xanadu in the Sierras!  We stopped a while and had a hot breakfast and some email time.

Then we descended in a long circling of 1000 Island Lake.  Today was "Lake Day": 1000, Ruby, Garnet, Shadow, and Roaslie. All so stunning. 1000 first...

I would have swim at Ruby as it was so clear and so deep but the patch of snow at the water's edge made me think it might be just a wee bit frigid. Besides, it was only 10:30am, too early in the day. 

We had lunch and a rest by gorgeous windy Garnet Lake - we rarely need an excuse to soak our toes.

Then there was the hot dry climb out of Garnet, and then an incredibly steep rocky descent right after. Luckily there were zillions of wildflowers cheering us on.

We met up with Ed and his family (from Day 1, we pass/they pass a couple times per day, at the Shadow Lake junction. The older daughter Shannon & her Dad are hiking the whole JMT. She's about 19, been carrying a 45lb pack and fast! Kelly, her younger sister and Kristin, a family friend are only along as far as Red's Meadow, which they need to reach by noon tomorrow. As we're camping tonight at the same place and plan to arrive there late afternoon, they are going to have to motor! They took this for us:

The trail skirted the very edge of Shadow Lake thru dense forest, so we had only  tantalizing glimpses of the cool water. Luckily the forest continued as we started up dozens of long endless switchbacks, thankfully offering us welcome shade as the afternoon sun started to beat down on us.

Up and over the crest was pretty Rosalie Lake, with the sun glinting on the small ripples caused by the wind.

We contemplated staying there but it was only 4:15pm and Gladys Lake was just another half mile further. Just as we were deciding what to do a trio of PCT-ers trod by so we asked them what Gladys was like and were there and campsites. They were actually so intent on covering their miles today it took them a minute to even remember the lake they just past, then they said they thought it would take us an hour to get there! Really? .5 miles? We may look slow but we're no 1/2 mph turtles!! That was challenge enough.

Gladys is a pretty little lake but it took us a little while to find a campsite that wasn't swarming with mosquitos. We had to backtrack a little and search up some granite rocks to find 2 perfect little sites. We set up the tents and took off to the little sticky muddy beach for a bird bath & clothes wash me, and a full body immersion for Misty and Jo! Sorry, no cameras allowed.

We had to prep our dinners in bug nets as the mosquitos were bad but the breeze picked up enough that we could eat al fresco.

There's really not much to do after eating as when the sun goes down, the temps drop, the winds die down and the bugs return. The only place to go is bed.

Today's mileage is 10.7. Walked in over 9.5 hours that makes us: Mile....Mile And A Half Turtles!!!