My campsite had a great view of Banner peak bathed in the special rays of a mountain sunrise. Up to this point it that been rocky landscape with a pretty lake just around the corner. Today would be different
The climb up from Garnet suddenly led you into a lush forest of immensely tall pines and cedars. This must be what the Redwoods are like. Ferns soften the floor. The trees filter the light into beams. The path under your feet is rich soil not impoverished dust.
This special decor would continue from Garnet to the arrival at Devils Post Pile. This rich forest was dotted with beautiful Shadow and Rosalie lakes. Rosalie gave up 3 fat rainbow trout to my first few casts of the trip. This was Perfection.
But this beautiful land would soon confess to the massive destruction that it had been dealt during the winter of 2011 when no one was around to notice. Reports are over 10,000 trees down due to a "wind event" last November. I had heard about it. I've seen photos. Now I was walking in it. It was indeed massive to see all these trees down, but it caught me by surprise that the enormity of the forest still dwarfs the bruises that it bears. Perhaps the most striking aspect was the manner in which these massive trees were cleared from the trail.
I finished my day with a bus ride to the Reds Meadow general store where I picked up my resupply package and then continued on the bus out of the valley to meet up with my Cuz Bryan for to trip up to Anona lake. There are 4 dads and 5 kids. I guess I even the odds. It is a really nice group and we enjoyed a big pizza dinner together. We leave at 5:50am.
Goodnight and thanks for following
DW
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