Day 56; Thu June 21 2007

(Dr Bug) It was wonderful to wake up in the clear sheets of a queen bed. The yurt was toasty warm. We gathered our things and said good bye to our little refuge. We had a big breakfast at the VVR resturant and then closed our tab. This was a BIG bill. I guess why they call this a resort. To me it was worth it, we only stayed 24 hrs but it was one of the most relaxing stops we have had. The staff was great and the atmosphere was layed back. There were some negative VVR rumours on the trail. I found none of them to be true. I would highly recommend this place, but is not cheap!

At the landing on the othe side on Edison Lake, STUD and talked to some section hikers names Suess and Chickadee-guys in their early 20's. They were knowledgable fisherman and gave STUD some good tips. We would see them throughout the day and talk to them alot more. A neat piece of gear that Suess had was a Big Buddy wood stove. It looked like a small coffee can with internal chambers. You could cook using small pieces of wood.

There were many river crossings in the next section. This is not STUDs favorite thing to do. She hates to get her feet wet. Because ofthe light snow season, fords that are normally thigh or waist deep were ankle or calf deep. We were very lucky with the lack of snow. The north fork of Mono Creek and Silver Pass Creek were easily forded.

Our next obstacle was Silver Pass at 10,895 ft. The climb to the pass was long and rocky. There were small patches of snow to negotiate and we either walked though them, or boldered around them. In the afternoon the softer snow made for easier walking. We were never going to go over a pass in the morning if at all possible. This was all very tiering because we basically climbed over or around piles of rocks. The trail wasn't much different from the surrounding terrain. We rested at the top and enjoyed the views of both the valleys in the north and south. Suess and Chickadee showed up as well as Hiker Jan. I think we sat on this ridge for an hour and talked to these folks.

It seemed like we couldn't get going after that. I always think it is important to try and camp in a high place. I had a spot in mind and we had ten more miles to go after lunch. I like high ground just aound the tree line where there is no water because 1) there are less mosiqutos and 2) I hope the higher you go, the less bear activity. We were shooting for a high and dry spot on the map between Lake Virginia and Purple Lake. Prior to this we stopped and ate dinner. Eating dinner miles before your intended camp site is a good practice in bear country so you do not have food smells in camp. This is a practice we have used thoughout the Sierras. We ate one of the expensive dinners Mom sent us, Mountain House chicken terryaki. It was the best dinner I have ever eaten on the trail.

Eventually we made our camp destination between the two lakes. For the first time we hung the mosquito neting directly from a string; we did not sleep in the tarp. It worked great.

We 14.8 hiked miles today. Not bad considering we did not start walking till 10:45.