The mosquitoes found us at first light. I was willing to wait them out, the wind will eventually blow again. Sure enough, by 8, we had enough breeze to safely emerge. If you got very far from the lake, they would converge on you. For this reason, I was willing to bind my cheeks and hike a few miles before I lost my morning weight. Sadly, I was a victim of peer turd pressure, so I joined everyone else in defiling the woods around Charlton Lake.
It’s a good thing I’m spineless and can’t stand up to PPP (peer poop pressure) because as we were climbing up the side of the mountain, I scared a small crowd of grouse. Had I not previously dropped my load, I would have ended up wearing it instead. I didn’t want to have to cut another pair of underwear off of me and leave it behind. Tragically, that has happened to me once in a Nepal before I got the hang of the squatter porcelain.
The mosquitoes were not consistent today. Instead of continuously ruining our day, they just intermittently drove us crazy. It was possible to find places to stop for drinks or a snack without going completely bonkers. It was at one of these breaks where Bear finally figured out why he and I have to tighten our waist belts 15 minutes after we put on our packs. Our stomach fat is like a fine soufflé, it takes about 15 minutes to rise. We tighten the belts to fill the void left behind.
We dropped our packs at the junction to Bobby Lake and walked down to get water. The cabin we are heading to is dry so we have to carry enough water for the 3 mile hike in, supper, breakfast, and the walk out. Bobby Lake was surprisingly nice and mosquito free. There were people sunbathing on a rock just a short way from us. Bunny wanted to camp for the night here, but it would have made for too long of a day tomorrow.
On the way to the cabin, we met our first thru-hiking American. Cannonball is from Indiana and has been putting in 40 mile days ever since he started. He’s trying to catch up to all the foreign hikers that are leading the pack. The Swedes (who have received names since we met them—Wolf and Arctic Fox) are either in front or just behind Viking (the Norwegian). Wolf and Arctic Fox entered the Sierra on April 26. Cannonball didn’t even start hiking until May 9. He’s well on the way to finishing in under 100 days.
Maiden Peak Shelter sleeps 14. There are only four of us and we don’t really want to share because of Covid. We’ve devised a few plans to ensure our privacy tonight. Option 1; if we’re the first to arrive we will spread out all of our gear to make it look as though the shelter is full from a distance. If that doesn’t scare would be hikers away, Bear has agreed to cough furiously while we ask newcomers if they have an inReach to call for help, explaining that he’s been dizzy all day and listless. We tried to make him eat some supper, but he only complained about how tasteless it was. Yes, it’s a bit juvenile, but we’re LASHers. Option 2; if someone is already there, we’ll hike another 3 miles to the next campsite.
We were the first to arrive before 4. We quickly implemented option 1. We tried to make Bear look sickly and disgusting but realized we couldn’t improve upon what 3 days of hiking had already done to his appearance. We continued with 4 pack explosions while we prepared super. By the time we finished eating (before 6) no one had shown up. We’re thinking we’re home free.
Now the only problem is getting Sassy calm enough to sleep inside. She’s afraid of mice. Deathly so. This is going to be hard to make it through the night without throwing a small item on her in the night and yell “mouse!” If it weren’t for the fact that Bear, who has already offered to set the tent up in the loft and scouted a spot outside for a tent so he can accommodate her when/if she freaks, I would throw the mouse. I’ll just have to wait until sunrise. We might get our earliest start yet.
EFG
Not dogfish…it’s a mudpuppy. Close though.
Is a puppy not a dog?