I'm sure this is one of a ton of journal entries that will try to describe the amazing landscape we saw today, but maybe after writing a few of these I'll get better at it. Our day started out with some pretty epic views to the south as we headed up to Cathedral Pass. I think we've both seen that view before, but from other locations- Half Dome, Clouds Rest. It was still a beautiful way to start the morning.
After we finished climbing Sunrise Mts we started running into some extraordinary places. Fields of wildflowers, large, open meadows- the kinds of things that look pretty underwhelming on film but that blow you away when you see them up close. Even the trail was beautiful through this section as it snaked through the trees to open on to meadows. It became pretty normal to run across another patch of wildflowers with a stream running through it, or a new view of the same mountains that are much better than the last.
Looking at all the wildflowers kind of makes me wonder why they seem so pretty. They certainly wouldn't work in a vase the way a rose or a lily or some other classically pretty flower would. I think it's probably their sheer number in a field. It becomes a kind of chaos of color, and it seems like this lack of planning is what makes them gorgeous. Because when you get up close to one flower, it seems small and a little plain. Which is why picking them and putting them on display wouldn't work. Unless they were encased in a large diorama.
After the views and the wildflowers, we descended down into the Sunrise High Sierra camp. The meadow surrounding this camp was unbelievable. Prairie dogs everywhere, a dry stream bed, and surrounded by amazing peaks. I thought it was going to be the highlight of the day until we got to our camp at Upper Cathedral Lake. Although the meadow is smaller, the lake, the granite peaks, and the rocks on the north and west sides of the lake make it the most spectacular place we've seen this trip.
At the lake we went swimming, set up camp, ate dinner, then went out on one of the peninsulas to watch what became an amazing sunset. Sunset colors on Cathedral Peak are excellent.
By this time, though, it was like we were being afflicted by beauty fatigue or something. Luckily a large swarm of termite-looking bugs descended on Cathedral Lake and chased us into the tent. Otherwise we might have passed out from the gorgeousness. The bugs are attracted to our headlamps, so they sound like rain against the tent right now. Hopefully the bats will come and get a helping of these guys.
[Matt]
Miles: 9 Miles
Total Mileage: 17.3
After we finished climbing Sunrise Mts we started running into some extraordinary places. Fields of wildflowers, large, open meadows- the kinds of things that look pretty underwhelming on film but that blow you away when you see them up close. Even the trail was beautiful through this section as it snaked through the trees to open on to meadows. It became pretty normal to run across another patch of wildflowers with a stream running through it, or a new view of the same mountains that are much better than the last.
Looking at all the wildflowers kind of makes me wonder why they seem so pretty. They certainly wouldn't work in a vase the way a rose or a lily or some other classically pretty flower would. I think it's probably their sheer number in a field. It becomes a kind of chaos of color, and it seems like this lack of planning is what makes them gorgeous. Because when you get up close to one flower, it seems small and a little plain. Which is why picking them and putting them on display wouldn't work. Unless they were encased in a large diorama.
After the views and the wildflowers, we descended down into the Sunrise High Sierra camp. The meadow surrounding this camp was unbelievable. Prairie dogs everywhere, a dry stream bed, and surrounded by amazing peaks. I thought it was going to be the highlight of the day until we got to our camp at Upper Cathedral Lake. Although the meadow is smaller, the lake, the granite peaks, and the rocks on the north and west sides of the lake make it the most spectacular place we've seen this trip.
At the lake we went swimming, set up camp, ate dinner, then went out on one of the peninsulas to watch what became an amazing sunset. Sunset colors on Cathedral Peak are excellent.
By this time, though, it was like we were being afflicted by beauty fatigue or something. Luckily a large swarm of termite-looking bugs descended on Cathedral Lake and chased us into the tent. Otherwise we might have passed out from the gorgeousness. The bugs are attracted to our headlamps, so they sound like rain against the tent right now. Hopefully the bats will come and get a helping of these guys.
[Matt]
Miles: 9 Miles
Total Mileage: 17.3
1 comment:
holaaa,,,
soy hector y estoy de tur por los blogs,
la verdad este esta muy muy interesante,,
espero que pases por el mio y firmes el
libro de visitas, plis??? grasias
http://hectorsuardi.blogspot.com
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