Here's another large cache of pictures from the last few weeks. We have decided to get off of the trail and head back to Baltimore for a while. We've walked a little over 1,000 miles and have had an amazing time and we thought a fitting end for our journey would be to finish the John Muir Trail by heading into Yosemite Valley. Before we finished up in Yosemite, we ended up renting a car for a few days to do a little road trip. The main objective was to get some boxes we had sent to South Lake Tahoe, but a side agenda was to head to Reno and cheap, cheap casino hotel rooms to allow a sinus infection Ellie had some time to heal. We're now officially done, but doing one more mini road trip from Mammoth Lakes down to Vegas! We'll be stopping at a few natural attractions along the way as we explore the Nevada desert on the way to LV.

This following poem is one I read in a small book of Native American poems I picked up in Bishop and I think it's one of the most fitting ways to put our trip in perspective.

Eagle Poem

BY JOY HARJO

To pray you open your whole self

To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon

To one whole voice that is you.

And know there is more

That you can’t see, can’t hear;

Can’t know except in moments

Steadily growing, and in languages

That aren’t always sound but other

Circles of motion.

Like eagle that Sunday morning

Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky

In wind, swept our hearts clean

With sacred wings.

We see you, see ourselves and know

That we must take the utmost care

And kindness in all things.

Breathe in, knowing we are made of

All this, and breathe, knowing

We are truly blessed because we

Were born, and die soon within a

True circle of motion,

Like eagle rounding out the morning

Inside us.

We pray that it will be done

In beauty.

View of the Sierras and Mount Williamson from our room at the Independence Inn

Old masonic hall turned into a coffee shop

Elotes!

Dusy Basin

Coming over Glen Pass

"The Painted Lady"

This is a Pika. It's as big as a mouse, but it's really a small rabbit. Unfortunately, it will probably go extinct soon because of rising temperatures. It keeps going higher and higher up the mountains to try to stay cool, but it's almost to the highest elevations, then they'll start dying from the heat when they can't go any higher.

Rae Lakes

Peak reflected in Upper Rae lake

This bridge was way wobblier than it looks!

Our first campfire of the trail!

On top of Pinchot Pass

Mule deer strolling

One of our favorite camps of the whole trail- the Upper Basin of the King's River. There was no one around for miles

Glacial carving

Mather Pass

Twisted Cedar

Buck growing his antlers

The deer come so close to camp and are totally not phased by people

Some of the last snow we'd see on the trail coming down Bishop Pass

Pack trains supply the ranger outposts in the middle of the park.

The place that Slim Pickens officially called his "second home"- the Town House Motel in Bishop.

Joseph's Bi-Rite cares about the local wildlife.

Ascending Muir Pass

Muir Hut from below

Wanda Lake, named after one of Muir's daughters

We sat here for a very long break.

Playing uke on Evolution Lake

Trout anyone?

Campsite over looking Evolution Lake

Silver Pass basin

Peak and Half-moon. These jagged types of peaks are called nunataks and are what stuck out above the glaciers, so while everything else got rounded off and smooth these stayed sharp and irregular.

The BEST marmot! We were only a few feet from him and he splayed himself out on the rock. Maybe he thinks he's hiding...

Then he scooted away when we tried to get even closer

Remnants of the huge forest fire 12 years ago outside of Red's Meadows

Piute influence on the design of the school.

No doubt a fine establishment an hour from Reno

Our room at the El Dorado had a view of the Bowling Hall of Fame and Arena

The coolest motel sign we've seen

You're not in the woods anymore, Ellie

We know who's in charge at this Reno thrift store. I think this door must open to heaven.

Nothing like cruising Reno in a Chevy Spark

So cool!

Roadcrews are different in California

The Panum Crater near Mono Lake is a volcano that erupted about 600 years ago and left this rim and plug as evidence.

Tufa rock formations along the shore of Mono Lake. It's actually an inland salt water sea.

The Devil's Postpile National Monument

It was formed when a field of lava cooled at a uniform rate and made hexagonal columns.

Glaciers came and sheered off the sides to expose the formation

On top it looks like a tiled floor. The parallel lines are where rocks scrapped across the surface.

A friendly group of boy scouts taking up the whole top, but at least you get a sense of the scale.

Columns from the side

Lupine is one of the most common wildflowers

The minarets

Rosalie Lake

You can see the pollen on the rocks and see how the lake has been slowly draining and evaporating during the summer

It rained during the night and our tent left a hexagon just like the devil's postpile

Rosalie Lake in the morning

Garnet Lake

Thousand Island Lake

The snow up there is actually the last remaining glacier in Yosemite.

Tuolumne Meadows

Lembert Dome

The Dude Light and Copper, along with a few other hikers, gave each other "stick and poke" tattoos on the 4th of July. They say "trail provides." Hopefully it provides some anti-bacterial lotion so they don't get infected!

Lembert Dome in Tuolumne Meadows

Cathedral Peak

Heading down into Yosemite Valley

first view of half dome

Ellie checking out Liberty Cap

Nevada Falls plunging down into the valley

Half Dome and Liberty Cap

The front of Nevada Falls

Our pic at the end of the John Muir Trail. We saw a small sign, and passed it thinking there must be something grander for the beginning/end of the JMT. Apparently, that was the official end, but we were good with taking this picture on the Happy Isles Bridge.