DAY 1
- Three Rivers, Crescent Meadow to Nine Mile Creek
After
bidding farewell to real beds and showers at the Comfort
Inn, we
drove the serpentine road to Lodgepole where we met
up with
Jester and picked up our permit along with last minute
groceries. We then drove to Crescent Meadow,
where we
prepared for blast-off, which included sharing a tasty
can of
Guinness.
Stud Man,
Hank, Jester, LiteBoy, Tilley, and Binky at the
launch
pad at Crescent Meadow.
Blast-off
from Crescent Meadow!
Very
soon, the views get amazing.
Talus
Dancers relish occasional naps along the trail throughout
the day.
We
submitted this photo to Tilley
Endurables in the hope it would
be used
in an ad. It was rejected because
the stunning scenery
and the
overt athleticism of the models distract from the hats.
Most of
the first day progressed high along a ridge on miles of
trail
blasted out of the rock without mercy.
To bring
blessings to our group and our trip, LiteBoy raises Tibetan
prayer
flags at Nine Mile Creek, our first night's camp. They are
really
from Tibet.
Binky
kisses a gentle local resident (a rubber boa) held
by
Nathan, one of the boys from Kentucky.
These guys
did not
drink, smoke, nor cuss - impressive!
We also
made
conversation with a uniquely blond bear who
attempted
to visit our camp.