8/24/20; mile: 1,935; elevation: 6,060 ft.
Reading the notes on Guthooks last night about resupply points, I’m starting to get worried about my fuel cannister situation. These small backcountry waypoints are running out of fuel cannisters. And even larger retailers in the cities are having supply issues. And since you can’t mail these via air, having some shipped to me is a challenge.
It was an early start today, on the trail by 0630. And as the trail climbed, the temperature dropped. Within 3 miles, I got to the turnoff for the Maiden Peak Shelter. This is one of the nicest backcountry cabin I’ve run across, very clean and dry, no obvious signs of a rodent infestation. I still don’t trust ’em, however. If it was stormy, sure, but tending a fire and rigging gear and food to be rodent proof is a lot of work. Plus, this one doesn’t have water nearby. Reading the logbook, I see that Sidewinder and Pac Man are just a day ahead of me.
The other concern for today is the Lily Fire detour. There’s no sign of smoke, and no sounds of aircraft. So while the fire may not be a hazard, the detour is still in effect. The first half of the detour is still in the sparse trees, leading west to Waldo Lake. I take a slight diversion to walk through the North Waldo Campground. It’s an opportunity to get rid of trash, use a vault toilet, get some water and hope for trail magic. Alas, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad. The remainder of the detour is now out in the open of a burn scar. Having cooler air makes this tolerable. (The pic of the closure is the northern end of the detour).
While the lake at the north end of the detour looks inviting enough for camp, it’s still just a bit too early to stop. A couple miles later, I make it to Brahma Lake. This has a very large flat area and almost a beach for swimming. While I’m setting up, some southbound section hikers join me. We enjoy some conversation as we swim a bit and I do some laundry. I get a bit nervous of my wet clothes being able to dry quick enough when some clouds form up and threatens rain. The night thing about synthetic hiking clothes, they don’t hold a lot of water and they dry fast, especially if it’s breezy. My bare skin, on the other hand, doesn’t appreciate it that much.
I hiked 24 trail miles today, but then add the 3 extra miles for the detour and all of a sudden it was kind of another big day. Since I’m light on supplies and the terrain isn’t steep, it’s kinda easy to pull off. Tomorrow, I get to resupply at Elk Lake. Let’s hope my package is waiting for me.