July 1, 2012 - How Grolar Bear got her name

Day 17
Matterhorn Canyon, below many-layered cliffs
Elev: 8400 ft
Miles: 21
Trip: 294

I don't know what I'd like to escape more: the swarms of people at Tuolumne or the swarms of mosquitoes here at Matterhorn Creek. They are apocalyptic. That may be an exaggeration, but not by much. They fly in mouths and eyes, crawl in hair, buzz in ears and even accost a person trying to pee. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come.

Today's miles came pretty easily. It's unnerving how easily the 20-mile days get after only a few weeks. Now I can cover 15 before we stop for lunch - if we start early enough. The last two miles today were a wicked downhill, but I think Andrew suffered more than I did. His poor shoes, aka the bologna skins, have left his feet without much support. We saw a hiker named Siddhartha with a stress fractured foot hobbling into Tuolumne, and it spooked us both. Our strategy will be regular rest breaks, with cold creek-side foot soaks when possible. Tomorrow I'm really hoping for a cold swim as well, since I didn't get one in Miller Lake today. The polar bear in me needs some snow-melt to paddle around in. And right now the grizzly bear in me needs to sleep or become very grumbly...

Shaggy says:

Slept really well in the Tuolomne Meadows campsite last night. We stayed in the same spot that I camped at in 2010 and had 2 bears visit in the night. Nothing last night though. The campsite was quiet and peaceful.
   We got up around 7 and had a great but pricey breakfast  at the cafe. It cost about $15 for me to feel full. Oh well, camping was cheap in Tuolomne and we have been in our tent for 9 nights with no shower. So a little tasty breakfast is alright every now and then.
   We left shortly after breakfast. It was good to be back out on the trail, but still did not feel like the PCT. We passed hundreds of dayhikers and overnighters headed to Glen Aulin, a site with waterfalls and nightly visits by bears.
   The hike after Glen Aulin was wonderful, treed with great views from time to time. We are now camped in Matterhorn Canyon with two other hikers and millions of mosquitos. They are miserable. So glad we have a large tent to sleep in. So tired. Time for sleep.

"I believe that if you just stand up and go, life will open up for you." -Tina Turner

Yosemite would definitely be worth a visit after my thru-hiking days are over. But hopefully that never happens...

Solid rock. I just kept thinking of how cool it would be to ride down in a little red wagon. With a helmet, of course.

One of many cool waterfalls on the hike out of Yosemite.

Obligatory couple's shot.

A lake I would have LOVED to go swimming in if the mosquitoes hadn't been driving us forward.

This scene took my breath away. We hadn't had any clouds for weeks, then we see this...wow.

Getting this picture took a lot of fortitude and tolerance. Skeeters were RAMPANT.