ET's Info-Stew

12:50-ish - Sleeping last night was the same as usual, waking up briefly every time I needed to change positions. The Advil PM didn't seem to improve my sleep. The morning routine was typical. My filter worked better by hanging it in some tree branches.

It took a little over an hour to get to Mirror Lake, which is where I sit now. We had to cross a fairly robust stream at the end, and so I donned my Vibrams. Only a few seconds in my feet were in pain and by the end my toes numb. After crossing I kept them on the last quarter mile to the rest spot.

I'm sitting in the shade of some trees on the northeast bank of the lake. There is a small group camped at the lake, but they seem to be off somewhere else. Tall mountain peaks surround the crystal-clear lake. I'm getting ready to eat lunch, consisting of trail mix, Top Ramen, a trail bar, and my favorite: Cheeze-Its. I am tempted to swim, but the water is SO cold, verified when crossing the stream. Instead maybe I'll just try to relax and read some. The hike back to camp won't be easy. Maybe I'll need a swim by then.

14:30-ish - The hike back to camp wasn't too bad, actually. In fact I think it may have been easier despite a 200 foot elevation gain.

A brief but hopefully persistent breeze just came up. If it stays we may get a bit of a break from mosquitoes. A swim is out of the question, though. A short sponge bath sufficed.

Well a bunch of new camp sites went up during our day hike. There's at least three new sites just in our quadrant of the lake. One is within talking distance. I may take some time to scrounge for firewood while there is still some to be had.

The idea of bushwhacking from Mirror Lake to Eaglesmere Lakes isn't going to pan out. So we're going to have to decide which of these areas will be two nights, and which will be three. If we head to Eaglesmere tomorrow, I'm concerned we won't get a good site. But if we wait until Sunday, the weekend hikers will have left and we should have our choice of sites. Is there enough to do in this area for another whole day?

Well the decision has been made. We're staying here a third night. My plan now is to go find that geocache!

17:00-ish - My hunt for the cache ended in disappointment. I chased the compass for 20 minutes, knowing the hints and yet the cache could not be found in reasonable locations. Fortunately I had enough cell signal to request a good hint. I hope the cache owner responds quickly.

22:00-ish - After the cache hunt I sat at camp relaxing time away until dinner. But the mosquitoes swarmed me and eventually I had to take refuge in my tend. It was warm and peaceful inside, so I ended up napping.

The sun setting on our camp, still hours from setting on the nearby peaks, marked dinner time. But I was reluctant to leave my mosquito-free sanctuary. Alas dinner must be consumed.

The bugs finally took their leave well after sunset, but by then I was starting to get pretty darn cold. I may have forgotten to take my thyroid pill this morning, but I don't know if that would make a difference.

The Backpacker's Pantry Beef and Broccoli was not so good. I ate what I could stomach, but a good amount of it went into the fire. I suspect I may be a bit hungrier tomorrow morning, which wouldn't be a terrible thing because I have way too much trail mix left.

Tonight I've taken sleeping pills and I'll be sleeping with warm clothes on. If I'm lucky I'll get better sleep tonight. But I'm not counting on it. Discomfort stands between me and a solid night of sleep.