We started today off by walking along Rancheria Creek for a few miles. Eventually we crossed it by way of a rock-hop – a nice alternative to wading across and getting our feet wet first thing in the morning. Our guidebook and maps had said that this could be a difficult ford and we were glad to get across dry. This took us into our first climb of the day up out of Kerrick Canyon. As usual, it was rocky and semi-steep and we were sweating in the hot sun. At the top we took a break for a snack. The nice breeze kept the bugs off. From there we had a steep descent into Stubblefield Canyon, where we repeated the process: cross the creek at the bottom (shoes wet this time) and start a long, sweaty climb out. This would be our last tough, prolonged climb of the day.

We dropped down off Macomb Ridge and down into a wooded area, passing a chain of still lakes. By now we were thinking about lunch and had decided to head for Wilma Lake. When we got there, though, the bugs were so bad that they drove us on a little further. We skirted the lake shore and the reeds in the shallows. There were hundreds of bright blue damselflies clinging to the long grasses. With all the mosquitos they must have been feasting.

We pushed on to Falls Creek and waded across to the perfect lunch spot – a massive granite boulder on the other side. The damselflies were out in force here too, and they helped take care of whatever mosquitos we didn’t smoosh first. We encountered our first horseflies but they were easier to keep watch for since they were so loud. We took advantage of the lunch break to dry our shoes and socks from the ford, but there was no telling how long they would stay dry after we got going again.

Back on the trail, we faced an easier afternoon – a long, gradual hike up to Dorothy Lake Pass. We followed Falls Creek upstream through pine forest, huge green swampy meadows, and over stretches of granite rock. Our feet did get wet again as we slogged through mud and saturated grasslands in the meadows – swamp water, the best kind of water to ferment in your already-filthy socks and shoes. The hike reminded me a little of our walk down Lyell Canyon to Tuolumne in reverse, with the creek meandering along right net to the trail.

At the very end of the day after a more strenuous climb we reached Dorothy Lake – a huge lake set in between the cliffs, one of the largest we’ve seen so far. We skirted its northern shore and climbed the last leg to the pass immediately behind it. Another few minutes of sweating brought us to the top where we could see more lakes on the other side surrounded by sparse pines. The whole area reminded us of the high Sierra we had just left, with long views of the granite-strewn landscape and tall ridges surrounding us. It was a nice change from the landscape of the last few days – which, although beautiful and scenic, hadn’t changed much. We made camp under a few pines to keep the dew off and jumped into the net tent. The bugs are still around but thanks to the rising wind and chilly air they won’t be bad for long. It’ll be a cold night tonight if it stays windy…

– Posted from the PCT