John Muir Trail, 2007: Day 3 - Garnet Lake to Red's Meadow

I was actually looking forward to an early morning wake-up call this day since I was eager to see sunrise over Mt Ritter and Banner Peak. I wasn't disappointed as I sipped my coffee and sat on a boulder to watch the peaks glow orange as the sun rose. After nature's morning entertainment I quickly packed up so that I could rejoin the rest of the group and form the plan for the day.

Andrea's ankle was swollen and bruised so Mary (new trailname: Dr Bono) carefully taped it up so that she could make the hike to Red's Meadow, 13-16 miles away (depending on the route chosen, heh). I was feeling good so it was determined that I would run ahead and secure a campsite and get things figured out at Red's.

It was a beautiful day for a hike, but after about mile ten I was so ready for a cold beer and hot food! The last few miles descend down a sandy, dusty trail into Devil's Post Pile. It was a hot day and it seemed to get hotter with every step I took (which, since I was descending, it probably was). I finally found myself at the border to Devil's Post Pile, only a mile or so away from Red's. I took a few moments to enjoy the rock formations at the Post Pile, smiled at a few gaping families who were nice and clean, and then got a sudden burst of energy for the last half mile as I thought of what was ahead at Red's - a hot spring shower, a cold beer, a phone to call home, and a cheeseburger.

The campsite situation for backpackers at Red's isn't ideal - we have to cram in to three small campsites together, but we managed. Shortly after I arrived the rest of the group showed up and we all eventually settled in for the evening. I slammed a couple of delicious Fat Tires (NOT Coors, Michael!), cleaned up in the hot spring, and had my cheeseburger. Mmmmmmmm. At some point I organized my resupply and had a couple more beers. What a lovely evening.
This day's stats:

• Mileage: 12.4 mi
  
• Ascending: 1647 ft
  
• Descending: 3750 ft
  
• Cumulative Mileage: 34.84 mi
  
• Cumulative Ascending: 5241 ft
  
• Cumulative Descending: 6289 ft