Day 4

Day's start: Tuolumne Meadows
Day's end: near the bridge at Lyell Forks
Day's miles: 10.7 miles
Total trip miles: 34.1 miles

This morning my leg still hurts but not quite as much as before, as I have re-discovered the benefits of rest and regular stretching. I think I may be stuck with this the entire trip, so I will just have to find a way to get over it and keep hiking.

The morning sky

 This is the first PCT or JMT sign we have seen on this trip... good thing we're on the right trail...

...or are we?

"Think of all the Greats that also hiked this trail."

We passed over a lot of nicely constructed bridges today.

...Ok already, with the picture taking...

The walk today through Lyell Canyon was almost entirely flat (as flat as it's going to get on this trip anyway), except for a small climb at the end of our day. Early on this morning, we passed a double bridge over the Tuolumne River. I had recently seen these bridges in a friend's pictures of Tuolumne Meadows, and it was very cool to be able to see it  in person.

 View from the bridges

The trail was quite sandy walking along the Tuolumne River (which made for slow going), and around mid-morning we stopped to take a quick water break and enjoy the river. While there, two guys stopped to admire the same view. One of them (Mike), was very knowledgeable about backpacking and had backpacked this section before. He let us know about some great campsites further down Lyell Canyon and closer to the base of Donahue Pass that were not on our map. We're still going a little slower than normal, so we'll just have to see if we make it that far.

Our break spot along the Tuolumne River

Walking through Lyell Canyon was perhaps the most beautiful part of the trip for me so far (it also helped that it was flat and my body was barely working). It made me feel like we just stepped into a story book.

 Close enough to the end of Lyell Canyon that we can see Donahue Pass in the distance.

...aaand, this grassy spot looks like a good spot for a break, don't you think?

While hiking in Lyell Canyon, we ran into a lot of groups going our direction, and a few of them turned out to be hiking the John Muir Trail as well. One group of 6 guys kept a similar pace to us, and managed to find some of the best break spots along the river.

Besides people, we also ran into this snake...

...and these ground squirrels that made a squeaking/laughing noise. If Aaron and I were ground squirrels, which one do you think I would be? You can keep this answer to yourself.

At the end of Lyell Canyon, we climbed a little more than 600 feet and then stopped near a bridge for the night. Not really sure if this is the campsite we were told about, but I'm tired of climbing and there is a nice amount of white noise from the waterfall, so I guess this is "home" for the night.

Climbing up to the night's campsite

You can enlarge any of these pictures by clicking on them.