Getting out is good

Post date: Jun 19, 2017 6:20:19 PM

M was feeling a bit under the weather this past weekend, so we tabled plans to go backpacking. Instead, we found a nice local trail in the Stanislaus Forest below Kennedy Meadows, and took off on a day hike. It was warm (it was hot everywhere else, but we were up about 7,000 feet, so it was a bit cooler) the sky was blue, and the scenery was a treat.

we hiked up a few miles, had lunch, and then wandered around in the forest a bit before we headed back to the car. On the way, we were accompanied by at least a score of swallowtail butterflies. We even got one to sit still enough to get a good photo:

And once back at the car, we couldn't resist going up to Sonora Pass to see exactly how much snow is up there.

A lot. This is about 9,000 feet, and you can see that snow covers just about everything but the most southerly facing slopes. People were snowboarding and snowmobiling along the road here. That should give you some idea of what kinds of conditions you'll find if you start hiking anytime soon...

And by the way, this is the Stanislaus River at full flood stage. Amazing. Yes, that is solid whitewater.