Happy birthday to Brendan 27, and Greg 68. 
Donedidit’s stone dancing injury. Will she survive?

  The day started early. Up at 5:00 am on the trail by 6:00 am surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes who had the early shift. 
The first two creek fords required skillful maneuvering with steady steps and rock dancing. The third ford was a bit more challenging with swift water and slippery rocks. Donedidit and Joaquin crossed several streams successfully without incident. During this crossing Donedidit’s hiking stick collapsed leaving her dangerously close to a complete fall. She recovered quickly, backpack remained dry but she skinned her shin. She and Joaquin took a short break after the crossing. While Donedidit changed her wet clothes, Joaquin filtered water. However, Joaquin’s water filtering effort was not a compete success and we had limited water as we finished the last four miles. 

To arrive at our next destination, Vermillon Valley Resort (VVR) we had to hike down to catch a water taxi. The lake is now reduced to 1/3 of it’s size. You hike at least 3/4 of mile across a dry lake to catch the water taxi to VVR. It is really brings home the seriousness of our drought. 

The ride over to VVR was pleasant. Skipper Todd skillfully motored us across the lake. It was the first time in 3 days that someone lifted our packs for us. 

We found a room in the inn, showered, ate lunch, did laundry and updated our journal. I (Donedidit) discovered on this trip that time on the trail is dictated by weather and the need to arrive at destinations at a certain time. When we stop to eat, check our feet for blisters, reorganize our packs, make or breakdown campsites, avoid rainstorms consume many hours a day. Avoiding mosquitoes and thunderstorms is a full time job!