Snakes, Cows, and a Gem of a Lake

We missed the cattle drive today.  Twice a day, when leaving or returning to our campground, we drive through an expansive, beautiful, iris-filled meadow resplendent with cows.  Big cows and cute baby spring-time cows. Black cows, brown cows, blonde cows. Over the course of the next few days, we learned from Camphost Jim, all of those cows will be herded from the lower meadow to a meadow just beyond our campground.  Returning from the hot spring today, we came upon two strays ambling down the road.  They’re clearly making a break for it.

Speaking of the hot springs, it was a little wild today.  [Not in the nudist sense.]  There was a large snake occupying the largest, most desirable pool.  We agreed that he should have the pool to himself, and we slipped into another snake-less pool.  It was heavenly.  

The hike today was not what we had in mind. It was to be a relatively moderate jaunt up to Gem Lake, which is off the June Lake Loop. Everything interesting in this part of the world involves going uphill,  so we went up. And up. And up. It wasn’t particularly “moderate”: we switched back and forth on rubbly rock in the breezy winds and unrelenting sun. Dudley had alreadytaken his day-old chapstick down to the nub. It was not a hike for the height-adverse, of which Dudley is a fringe member. We made it to the edge of the Ansel Adams Wilderness, looked down on Gem Lake, turned around and headed down the way we came.  The guidebook says it’s an 800’ elevation climb.  We doubted that, so we checked.  Nope:  3700 feet.  This is why we were tired and mostly comatose while enjoying our post-hike beer and fish tacos at the Whoa Nellie Deli overlooking Mono Lake.

Hiking down from Gem Lake.

Hike done, we headed north towards home. We stopped at the Mono Lake Ranger Station — Laura had some questions— but it was closed.

Revived by our hot springs time, we pull into home.  Jim careened by in his golf cart, and we learned about his grand-daughter, son and some of the interworking of being a camp host.  We enjoyed an almost-full moon, a few deer in our lavender meadow, and the distant moo-ing of our neighbors the cows.

Hiking down from 10,915 feet.