The grasses and trees along the way were as pretty as (or prettier) than any garden. I stopped frequently to just have a look around, and James was a good sport about tolerating the frequent stops and my fairly slow speed. It's fortunate that the camps are so close together that a rather leisurely pace is quite acceptable.
And who wouldn't want to stop for views like the above (and look at that handsome guy with his cool hat!).
Regrettably, the light in the Sierras in August is still harsh, so the photos don't do the landscape justice. Below is a picture of Teyana Lake, which sits along CA 120, the road to Tuolomne and across Tioga Pass.
As we approached May Lake, we started to wear out a bit - but then the views were again spell binding.
Here a photo from morning the next day.
With lemonade, hot drinks, and a nice meal we really had nothing to complain about. But May Lake is only 1 mile from the road, so the influx of "civilization" was noticeable. The tent campground was packed and people brought hammocks, board games, and even an inflatable canoe. We found, as we progressed on our journey, that we liked the solitude of the high camps better - though we also enjoyed that each camp was different, had its own character, and brought different people.
At May Lake, we especially appreciated the vegetarian curry and chocolate cake for dinner. Then, with permission from the staff, James built a most excellent fire, together with a guy from Melbourne, Florida, who shared the tent with us and with his wife, together with two women hikers. We sat around and chatted for a long time - it was cold, but the fire kept us warm, and was enjoyable to watch. The Florida couple was hiking the High Sierra loop in the opposite direction from us, starting with Vogalsang instead of Glen Aulin, since they had done it in the same direction the year before. We went to bed fairly late and I slept soundly - we were lucky all around with our tent cabin mates, and I did not need my earplugs at all.
After another excellent breakfast, we packed up and I took a morning photo, when the lake was calm. Then we're off to our next destination.
