Saturday July 24, 2021
Start: Evolution Lake campsite
End: Dusy Basin lake, partway up to Bishop Pass on the side trail
Miles: 16.1
Gain/Loss: 4140’/4249″
We were both asleep by 8pm last night. It was a windy night, and we were both woken up by the wind battering the tent multiple times. Despite that, we had a fairly good night of sleep. We were awake at 5am and on trail by 6am.
We passed by Sapphire Lake in the early morning sun, and quickly motored past Rosalie Lake to get away from the swarms of midges there. Then we had the final last climb up to the summit of Muir Pass. We arrived around 9am, had a snack, watched two marmots get into position to break into hikers’ packs, and then began the long descent.
We passed by countless lakes and creeks as we headed downward. We started to dunk our hats, shirts, and bandanas in the creek to cool us down earlier in the day than usual. The sun was brutal and with very little shade, the trail was incredibly hot and dry.
We arrived at the last campsite before the Bishop Pass trail turnoff at 2pm. It wasn’t very satisfactory and we were eager to keep moving, now that we had made the decision to shorten the trip. We made a quick lunch and then pushed off to hike up the 3000′ gain in 3 miles.
We hiked up the 3000′ of switchbacks, which were relentless but not particularly steep or arduous. At the top of the climb, we wandered along a creek and then a lake, and after some looking, we found a very nice campsite with a view of the lake. We ate dinner, filtered water and then settled in for the night.
Transcending Mountains 