Day Two: Lyell Canyon to Thousand Island Lake
Mileage: approximately 9 miles
July 27, 2017
Day two on the trail was absolutely UNREAL. We started by climbing up and over Donahue Pass, which is the first pass on the John Muir Trail. The pass has two ridges that almost feel like false summits, until you realize that the pass is above treeline and you’re still hanging with the trees, ha! Donahue was definitely not as difficult as I imagined it would be, probably thanks to the miles I’d clocked for training.
Can I also just say, there is SO much snow considering it’s July 27th! The last 500 feet or so of the pass were completely covered in snow. We’re already following a boot track instead of the trail, but luckily everything was manageable without micro-spikes. The south side of the pass was absolutely breath taking, as you leave Yosemite National Park and enter Ansel Adams Wilderness. I could have sat on top of that pass for hours, but we still had to tackle a second pass, Island Pass, before arriving at Thousand Island Lake.
Ansel Adams Wilderness is an area I’ve been most looking forward to about the trail. Let’s just say, it hasn’t disappointed. I told myself I was going to allot a certain amount of camera battery per day to last the entire trip and today I definitely surpassed that allotment. Oops.
My favorite area of the day was in the lush meadows just below Donahue Pass. Donahue has these expansive views and as you hike down into the heart of Ansel Adams wilderness it becomes this culmination of rivers and valleys and meadows. It was quite simply one of the most stunning landscapes I’ve ever seen.
While Island Pass was a fairly easy pass, the views coming down into Thousand Island Lake were unreal. I’ve never understood fast hikers, but today I was dragging my feet trying to make every moment last. The thing about thru-hiking is, you don’t always get to stop and enjoy. Luckily for us, Thousand Island is our first layover. Two days into the trail. Gosh, we’re spoiled. We spent a long time looking for a good place to set up camp along the lake. It’s funny how things like “finding a place to sleep” become the biggest worries of your day out here. Thousand Island lake is gorgeous, but whoever named it clearly couldn’t count (HA). It’s more like a 50 island lake.
Night two on the trail has set. We sat out under the stars and watched a thunderstorm happening to the Southeast of us. The lightening would light up the whole sky, igniting the lake and Banner Peak in front of us. There are so many shooting stars and the cloudiness of the Milky Way is astounding.
It’s moments like these that humble me to my very core- that remind me how much we complicate life for no reason. It really should be as simple as good company and beautiful views. Out here it’s easy to let rainstorms wash your problems away. We really are so small in the grand scheme of things.
Day Two Photo Journal:
