Aug 11: Water Taxi -- Exploring JMT<>Vermilion -- Lounging around

I got up early as I couldn’t sleep any longer and decided I’d prefer to spend the day shooting panos at the other end of the lake. I quietly got my things together and left a note on David & Susan’s door, ate a quick breakfast burrito of unknown freshness, and hopped on the Water Taxi to the east end of the lake. It was an interesting ride as there were about 8 people headed down the Muir Trail with gonzo packs. Some of them were college kids, some older. At the other end of the lake a surprise--a huge group of what looked like 60 people. I jumped off the boat and hurried to a small rock island upshore which looked ideal for a pano--which shows the heavily loaded taxi heading west:

It took awhile to find the outbound trail and I felt a bit enervated. I came to the fork with the JMT and got involved in a longish discussion with a very talkative guy. I finally bid him farewell and headed over to the Mono Creek bridge. It was turning into quite a warm day already. I shot a panorama on the bridge and headed up the trail to take a few more.

Some steep switchbacks later, I found the point where were turned off the JMT last year and relaxed alongside a beautiful restful stream for awhile. It was so nice I shot a pano of it to remember it by.

I quickly return to the lake shore and pondered the multi-hour wait for the water taxi. I decide to call them with my borrowed cellphone and arrange a ride. Several guys from the Redding area emerge at the last moment and split the cost with me.

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