Mammoth

Day 81 Mammoth is an upscale ski resort town with cute (and more importantly FREE) trollie buses that go around town.  On the way to town we passed by the impressive ski resort, which had actually just closed for the season the day before. The weather was cold & rainy which everyone constantly remarked was SO unusual for this time of year. Thanks, everyone. I know, I know, usually the weather’s sunny and 75 right now. Thanks for reminding me that I’m the lucky one who is here the one year that the weather in June SUCKS.

But thankfully the library in Mammoth is AMAZING and actually had high-speed internet. And some generous friends of the family – Debbie & Bruce – had offered to host us for the night. Debbie picked us up from Mammoth and drove us to their lovely home by Lake Crowley. Amidsts the rain and clouds we could see lots of fresh white snow on the high mountains to the west… delightful! We enjoyed chatting with D&B and making Shrinky Dinks with there 2 adorable boys before crashing for the night.

The next day Day 82 it was due to rain all day so we took a second 0 and drove with JM up to Echo Lake in a rental car so he could retrive a box he’d mailed there but needed now. The drive along 395 north passed Mono Lake and Bridgeport. It was beautiful but also a bit surreal to be arriving at a place in a few hours and knowing when we repeated the journey (on foot) it would take us over a week. Even stranger, after a day of sitting in the car I felt more exhasted than a 20+ mile day of hiking. Even my muscles ached. It was good to be getting back on the trail that night, even if it was just to camp.