June 15: After dropping off the rental car and getting a ride back to a Independence, I got a pleasant surprise! I had been so worried about not knowing anyone on the trail since I took so much time off. But when I hit dropped off at the Subway, there was Flanders and Keylime, Comet, Not-a-Bear, and Skyline! I knew everyone! Skyline and I talked about hiking together, but he had a couple things to finish up in town. "I'll catch up later." He said. And I caught the shuttle to the trailhead with the rest of the crew.
It felt good to be moving again after so much time off. We soon fell into a nice rhythm of hiking, resting, eating. It was a nice day. I learned that during my time off trail, there had been a storm every afternoon in the Sierras. So it was a good thing- I missed all the bad weather.
It was a beautiful walk back- we passed several lakes, climbed up to 10,000 feet, into the forest. After Kearsage Pass to get back to the trail, we would hit Glen Pass, notoriously icy on the descent.
Though it felt good to be back on the trail, it also felt tiring. Do while many in our group chose to do both Kearsage and Glen Pass, I stopped 2 miles before Glen for a short day and a good rest. I figured it would also give Skyline s chance to catch up, but it turns out, that wouldn't happen until later...
Peace love and trail magic