Saturday, May 11, 2013
I continued along the mesa in the morning. Nice views of Upper Lake Mary.
The trail passed a wetland that hikers are asked not to camp by, and a cool observatory, and Marshall Lake. I saw a pile of tape, then a hose, then burn areas that looked fresh. Marshall Lake had nice campsites, but they were occupied by cars that had apparently been left there to claim the spots. I should have camped beside one, then said ‘oh, I don’t mind that your car is here’ when the owners arrived (admittedly more obnoxious than leaving a car in a campsite).
A ton of trail runners passed today. They were like flies coming out of the woodwork, which is a gross saying if you actually visualize flies coming out of the woodwork.
The scenery has reverted to forest, but the absence of cow dung improves it. I stopped early for the day, selecting a camping spot above a canyon, but didn’t pitch my tent until after dark because of the trail runners. There were climbers in the canyon as well. Nice to see so many people enjoying their Saturday outside.