Nightmare at Larch Lakes, cont.

Good view of the torn mosquito netting (photo taken two days later at Lower Ice Lake after I sort of sewed the netting back together.)

You know how you have those dreams where you think you're falling and as you wake up your legs are doing that stepping motion? That’s how it was with me. As I awoke from the dream, such fear and terror filled my heart that I ripped apart the mosquito netting on the front door of my tent in a frantic effort to escape the horrible fate before me.

Unfortunately, I did not unzip it – I literally ripped open the mesh netting of the inner door. I think the sound of the netting popping finally woke me out of the nightmare.

It was a rather large hole and it has totally destroyed the utilitarian purpose of keeping the bugs out. Shit! What a stupid thing to do. It will take me forever to sew it back up again. Of course, I can close the solid nylon door, but then there's no ventilation through the tent. I repeat, what a STUPID thing to do!

I think the reason that this all happened is that there were several other parties at this lake and I am not used camping around other people. Therefore I felt a heightened threat level due to the proximity of the other humans in the area. Isn't it funny how I have never felt that same level of threat to my security from any of the so-called dangerous animals that surround me when I go to the mountains — only the human beings.

Anyhow, back to the actual physical world. Yesterday my right Achilles tendon was bothering me, along with a burgeoning blister on my left heel. So after leaving mosquito-ridden Larch Lakes I wore my sneakers instead of my boots.

(Seriously ... that's how it is in the mountains. We go so easily from terror-ridden nights to annoying blisters that monopolize our attention over the course of the day.)

Pomas Pass

Mz. Micki and I were up at 7:15 AM and on the trail an hour after that. The first thing we did was climb up to Larch Pass (about 700 or 800 feet above the lake) and then climb some more after that … before losing all of that elevation as we dropped down to Pomas Pass.

– Continue reading.