Hi Everyone,
On Wednesday, July 14th, we got up very early and drove 14 miles up Mammoth Mountain, and down the backside on a very narrow, winding road, with no guardrails, that made us all nervous. We arrived there so early that the ranger station was not even open.
We set off hiking right away because we wanted to get started before it got too hot and the hordes of tourists showed up. The trail (about 6 miles) would take us through a very beautiful forest and beside a river, to both the Devils' Postpile and Rainbow Falls.
The forest gnomes had been busy and we stopped to admire their handy work. Yep, those are pine cones that have been strategically placed in the roots of a large fallen tree to create an artful design.
The Devils' Postpile was only about 1/2 mile from the ranger station, was very impressive, and much larger than any of us had expected.
The west is experiencing very dry conditions that are having a detrimental effect on the vegetation, especially the trees and bushes.
Unfortunately, the dryness results in another problem in the West, wildfires, which all too often start as a result of lightning strikes. Many thousands of acres of forest are destroyed each year from wildfire, Some started by nature and some by man's stupidity. The devastation is profound.
This area suffered a wildfire a few years ago and is just starting to rejuvenate now as you can see.
We hadn't realized we were entering a famous wilderness area while we hiked until we came upon a sign enlightening us to our surroundings.
The trip was worth the effort when we finally arrived at our destination, Rainbow Falls.
It was a very peaceful and picturesque place to just sit and enjoy nature's bounty.
We very much enjoyed our time there and relaxed a bit before starting back.
After we left, Mom checked on the progress of the wildfire near us again. The news was not good. The fire has expanded to 1,400 acres and they have over 230 firefighters trying to get it under control.
We also learned that there is another wildfire down to the Southwest side of Yosemite NP that is even bigger than this one. Yikes, that is where we're supposed to go next on our trip?
Tomorrow we are planning to explore Inyo Craters, on Mammoth Mountain😀.
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