Miles: 975.8 to 998.9
Trail Miles: 23.1
Waterfall, Momento and I were in the trail around 0730 -earlier than I’d been in days. It’d been a beautiful campsite, if not for the mosquitoes.
Today was a close repeat of yesterday. The trail would steeply climb a granite ridge, then just as steeply descend to the next canyon and river crossing. Two of the water crossings had been reported as waist high a week earlier, but the snowmelt had lessened. They were both knee deep when we crossed.
Granite Ridges and Canyons
The mosquitoes also were the same: swarming us at every stop, break and breath
. 
I’d run the math and I needed to average 23 miles/day, 6 days/week. I figured one zero/resupply day per week as a cushion. I think the mileage is doable, as long as I get on the trail early and the terrain isn’t too challenging.
Mile 987 is the northern boundary of Yosemite. We had camped just beyond it. Last night on the descent from Dorothy Lakes Pass I could already see the change in terrain and scenery. We were nearing the end of the Sierras.
Looking north from the Yosemite boundary
I’d never hiked in Northern California (NorCal), but I’d heard it was possible to up your mileage.
Mosquito breeding ground
Scooch caught up to us just after we crossed Stubblefield Canyon Creek. She was trying to do 30 miles today and see if she could make it to Canada by mid August. Later, she sent me a message on the Garmin that she did it. One day down!
