I took a rest day in Evolution Valley, my second after hiking 118 miles. Remember those wasp I mentioned? I opened a zip-lock to get lunch and a wasp flew out of it and immediately headed in the direction of home. The rains started that day. A monsunal flow of moisture that comes up from Mexico along the eastern side of the Sierras. It rained off and on for the next 4 days, making it impossible to dry my gear. The pack was getting heavier with the rain and I had two weeks of food to carry too.

The above picture looks up at the ridge you'll have to climb from Colby Meadow to Evolution Lake. The trail goes up through the trees on the left of the picture before heading to the right to the lake. Some people go cross country to or from this point via the Lamarck Col. You might be able to see the outlet creek just to the right of the center of the picture. When you reach Evolution Lake below, you'll start to get the feeling you're getting into the real mountains. You won't see much for trees for another 10 miles.