Pate Revisited

 Do you remember back to the first of July when I posted about a hike I did for work down to a place called Pate Valley?  Do you remember how I talked about it being really hot, really exposed, and there being a lot of rattlesnakes?  Do you also remember I said I would never do that hike again?  Well... I did.  

My last hike of the season was back to Pate Valley.  It didn't seem so bad this time.  The weather was quite a bit cooler.  In fact, the temperature was 27* when Martina and I started our hike early the first morning.  We didn't see a single rattlesnake the entire trip.  We took our equipment down and camped in the valley for the night.  The river was quite a bit lower than our first visit.  Martina and I packed smarter this time, sharing a bear canister and tent, so our packs were lighter.  We'd had a whole season of hiking behind us and we were able to hike out two hours faster (two hours!!) than our first trip down to Pate.  Oh, and did I mention fall colors were starting to show?  Pate Valley is still one of my least favorite hikes, but at least I feel I'm leaving the park on better terms with that trail than I would have had I only hike it that one time.

Looking at the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy, looking very low.

 Some fall colors!

The week before my trip to Pate, I had my last trip up to Merced Lake to take down equipment.  Once I get up past Bunnell Cascade, the trail is one of my favorites in the park.  There were also some beautiful fall colors along the way.

 Not the best picture, but some lovely colors starting to show on the opposite shore of Merced Lake.

Miles

I've logged a lot of miles this summer.

I did a quick estimate and figure I hiked about 250 miles between the first of May and the end of September.  Not too shabby.  Most of those hikes were in long, 10+ mile days too.  I saw some beautiful places and enjoyed the Yosemite backcountry immensely.

I also logged a lot of miles on my car.  She rolled over to 200,000 miles Labor Day weekend as I made my way to the San Jose airport.  I wasn't able to get a photo of the 200,000 or the even better 200,002 (I love palandroms) because I was on the freeway, but pretty close.  She's been a good car and I'm hoping she will continue to be so for at least another seven years or so.

I start my fourth week in the new job tomorrow.  I've spent some time over the past few weeks getting acquainted with the forest and especially my district.  There are a lot more miles to explore out here.  I'm hoping to post pictures of my new home soon.  As always, fellow adventurers always welcome!

Fall Colors

I arrived in El Dorado County just in time for a spectacular display of fall colors.  The whole forest is full of reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges.  Absolutely stunning.

The house in the background is my temporary housing until I find a place to live.  Not bad.  This tree is right in front of the kitchen window.

There is so much more color to capture in my little neighborhood and up the canyon.  It is a beautiful place and I'm looking forward to exploring and getting to know this new area.