Day 6       13.5 miles

Up and over Selden Pass.  Pretty purple flowers edge the trail.  They have a lovely scent.  Then a 7 mile downhill to Muir Trail Ranch.  The only way to reach this resupply spot is hiking in, or on horseback and mule train.  Lots of hikers here to talk with.  Some hikers had the brilliant idea to fill their resupply pails with red wine.  I don’t know how they will nourish themselves on the trail, but they will feel no pain.  At least tonight anyway.

We found out the giant pine trees with the huge cones are Ponderosa Pines.  If you put your nose right up to the bark and take a sniff they smells like vanilla.

I’m not sleeping well at these high elevations.  Paul and I are both having weird dreams which we describe to each other in detail as we trod along.  We are also discussing the big passes ahead:  Muir, Mather,  Pinchot, Glen, and Forester, and mentally preparing ourselves.

After resupplying at MTR, we were back on the trail at 2:45pm.  Fantastic long stretches of flat, but windy, trail where we can crush out the miles.

By evening we had entered Kings Canyon National Park.  Here the trail is carved into cliffs and winds along a deep gorge.   The San Joaquin River below us, is full and fast flowing.

We cross over the river on a bridge then set up our tent close to the cold water.  We even had time for a wash where the river wasn’t rushing too fast.  But brrrrr, it’s cold. ​​

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