over New Army to Soldier Lake to Blue-Sky Lake
The Meet-Up group heads out early in the morning to go up Langly for the day. They'll come back and pack and then be gone by evening. We wait for sun and then set things out to dry and have a leasurely start. I find the bivy worked great except for the obvious flaw that there's no way to keep the rain off your face. Breakfasted and packed, I ponder if the space blanket that also has lived in my emergency kit for years would make a better floor or ceiling, but only because I've never actually opened it up and handled it. We head out for New Army Pass. A few bits of thunder shout, "Hurry up!" as we hit the top, but the sky above us isn't quite ready to threaten yet. We lunch and enjoy the view, then start down the far side where a sign mentions we are entering a National Park, but can't seem to figure out if it is Sequoia or Kings Canyon. It says, "No weapons," but airport security doesn't seem to be around and we keep our pocket knives.
About 100 feet down, the rain starts. It turns to hail faster than it takes me to get out my rain gear. I ponder leaving my cotton hat since it is more protective and won't get wet in hail, but decide to stow it since it is actually a mix. The jacket has a hat and it is the only thing I pull on. Continuing, the hail gets bigger and stings when it hits my shoulders and especially fingers. Lower, it turns to pouring rain and my pants soak and threaten to put water down my shoes. It slackens as we hit the tree line and my shoes are still fairly dry.
We turn up a trail marked "Food Storage Box" and cross the meadow to a second trail, probably quite naughtily as it turns out, and stop briefly at Soldier Lake with the rain still falling lightly. We climb up and out of the drainage, accidently helping a couple guys who weren't sure where to go, to Rock Creek and follow it up and up and up. Lake after lake, each with a waterfall between, as the trees thin again, we climb. We get to Blue-Sky and settle in. I borrow some poles for a shelter this time, although it doesn't rain in the night. I sketch the lake in the gathering gloom, the two guys who followed us fishing on the far side.
About 100 feet down, the rain starts. It turns to hail faster than it takes me to get out my rain gear. I ponder leaving my cotton hat since it is more protective and won't get wet in hail, but decide to stow it since it is actually a mix. The jacket has a hat and it is the only thing I pull on. Continuing, the hail gets bigger and stings when it hits my shoulders and especially fingers. Lower, it turns to pouring rain and my pants soak and threaten to put water down my shoes. It slackens as we hit the tree line and my shoes are still fairly dry.
We turn up a trail marked "Food Storage Box" and cross the meadow to a second trail, probably quite naughtily as it turns out, and stop briefly at Soldier Lake with the rain still falling lightly. We climb up and out of the drainage, accidently helping a couple guys who weren't sure where to go, to Rock Creek and follow it up and up and up. Lake after lake, each with a waterfall between, as the trees thin again, we climb. We get to Blue-Sky and settle in. I borrow some poles for a shelter this time, although it doesn't rain in the night. I sketch the lake in the gathering gloom, the two guys who followed us fishing on the far side.