September 13th Kennedy Canyon to Kerrick Canyon

Today I was alone in the wild, nary a soul did I see. It's as if I had this place all to myself. Coming out of Kennedy Canyon, it was a long, steady, mild ascent to Dorothy Lake Pass, which at 9,500 feet took me very close to the treeline again. The only sounds I heard were those of the wind in the trees and my own footsteps as they pushed off the hard-packed dirt of the trail. A very relaxing walk and oh so calm and peaceful. From the pass, I dropped down into Jack Main Canyon which runs a good seven miles from north to south. The trail parallels Falls Creek through mostly open meadow and I spent a good deal of time staring up at the granite walls that hemmed me in. At the end of the canyon I began to smell a subtle hint of smoke in the air. I looked up at the white streaks in the sky and thought "I don't believe those are clouds". There was a fire somewhere and I could only hope it wasn't too near and that I wasn't walking into it. May fortune smile upon me and keep the trail open! Mid-afternoon, when it was hottest, I stripped down at Wilma Lake for a refreshing dip and also did some trail laundry, scrubbing what dirt I could out of the socks and rinsing the accumulated salt and sweat out of the other clothing. Domestic duties done, I dressed and slowly rollercoasted to Kerrick Canyon. Up and Down and Up and Down. Bailey Ridge, Tilden Canyon, Macomb Ridge, Stubblefield Canyon. The big news of the day is there are less than 1,000 miles to go. That's right. I'm in triple digit countdown, baby!

Dorothy Lake Pass

Jack Main Canyon/Falls Creek/Grace Meadow

Wilma Lake

27 Miles