Thousand Islands Dressing Lake – The Walk

More than 20 miles, a pass, lakes, marmots… today had it all! We had about 6 miles to Thousand Island Lake, where I planned to take a long lunch. I had cell service for most of the morning, so I was able to call some friends and catch up.

At the lake, Flash and Dromedary were already relaxing, with Bubbles, Rambo, Birdman, and Posh Spice behind me. While cleaning out Airbnbs in Mammoth, we had the great idea to pack a couple of leftover beers to enjoy at the lake. I paired it with my pop tart and found a spot in the sun. Breakfast of champions.

Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were pretty bad at the lake, so I couldn’t even get much of a tan. I stayed until I couldn’t stand the bugs anymore and began the hike up Donahue Pass. The pass wasn’t too hard but it was more of a climb than any of us expected. I took it slow and steady and tried to enjoy the views to stay positive on the way up. I met Drom at the top of the pass to grab a snack and choose our camp for the night.

We are very close to Yosemite. There is a stretch of trail where we cannot camp through Tuolomne Meadows. We were at the top of the pass before 3pm, so we still had plenty of daylight. We decided to camp as close to the restricted area as possible, meaning about 6.5 miles ahead.

The descent of the pass was steep and rocky for a while until it flattened out into the prettiest meadow. There was an incredibly clear river running through the middle, a waterfall, and wildflowers as far as the eye could see.

I secretly hoped Drom would stop by one of the prairie campsites just because it was so pretty, but I knew it wasn’t far away, so I kept finding it. Bubbles and Birdman joined the party while we had dinner. We are thrilled to be able to go to the park tomorrow!

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