Not Dead Yet

I'm feeling much better

I recently spent 10 days being sick in Vermont, but recovered quickly on the day I had to leave — perfect timing! Now I’m back in my temporary home state of California (motto: “ROAD WORK AHEAD”).

I turned 71 (!) today, and it’s also the second anniversary of my arriving here in the Sierra foothills. In order to prove to myself that, despite being a geezer, I’m still not completely decrepit, today I did my favorite High Sierra hike, an eight mile out-and-back to Upper Rock Lake. There’s a gentle 1000 foot elevation gain, with a beautiful lake at the end:

The water felt too cold to swim, but maybe next month I’ll brave it.

The mosquitoes were out in force, but so were the wildflowers:

There were also some insects of the non-bloodsucking variety:

All in all, despite the many delays due to ROAD WORK AHEAD, a good day. Most days in the Range of Light (John Muir’s name for this mountain range) are good.