7/12/18 Lake Fontanallis

Day 22

Miles: 1,123.31 to 1,108.53

The mosquitoes are super bad this morning. They swarm and bite and we pack in a hurry and try to outrun them. We are only partially successful, some areas have mosquitoes that are aggressive and bite even as we walk.

In about an hour and half we arrive at Richardson Lake where everyone else camped. Swayed and Roller are long gone but we find Lady Meow Meow and Milkshake packing lazily.

“We slept in,” Milkshake says.

“I think it’s the altitude that makes us tired,” Lady Meow Meow adds. “All the way from Ashland we were bellow 7,000 feet and these two last days we climbed above 8,000. And we can feel it.”

We bump into Loner next. He is launching by a stream.

“I’ll finish my liter of water and I’ll go,” he tells us. His tone is not convincing. Both Milkshake and Lady Meow Meow agreed he is very good in launching and when we leave he still looks quite comfortable and not ready to move.

Today we are walking through Desolation Wilderness. We’re surrounded by large granite slabs, sparse trees, and beautiful large alpine lakes. Clouds look like brush strokes above our heads. Hopefully they’re not bringing rain.

Our day is relatively short. 15 miles takes us to Fontanilis Lake. It’s the second in a series of alpine lakes in Desolation Wilderness. The lake sits in an alpine basin surrounded by granite walls. Small snow patches still linger on the slopes above us. It’s an idyllic setting and what makes it even better is finding a secret camp site with a view of the lake and on the other side our view stretches all the way to Lake Tahoe. What a fantastic place to call home for tonight.