Yosemite Border Tour, Day 2

Every day of our tour was different. Different scenery, different challenges, different weather, and different sensations of the body and mind, so it is hard to compare one day to the next. However, the second day of the tour was certainly one of our favorites.

We traveled from the west end of Waugh Lake up along Rush Creek, veering off to the west to cross Lyell Col, then down the Lyell Fork of the Merced River to our camp site.

Here's Steve skinning along Rush Creek just above our camp.
We found these odd ice paddies floating in one of the exposed pools on Rush Creek.
Steve skins up above treeline with Donahue Pass behind him.
Lyell Col comes into view left of center as Steve crosses Upper Marie Lake.
Lyell Col proved to be quite steep, so we put the skis on the pack and got out the ice axes again.
We figured the slope was in the 45+ degree range, but the wind packed winter snow made for confident step kicking.
The views down the Lyell Fork of the Merced River were nothing short of astounding.
Mt. Rodgers is the big peak left of center.
The ski down the stair step valley was good fun, although it took us a while to get used to making turns with the heavy packs.
We made camp at the base of our climb for the next day and basked in some splendid evening light. This is Mt. Ansel Adams.
And the view back up the canyon to Rodgers Peak.
Despite another long day, we were feeling much better than the previous evening. Our bodies had adjusted to the workload and our spirits were lifted by the incredible setting.