Day 60: Down Morning, Up Afternoon

(Blaney Hot Springs to Selden Pass, 859.5 to 866 + 1.5 = 8 miles)

Cold soak before the hot springs.

We took a nero today.  We slept in and cooked hot breakfasts!  (We never do either of these things.  We get up between 5 and 5:30 and eat our "hot cereals" cold for second breakfast.)

We found it!

After breakfast, Gumby and I packed our bags with laundry and food and headed out to find the hot springs.  It took fording a river and wandering around for forty minutes, but eventually we stumbled upon a perfect hot spring pool on the edge of a meadow.  And stayed there for three hours.  Without seeing a soul.  It was splendid. 

Hot soak in the Sierras.  Heavenly.

We had been eleven days out, so we spent all of our time cleaning up.  Brushing out our hair, washing, shaving, and doing laundry in our bear vaults.  We soaked for only about half an hour; but it was a wonderful half hour.  Hard to believe we were there, Sierra mountains surrounding us, soaking in a hot spring pool on the edge of a meadow, in seemingly the middle of nowhere, with not another human around.  Sigh.  What a perfect down morning.

Ascent up Selden Pass.

The afternoon, on the other hand, was all about up.  We climbed out of that valley under 8000' to the top of Selden Pass, 10887'.  7.5 miles up and just 0.5 down.  With full packs.  We are resting on a wide ledge just below the pass summit.  It has been a good day.  The rest was just what we needed.  Tomorrow, we start down and then eventually up for another pass.  Such is the rhythm of the Sierras. 

Team headstands!  Kindergarten Cop was a gymnast, too!