Smoked out

We were all set to spend three days in the Mokelumne Wilderness, starting at Carson Pass and then moving on to Emigrant Lake this weekend. But Friday, as we drove up Highway 88 in the morning, the smoke from the big Mosquito Fire first appeared on the horizon, then got thicker, then got really bad. So bad, in fact, that we bailed on the trip.

Welcome to our new world.

We turned around, headed for our cabin near Sonora, where the smoke was not evident, and I spent the day working there. On Saturday we went up to Pinecrest Lake and took a hike around the lake, noting that the outlet was roaring, and the inlet was trickling. Must be that time of year when they lower the level.

It was a pleasant enough hike, with loads and loads of other people, but it was a far cry from Mok Wild. The lake was down at least twenty feet.

Meanwhile, one of the other volunteers hit Carson Pass later in the day, and told us that the wind had shifted, and his hike was very pleasant.

Nuts.