JMT 17. 9. 2019 – Silver Pass Lake over Silver Pass to Duck Lake Trail junction – 10.2 miles

(all images are clickable for a larger version)

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In the morning the lake’s surface reflected the mountains. I started around 9 am, and a good half hour later I reached the pass. No snow on the trail.

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Form the pass (10.750 ft) I walked down along several small lakes to the Fish Creek Trail junction at 9.100 ft where I arrived a bit after noon. Then it went up again, after Tully Hole (9.600 ft) in switchbacks until 10.500 ft.

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I passed the beautiful Lake Virginia (10.300 ft) in the afternoon, and later the Purple Lake. The trail always went up and down a bit.

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Finally I set up my tent close to the trail in an area with big rocks everywhere on a place I had found in Guthook JMT, directly at a west hillside but well protected against the wind. So I had a beautiful sunset. It was half a mile before the Duck Pass Trail junction.

I recalculated my mileage. 70.7 miles left until Happy Isles, and only 5.5 days. I had to speed up and make an average of 12.9 miles a day if I wanted to reach Yosemite valley around noon on Aug 23. And there were still some passes to cross: Island Pass (10.200 ft), Donohue Pass (11.100 ft), and Cathedral Pass (9.700 ft).

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