July 6

7/6

19 miles (988 to 1007, Kennedy canyon)

We passed the 1000 mile mark. Hooray! Today was a social day. The trail was much much more mellow than it has been. We gradually climbed along buggy meadows, passing beautiful, surprisingly large alpine lakes, and hiked out of Yosemite and into the Hoover wilderness. The mountains turned from granite white and gray to volcanic red and brown and the sky went from blue to black. Rain threatened and thunder rumbled on the distance, but for the second day in a row, we dodged the storms and stayed dry. 

We leap frogged with about 10 different hikers today, chatting at our many breaks and enjoying their company around a campfire as the Mosquitos flee from the smoke.