A very quick climb up the ridge south of Garnet, followed by a great pass-like vista to the south and a drop of about 1000 feet, passing the Ediza Lake turnoff and heading down Shadow Creek to the highly impacted (and closed-to-camping) Shadow Lake (8750). It's a long brutal 800-foot climb on forested switchbacks out of Shadow Lake's bowl. Then, with even more climbing, we pass Rosalie Lake (9500) on the right and Gladys Lake (9600) on the left. After even a bit more climbing, we have a dry and tedious long downhill mostly on volcanic sand and gravel to buggy Johnston Meadow (8150).

1.5 miles after beating a hasty retreat from the mosquitos and biting flies at Johnston Meadow, just after entering Devil's Postpile National Monument, the JMT and PCT are reunited. The PCT comes in from the north. We JMT southbound hikers enter from the west. From this X junction, we skip the ugly, pointless ''official'' JMT/ PCT route to the south and opt for the southeasterly detour that takes us over the very tourist-heavy path to the Postpile itself. The southeasterly spur to Red's Meadow is on the left, a short quarter-mile after the Postpile, on the trail to Rainbow Falls. Red's Meadow Resort is at 7600, the lowest point on the trip.

Red's Meadow cabin

Our cabin for four at Red's Meadow Resort was everything we wanted and needed at that point -- soft beds, a hot shower and space to stretch out and repack with the food cache provisions we'd picked up from the store. The living room was a holy terror -- food, stove parts, fuel bottles, boots, dirty clothes, etc. on every surface. The dinner at the cafe was no great shakes. We got there too late to order the dinner special, hence like most everyone else we were stuck with the lunch menu. According to Zach and Erik, two people who actually care about such things, the Red's food operation more than redeemed itself with the spread at breakfast the following day.

This was perhaps the hardest day of the trip -- even more brutally exhausting than the previous day. Looking at what was to follow, there was a great deal of apprehension about whether we'd be physically and mentally up to the task immediately ahead. Emotionally as well as elevation-wise, this may have been the absolute nadir. It was, frankly, The Night Everything Hurt.

Total: 14.5 miles (longest mileage day of the trip)

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