JMT Day 8: Purple Lake and Lake Virginia

Friday, July 29, 2011
	Destination: Lake Virginia Starting Location: Deer Creek	Today's Miles: 9.80 Trip Miles: 80.60

Today we experienced our first rain! Previously the sky had been the purest blue with rarely a cloud in sight!

 I don't remember much from the hike today.  We went to Purple Lake and took a little break for some food. 

Purple Lake

Sometimes I just zone out while I'm hiking.  Then we moved on and camped at Lake Virginia which is where we encountered the rain after setting up camp.  Lake Virginia is actually one of the best lakes we saw!

After the rain, the sun came out and looked epic on the mountains! We camped really close to the lake on a peninsula, probably closer than regulation allows, but it was a nice flat campsite without vegetation.

We didn't really talk a whole lot while hiking, just listening to the sounds of nature (no music either). For a while I was wondering what makes hiking so special. After exploring beautiful Yellowstone by car I have come to the conclusion, that it is a full immersion of 4 of the 5 senses: touch (actually walking through the wilderness), sight (seeing all the beautiful mountains, lakes, and valleys), smell (the fresh air and body odor), hearing (listening to the running water, wind, and animals). Taste doesn't completely apply but cooked food certainly tastes a lot better in the wilderness! I'd like to add another aspect as well: time! The time it takes to walk to a place helps you appreciate the wilderness even more! To look back and see mountains way off in the distance and know that that's where you've come from is a very rewarding experience!