Ansel Adams Wilderness - Day 1: Cora Lakes

The 5 hours, 4.5 miles hike to Cora Lakes proved tougher than expected. As if gaining 1500 feet in elevation wasn't enough, not even a mile into the hike, I lost my breakfast and the previous night meal, both which mostly consisted of "DayQuil" and "Fisherman's Friend" (a cough lozenge). I'll spare you the graphic details. Then at about the half way mark the sky opened and it started raining. We found some trees to hide under and waited about 20 minutes for the rain to stop. From here on it was simply a matter of putting one leg in front of the other and an exercise in discipline breathing. We made it to Cora Lakes at around 6pm which gave me just enough time to set up a tent and fire a few shots of the last rays of light as the sun sank behind the mountain.

Other than a cup of soup I skipped dinner and by 9pm was in my sleeping bag.

We had 3 major storms coming one after the other that night. Lightning, thunder and quiet the downpour. I’m happy to report that my brand new “Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2” tent past the storm test with flying colors! Not a hint of precipitation in the tent.

Earplugs and a bandana over my eyes to shield from the intense lighting finally sent me in to a much needed night of sleep.