Early morning reflection in Alice Lake.

My fifth day on the trail was the longest, beginning with a hike to a waiting resupply and ending with a long slog along a lonely forest road, 15.2 miles total. “Everything hurts,” I wrote that evening.

I awoke beside Alice Lake to a clear, crisp morning. It was 26 degrees, and a thin layer of frost covered the ground. The air was still, and so was the water. It reflected the surrounding mountains as the sunrise provided quite a show.

The campers nearby were just beginning to stir as I packed up my campsite and started down the trail. It was 8 o’clock in the morning.

The first order of business was to hike down from Alice Lake (8,596 feet) to Pettit Lake (6.996 feet), where a bear canister holding food, fuel, and other supplies (hopefully) waited. The trail is mostly open for the first two miles, providing excellent views of the jagged peaks, particularly the prominent El Capitan.
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