Today we woke up covered in water. Moisture from the valley we camped in had condensed as the temperatures dropped, so all of our sleeping bags and tents got soaked. I left early to find a sunny spot for breakfast and to dry our stuff.Since we were still at lower elevation, I was able to admire the plants and mushrooms in Lyell canyon that are not found in the high country.

As I climbed higher toward Donahue Pass, I became very very fatigued. The bonk had set in, and I made a rookie mistake. Instead of pacing myself, I charged ahead. The last few hundred feet felt terrible and I collapsed at the top of Donahue Pass, feeling rather unmotivated to keep going.

At the pass I cooked a lasagna meal which Isabel gifted me, and rifled through the contents of my bear can. As I contemplated the situation, my thoughts spiraled into hunger and despair. Why hadn't I brought more food? With my current amount, I almost had no desire to continue on the high route to see the Minarets like we planned. When Isabel and Emma arrived at the pass a while later, I told them I was thinking of splitting up from the group and just hiking into Mammoth via the JMT while they did the high route.

It was a case of the high route blues and hangryness, but luckily my friends convinced me to keep going. As we descended together, we passed many many PCT hikers, including a large trail family of 8. I was slow and lethargic, and the JMT felt rather boring compared to our previous days romping cross country.

We climbed up a small hill, then split off from the trail to take a shortcut to Thousand Island Lake. It wouldn't be a day on the high route without a little off-trail excitement.

Finally we made it to camp! I was exhausted, but our scheduled lake swim replenished some life points. We waded through the squishy lake bed to one of the islands for some pictures.

Today was rough. I felt pretty desperate at Donahue Pass, but my mood slowly improved as night fell. We were in a beautiful place, why not enjoy it! As we discussed our plans for the next day, I became more optimistic about making it to Mammoth without going hungry, but it would all depend on how the first pass of the day went.

I promised myself to bring more food the next time I did something like this, in order to avoid roping my friends into another Donner Party situation.

Lyell Canyon to Thousand Island Lake - 12.3 mi and 3530 ft gained.