Tuesday was the Summer Solstice, and the night of the full Moon, and that was a combination I just couldn't resist.
I'd listed the hike in the regular Sierra Singles newsletter, but didn't send out an e-mail reminder, which may partly explain the small turnout. I started with four followers, one of whom (the one in the red shirt, duh!) dropped out partway up... but then a replacement, who'd arrived late, caught up with us at the top.
It was, as always, a long slog up to the top; took me about an hour and a half, including rest breaks. It wasn't, however, hot, and I managed to reach the top without even emptying the first of my two water bottles.
We reached the top as the Sun was setting:
That's another group gathered on the peak; a bunch more of them filtered in later.
It was quite breezy and fairly cool at the top; my followers were bundled up and griping about the cold, and I even considered putting on the sweatshirt I was carrying.
Alas, apart from the chill, the wind also brought clouds. The small puffy pink-lit clouds that scooted over our place of shelter at sunset were cute, but the big cloud bank that piled up on the eastern horizon was no good: it completely hid the Moon.
So, the place of the Moon's rising being thoroughly obscured, we gave up and headed on down the hill.
Nobody in the group felt compelled to use a flashlight this time; there was still a fair amount of twilight, even half an hour after sunset, in addition to all the stray light from the cities below.
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