Well, it’s still the holiday weekend, so we’re still here at Mammoth Lakes. After a lazy day yesterday, today was a day to wear ourselves out. We went to the Devils Postpile National Park – the main feature of which is the ‘giants causeway’ style pile of rocks. But we didn’t bother with that, and went straight to the Rainbow Falls trail. The trail is 1 ½ miles to the fall, and 1 ½ miles back. Charlotte walked all the way (although not without more than normal complaints!) and Emily managed to get there, but had to be carried back in the backpack. The waterfall was fantastic, because there had been rainfall overnight, so there was a fantastic chute of water coming over the ledge. Being in the backpack was fine for Emily (although she complained she was ‘tired’ from the backpack), but it was difficult for me, to carry her plus my new American-fast-food weight, up a staircase cut into rock, and along the trail, all at 8,000 feet.

On the way back we had to walk through the fire-hit forest again, which was hot and dusty, with no shade. We passed a group of horses and mules, making off for a one week trail across the Ansel Adams Wilderness, and all wished we could hitch a lift back. Still, we all made it back to the Red Meadows cattle ranch café, and had a sandwich. The guy behind the bar was very friendly, and soon the girls had managed to get themselves a free chocolate milkshake, as well as hear lots of stories of forest fires, bears and huntin’ n’ fishin’.

And the late afternoon was devoted to the pool, to wash off the sweat and dust of the morning. By the pool Charlotte was telling an American couple about the ‘long walk’ she’d done in the morning, but they’d just arrived at the hotel after a 12-day wilderness hike, so they weren’t that impressed!