It was hard to leave such a beautiful place as Evolution Lake.  But, after taking early morning photos and eating breakfast we put on our packs and headed down the trail.  The sky was already threatening so we were sure that we would have to be hiking through some rain showers before the day was over.  We had only been on the trail a couple hundred yards from camp when we heard a helicopter.  It made a few passes over the upper end of the lake and finally landed.  We figured that they were called in to evacuate the injured climber.  It was not long till they took off again and headed out of the valley.

Our destination campsite for the day was to be one of the meadows in the Evolution Valley.  This would be an easy day of hiking as it would all be downhill or level trail.   We ran into several JMT hikers along the way.   One group told us that they had 20 miles to hike before setting up camp.  Putting on that kind of mileage every day does not seem to be the most advantageous way of enjoying the Sierra Mountains to me.

By the time we reached Colby Meadow a gentle rain had started.  Brian hiked down into the meadow to take some photos while I relaxed near the trail under some trees.   The rain was very light so it was no problem for us.  We stopped at a couple of spots along Evolution Creek for a few casts and the fishing was great at every spot.

We decided that we would continue on to McClure Meadow to make camp.  There is a ranger station near McClure but a sign on the door proclaimed that the ranger was on patrol.   We crossed Evolution Creek at the far end of the meadow and found a good spot to set up camp.  Horse packers had used it in the past, which was disappointing, but there was a great view back toward the peaks around Evolution Lake, which would be good for photos.

Unfortunately for me, I started hiking around gathering firewood and exploring the area instead of setting up my tent.  The sky had cleared somewhat so I was in no hurry.  But the clouds blew back in quickly and it started to rain lightly but steadily.  I put my pack in a plastic bag and helped Brian set up his tarp.  I waited for the rain to quit before I put my tent up.  It rained off and on all afternoon but quit by early evening and we were able to have a nice fire.

We had only hiked a little over 3 miles so we had plenty of time to enjoy McClure Meadow fishing, exploring and taking photos.   McClure meadow is probably the best meadow to camp in along this section of Evolution Creek.

Evolution Valley

Colby Meadow

Colby Meadow

Colby Meadow

Colby Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Meadow

Mc Clure Camp

Mc Clure Camp

Evolution Creek

Evolution Creek

Evolution Creek

Evolution Creek

DAY 6