Day 66: Rainbow Falls

Red's meadow - burned area hidden campsite above Lower Rainbow Falls
Zero day (zero miles on PCT) + 13 miles bus from Mammoth back to Red's Meadow + 2 miles side trip to Rainbow Falls

Today I woke up in a quiet forest on the edge of the bustling tourist resort town of Mammoth Lakes. It's Sunday and in Mammoth there's a Catholic church! So I go to visit the 8 am morning service. The photo is from before the worship. For the mass the church was completely full, and most people were tourists including a couple of us PCT hikers. Jorge, the priest, is in charge of a huge parish with almost 100 miles across. He mentioned the church is in need of more priests. The harvest is big but the workers are few. If I ever were called to be priest, I'd love to work in such a beautiful place like Mammoth!

The visitors center in Mammoth has some good info about the trails and sightseeing in the area. Soon I'll be entering Yosemite and a side trip to the valley looks like definitely worth taking and also there's a bus to Mono Lake on the other side of the mountains.
For the afternoon I hang out and chat with hikers and cook more food at the Davidson Guest house hostel. We also watch a movie about guys who escaped a prison in Siberia in 1941 and then hiked 4000 miles south all the way to India to escape the communists. Then in my heart and mind I hear again the calling of the trail; board the bus to the bike park and another bus to Red's meadow; and with many other tourists from all over the world head on a short trail to Rainbow Falls.

Signs on the trailhead teach us tourists how to behave in the wilderness to keep it wild.

The trail goes past the burned area from the Rainbow fire with old tree snags, young tree seedlings, and rich cover of gooseberries.

Then comes the giant waterfall...

An amazing sight indeed! And lower downstream there are equally powerful lower falls.

All the tourists have left; it's also time for me to find a spot to sleep. I go a short distance off trail, and find a nice hidden spot under some trees in the old Rainbow Fire burned area.

~ note for readers: Finally I've caught up with my little PCT blog. Thank you for your patience :-) Next update in a few days after a visit to the famous Yosemite National Park!
Happy fourth of July and enjoy the Independence Day!